What Filmmakers Can Learn from Puppetry – with Andrew G. Cooper

What can puppetry teach filmmakers about acting, storytelling, and cinematography?

In this episode of The Go Creative Show, host Ben Consoli sits down with puppeteer and filmmaker Andrew G. Cooper (Fraggle Rock) to break down the filmmaking discipline behind puppetry—and why it might be one of the most underrated tools for learning visual storytelling.

Andrew shares how puppets demand clarity in performance, intentional framing, and disciplined direction, offering lessons that translate directly to working with actors and cameras. They explore in-camera effects, the resurgence of practical filmmaking, and how creative constraints often lead to stronger storytelling. Andrew also dives into his experience working on large-scale productions and how puppetry informs his work as a writer and director, including a feature film currently in development.

Whether you’re a cinematographer, director, or storyteller, this conversation will change how you think about performance on screen.

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