His Dark Materials at
Thames Con

How to make a Daemon …from script to screen, creating the daemons of His Dark Materials

Thames Con presents a very special and very exclusive 'making of' Masterclass. For the first time since shooting the scenes, Joe Tandberg, William Todd-Jones, Eliot Gibbins, and the HDM puppets are reunited to show you how they brought the Daemons to life! Suitable for ages 6+.

Video Courtesy of Framestore & Bad Wolf productions.

What to expect

In this 60 minute Masterclass you will learn how reference puppetry came into existence and gain an insight into the puppet and creature FX industry. Plus you will have the chance to act out a scene from the show!

What will we cover?

Establishing the rules - how many, how often, do daemons pooh?
Creating the methodology - every department will be involved.
Bringing together the CFX team - very wide ranging skillset
Puppets, proxies, pixels!

Part 2

Building a bear - physical interactive elements
Shooting a scene with Iorek
- Painting Practise previs
- What CFX provided
- Shot by shot explanation
The broadcast result

It's not every day that you get to be a Panserbjørn but at Thames Con you can! Audience participation optional.

Who will be teaching the Masterclass?

William Todd-Jones

As a performer, puppet designer, movement consultant & director at the high end of film, television & theatre, Todd’s been working in the entertainment industry for nearly forty years. Roles include: Goblins in Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth”, some Jessica Rabbit in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit", Batman’s cape in the '89 Batman, Grawp in "HARRY POTTER V", lots of Muppets including "Muppet Christmas Carol”, and Woola in "John Carter”.

He was instrumental in creating the Creature Fx methodology for the award winning BBC/HBO TV series, “His Dark Materials.” …this included designing a multitude of proxy Daemons and full-size Armoured Bear rigs.
Many of the projects Todd has worked on have won Oscars, Emmys & Bafta’s.

Todd’s passion is the Natural World and helping people to positively engage with it. He is a longstanding patron of the wildlife charity, Save The Rhino International and has been involved with conservation projects throughout his life.

Whenever possible, he uses his art ‘in the service of the environment’ creating numerous Biomorph ‘Ambassadors of the Wild’ - creatures, costumes & puppets - that have played on every continent. From Arctic to Africa, polar bears to stag beetles… his goal is to draw attention to humankind’s impact on the planet and to have fun while doing so. In 1994, Todd walked across Kenya and climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in a rhinoceros costume to raise awareness and monies for schools in Africa.'

Eliot Gibbins

Eliot Gibbins graduated from UWE in 1999 with a first class degree in time based media. It was during this time that his interest in puppetry for the screen was kindled when he was asked by William Todd-Jones to puppeteer a cast of rats on the BAFTA nominated short The tail of the rat that wrote Dir Billy O’Brien.

Eliot’s puppet-based short film was shortlisted and screened at Chapter Arts in the DM Davies award 2001. After puppeteering on CITV puppet shows he took a hiatus to set up several music studios in Newport and subsequently returned to the world of puppets with the BBC and HBO’s dramatisation of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, Season One in 2018 eventually becoming CFX workshop manager and head of department for Seasons Two and Three.

Eliot also played the parts of many of the trilogy’s creature characters including puppeteering Iorek Byrnison, and he featured on screen as the monkey handler in the episode The Intention Craft.

Joe Tandberg

Norwegian-born, international actor, Joe Tandberg grew up on the road.
He attended university in California and worked as a theatre actor before making the move to the UK.
After finishing his MA at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, he made the move to London where he now spends his time working as an actor.
Joe Tandberg has built an impressive acting resume, with experience in theatre, film, television and motion capture, Although he has played a great number of characters in AAA games like Assassins Creed: Valhalla, Final Fantasy 16, and Warhammer: Total War, He is probably most known for his portrayal of the armored bear, Iorek Byrnison from His Dark Materials.

Joe Tandberg continues to pursue acting but has also become quite successful in writing as well. He currently works on a feature film script for the Nordic market. A film that hopefully would blossom internationally as well.

How do I book onto this Masterclass?

The Masterclass is £10.00 per Adult (16 yrs+), £5.00 per child ages 6-15 yrs and is available to all Thames Con attendees. Masterclass tickets can be purchased below. You will also need to purchase an entry ticket to the convention here. The Masterclass will take place in the Auditorium of the Cornerstone Arts Centre on Saturday 28th October 2023 at 12:00pm. More information about Thames Con 2023 can be found here.

William Todd-Jones shares his thoughts on one of his favourite scenes 'Iorek’s Farewell’

"The parting of Lyra and Iorek: the moment at the ice bridge where Iorek has to let Lyra go on without him, to face the dangers of the path ahead, …he can no longer be her protector but has to leave her to her destiny. The parting is poignant, personal, intimate… Lyra runs her hands over the puppet version of Iorek’s scarred muzzle & kisses him goodbye."

As many people know, at Thames Con we are big fans of puppetry and practical effects. Visual FX are incredible in what can be achieved but having something real and tangible to interact with helps to deliver a performance that feels authentic.