One of the challenges we faced during preproduction was figuring out how best to create movings heads for our characters. We needed them to turn left and right in tiny increments and to also look up and down. The solution we came up with worked like a charm.

First and foremost, when we sculpted the characters we ensured they all had necks. This would eventually sit nicely within the base of the head.

Then, when we built our wire armatures, we allowed plenty of wire for the neck which would later be trimmed to fit the appropriately sized head.

After casting the puppets in silicone, we had solid bodies with long wires protruding from the neck.

We then cut the neck wire approximately 1cm shorter than the diameter of the head. So if a head had a 9cm diameter, we cut the wire to 8cm. This ensured the wire went deep within the head, but didn’t push out the other side.

With the wire cut to size, we slid three plastic washers down the length, spreading them evenly apart. The inner diameter of the washer fit the diameter of the wire perfectly! We picked these up from Jaycar Electronics, but I’m sure you’ll find them in any electronics outlet.

As heads and bodies were interchangeable, we needed to ensure the washers didn’t slide up and down the wire. We used super glue to stick them in place, then as insurance, put Selleys Knead-It in between the washers which dried hard like concrete. The necks were now ready for the heads!

The heads were foam balls purchased from your local craft store. They were brilliant because:

- They came in various sizes which suited our different characters.
- They were super light and didn’t weigh down the puppets.
- They could be easily carved into.
- We could paint them.
- We could stick wool to them.
- We could easily push eyes and eyebrows into them.
- They were cheap!

But the neck wire with washers didn’t go straight into the foam head, rather they went into a brass pipe that was first inserted into the foam. These were purchased from a hobby shop and I found a size with a diameter that fit the washers exactly. How I found washers that perfectly fit the wire and a pipe that perfectly fits the washers is beyond me! However, it was such a dream fit that we were able to rotate the head in tiny increments. I cut the pipes about the same size as the neck wire using a vise and a jigsaw.

I also pushed a bit of Knead-It into one end of the cut pipes to make a little cap. This was to ensure the neck wire didn’t push through the top of the head if I cut it too long, and for it not to fill with silicone as covered below.

Finally, I had to create a channel in the foam ball to insert the pipe. This was done first by pushing a thin screwdriver in one end, then followed up with a pen that was about the same diameter as the pipe. To avoid the screwdriver and pen pushing out the other side, I put a mark on each one at a particular length so I knew when to stop pushing.

I then carved a hole in the open end of the foam ball to accommodate the puppet’s neck. This allowed the head to overlap the neck nicely… and kind of looked like the Death Star.

With the pipe channel and neck hole carved out, I filled it with a bit of silicone and pushed the pipe in. The silicone acts as a glue setting the pipe within the foam. But be warned if trying this yourself, some silicones will actually dissolve the foam and your head will be ruined. You may need to experiment with different types and brands.

The final result can be seen below. The next step was to paint, wrap and add eyes and eyebrows which you can read about in Fabrication: String, Hair & Accessories.

• Zero Gallery: Disasters, Fun & Peculiarities
• Fabrication: String, Hair & Accessories
• Behind the Scenes Video
• Casting Your Puppets
• Building Wire Armatures