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Out of Frame

Puppeteer: Who makes Star Wars’ BB-8 come alive?

7/8/202629 min

Puppets are one of the oldest forms of entertainment in the world - but they still pop up in cinema all the time. Puppeteer Dave Chapman has brought his skills to everything from BBC Children’s television and Muppet Treasure Island, to Star Wars and Jurassic World. Dave shares stories working on some of the biggest film franchises in the world and the skills it takes to be a great puppeteer.

This is Out of Frame, where we celebrate and explore the work of below the line roles in film and TV. Out of Frame is produced by Platform Media for CrewHQ at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.

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Clips

Host Loses It With Puppet
Jim Henson Wrote Back
359 Degrees Of Wrong
I Am B2 In Andor
Practical Effects Resurgence

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Yinka Bokinni· Host0:00

    Hello, I'm Yinka Bokinni, and welcome to Out of Frame. If you've ever sat back and wondered how are movies actually made, well, prepare to have your mind blown because this is the place to find out. On this podcast, I speak to the most talented and creative people from the world of film and television. We're shining a light on below-the-line crew members because they're the ones who bring the magic to our screens, and each week, I get to pick their brains right here at Crew HQ at the heart of Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden. This is Out of Frame. [dramatic music] We all have our favorite actors, the ones we look out for when a new movie comes out. But today we're taking a moment to appreciate the puppets. Puppet movies use everything from handcrafted marionettes to advanced animatronics, and puppetry shows up way more in movies than you probably realized, like Star Wars, Jurassic World, and Beetlejuice. Someone who has worked on all of these films and so much more is Dave Chapman. Dave is an acclaimed puppeteer and actor, and he's worked on a wide range of action, entertainment, and children's films. Dave, welcome to Out of Frame.

  2. Dave Chapman· Guest1:15

    Thank you very much. Nice to be here.

  3. Yinka Bokinni· Host1:16

    I'm so happy to have you here- [laughs] ... because, like, puppets is so niche.

  4. Dave Chapman· Guest1:22

    [laughs] It's very niche.

  5. Yinka Bokinni· Host1:23

    It's the nichest thing I could probably think of, but I can imagine you're about to open my eyes and everyone who's watching

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