In this latest video from Adam Savage’s Tested, the special-effects designer, former MythBusters host, and noted nerd-culture aficionado visits legendary animator Phil Tippett’s Tippett Studio in Berkeley, CA, where he talks with stop-motion master Tom “Gibby” Gibbons about a standout puppet from a standout episode of Rian Johnson’s Peacock series Poker Face.
If you watched Poker Face, you’ll immediately recall Natasha Lyonne’s character befriending Arthur, an aging animator played by Hollywood veteran Nick Nolte, in the episode “The Orpheus Syndrome”—and then puzzling through his murder. Arthur’s spent a lifetime haunted by a movie-set death he is certain was his fault, and he works through that guilt by recreating the doomed movie with stop-motion miniatures. (Tippett, of course, has no such tragedy in his past—which is instead filled with Oscars and acclaim—but he did recently release an incredible stop-motion opus, Mad God, after toiling on it for three decades.)
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Enjoy this behind-the-scenes, or rather beneath-the-skin, look as Savage and Gibbons get up close and personal with the Cyclops creature seen in Poker Face. (If you don’t want to watch the full YouTube video for some reason, Tested also tweeted out a shorter version.) It’s very cool to see all the creativity, technical wizardry, and inspiration (Ray Harryhausen gets a shout-out, natch) that went into the finished product.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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