Tag Archives: Puppeteer

2018 AND BEYOND

Yikes!

It’s been over a year since I posted a blog. That’s the thing with life, things get away from you sometimes!

2018 was a year that kept me on my toes. Things that were supposed to happen didn’t, and other things popped up out of the blue! At the age of 47 you’d think that I would know that’s how life works. I guess I’m a bit slow on the uptake. It’s clear to me now that, for all our plans, the universe has other ideas, and it’s best just to role with it.

For most of 2018 I was being called in and out on a project that, for now, has to stay under wraps. It was a huge learning curve for me in many respects, but that’s all I can say for the moment. The other turning point was being signed up by Shining Voices. I’ve always wanted to do more voice work, and after a few years of hard slog and networking, Shining were good enough to take me on. So far I’ve worked on some video game projects that include Warhammer: Curse Of The Vampire Coast and The Persistance, as well as Alien: Sea Of Sorrows and Unseen Academicals for Audible. I’ve also done some corporate work that included Lee Kum Kee and P2i Dunkable. So, all in all, I’m thrilled with the doors Shining have opened for me. 

At the tail end of 2018 I also flew to Spain to shoot some scenes for the upcoming second season of the Channel 4 sitcom Lee And Dean. This was a fantastic little adventure. The cast and crew were warm and welcoming, and this made the process of being involved in an entirely improvised project thrilling and incredibly rewarding. Oh… and funny obviously.

My involvement with Gerry Anderson’s Firestorm continues. Indeed, we hope to start shooting the full series in 2019.

There are other projects that I’m moving on to, working on, or have yet to be released, that for the moment I can’t talk about. So stay tuned!

So here’s to 2019!

And as always a massive thanks to you all for following me, and to my agents at Carey Dodd and Shining Voices for working so hard.

Laters!

 

A

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2017 – A Year Of Contrasts

Hi everyone!

It’s been a loooong time since I posted an update. 2017 has been a year of contrasts. I’ve worked on a viral campaign for Cheetos that should be out soon, and I had the pleasure of working on a proof of concept short called Dead Air. Think of it as “Gremlins On A Plane!” I’ve also continued to move forward with my voice over career. I hope to be able to say more about that soon. For the last couple of months I’ve been waiting to hear about a future project that would be very exciting.

That got me thinking.

99% of my time is spent looking for the next job and promoting myself. Yet it’s a part of the job that rarely gets talked about.

As a self employed performer, I have to push myself to find the next job. I’m lucky, in that I have an agent, but even so you have to work hard to make connections. I’m at a point now where a majority of the work I get is because of word of mouth. I’ve done enough that my name is probably on some lists somewhere. However, I never take that for granted. Every job I apply for I assume I’m starting from scratch. That way I work harder to land it.

The more I put into finding work, the more I feel I have at least some control over the path my career takes. It’s much healthier than sitting at home and waiting for the phone to ring!

So if you want to be a puppeteer or an actor, don’t rely on others to do the work for you. Get out there and start connecting!

 

A

DEAD AIR TWITTER FEED

ANDREW JAMES SPOONER TWITTER FEED

CBEEBIES WEBSITE

THE OFFICIAL GERRY ANDERSON WEBSITE

THE FIRESTORM TWITTER FEED

THE FIRESTORM FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL TWITTER FEED

THE BBC IPLAYER (for the latest Furchester episodes)

 

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2017, NETFLIX, SPROUT & ALTON TOWERS

Hi everyone!

It’s been a while.  What with Christmas, New Year and work commitments, I’ve not had much time to update you all.

So here we go!

Late in 2016 I flew to Holland to shoot a pilot for a potential new puppet TV show. As coordinator and principle puppeteer I had my work cut out for me, but it all went extremely well and everyone involved seemed happy and energized by the end product. It’s a crazy mix of music, adventure and comedy. I look forward to seeing the final product soon.

2016 ended on a high with the broadcast of The Furchester Christmas Special on BBC 1. The show was received extremely well, as have all the new episodes so far. Thank you all so much for watching.

A new batch of episodes started airing on CBEEBIES on February 6th and runs for a few weeks.

The other big bit of news is that the first 2 seasons of the show are now available on NETFLIX in the UK and USA.

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This gives our friends in the US a better chance to see it than ever! It’s also broadcasting on THE SPROUT CHANNEL in America if you don’t have access to NETFLIX.

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As always there are plenty of episodes still available on the BBC IPLAYER.

The last couple of weeks have been full of activity as we create content for the new Furchester attaction at CBEEBIES LAND/ALTON TOWERS. We’ve been shooting new footage for commercials and the attraction itself, as well as recording the audio for a brand new Furchester adventure. It’s all under wraps at the moment, but I’ll let you know more closer to the opening.

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It’s the beginning of the year (just) and the rest of 2017 looks like it could be very exciting. As usual there is very little I can say about ANYTHING at the moment. I’m about to shoot a series of commercials for JAYWING, which will give me a chance to work with the ever brilliant KIM SCOPES again. I’ve worked with her in the past on NEWZOIDS and the music video CHUNKY for the band FORMAT:B.

Work on GERRY ANDERSON’S FIRESTORM continues, and I hope to have positive news to share about it in the not to distant future.

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As usual there are some other projects hovering in the air, we just have to wait and see where they all land.

I can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store.

Take care!

A

ANDREW JAMES SPOONER TWITTER FEED

CBEEBIES WEBSITE

THE OFFICIAL GERRY ANDERSON WEBSITE

THE FIRESTORM TWITTER FEED

THE FIRESTORM FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL TWITTER FEED

THE BBC IPLAYER (for the latest Furchester episodes)

 

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NEW FURCHESTER EPISODES!

Hi everyone!

The new episodes of The Furchester Hotel started airing last week on Cbeebies! And what a busy week it was. Visits from Big Bird and sledging penguins! However, one of my favorite moments was this little musical interlude from Furgus and Elmo. It’s all about the flights of fancy you can have on a top bunk! Having had a bunk bed as a child I can confirm that I spent many hours in the top bunk pretending I was in a space ship.

I hope you enjoyed the new shows. More next week on Cbeebies!

Take care.

A

 

ANDREW JAMES SPOONER TWITTER FEED

CBEEBIES WEBSITE

THE OFFICIAL GERRY ANDERSON WEBSITE

THE FIRESTORM TWITTER FEED

THE FIRESTORM FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL TWITTER FEED

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE TWITTER FEED

THE BBC IPLAYER (for the latest Furchester episodes)

 

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FURCHESTER NOMINATION & UPDATE

Hi everyone!

Just a quick update before things go quiet for a while. I’m off on holiday for a week, and then I’m traveling to Holland to shoot a pilot for a new kids TV show. I can’t say anything about it at the moment, but the puppetry team saw the puppets for the first time this week and we’re all very excited! It’s going to be a fascinating mix of puppetry and CGI. I’ll reveal more when I can.

The main reason for this post is The Furchester Hotel.

We shot 51 new episodes this year at Media City UK, and I think it’s safe to say that we are all very proud of them. The first batch of new episodes is airing VERY soon. I’ll keep you posted. But the other good news is that The Furchester has been nominated for an award! We’ve been nominated in the “Best Animation And Puppetry” category at the Royal Television Society North West Awards.

Whoop!

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We’re up against some great shows, so fingers crossed!

Hopefully the next time I post I’ll have more to tell you about the pilot in Holland, and I’ll have a Gerry Anderson’s Firestorm update!

Take care.

A

 

ANDREW JAMES SPOONER TWITTER FEED

CBEEBIES WEBSITE

THE OFFICIAL GERRY ANDERSON WEBSITE

THE FIRESTORM TWITTER FEED

THE FIRESTORM FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL TWITTER FEED

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE TWITTER FEED

THE BBC IPLAYER (for the latest Furchester episodes)

 

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PERFORMANCE REEL

Hi everyone!

Again it’s been a while. The Furchester shoot has ended after 60 days and over 600 hours of studio time. We’re all very proud of the 51 episodes we shot and can’t wait for them to be released into the wild! As far as I know the new episodes will start airing on CBEEBIES around October/November time. I’ll let you know more as and when the information becomes available.

I’m particularly proud of the special Christmas episode.

Since I’ve been back I’ve been catching up with over 4 months of paperwork (boo!) and finishing my tax return (double boo!). However, it’s not all been receipts and invoices. I’m prepping for a short pilot I’m shooting in Holland later next month. It’s still early days, lot’s of time looking at scripts and storyboards, figuring out how many puppeteers we’ll need and how certain shots can be accomplished with the minimum of fuss. Building the foundations for a successful shoot.

The trailer for the pilot minisode of Gerry Anderson’s Firestorm has been released to the Kickstarter backers and, it has to be said, the response has been phenomenal. If this is the reaction we get from the trailer I can’t wait for people to see the full minisode. The trailer will be released to the public soon. More information as and when.

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And finally I’ve completed my performance reel! It’s taken a while to get to grips with it but here it is! It’s longer than my Sizzle Reel which was designed to give you an idea of the projects I’ve been involved with. This reel concentrates on a few key scenes that (hopefully) show off my performance skills. I hope you enjoy it! Please feel free to share.

That’s all for now!

A

ANDREW JAMES SPOONER TWITTER FEED

CBEEBIES WEBSITE

THE OFFICIAL GERRY ANDERSON WEBSITE

THE FIRESTORM TWITTER FEED

THE FIRESTORM FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL TWITTER FEED

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE TWITTER FEED

THE BBC IPLAYER (for the latest Furchester episodes)

 

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GERRY ANDERSON’S FIRESTORM

Hi everyone!

I’ve not updated since I posted my new reel just before Christmas. Now that crimble is well and truly behind us, it’s time for an update!

Just before Christmas I shot a pilot TV show called “Captain Travel”. Now that it’s all edited and polished we just have to sit back and see if Disney are interested in turning it into a series. We shot the pilot on a shoestring budget in a few days. That being said, we were all very happy with the result and feel it clearly demonstrated the potential it has for a TV show.

So fingers crossed.

As usual there are a couple of other projects bubbling away in the background as I speak. However, one has leapt to the front.

I’m thrilled to announce that I will be part of a wonderful team shooting a 9 minute minisode of GERRY ANDERSON’S FIRESTORM.

As a kid I grew up on re-runs of Thunderbirds, Stingray, Joe 90, Captain Scarlet and Terrahawks. This is an absolute dream come true! The idea is to shoot a kick ass trailer to interest distributors in a potential TV series. No CGI! Just wonderful miniatures, models, practical FX and, most importantly, PUPPETS!

It’s early days at the moment, but more info can be found at the Gerry Anderson website.

That’s all for now.

More updates soon!

 

A

 

ANDREW JAMES SPOONER TWITTER FEED

CBEEBIES WEBSITE

THE OFFICIAL GERRY ANDERSON WEBSITE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL TWITTER FEED

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE TWITTER FEED

THE BBC IPLAYER (for the latest Furchester episodes)

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL YOUTUBE CHANNEL  (only available in the USA)

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ANDREW JAMES SPOONER “SIZZLE” REEL

 

Afternoon all!

It’s been a busy couple of weeks here at Spooner Towers. As is the way with this rather odd business, I was all set to work on a job when it suddenly evaporated!

Hey ho.

It’s just the way it goes. So I took all that disappointment and channeled it into making a new showreel. I’ve been meaning to do it for a while anyway. Over a couple of weeks I looked through all the footage I have available to me and edited and edited and edited.

In the end, rather than have a reel that was trying to accomplish too much, I decided on creating a “sizzle” reel first. I’m not sure where I heard the term “sizzle” before but basically it’s a short reel designed to grab your attention and give you an idea of some of the projects I’ve been associated with.

I will be creating a longer “Performance Reel” next. This will consist of one, or maybe two full scenes and will give a better feel for my acting and voice skills.

Being a puppeteer meant that getting a professional to make this reel was out of the question, WAY too expensive! So I pulled my socks up and did it myself. I rather proud of the end result.

So here it is!

The ANDREW JAMES SPOONER “Sizzle” reel!

I hope you enjoy it.

More to the point, I hope you hire me!

A

PS. Oh, and I just landed the lead puppet character in a pilot for Disney. That’s all I can say though! When I’m free to speak about it I’ll bring you up to speed.

 

ANDREW JAMES SPOONER TWITTER FEED

CBEEBIES WEBSITE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL WEBSITE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL TWITTER FEED

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE TWITTER FEED

THE BBC IPLAYER (for the latest Furchester episodes)

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL YOUTUBE CHANNEL  (only available in the USA)

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FORMAT: B – CHUNKY

This was kinda dropped on me tonight! I wasn’t expecting the video to be released so early.

But here it is!

We only had a day to shoot this but it was one of the most fun projects I’ve ever worked on. Getting it all done in time was a tall order but I think it’s turned out very well. Here’s hoping that the video goes viral!

The puppet (otherwise known as Benny Hahn) can be followed on Twitter HERE.

And, of course, you can watch the video on YouTube HERE and get those numbers up!

I hope you enjoy watching Benny in his little homage to Groundhog Day.

Enjoy!

A

 

ANDREW JAMES SPOONER TWITTER FEED

CBEEBIES WEBSITE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL WEBSITE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL TWITTER FEED

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE TWITTER FEED

THE BBC IPLAYER (for the latest Furchester episodes)

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL YOUTUBE CHANNEL  (only available in the USA)

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THE LOST JACKET

Hi all!

It’s been a busy week. I’ve spent the last few days shooting a music video that will premiere on YouTube later this month. I’ll post more details about that closer to the release date.

In Furchester news this Monday (12th October) sees the start of a run of new episodes.

In the first episode Phoebe and Elmo help a jacket find her owner while Furgus and the owner are looking for the jacket.

Tune in at 7:45am on Cbeebies to find out what happens.

There will be new episodes at the same time every weekday for the next few weeks.

Don’t forget that all the new eps will be available on the BBC iPlayer after transmission.

 

A

 

ANDREW JAMES SPOONER TWITTER FEED

CBEEBIES WEBSITE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL WEBSITE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE FACEBOOK PAGE

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL TWITTER FEED

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL MAGAZINE TWITTER FEED

THE BBC IPLAYER (for the latest Furchester episodes)

THE FURCHESTER HOTEL YOUTUBE CHANNEL  (only available in the USA)

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