Meet the Aussie NIDA Grad Who Made Puppets for Coldplay and Wes Anderson

No strings attached.

This post is presented in partnership with NIDA.

What do Coldplay and Wes Anderson have in common? A lot of nice sweaters? Perhaps. Love for The Kinks? Probably. Gwyneth Paltrow’s phone number? Maybe not anymore.

One thing they absolutely have in common is Katie Elspeth Williams (@katiewilliamspuppetry), the Aussie NIDA graduate who has made puppets for both, proving not only that puppetry is a realistic career path if you’re so inclined, but that it can lead you to big-time collaborations as well.

Of course, as Katie says, it’s not just puppeteers or puppet-makers who benefit from studying at Sydney’s esteemed National Institute of Dramatic Art. The school offers numerous courses across multiple creative fields, including costume, design and more.

"I think studying at NIDA is quite a unique experience," she tells Student Edge.

"It’s definitely not like other universities. It’s kind of like spending three years in a practice version of the industry you’re going to step into.

"My course was 90 per cent practical. You’re in the workshop everyday making things, problem solving and learning new skills."

Image: Supplied

Katie grew up with a love for performing and making things, which led her to puppetry.

"For me puppetry is like a magic trick; as an audience we know that it’s not real, but for some reason when that puppet starts breathing and moving we start to believe and care about this inanimate object’s journey," she explains.

Nonetheless, "quite a few people" told her that no one would take her seriously if she didn’t choose between working as a performer or a designer. She declined to choose just one, and studied a Bachelor of Dramatic Art – Properties at NIDA to get skilled up in both arenas.

"I knew the props course at NIDA was a very practical course that would teach me lots of different kinds of making skills," she says.

"There are so many different materials and techniques used in puppet making, so for me the variety and hands on practical experience was most important to me."

It was in the third year of her course that she received a scholarship to undertake a secondment at Aardman Animation in Bristol, which is the company responsible for Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run. While there, she found out that Wes Anderson was about to start a new stop-motion film—Isle of Dogs—in London. And given that his previous animated venture, Fantastic Mr Fox, is Katie’s "absolute favourite stop-motion film," she used her contacts at Aardman to get a foot in the door. After initially starting with a smaller gig, she was eventually made a full-time member of the Puppet Department, responsible for making props for the human and canine characters.

"Wes directed the whole film remotely; we would receive print outs of emails from Wes with feedback on what we were making," Katie says.

"My favourite was, 'Could you make the glasses look a little more aggressive?'

"As you can imagine Wes meticulously scrutinised every tiny detail. I spent six weeks tweaking the props for one particular character."

And no wonder. "Before I started making miniatures I thought it would be so much quicker than making a life-sized version. It takes so much longer to make than you would think," she laughs.

Her connections at Aardman put her up for Coldplay’s "Daddy" video, to help bring the designs of director Asa Lucander to life at the request of the band.

"It was a very, very quick turnaround for this project," she says.

"All of the puppets were made in three weeks with a team of four. The little girl and the whale were made in two different scales, so it was quite a lot to get done in the time frame."

Still, Katie has no regrets about her career path, and hopes to work more in film or TV.

As for anyone else out there thinking of pursuing a creative career, Katie says, "Do it and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t!"

But she also adds that you'll need a go-getting attitude: "I think you have to be prepared to put yourself out there. Unlike other industries jobs are rarely advertised so you have to become comfortable with contacting people you would like to work with and showing them your work. and be prepared to follow up that email multiple times till someone gets back to you."

Sound like the place for you? Enrol at NIDA from 1 July to 30 September for 2021 intake. Find out more here.

Header Image: 20th Century Fox & YouTube (Coldplay)