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Production Design

"Unique Foamations"

Looking to create a surreal landscape, otherworldly moons, miniature canyons? If you want to make a model for a film and you are looking for an inexpensive material to do the job try Great Stuff. This spray foam cures in twenty-four hours and becomes quite rigid. It takes a little experimentaion with the foam to get the effect your looking for. It is a lot like sculpting with shaving cream. Caution this stuff is extremely flamable, sticky, and will stink up your house real bad. You should use it in a well ventilated area (the directions are not joking). You can buy a large can of the stuff, or a small 16oz can for small jobs and experimentation. After the material cures it can be drilled, carved, and painted with latex paint. This material can be found at Home Depot or Wal-mart.

November, 2004

GOBLIN MASK

This is an example of a hand puppet I made for a halloween display. It was made out of Great Stuff foam and painted. I was inspired by some of Rob Bottin's designs in the film Legend, directed by Ridley Scott. I like the look of the goblins in the movie, but more over the character and design of Meg Mucklebones; the old witch who lives in a bog and eats humans. Halloween was a lot of fun this year!

Neutral scenes such as this are great tools for actors and filmmakers to help sharpen their skills and see "the whole picture" in a short amount of time. Use this scene to make a short film with your own interpertation.

Neutral scene

Actor #1

This is interesting

Actor #2

Where did you find that

Actor #1

It was on the ground outside

Actor #2

Who would leave something like that

Actor #1

I don’t know. Do you?

Actor #2

I am just as surprised as you are

Actor #1

Do you like this

Actor #2

It’s okay. I’ve seen better.

Actor #1

I want you to have it

Actor #2

Thank you that’s very generous

Actor #1

What time is it?

Actor #2

It’s late

Actor #1

I’m worried

Actor #2

Don’t worry. I’ll cover for you.

END SCENE

NEW PAGE ADDED! Currently highlighting smoke and backlighting. Also featuring a prop door I built out of carpet foam for a Halloween display.

Fog and Smoke Effects -- Using smoke to create an atmosphere. You can see this technique used in almost every Spielberg film. Check out A.I., Amistad, ET, Close Encounters, or Minority Report

The use of smoke to a scene is a moody and dramatic touch. When smoke or fog is hanging in the air beams of light become evident and sunlight appears to pour through windows. You can use this technique from one extreme to another. The thick fog drifiting slowly through the streets of London, or a subtle effect which can be scene in almost every Spielberg film. Recently we saw how our own BM-VM member Fred Calandrelli used this technique to create the illusion of a nightime atmosphere, combining a miniature helicopter with a live action scene of a truck racing down a city street. There are several places to by fog machines locally, and its even easier and cheaper than it has been in the past. There are the seasonal Spirit Halloween stores which will be open during the Halloween period September and October. Partycity has small party foggers ranging from -40. A small model will work fine for those who only want to fill a small room for atmospheric effects. In fact the small 750w models fill a small home quite well and a little fog juice goes a long way. Guitar Center has foggers ranging from -. If your on a HUGE set or your opening a night club this might be the place to look. Home Depot sells a propane fogger for (usually used for insecticide) that can be filled with fog juice and can be used at an outdoor location without electricity.

Ode to Rob Bottin on this one

Cinematography Using Obstruction and Distortion with Household Items

Have you ever tried on a pair of sunglasses for fun? Maybe it was a pair you’d never wear, pink with big gaudy gold trim, graduating blue with big thick Jackie-O frames, or perhaps those yellow ones you see in hunting videos. The latter had made the biggest impression on me. I always wanted to put those in front of the camera get that brilliant and sharp color you get when you’re looking at trees or grass.

Recently, I have been experimenting with several different materials in front of the camera lens. I suggest if you plan on putting anything in front of your camera lens that you put on a UV filter first. This helps protect your native camera lens. (TRUST ME IT’S WORTH THE SMALL INVESTMENT.) I did my tests using a Sony Hi-8 Camera, and I was very pleased with the results. If you’re working on a short movie and you want to get a “film” look you might try stretching nylon stockings over the lens. That’s right folks, pantyhose! Believe it or not some of the pros of the BM-VM have used this technique very effectively. You can use white to lighten the scene, almost give it an ethereal quality, Black will make the darker colors really pop out, and if you are shooting in color, tan or “nude” helps to warm up a shot. The trick is to zoom pass the mesh that the stockings create over the lens. All of these will help soften the scene, similar to the soft look film has as opposed to the harsh line the video camera records. Okay, so you don’t have any pantyhose on hand, and you just can’t bring yourself to go to the local dollar store to buy a pair. Try using plastic painters tarp or a sandwich baggie (not kidding) tape it to the front of the camera (it looks a bit silly). Don’t be afraid to bunch it up a bit and zoom passed the “clutter” I tried this the other night and it has a wonderful dreamlike quality. I also made use of a few old CD “jewel” cases in front of the lens. These had a similar effect to the sandwich baggie, much more subtle though. However you can scratch it by hand and get a nice soft f/x or fog filter without having to spend .00 or more. Don’t be afraid to cover up the lens a bit with a little bit of distortion. Don’t just do it for the sake of doing it. If it works with what you’re filming, and it serves the mood, subject, and most important, to the story try it. Do experiment, positively obstruct your view, have fun, and feel free to share what effects you got with your video at a future BM-VM meeting.

Full Size Video Camera Prop

I built four of these props for a crime investigation scene we filmed. The cameras cost about 25 dollars each to build. I used a pvc pipe fitting for the lens barrels and a plastic food container for the lens hood. The body of the camera is built out of one by six pieces of pine. The view finder is made out of half-inch pvc pipe and the eye cup is a small plastic foodcup from a "Dollar" store. The "LED's" are actually plastic craft beads and some of the buttons were made from a cheap calculator I cannibalized and glued to the sides. I also made a wind screen with a wooden dowel and a piece of foax fur glued to it. The antenas for the wireless mic recievers were Bic pens painted black with BNC connectors glued at the base. I detailed some of the parts with old pieces of head phone wire and station logos.

We had extras playing cameramen and actors performing as the news reporters. During the master shot the camera dollies pass the news crews to the detectives at the crime scene.