 Each puppet 's head was fitted with about 10 thin tungsten steel wires . During the filming , dialogue was played into the studio using modified tape recorders that converted the feed into electronic pulses . Two of the wires relayed these pulses to the internal solenoid , completing the Supermarionation process . The wires , which were <unk> black to reduce their visibility , were made even less noticeable through the application of powder paint that matched the background colours of the set . Glanville explained the time @-@ consuming nature of this process : " [ The puppeteers ] used to spend over half an hour on each shot getting rid of these wires , looking through the camera , <unk> a bit more [ paint ] here , anti @-@ flare there ; and , I mean , it 's very depressing when somebody will say to us , ' Of course the wires showed . ' " <unk> on an overhead gantry with a hand @-@ held cruciform , the puppeteers co @-@ ordinated movements with the help of a <unk> @-@ powered CCTV feedback system . As filming progressed , the crew started to <unk> with wires and instead manipulate the puppets from the studio floor using rods . 
