"Puppets are simply the most intimate and spontaneous form of animation," says Barry Purves. The British filmmaker uses stop-motion techniques on his manikins to tell twisted and emotional tales historically reserved for human actors.
There is nothing digital about his production of the tragedy Rigoletto and his lighthearted opera about Gilbert and Sullivan, both of which will be shown in August at the new Mass MoCA gallery in western Massachusetts. Yet digital animators are drawn to Purves' style, inspired by his ability to bring emotion to the screen. He's led seminars at Pixar and worked with Tim Burton on Mars Attacks! (Over budget and short on time, Burton eventually went with CG Martians based on the puppet master's work.)
Purves is no analog purist - he hopes to someday bring his creations into the digital domain for a grand-scale version of a children's opera based on Noah's ark. Still, he says, "I appreciate the flesh-and-blood feeling of a puppet."
ELECTRIC WORD
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Puppet Master
