My most recent fun with silhouette (shadow) puppets has been using them as magnetic puppets. You can create a magnetic board by covering a metal sheet with thin paper and attach the puppets with magnetic tape, which makes it easy to move parts bit by bit. Playing with puppets in stop motion films is not only fun, but also a creative way to make shorts for causes that are dear to your heart .
Instructions how to make a magnetic board and look-a-like puppets of people can be found in the following posts:
- Make memories during the holidays
- Historical puppets for language arts (with instructional video how to use online images and Google Drawings)
Stop Motion
Stop motion film combining a reel of Robert Reich with puppets of Charlie XCX and Kamala Harris
I have always wanted to use stop motion film to make puppets dance, but never got around to try it out for the Beyoncé Texas hold ’em dance challenge. Inspired by Richard Reich. who did the Apple dance to get out the vote, I now combined that with puppets of Charlie and Kamala Harris instead. Using white paper gloves to make the hands more clear, I took only two photos per beat using the Stop Motion app. For more fluency, use more and shorter movements per beat.
I have tried two different ways to do stop motion films with shadow puppets, both explained in this post. Using a metal sheet and magnetic tape, however, is by far the easiest method. And you can even use your fridge!