Anybody watch Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance yet?

[Marc Wielage]

The camera follows the actors conversation really well, just like live action. I was wondering what the steadicam operator heard while the puppet mouths were moving as it seems perfectly synced with camera movement. For example did dialog sound come from the puppet or was there a com system(audio headphones for the camera operator)? Btw the chinese voice actors are doing an excellent job (I am watching it in chinese).

Generally the way the Muppets always worked was: the person operating the puppet's mouth also did the voice, and they had a special headset mic (either from the side or the top of the head), so they could actually do a little ad-libbing and change the timing on dialogue without missing a beat. I assume it's something like this:

[Jonathan Petts]

The camera follows the actors conversation really well, just like live action. I was wondering what the steadicam operator heard while the puppet mouths were moving as it seems perfectly synced with camera movement. For example did dialog sound come from the puppet or was there a com system(audio headphones for the camera operator)? Btw the chinese voice actors are doing an excellent job (I am watching it in chinese).

The puppeteers actually did the voices, well not all of them but each character had a 'lead' puppeteer that was doing the main movements for them and a few others doing arms etc. This lead puppeteer then did the voice for them, there was no com system for Louis and Eik just a full sound team on-set who had each puppeteer rigged up for sound which that feed then went to Louis and Erik as this sound was only a guide track for the main actors who did the full ADR after. Louis and Erik were free to talk during takes to position the puppeteers as ultimately the sound did not matter.
Obviously, they were not talking over the puppeteers at every opportunity but it just gave Louis the flexibility to just say 'go again' or 'could you look more towards my camera please'.

The puppeteer team had coms so they could communicate with each other during the take.

[Jonathan Petts]

Jonathan what frame rate did you guys shoot at?

We shot at 23.98 fps.

[Jonathan Petts]

I think it's also important to mention the amazing work the Video dept. did on this job. Each Skeksis had their own wireless monitor (only made possible bu the Viper Wireless System) and then for the Gelfling they laid out monitors at every point they moved around the sets.

I think for most scenes there was 10-15 monitors in various places and during some scenes, 40 monitors were places within the scene. This was done by one Video Op (Lizzie) and two video assistant (Matt and Hayley) who basically lived under the sets running thousands of meters of cable for the monitors in every possible place for the puppeteers. Realistically this job would not have been possible without them.

We actually set-up little runways for the cables for Video and DIT that weaved through almost like road-ways, I'd basically hide my video receiver directly under where Louis and Erik were positioned and made adjustments from there, but the transmitters were so good I could basically leave them in the same place all day sometimes.

[PatrickFaith]

I think it's also important to mention the amazing work the Video dept. did on this job. Each Skeksis had their own wireless monitor (only made possible bu the Viper Wireless System) and then for the Gelfling they laid out monitors at every point they moved around the sets.

I think for most scenes there was 10-15 monitors in various places and during some scenes, 40 monitors were places within the scene. This was done by one Video Op (Lizzie) and two video assistant (Matt and Hayley) who basically lived under the sets running thousands of meters of cable for the monitors in every possible place for the puppeteers. Realistically this job would not have been possible without them.

We actually set-up little runways for the cables for Video and DIT that weaved through almost like road-ways, I'd basically hide my video receiver directly under where Louis and Erik were positioned and made adjustments from there, but the transmitters were so good I could basically leave them in the same place all day sometimes.

I watched "the crystal calls", a behind the scene documentary on the new dark crystal (was close to 90 minutes long). Had a ton of great shots of how the red camera was used, i even saw that some of the puppeteers watched both red cameras inside the rigs ... just amazing all around. Red should really be proud of this one, the team work i saw in the film across the board was beyond amazing.

[Nick Morrison]

It's a breathtaking looking show, truly.

[Greg Fiske]

Really an incredible piece of work. Great job all around!