Meet John and Lewis

Have you seen our series of Fuzzfeed series? We’re sure you’ll love following the everyday adventures of these hilarious puppets as John shows Lewis the ropes.

You may have seen other Fuzzfeed videos in recent months, as their creator, My Pockets, was commissioned to create a collection for Hull 2017. We loved them so much that we contacted Peter and Sally Snelling, the creative minds behind the puppets, to make some especially for KCOM.

In this interview, Peter shares some insight into the Fuzzfeed process.

Hi, Peter. Can you tell our readers how Fuzzfeed joined the KCOM family?

KCOM got in touch to say they’d like some Fuzzfeed videos that follow the antics of a couple of characters within the company. We obviously leapt at the chance to work with a strong local brand, especially because we use KCOM Lightstream daily at the C4DI.

An internal email was sent out, inviting KCOM staff to attend a meeting if they fancied lending their voices to the puppets. John’s voice really stood out and we decided it would be fun to match him up with an apprentice.

And the apprentice is Lewis?

That’s right. Lewis is an actual apprentice at KCOM and he’s the perfect match for John.

He’s a young lad and has a lot to learn but he’s clearly interested in growing as a person. Meanwhile, though John is from an older generation, he’s actually pretty mischievous. They’re a brilliant combo.

How did you go about filming the videos?

We recorded the voices four or five times, tweaking and editing until we had exactly what we needed. We then filmed the puppets acting out the scenarios.

A lot of the action takes place within the KCOM offices on Carr Lane. Meanwhile, the cab that contains all of the wires in episode four is at the Newland Avenue end of Reynoldson Street.

Are there any challenges with this kind of project?

We match our puppets to the speech of regular people, rather than professional actors, so it’s the voice recording that can be a bit tricky. It’s essential that the script is believable and flows in a natural way; simultaneously, we make sure that the voice actors are comfortable and don’t mind poking fun at themselves a bit.

Did you enjoy the project?

We loved it! John and Lewis were hilarious and always up for a laugh. Meanwhile, Ian Midgley, KCOM Communication Specialist, was great to work with from start to finish.

It really was a jolly experience and we’re very happy with how the videos came out.

What’s next for My Pockets?

We’re currently working on a project called Growth Spurt, a big music project that involves over a hundred young people from across the city. They’re split into twelve groups, each of which has to write a song about teenage life. We’re also working on an animation for Hull Truck Theatre.

Hull’s year as the UK City of Culture really opened up new avenues for us, as a lot of businesses are eager to get their brand across in silly and exciting ways. The legacy of our year in the spotlight is already plain to see and it benefits the entire city.

Watch our Fuzzfeed videos.