Archives for category: film

Everything is back to normal. The conference is over and my friend Avril has gone back home to Australia. The picture shows Avril next the poster with our star, Lizzie. We had brilliant feedback about the film from the people who watched it at the conference. Personally, I know more about Lipoedema now than I ever wanted to know :), but I guess this is why I like to get involved in such projects.

Most people were surprised that we did the film without funding. Avril and I had talked about whether we should seek funding for the project in the beginning, but it was in the too hard basket for both of us, particularly as we were working in different countries. I myself have no experience with funding agencies and I believe seeking funding would have slowed the whole thing down and made the process more cumbersome.

Would I do it again? Most certainly! Though I would rethink my view on seeking funding first…

Here is a little treat for my blog followers. Only when you have the link can you watch this film, as it is unlisted on Youtube. It is a test of my shadow puppets for the film “Fat Legs & all“. Unfortunately, these original shadow puppets didn’t find the approval of the other parties involved and I had to modify them a little. I wanted to show the sponge puppets in a savage world. But I was told that for the sponges it is not so much a feeling of living in a hostile world, but rather one of seeking approval and understanding, as they are just ignored or made fun of.

I have to admit, I was a shadow puppet! Many people are surprised that neither of us who made the film suffer from Lipoedema ourselves. For me it was a “mea culpa” project. When Avril described to me what a Lipoedema sufferer might look like, I immediately remembered my best friend at Uni. For me personally body shape is of little importance. I side with my “No body” Dedes. What counts is what is in the head. However, my mate at Uni managed to aggravate me when we were out eating. She ate so little and pushed her food around her plate for ages.  Basically she ate very conscientiously and next to her I appeared like a caveman’s wife. I just gulped down what there was to eat. I always wondered what this was all about, as I ate far more, but was in much better shape. No, that’s not quite right… when sitting down, my friend looked like a real lady, but under the table it was a different story (the dress code at a baroque court would have suited her very well). And I admit it now, that I occasionally thought “If I were that unshapely, I would do something about it”.

After we finished our studies, our ways parted and I have long lost contact, but Avril’s description of the lipoedema figure brought back memories of all the good times I had with my friend.

 

Today is premiere day for my sponge puppet film. I will write more about it in the next few posts. Here just briefly what it is all about.

For this film I have teamed up with Avril Lunken, an lymphoedema occupational therapist from Melbourne and her daughter Tilly, a playwright in London. We thought the neutral medium of puppetry would be ideal to highlight this little-known condition which can make the lives of many women who suffer from it miserable. Lipoedema, is a condition where abnormal fatty deposits accumulate in the butt and legs but not the feet. Sometimes known as “painful fat syndrome,” women who have lipoedema often believe (or are told) they are simply over-weight but find that no amount of exercise or diet reduces the fatty deposits. Their legs and thighs are out of proportion with the rest of their body. This condition affects women only and manifests itself usually after puberty, child birth or menopause.

Imagine how soul-destroying it must be, when the only advice your doctor gives you is to loose weight, but you know too well you have already tried every diet under the sun. He then goes on to paint the bleakest picture what will happen if you don’t heed his advice…

With our film we want to reduce the prejudice towards those with the condition and instigate more research into the subject. During the next three days, Avril is presenting a poster at the 10th Australasian Lymphology Association (ALA) Conference here in Auckland. The film can be accessed by the participants of the conference via a QR code on the poster.

Life would become so much easier for sufferers, if only more people knew it is a medical condition and not a weakness of the will.

Please watch the film and share their story!

A big, fat Thank You!   Dietlind

Last Saturday we had another Dede Workshop where we created an impromptu film. Impromputu in the sense that the people who attended had to come up with a story. The only hint they have are the puppets I select prior to the participants arriving. No Devil this time! He is on his well-deserved holiday. Instead we had a pretty classic Punch & Judy cast, bar Punch and Judy. Without Devil it took the participants a while to come up with the story, but once they started acting it out, the storyline got fast and furious. If you can’t follow it entirely… don’t worry, you can trust me, there was a happy ending. Nasty Cool Cat has been imprisoned by Bobby the policeman and King and Chamber Maid live to this day.

Unlike the previous films, this one needed a little explanation at the beginning. My friend Cath and I are now wondering if we should adapt the story for a live puppet show.

Hope you enjoy it.

The week was pretty hectic, and the poor Dedes fell by the wayside for the time being. However, we will have a Dede Workshop on Saturday and all will be good. In the meantime I want to show you a film created by my artist friend Cath O’Brien. Avid readers of my blog will have heard the name before. Cath is a huge Dede fan and she also created the puppets Trash queen and Sidekick who featured in the last Dede film. Here now her first own film called “A radom act of art”. As usual my place was behind the camera.

Cath runs workshops for children and loves to work with recycled material. If you want to know more, here is the link to her website Makelikeatree.co.nz

Enjoy.

foxy exhausted

Thank God it’s Friday. At least that is what Foxy Lady seems to think. We have to give the little printing press back today. So Foxy Lady was frantic all week, day and night, coming up with promotional material and printing flyers. It is starting to pay off, slowly but surely. However, the poor little thing is totally exhausted now. I am not surprised.

Sidekick, the alien, was very keen helping Foxy Lady in the beginning, but the novelty wore off quickly and he wandered off home. Cath O’Brien has send me this image of her creation. He must have felt pretty smug about his achievements last week.

sidekick

Yesterday we had another workshop and the saga between Magician and Devil continues. Who has the right to wear the spokesperson badge? Devil is working extremely hard to establish himself in his new job, but Magician doesn’t tire of interferring. At least some of the other Dedes are starting to get so over the feud and are happy to give Devil a hand. But see for yourself…

 

harvey discussing

I asked Harvey what he enjoyed most at the cafe yesterday. He didn’t have to think long. He said, he loved that he was taken seriously. Everybody at the lunch valued his view point and at no time was he given the feeling he is just a silly puppet who shouldn’t have an opinion. I have to say, he did engage people in serious discussions, more so than he does at home. Mr XL, his sponsor, can be really proud of him. I wonder if it would be beneficial if the Dedes got out more. I have to put this forward to the Dede committee. But first I am looking forward to the workshop this afternoon, where people visit us at our studio to create a new film and we are expecting one very very special guest.

sunny looking for lil

It so happens that the first anniversary of the day when Sunny created Lil’ Sculpture is approaching. You might remember it was last year on Waitangi Day when Sunny, the wannabe artist, all of a sudden got frantically busy and came up with a cute little figure. I was very miffed with him, as he actually didn’t come up with the concept but just copied the work of Artistatexit0. If you can’t remember, here is the story. Anyway, Sunny isn’t the most reliable Dede. He is so involved in his own little world, trying to create his 15 minutes of fame, that he usually forgets about anybody else and doesn’t keep in touch. Funnily enough, when he realised that it is Waitangi Day this week, he all of a sudden remembered that Lil’ Sculpture almost made him famous and he wanted to go and look his little mate up and reminice about the good old times (They weren’t actually that good… but I won’t enlighten him about this).

He got a big surprise when he arrived at the bookshelf, where Lil’ Sculpture has been residing like forever, to find the little man was nowhere to be seen. Worse, there was no-one else around, no neighbours, that Sunny could ask about the whereabouts of his creation. He tried to keep a brave face, but I could see that he was very distressed about the disappearance of his artwork.

lizzie and lil sculpture

Magician finally got to work! His first action was to serve all non-Dedes with an eviction notice. They have to leave their places in the studio by Thursday. Magician wants all human visitors to the studio to see Dedes only. Lil’Sculpture didn’t take the notice too seriously as he is a well liked observer of the Dedes. You could call him an honorary Dede, as he was created by Sunny Boy, the wannabe Dede artist. He even appeared in one of the Dede Flash Dramas. He always thought he was well liked by everybody.

Lizzie, the sponge puppet, on the other hand keeps mostly to herself. She is a very hard worker and has been working flat out the last four days on a film to raise awareness about Lipoedema. She was too tired in the evenings to look at the notice. Both were very surprised when Magician appeared at dawn this morning and reminded them not to ignore the deadline, and they have only one more day to leave. “But where shall we go?” asked a tired Lizzie.  Magician looked around and said, “Ah well, you can have the empty bookshelf till Friday. But this is my last word. If you are not out by then, I will move you to the rubbish bin.”

Magician was very cunning with his timing. None of the other Dedes were about. They were all still asleep in their cupboard. Only Devil, who has made his bed by the stage door for the time being, overheard what was said. But if he mentions anything to the others they will assume it is just sour grapes. What a predicament. What to do?