Film Animatronics: The Creation of the Skeksis Puppet

Robots in the film world fit into a broad category of film special effects called animatronics. Who can forget characters like that shark from Jaws, the little creatures from Gremlins, or the jaw dropping effects present in Jurassic Park. I am taking inspiration from Jim Henson’s and Frank Oz’s movie, Dark Crystal, and creating my own version of a Skeksis.  A Skeksis is an evil bird-like creature that rules over the land of the Dark Crystal. These creatures are quite unique in design and hold a very well regarded place in the history of animatronics.  For the sake of feasibility and cost, I have only designed and built the head of a Skeksis. Throughout my project I have: created concept art, sculpted the creature’s head from clay, cast the head to create a silicone based skin, and added a mechanized skeleton that will allow the puppet to move.  I deviated from the professional methods of using plexiglass, and instead am making a plaster mold and a 3d printed “core.”  Learning these techniques allowed me to practice skills in sculpting and casting characters that I would not  have otherwise learned here at Union College.