Mechanics of Bunraku Puppet Wrist Control

Video Transcript

"So now this is actually starting to look like a bunraku arm control. Let me tell you what's going on here. I've socketed my grip on to the control. I've placed my toggle, which is the piece that we just cut on the band saw at the appropriate spot along the length of the arm rod so that I can grab the control, as I will be grabbing it as a performer and rock that bar back and forth with my two fingers. What that's going to do is allow the two strings, one running along the top. Oops I forgot something. And one running along the bottom and that would be the second brass tube which gets attached along the bottom here, to pull the top and bottom of the hand, which is going to be attached to the front of this hasp. I've also marked where my elbow joint is with a piece of elastic. I tend to like to make my elbow joints just out of a piece of elastic. It works really well. It keeps the elbow in place and in plane and wrapped a piece of gaff tape around the hasp."