Horror Reanimated… the home of Bloody Books

Special Feature: Matt Ficner, creator of the Creepy Puppet Project by JD’L

February 17th, 2009

Matt Ficner is a creative genius.

I heard about him completely by chance during a phone call to family in Toronto. We were discussing art, horror, blogging, internet publishing and many other topics when Matt’s name came up. I checked out his youtube profile, friended him on Facebook and set up an interview as soon as I could.

You can now find out all about him, with me, as I throw open the curtains on Matt Ficner, creator of the Creepy Puppet Project.

Joseph D’Lacey: Hi, Matt! Thanks for agreeing to talk to this tormented soul, slaving under the lash for Horror Reanimated. I’d shake your hand but mine’s leaking pus following my weekly interview (inquisition) with Simon Petherick, my publisher (personal demon) and his poisoned thumb-screw. My other hand is in a jar in his office following an ‘interview’ about a missed deadline.

If I need to relieve myself before the interview is complete, I may require your assistance…

Meanwhile, there’s a razor-wire armchair in the corner – best seat in the office. Take a load off.

Matt Ficner: Thank you! It is nice to be here – and if you need a new hand fabricated, I’m sure I could create something for you. Something with a lot of sharp and pointy bits … perhaps?

JD’L: Prosthesis? Damn, why did I never think of that before? Yes, I want a fiendish spiky hand. With mini circular saws. And a grenade launcher…

Now then, what’s your background, Matt? How did you become involved with puppets?

MF: Puppets have always been a factor in my life. My first toy was a hand puppet. But it wasn’t until I was in high school that my interest with puppetry truly began to evolve.

I had initially been focusing on a career in mechanical engineering and robotics. Even though I was doing very well with those studies, my creative and artistic drives were not being fulfilled. I had then started to revisit some of my interests in theatre and I started creating some short puppet theatre shows. That was when I truly discovered the many aspects of puppet production… and I was hooked.

Shortly thereafter, I connected with Noreen Young Productions (producer of C.B.C’s Under the Umbrella Tree)… and while I was finishing high school I was beginning my career in the strange world of puppetry.

JD’L: And what about your interest in the darker genres – very obvious in your presentation of the Creepy Puppet Project?

MF: I have always loved monsters along with Sci-Fi and horror movies. My appreciation for the dark genres has always been there.

I believe my “Creepy Puppets” evolved out of a number of my creative desires. For the most part, when I’m hired by a client to design and create a puppet character, it’s usually of the “cute and fluffy” variety. I simply wanted to make some cool puppets that were the furthest thing from cute.

I was also working on a zombie movie script with some of my creative partners and we were going through the challenges of securing a production deal. I was really keen to just start making some gory monsters. So, I decided to simply use the resources I had at hand … a puppet studio… and make some short horror movies. Thus the Creepy Puppet Project began.

JD’L: There’s something inherently disturbing about puppets, don’t you think? They challenge the living/dead rules we’re used to. On a very instinctive level, people equate movement with life. Puppetry messes with that rule, doesn’t it?

MF: Puppets are capable of distorting reality in so many ways. I think that is also just another reason why I like the medium so much. Yes, there is something “ethereal” about a puppet that is performed well. And yes, I do believe it does mess with people’s perceptions and it also twists people’s logic.

My favourite example of how “reality distorting” puppets can be has happened to me on more than one occasion. It would usually happen while I was doing some “walk around” performance work at an event. I would have a puppet on my arm and casually making conversation with the crowd.

Inevitably, someone would come up to the puppet, look the puppet in the eye (or plastic ping-pong ball) and proceed to tell the puppet “You’re not real!”. The conversation would continue with this person having an all out argument about the “reality” and “existence” of the puppet. All the while, the person never acknowledges the fact that I’m the one manipulating the puppet…and making the puppet continue the argument. People can be quite entertaining.

JD’L: That’s a worrying tale! When I saw your zombie puppets, they made me laugh. Checking out more of your videos and characters I found them increasingly disturbing.

Not all puppets are funny, are they? I’m thinking about the movie ‘Magic’ in which Anthony Hopkins becomes controlled by his own ventriloquist’s dummy. Very unsettling stuff. Then in Child’s Play, years later, a puppet becomes possessed and takes on its own life. How much do you want to amuse your audience and how much do you want to scare them?

MF: The way I look at it, it’s really about telling stories and making the types of programs that I myself would want to watch as a spectator. I know that there are a lot of people who like to be scared…or will laugh at how silly some horror films will get in order to try and scare you. What I’m trying to do with the Creepy Puppet Project is experiment and explore the many aspects of the horror/ Sci-Fi/ dark fantasy genres.

Some projects are simply fun and somewhat silly, while others are meant to be frightening. Ultimately, I really just want to create a new experience for an audience.

JD’L: Like cartoon characters, puppets can become clowns. They can take a hammering and get over it in pursuit of a gag or satirical statement. They can be political or they can just be slapstick. What else can you do with puppets that you can’t do with real actors (apart from fisting them daily and never paying them)?

MF: Yes, puppets take many forms of abuse and tend not to complain…What I like about a puppet’s resilience is that you can also dismember them, wound them, rip them open all without having to use extensive prosthetics… they ARE prosthetics.

JD’L: Have you seen Fur TV? What do you think of it?

MF: Yes, I have seen Fur TV. I like it and see it as part of the evolution of puppet entertainment. There are a number of “adult” puppet productions out there. Shows like “Puppets Who Kill” , “Wonder Showzen” and “Crank Yankers” are representative of what usually goes on when the cameras AREN’T rolling on most puppet productions. When you let puppeteers “play” you usually end up with foul language and to all kinds of rude behaviour. I’m glad to see that there are shows out there that are showcasing that aspect of puppetry to a broader audience.

JD’L: Puppet shows are labour intensive, I’m guessing. Can you tell us who else works with you on CPP and a little about what they do?

MF: I am very fortunate to have a handful of skilled individuals who help me with these productions.

Bea Demarce is a very talented costume maker. She usually helps with the character wardrobes during the pre-production phase while I’m building the puppets.

Ralph Gethings has been my cameraman from the start. He has made some wonderful short horror films of his own. I have known him since high school. I was one of those geeky kids who used to hang around the comic book shop he owned

I’ve had the great pleasure of having some fantastic puppeteers donate their time and skills to bring some of my creations to life. Steve Brathwaite, Mike Petersen , Vicki Veenstra, Nicholas Lemon, Allan Martin and Jamie Douglas are some of the puppeteers who have lent me their hands… literally.

To round out the crew, John McLenachan , Chris McKenzie and Gail Chiu McKenzie have helped with whatever help is needed like lighting, P.A. work and set dressing.

I may do all the preparation work myself. Building the puppets, writing the scripts, setting the storyboards… and many other things are all organized first. But, on our shoot days, these folks show up and help make it all possible.

JD’L: What’s the situation with CPP right now? Are you on TV anywhere? What are your hopes for the show?

MF: Right now I’m still producing the CPP out of my own pocket. I’ve got a number of short stories and scripts I’m currently building the puppets for.

Aside from some quick mentions on “Attack of the Show”, the CPP has not been on TV. But I have shown some of my shorts at local film festivals and received fantastic reviews.

With exposure, like this interview (thank you very much for this by the way) … I am hoping to get attention from networks, investors and businesspersons alike. I have some plans and proposals to either create a TV series or a direct to DVD special with the CPP.

I have been inspired and motivated by the growing fan base that the CPP has been building on our Youtube site and I’ve been further motivated by the positive feedback I’ve been getting on the CPP Fan Club site on Facebook.

People are finding my work and really enjoying it…so I’m working at creating a situation that will allow me to continue to create and expand this crazy idea.

JD’L: We have a tradition of asking our interviewees to present two awards while they’re here, Matt. First, The Sword of the Ultimate Darkness for the best work of horror in any media. Second, you may banish to the Plague Pits the worst work of horror in any media.

MF: Oh boy, picking a favourite “best”…there are so many to pick from!! I guess I will have to go with a horror flick I recently saw and thought was a great mixture of an original concept, great performance, and some great “WTF” moments… “THE COTTAGE”

And…oh…to banish something to the Plague Pits… AGAIN, almost too much to choose from!

Tell you what, if you can spin my prosthetic Rolodex… the knob is just behind my right ear. That’s the index that has the “I can’t believe I spent time watching this” files.

Okay, still spinning… still spinning…and it stops at … “Rising Dead” yeah…an unfortunate end product of a movie. I don’t normally like to put down other people’s work because I know how challenging it is to make a movie, but, yeah, this one was very disappointing. Not to be confused with “Dead Rising” the great videogame.

JD’L: Well, Matt, thank you very much for joining us in blog purgatory. I’ve enjoyed watching you try to get comfy in that razor-wire chair. I’m sure you can get a transfusion once you’re back on the Earth plane. Not sure you’ll father many kids now, though, judging by what you’ve left on the seat…

MF: Ah, it’s nothing some super glue and well placed ping-pong balls can’t fix.

JD’L: Hmmm. It’s fortunate you have the necessary skills to repair yourself. Good luck with the Creepy Puppet Project, Matt, and do keep us up to date with your news!

MF: Thank you for a chance to spread some Creepy Puppet Love… and spread some fluids over your nice hardwood floors…. Is that my spleen.. or yours?

 

Entry Filed under: The Function of Fear