Please see the "3D Puppet Inspiration" tab for more elaboration on other kinds of puppets and ways of using them. In the meantime, here is a quick reference list, by no means exhaustive, of the more common and traditional types of 3D puppets, from simplest to most complicated.
Everybody loves a Finger Puppet! Make 'em out of anything. Limited in expression, both physical and corporeal, but they can have a certain charm. Note that they are exceptionally limited for using in video/film, simply because they are so small. Other limitations: they also have a hard time picking things up without using the bodies of their adjacent fingerpuppet friends. Tend to have vacant expressions. Challenge: don't make them cute.
Hand Puppets! This term generally describes puppets that are operated by one hand, such as Punch and Judy.
This term also includes other one-handed puppets such as sock puppets. Fun to operate and often quite simple to make, hand puppets are a good scale for miniature puppetfilm sets. Limitations: spinal deformity is common. Necks difficult to make work smoothly. Limited ability to grasp items without the puppet using the old two-arm heave.
Hand-and-Rod Puppets are extremely versatile and allow a single puppeteer to get a lot out of a puppet performance. They have the ability to have mouths that open and close, eyeballs that move, eyelids that blink, ears that wiggle, and other animatible options, in addition to having two arms that move independently (after the 'chopstick' technique is mastered). Limitations: very rarely have feet or legs, and, while it's easier to get around than with simpler puppets, they still have trouble picking things up.
Traditional Japanese Bunraku puppets are operated using precisely defined techniques by multiple puppeteers. The master puppeteer for each puppet is unmasked (presumably to demonstrate his skill in operating the puppet, as ideally the audience forgets he is present at all), while the apprentices' faces are covered. Bunraku puppets generally have smoothly crafted spinal construction, extremely mobile necks, and articulate hands that can engage objects.
Bunraku, both traditional and non traditional, presents innumerable options for puppets of many shapes, sizes, and functionality. Often used on stage, Bunraku is enjoying a resurgence, and is featured in the soon-to-be-released Narrative of Victor Karloch. Traditionally a highly respected Japanese art form, contemporary Bunraku-style puppeteering is employed in a million different ways. For puppet-films, it can be challenging to keep Bunraku-style puppets small, but for beauty of expression and organic movement, very few puppets can beat a Bunraku type puppet.
contemporary interpretations of traditional Bunraku-style puppets
Rod puppets: the sky's the limit! There are so many things you can do with puppets that are operated from above, below, or offstage/offscreen by the use of rods, or rods combined with strings, springs, releases, pivots, and so on. A rod puppet is a great option when you can't fit your hand inside of your character, and you don't want to spend the next 20 years getting really good at building and operating marionettes.
Speaking of Marionettes... this term is used very specifically to describe string-operated puppets that hang from what is generally a rather complicated controller above the puppet.
They are difficult to make, as balance is a very delicate issue for optimal performance, and they can be extremely complicated to control without lots of practice. That being said, they can be wonderful on screen, and once in awhile you can get lucky with a well-balanced puppet that has a lot of life and works well. And they can have feet and legs! However, if you want to make marionettes, I will only be able to supply the most rudimentary of advice. In my opinion, having known one, Marionette artists are masters who spend a lifetime immersed in their craft. By contrast, I made and operated marionettes once.
These Italian marionette-type puppets (also very common in the Czech Republic) have strong wires solidly attached to their heads, which makes them slightly easier to operate than the all-string marionettes. They are considered by some a kind of marionette, and can bring some of the charm of marionette puppets to a project. This type of approach might be useful for characters in a puppet film; having the head stabilized helps immensely.
Cable Puppets are used often in the special effects industry, and operate with the use of bike cables running through housing, just like a bicycle brake.
They have many things going for them, including the ability to get very precise movement out of small puppet parts. The movement is often hampered by the cables, however, limited to one single movement, contributing to a mechanical or non-organic feel. On one hand this could suck the soul out of your puppet, but on the other hand, it might be just the kind of janky feel you're looking for! Again, the sky is the limit with what you can dream up, but these can be some challenging mechanical designs to engineer. And for some of us that's the whole fun of making puppets (I know who you are!)
The internet is crawling with puppets, ideas for puppets, how to make a variety of styles of puppets; this is a super simple primer. After you figure out what your story is, what your film is about, and do a little pre-production, we'll look at different ideas for your puppets, and what will serve your project best. In the meantime, go ahead and geek out on the puppet-possibilities in the dizzying world of 3D puppetry.
puppetz rule!
