A talk and Q&A for puppetry practitioners, designers, film professionals and anyone interested in puppetry for screen.
Join Senior Lecturer Sean Myatt for an afternoon of talks and discussion exploring how puppetry works behind the camera, from large-scale film productions to robotics research and contemporary performance practice.
Hear from Martin Rezard, character and creature designer for film, whose work spans Lucasfilm, Marvel, Harry Potter and Maleficent. From practical effects to creature design, he will share insights into puppetry and character creation for major screen productions, including blockbuster work such as Project Hail Mary.
Claire Roi Harvey is a puppeteer, builder, and puppetry director working across film, tv, commercials, and theatre, with a career spanning over 20 years – she will bring an interesting perspective (and often an uncomfortable one from under a set!) on the practical secrets behind the camera.
Alongside this, specialists from the University of Nottingham, Ayse Kucukyilmaz and Victor Ngo, will discuss human-robotic interaction, social robotics and the latest work from the Cobot Maker Space, opening up conversations between puppetry, movement, design and emerging technology.
This is a chance to hear directly from industry professionals, ask questions and explore how puppetry continues to shape film, technology and live performance.
How it works
Book a ticket in advance to reserve your place. Tickets are £5.
Please arrive 15 minutes before the start time so we can begin promptly. This is a seated event at Nottingham Trent University.
There will be time for questions and discussion during the afternoon.
About the speakers
Sean Myatt
Sean is Senior Lecturer in Theatre Design at Nottingham Trent University. He teaches puppetry, object theatre, carnival and opera, and has worked as a practising puppeteer and performer for more than three decades. His practice spans traditional and contemporary puppetry across the UK and Europe.
Martin Rezard
Martin Rezard is a character and creature designer for film, specialising in traditional sculpting, digital modelling and special makeup effects. His work includes projects for Lucasfilm, Marvel, Harry Potter and Maleficent, creating creatures and characters for some of the world’s biggest screen productions.
Claire Roi Harvey
Claire’s most recent credits highlight the versatility that modern filmmaking demands, from the oldest form of the craft— creating an intimate handmade shadow puppetry sequence for Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet—to cinematic innovation in Project Hail Mary as a core puppeteer in “Team Rocky,” which included some of the most ambitious practical CFX & VFX collaborative work in modern cinema history. Her work spans high-profile cinematic universes, streaming series, and commercial campaigns, including Jurassic World, Star Wars, The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, Disney’s Willow, BBC’s Doctor Who, Eleanor the dancing puppet for LNER…and many more!