The Mind Creative March 2014
tonnes; he has his own on-board hydraulic power with specialist
circus skilled performers who manipulate Kong’s arms via pulley
lines, (reference: King Kong, Media Kit, page 14, 2013). The
audience sees cables attached to the puppet, which operate the
arms and legs of the puppet like a huge marionette as well as see
the puppeteers on stage. What the audience do not see are the
controls animating Kong that allow the puppet to perform up to
40 axes of complex and intricate movement.
Puppeteer on Kong, Steve Coupe (Sydney Puppet Theatre), says
that the big difference in operating this puppet remotely from
operating a puppet tangibly is that for once he “could see the
puppet as the audience sees it”. A rare opportunity, as puppeteers
are nearly always behind, underneath or operating over the top
of their puppet.
Photo: Scott Barbour (Getty Images)
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