{"id":9091,"date":"2014-11-18T12:20:29","date_gmt":"2014-11-18T17:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.puppeteers.org\/?p=9091"},"modified":"2014-11-19T08:40:38","modified_gmt":"2014-11-19T13:40:38","slug":"steve-sleap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lacquiparledesign.com\/pofa\/2014\/11\/18\/steve-sleap\/","title":{"rendered":"Steve Sleap"},"content":{"rendered":"

As an artist, you are fortunate if you find another artist who inspires you to take risks and to reach beyond the limits you set for yourself. I was fortunate to have a friend and mentor who was amazingly talented and generous about sharing his knowledge as well as being a blast to work with. Steve Sleap was this and more. This blog is a tribute to Steve, a brilliant artist and a great friend.\u00a0 You might not know his name, but I\u2019ll bet you know his work from Gremlins 2<\/strong>, Pee Wee\u2019s Playhouse<\/strong>, Captain EO,\u00a0<\/strong>Gorillas In The Mist<\/strong>, and many other shows.<\/p>\n

\"1.Steve<\/p>\n

1. Steve Sleap puppeteering Gizmo from Gremlins 2: The New Batch. Photo by Bart Mixon<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I met Steve through a group of friends from Jacksonville Florida who came to Los Angeles in the 1980s.\u00a0 They all grew up and learned to make puppets and monsters together.\u00a0 Many of them have gone on to make their mark in the entertainment industry.<\/p>\n

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\"2.Left<\/p>\n

2. Left to right Cleve Hall, Rick Baker, Steve Sleap and Tim Lawrence. Meeting Rick Baker for the first time. Photo by Marc Tyler<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I first began to work with Steve at Shaftons, a character costume and movie props shop.\u00a0 Steve could take a thumbnail sketch and bring it to life. He taught me much of what I know about soft sculpture, foam fabrication, and character finishing.<\/p>\n

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\"3.Plaque<\/p>\n

3. Plaque Invaders costume, Shaftons. Photo from Camilla Henneman\u2019s collection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Working with Steve felt like a party. One of my favorite memories was from working with him at Shafton’s. We were putting in some long days and getting a bit punchy when Steve suddenly pronounced, \u201cWhat this project needs is some Diana Ross!\u201d He told David, the supervisor that our work would have to wait while we went out to buy some music. To my surprise and delight, the boss agreed. (Steve could often get away with things that the rest of us wouldn\u2019t dare try) With the music procured, we sang and danced all day and into the evening, gluing body pods with the Supremes blasting in the background.<\/p>\n

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\"4.Steve<\/p>\n

4. Steve building the foam body for Dumbo. Photo by Tim Lawrence<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In 1985, I was hired to supervise the construction of puppets and character costumes for a Disney Channel show, \u201cDumbo\u2019s Flying Circus\u201d<\/strong> The original concept designs were by Disney animator, Ken Anderson.<\/p>\n

\"5.Camilla<\/p>\n

5. Camilla Henneman working on Dumbo. Photo by Tim Lawrence<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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They were wonderful designs, but very sketchy. Steve did full size sketches incorporating the actor\u2019s body. The final look of the characters was\u00a0 very true to Ken Anderson\u2019s designs , and yet to me, there was something about them that was very much Steve\u2019s.<\/p>\n

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\"6.Butch<\/p>\n

6. Butch the Cat and sidekick puppet. Photo from Camilla Henneman\u2019s collection<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In 1989, Rick Baker took on the project Gremlins 2: The New Batch<\/strong>.\u00a0 Steve was on Rick Baker\u2019s crew for \u00a0Gremlins 2<\/strong>. The Gremlins were more diverse and numerous than in the original. Gremlins 2<\/strong> features puppets with distinct personalities and features.\u00a0 Some were caricatures of famous film stars.\u00a0 \u00a0Steve was part of the team that constructed the puppets as well as puppeteering on the shoot.<\/p>\n

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\"7.Steve<\/p>\n

7. Steve Sleap and Marc Tyler working on Gizmo cable puppet. Photo by Norman Cabrera<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Steve was one of the puppeteers on Captain EO<\/strong>.\u00a0 I still smile when I remember Francis Ford Coppola putting Michael Jackson and the puppeteers through theater exercises like what you would do in a\u00a0 high school acting class. Steve puppeteered the Major Domo upper body puppet.<\/p>\n

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\"8.Major<\/p>\n

8. Major Domo puppet from Captain EO<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In 1987 for the second season of Pee Wee\u2019s playhouse, the production was moved to L.A. Steve Sleap and Marc Tyler built the puppets Billy Baloney and Randy (the bully) for the second season of PeeWee\u2019s Playhouse.<\/p>\n

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\"9.Steve<\/p>\n

9. Steve working on Billy Baloney head. Photo from Marc Tyler<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"10.Pee<\/p>\n

10. Pee Wee Herman with Billy Baloney puppet<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In 1986, George Lucas adapted the Marvel Comics character Howard The Duck<\/strong> into a film of the same name. The character was created with an animatronic puppet and also character costumes by the ILM creature shop.<\/p>\n

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\"Howard<\/p>\n

11. Howard the Duck puppet. Photo from howardtheduck.com<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Steve puppeteered on Howard The Duck<\/strong> along with Lisa Sturz, Mary Wells, Peter Baird and Tim Rose.<\/p>\n

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\"12.Tim<\/p>\n

12. Tim Lawrence and Steve Sleap on set with the gopher from Caddyshack 2. Photo from Tim Lawrence<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In 1987, Steve returned\u00a0 to I.L.M. along with Tim Lawrence to puppeteer the gopher for Caddyshack II<\/strong>. The animatronic puppet was built at ILM by a crew headed up by Ease Owyeung.<\/p>\n

On the film, Gorillas In the Mist<\/strong>, live footage of Mountain Gorillas shot in Rwanda was inter-cut with puppet performances. I was Rick baker\u2019s costume shop supervisor at the time. \u00a0We built gorilla puppets and suits to match the specific gorillas that were being used in the film. \u00a0Steve joined us in London to puppeteer baby gorilla puppets.\u00a0 I had a glorious time exploring London and London’s theater scene with Steve. Steve and I planned to go on to Italy, but that plan fell through, as Steve needed to return to the states.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know it then, but he was beginning to get sick.<\/p>\n

\"13.Steve<\/p>\n

13. Steve Sleap operating the baby puppet on Gorillas In The Mist. Photo by Camilla Henneman<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We returned to the states, and I got the contract to build a \u201ccute, cuddly\u201d Chucky costume character for Childs Play<\/strong>. We worked in my shop along with Dorothy Bulac and Martha Vanek creating a 6 foot tall Chucky and 75 little Chucky overall sets for the puppets. Steve took breaks to lie down, but I never realized that he was unwell.\u00a0 Maybe on some level, I just didn\u2019t want to know.<\/p>\n

\"14.Chucky<\/p>\n

14. Chucky full body costume in the \u201cGood Guys\u201d set from Childsplay<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Special effects puppetry is usually the work of a team, rather than an individual. For me, having Steve on the team was a privilege. Steve\u2019s friend and fellow puppeteer, Marc Tyler said something that really touched me, \u201cPuppeteering with Steve was so seamless, sometimes it felt like there was no boundary between us. This is how I imagine musicians must feel when they’re really in sync\u201d<\/strong><\/em> Marc put into words how many of us felt about working with Steve.<\/p>\n

This is a mini home documentary of Steve and Mark Tyler building the puppets for Pee Wee\u2019s Playhouse<\/strong>. Take a few minutes to watch.\u00a0 I guarantee you will smile and maybe fall a little in love too.<\/p>\n

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