When you see puppets on screen, you'd normally expect them to be teaching children about letters and numbers on a street with giant birds and grouches who live in garbage cans.
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For Canberran Caroline Simone O'Brien, her films involving puppets have them taking on more adult situations and problems from everyday life.
"It takes something from being a kid, and it also takes into that child-like wonder and also being a bit naughty at the same time, and that makes it more joyful," she said. "I just wanted to bring joy to people and puppets bring out the kid in all of us."
Her latest short film Felt Help, is set to be screened at the Hollywood International Moving Picture Film Festival later this month in Los Angeles.
The 11-minute film focuses on two puppets looking for inspiration and love, who meet in the "felt-help" section of a spiritual book store.
The film is the first one where the actress has been behind the camera, both writing and producing.
She said the idea behind the movie has been one that was stuck in her head for several months and wouldn't go away. "I wanted to do something around kind humour, laughing but not at other people's expense. All of my humour is pun-based," she said. "While the puppets are attached to a human, the human is just an appendage. One of the puppets in the film is attached to a good-looking actor, and people have trouble focusing on the puppet."
All of the films Ms O'Brien has produced feature her own puppet creation called Lady Puppet, which she put together after ordering it online.
Since Felt Help's release, the film has gone on to play at multiple film festivals, making the selection for the Love Film Screening in New York, and winning an award at the Los Angeles Short Film Festival.
It hasn't been the only success for the Canberran as the previous film involving puppets which she starred in, Puppet Life, also won best film at the Santa Monica International Film Festival.
"Once you start collecting awards for film, they're more likely to accept films into bigger festivals like Sundance."
Andrew Brown
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
I've been part of the Canberra Times since 2016, after reporting at local papers in Sydney's north-west. Since starting at the paper I've had stints on the Sunday Times, on the early morning breaking news round, and now as a general reporter, covering the ins and outs of anything and everything happening in Canberra, with a focus on health.
