The Midnight Diaries of Catty Wampus

(note: this post is part of the Here Come The Puppets category here at the Midnight Diaries. Be sure to check out the full category for other selections from this spectacular program)

I studied some classical Russian literature when I was in college. And at the risk of stereotyping, once you hear the plot of this piece there’s just no denying its culture of origin. It’s as Russian as they come.

It’s also a brilliant performance by Sergei Obraztsov. Here’s the video, with discussion to follow:

The thing that stands out the most to my eyes is the way Obraztsov separates his actions in order to tell the story. As animators, it’s always a good idea to keep this motto in mind: One Thing At A Time. Meaning that you don’t want to confuse your audience by trying to communicate two different thoughts at once. You want them to see one gesture and then see the next. It’s not nearly as easy as it sounds sometimes, and I really like how clearly Obraztsov communicates everything the audience needs to know in his character’s performance. Just breaking down the introduction, we can see the story unfold in a very point-by-point way.

Here is a glass.

It is empty.

This is me. I am the main character.

The empty glass belongs to me.

Notice that if we hadn’t had those first two actions, this shot might simply introduce the idea “I am a man with a glass.” There is absolutely no emphasis on the glass being empty here, and it would be easy to overlook it if it hadn’t been clearly shown to us directly a moment ago.

Here is a full bottle of vodka.

Again, notice how clearly we get the message of this gesture, largely because the man is not a part of the image. All we see here is the vodka and the empty glass. In addition to being a strong way to introduce the vodka, it also serves as an anticipation for the next gesture.

I will fill the empty glass from the bottle.

Each idea presented simply and clearly, and it helps the audience understand the story naturally. You can see this sort of thing done throughout the entire performance, with each gesture introducing a new important idea that helps enrich the story and/or move it forward. Even if you don’t understand the language being sung, you are able to follow along.

Sergei Obraztsov died in 1992. The theatre company that bears his name is still running in Russia, and in 2001 it celebrated Obraztsov’s 100th birthday with puppeteers from around the world performing in his honor.

By the way, if any of my readers out there speak Russian and would like to offer a translation of the snippet of the song sung in this piece, I would be happy to include it in this post.

Stay tuned next week for some classic American puppetry!