I am truly blown away by the sheer number of things vent figures are capable of doing in this day and age. With all of the technology available to us, figures can do almost anything-- moving eyes, mouth, blinkers, and eyebrows are almost standard on them nowadays, and there are plenty of other options like spitters, handshakers, upper lip movements, and more.

This has effectively divided the vent community into two parts-- those who feel that all of the extra animatins help make the figure feel more "alive" to the audience, and those who think that a lot of the newer stuff is completely unnecessary.

So, I guess my question is this: how many mechanics do you think a figure needs to be effective? Think numbers, not kinds of mechanics-- to some vents, a spitter may be as important as moving eyes-- And at what point do you think manipulating a figure becomes cumbersome?

For me, I can't imagine even trying to operate a figure that has more than four, and that's pushing it. But then again, I am a beginner.

Edgar Bergen only had a moving mouth on Charlie, and look where he went with vent. I've seen vents "soup up" or add so much to their vent figures to the point that it looked like some kind of mechanical robot..and actually took away from the figure and the act. I would vote for moving eyes and mouth and maybe winkers, but that would be it. In truth, I am a soft puppet advocate, although I do yearn occasionally for a hard figure.

Mark
markwade@kidshowvent.com

...and maybe eyebrows.

But, I think Mark's right. Too much stuff moving about and your audience ceases to believe in the figure as an entity unto himself and spend all their time marveling at "what that guy can make the doll do."

-Philip

I personally like to have at least the moving mouth, eyes, and eyebrows. Having an upper lip snear is also cool but not used frequnetly, at least the way I use it on the one figure I have it on. It is used more for occasional "enhanced" glances at the audience or a specific audience person for comic effect than anything else. Winkers/blinkers are also very useful since having your figure wink at the audience can be a real crowd pleaser/comic effect. The blinkers can be frequently used and seem to give a figure more "life" since they can simulate so many emotions in the figure (sleepiness, boredom, startlement, etc.). However, IF I had to really narrow it down, I would say moving mouth and eyes at minimum. I have found it quite challenging when there are many levers to contend with on the headstick. Requires way more practice to master, IMHO:o) I also think that "having the extra animations" doesn't mean you have to USE them all the time either.

You can do quite a bit of expressions using JUST moving mouth of a soft puppet by utilizing the body movements. It's more animated than hard puppets, if done well.

As makers of soft puppets, we might be biased, but we think that a good Vent can make use of all the available bells and whistles, but only to the extent that the talent (practice level) of the performer can handle. In the hands of someone who is not good at their craft, the bells and whistles can detract. As far as I know we have the only true (l/r) moving eyes in soft sculpture, but without the talent factor of the Vent, the add-ons are wasted and may detract from the performance. Audiences of today are more discriminating then ever before, and it is ultimately the talent of the Vent that makes or breaks the act.

Dan Horn for instance uses Orsen with no bell & whistles other than arm rods and keeps people rolling on the floor. When Orsen scratches his butt and then sticks his hand in Dans face, the house comes apart. Personally I don't think a "figure" could have this type of personality where a "puppet" can pull it off wonderfully.

The bottom line is. . .have all the bells and whistles, but only perform with them as you are confident in your ability to make your character look natural and come alive on his/her own. Make the illusion be real.

Steve
http://www.thedummyshoppe.com

This is exactly where I'm at on this topic.
Raising eyebrows is okay too, but for me, I'm happy with just moving eyes and mouth, if I were going to order a figure made for myself, then I would order winker/blinkers, they can be used for a variety of looks and used very realistically and effectively.
So in answer to your question Matt about how many, my answer is 2 or 3, and maybe 4.

As the new guy on the block and a person with no experience in Ventriloquism, my feeling is if I were a seasoned vent and were to purchase a new figure and I could get twenty mechanics built into it, I would do it.

The reason being that even if I did have all the bells and whistles, it does not mean I need to use every lever in every show.

I have seen famous ventriloquists perform the same show on TV in front of different audiences, doing the same show, or parts of the same show with no changes; it is still funny and I am entertained, but to have the ability to change a line, or add a line and have the figure move something never moved before would be an exciting part of the show.

If the figure had twenty movements; in combination unlimited shows would be a little different; something new in every show that would be different.

IMHO

Sorry, but my opinion..less is more. Twenty or so animations on a figure woud make the control stick hard to anavigate, and while I know Buzz was exaggerating for the sake of this conversation, there are those vents who want as much of this stuff as possible. They think animations equals laughter or even good material. Nothing takes the place of good comedy material. IMHO vents should put their efforts into better comedy material and how to create good routines versus so much worry about what a figure can do. My friend Nina Conti comes to mind with her "Monk". We maybe should start a thread about good writing and good comedy material. Whattaythink?

Mark
markwade@kidshowvent.com

Sorry..I misspelled "navigate" in my last post. Also my point about Nina..she takes a simple cloth puppet and makes it a wonderful, animated character with excellent comedy material. "Monk", I am almost positive, has no animations..no winkers, spitters, eyebrows, etc.

Mark
markwade@kidshowvent.com

Mark,

Monk does have one feature. He has "swallowed" one fantastic lady - lol

Steve
http://www.thedummyshoppe.com

Dave Pendleton performs with Mack his original McElroy figure with all the functions and he uses the added features very sparingly. Lets face it how many times in a performance would you cross the eyes or stick out the tongue or wiggle the ears. Those type of functions are for a comedy effect and they must be scripted to work with the performance. Dave will even tell you that less is more.
Dan
http://www.ventriloquistcentral.com

I guess I was focusing on the mechanics in my post and made the assumption that everyone here already knew that it was the Ventriloquist’s talent and comedy material that made the routine funny and memorable.

That being said;

With excellent material and a versatile figure that has the ability to wiggle his nose, or have steam come out of his ears to show anger at the appropriate time I think adds to the figures personality; to be clear the figure should utilize an out of the ordinary movement very rarely so the gimmick does not get old and boring.

In my mind I see many possibilities for audience amusement in a surprise like a shoulder shrug during a show, when the figure would mumble “I DUNNO”.

I still remember when Paul Winchell made Jerry angry and the steam came out of his ears, it was very impressive to me; Paul Winchell did not need that movement, but it was a surprise when it happened. and I still remember it.

I think the discussion is a good one, but it really boils down to timing, physical movement and quality of lip control. A moving mouth and well done eyes are necessary, and so is a figure that can be clearly seen and made out by the audience visually. The bells and whistles are nice, but they shouldn't make or break your act. Personally, and because I use mostly soft figures with the exception of one...I think mastering the basics is most important, and for those of you who do this full time like I do you know it's a constant learning process. To me, more bells and whistles means more that can go wrong with wear and tear..so I like to keep it simple and focus on talent.

My two most used figures are my drunken man Mr. Parley (which I made) and my Hartz boy named Nonoy. Mr. Parley has permanent closed eyes, only moving mouth. I got Nonoy having mouth and side to side eye movement, but I remade his eyes to be non-moving because that's what I wantedand needed.

Some vents want eyes and mouth movements, some like more, it really depends on the performer... But I prefer very simple figures with just a mouth movement.

I believe extra animations are already too much when they in the way of our goal of giving a smooth, excellent performance.

When I was a young photographer that was photographing a celebrity pie eating contest that turned into a celebrity food fight that I was right in the middle of, resulting in $300.00 for Nikon repairs and I was still picking pie out of my camera for months after; during the fight I got shots that were fantastic and sold in many magazines resulting in more money than I imagined.

The result of that experience was that I learned that my camera is a tool and if it suffers wear and tear, it is what enables me to make my mark in my chosen field and I will check it and keep it in good repair, along with backup equipment; I owned and took with me two of everything I used on location.

If I were a famous Ventriloquist and had all the money in the world, I would have heads with the different features of my planned routine, this way I would have backup heads to cover emergencies and have heads that have unique movements for special shows without needing twenty levers.

I was just watching TV and a Volkswagen commercial came on that featured a Ventriloquist being hit in the chest with the figures arm.

IF I knew what I was doing as a Ventriloquist, and

IF I had a figure that has twenty movements, including an arm that could move,

I could have got that commercial.

I've got to chime in on this. The movement DOESN'T add to the personality. It adds to the look what this thing can do factor. The ventriloquist creates the personality of the character. A strong personality outshines any mechanics.



Buzz, how many ventriloquists do you think went out for that commercial? Or for SOAP? Or for the commercials Jeff did? It has nothing to do with the figure. In Jay's case, the show created Bob. I've heard plenty of stories of figures being specially made for television. If they want a figure to do something - they'll get it for you. Having the toy does nothing. Having the SKILL combined with TALENT and SHOWMANSHIP and MATERIAL and...the list could go on and on... THAT's what gets you the jobs.

Tom

Tom;

I love when you chime in; I was kidding when I wrote that I could have got that commercial. Now I am not prepared to do any show; I have my Shore 55 microphone, and just ordered my Atlas 25C stand to hold the microphone. (just kidding again).

I am very serious about being a successful Ventriloquist.

As all have probably discovered by now, I like gadgets, the more gadgets the better; as of this morning, I have no SKILL or MATERIAL; I truly believe I have TALENT and SHOWMANSHIP.

If I am having fun with my twenty movement figure on stage, if I feel professional with the flashy microphone, the backdrop and gadget filled PA system, If I can do a trick that no one else does.. my personality will shine, I will be successful and THAT's what will get me the jobs.

I figured a trick that no one else does; how would the moms and dad at the event react, if I were to shoot a child out of a cannon?

(just kidding again)