Latest news with #puppets
The National
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
New Lilo & Stitch used a ‘chaotic' French bulldog to play Stitch on set
Maia Kealoha tells The National it was 'easy' to use her imagination opposite Dale the dog, puppets, and more
CNET
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
How to Use AI to Find Your Perfect Wedding Theme
It's wedding season and love is in the air, along with high levels of pollen and just a whiff of existential dread. One bride-to-be I know has been putting off her wedding for more than a year, stuck between the uncertainty of what our shifting economy will bring and the demands of her everyday life with a growing toddler and aging parent in her care. Choosing your wedding theme – the colors, style and general vibe of your big day – can either be a laborious exercise, fraught with emotional and financial pitfalls, or a sublime opportunity to express your style as a newly formed family. I put Google Gemini, the AI chatbot integrated into my Chrome browser, to the test and posed as a bride on the fence about their wedding theme. Here's how AI can help you discover your perfect wedding theme whether you kind of know what you want, definitely know what you don't, or have no clue at all. Set the stage for success with AI prompts My prompt included some very specific parameters, like the wedding had to be LA-based, with film elements, and the groom wanted a dry wedding. I also peppered in a few out-of-the-ordinary must-haves, like the inclusion of puppets in the decor and fried rice as a must for one of the food options. It's not enough to give the AI tool you're using a lot of details about your blessed event. I recommend you provide direction on what you want to get out of the results from your prompt. Use phrases like, "I'd like both the bride and groom's preferences to be considered equally," and "I am explicitly uninterested in themes around fairytales and barnyards" to help refine the results. Let the AI chatbot guide you through it Another great way to discover which wedding theme is perfect for you is to let the tool take the reins. I told Gemini I had no idea what theme a theoretical bride and groom might want, and it gave me a great list of starting points in numbered phases for brainstorms and assisted decision making. It suggested discussing preferences on things like colors, seasons, hobbies, music, books, TV shows and movies, foods, drinks, nature, art, travel and "vibes": Gemini / Screenshot by CNET It also suggested cross-referencing our likes and don't-likes with practical considerations like budget, venue, season and whether it "feels like us." Gemini then said we should develop that theme with an overarching color palette, decor elements, stationery, clothing, menu and music. Gemini / Screenshot by CNET Build on the elements you like most Gemini's suggestion for my request to incorporate the bride's love of puppets was to include illuminated marionettes in boxes as decor. But the image rendering turned out as projections of puppets that looked ghastly instead of gallery-worthy. 999 happy haunts sending you best wishes till death do you part was not what I had in mind when I mentioned the bride's love of puppets. Gemini / Screenshot by CNET A quick suggestion that the puppets be incorporated "in a chic way," which is absurd, actually yielded very positive results, taking the presentation from Haunted Mansion to MoMA. An art gallery or a wedding? Gemini / Screenshot by CNET Minimalist shadow puppets displayed on marionette strings and used as table settings got me a lot closer to decor worthy of a wedding. Gemini / Screenshot by CNET One final note on using AI as a wedding planner companion Gemini was decent at this task, and provided a range of themes which fit the criteria given with refinement and back and forth. It managed to incorporate all the elements the bride and groom wanted for the wedding day while maintaining focus on the task and not suggesting themes that would be better suited for birthday parties or simple get togethers. The bad news is, the prompt I used was engineered to provide a theme suggestion that would have worked great for both the bride and groom, and could have taken into account all their proclivities and provisos, but Gemini completely missed the reference. LA-based nuptials, the bride's love of film, the groom's favorite food being fried rice, and one of them wanting a dry reception? The opportunity to suggest a Chinatown-themed wedding was right there! So don't expect any AI integrated tool to take the place of a real wedding planner. No one puts two and two together like a human.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Life-sized animal puppets to stampede across London in June
Life-sized animal puppets that have been stampeding through cities across Africa will make their way to London next public artwork is to highlight the animals travelling north to "flee the climate disaster", said The Walk Productions, which the presents large scale art. THE HERDS make their way to London from 27 to 29 June, visiting The Scoop and making their way from Soho to Somerset House, Coram's Fields, Camden High Street and Stratford. The animals began their stampede on 9 April in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and have so far travelled through Lagos, Dakar, Marrakesh, Casablanca and Rabat, encountering local musicians, artists, dancers and climate activists. The puppets are made from upscaled and recyclable materials – primarily cardboard and plywood – with a focus on bio-degradable and organic the animals travel they will grow in number and species including elephants, giraffes, antelope and will travel through Europe, including Madrid, Marseille, Venice and Paris, before arriving in the HERDS stampede will feature performances, theatrical readings and music along the way and a hunt is also planned to break out on Camden High London, they will continue their journey north to Greater Manchester and then travel through Scandinavia to the Arctic Nizar Zuabi, the artistic director, said: "THE HERDS is an urgent artistic response to the climate crisis, a living, breathing call to action that stampedes across continents. "Through the beauty and ferocity of these life-size creatures, we aim to spark dialogue, provoke thought, encourage engagement and inspire real change."
BBC News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Beaconsfield students design figures for oldest model village
New residents have moved in to what is believed to be the world's oldest model at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, were tasked with designing a new set of characters for Bekonscot, a nearby model village built in the eight weeks of work, 12 handmade puppets were crafted - including a fortune teller, zookeeper and deep-sea diver named Seymour versions which were the same scale as the village were made by Bekonscot's lead figure maker, Lauraine Crowther. Visitors to the attraction can see all 12 puppets on display until August, with the mini versions dotted around the National Film and Television School is renowned for former students finding success in the entertainment pupils include Nick Park, the creator of Wallace and Gromit, and Mark Baker - the co-creator of Peppa Pig. Bekonscot opened publicly in 1929 was visited by Queen Elizabeth II during her were asked to make the designs of the character match the 1930s theme of the model managing director of Bekonscot, Brian RJ Newman-Smith, said: "As two iconic brands, based in Beaconsfield, with a century of history between us, this partnership is a natural and exciting synergy. "Working with their exceptional model making team is an incredible opportunity and we can't wait to bring our shared passion to life." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
