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Ideas For Creative Movie Props? (Page 2)
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reader50
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Mar 22, 2019, 05:14 PM
 
I'd be cautious about mixing hot glue and water. Definitely give it an extended test before depending on it.

Stop by a hardware store or Harbor Freight. Get one of those instant hooks - a hook attached to a magnet. For hanging stuff in metal sheds or in truck beds.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 22, 2019, 06:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi View Post
magnet with paper clip? or, hot clue binder clip flat side to magnet.

you said the bottom of these things is steel, right?

or hot glue a velcro cable strip to the bottom, just at the middle.
I’m worried the hot glue might not be a strong enough adhesive, especially on metal, but the magnet? Frigging brilliant. Thank you!

What I love about it:

1) Elegant
2) No effort
3) Lets me move the anchor point
4) Lets me have no anchor point

Totally kicks the ass of my current plan, which involved massive effort and less flexibility.

This is all brought to me by my poor communication skills, because I was trying to describe a different problem...



My idea was to put some sort of clip there instead of a knot, so it’s easy to change the length of the fishing line by clipping it either closer or farther away from the anchor.

As nice as that would be, I’m worried anything that would work might get seen. It might be better to tie a knot at the phone end and just deal with the consequences.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 22, 2019, 06:44 PM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
I'd be cautious about mixing hot glue and water. Definitely give it an extended test before depending on it.

Stop by a hardware store or Harbor Freight. Get one of those instant hooks - a hook attached to a magnet. For hanging stuff in metal sheds or in truck beds.
I have one of those on my fridge!

I was worried it wasn’t going to be strong enough, but my quick and dirty test was very promising. Any thoughts on how to jack the hook prongs apart? I want to ditch the hook for something less visible.
     
andi*pandi
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Mar 22, 2019, 07:17 PM
 
make your string adjustable with a slip knot. If your string is rough enough, and you don't have lots of wake in your pool, it won't slide unless you force it.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 23, 2019, 12:29 AM
 
Lake.

We’re doing it in Lake Michigan. So, lots of potential chop.

Also, unfortunately, to be as invisible as possible, I’m going with monofilament wire.
( Last edited by subego; Mar 23, 2019 at 12:53 AM. )
     
reader50
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Mar 23, 2019, 01:51 AM
 
If you hit a sewing shop, you can buy rolls of clear nylon thread. Oh yeah, Amazon has it too.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 23, 2019, 02:09 AM
 
10-pound, clear fishing line already en route.

We’ll have to see how truly clear it is, and if it’s strong enough, but it’s 3/4 the diameter and half the price.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 23, 2019, 02:50 AM
 
Irritating.

A literal anchor for a dinghy is cheaper than a (coated) dive weight, but it’s a grapnel design, and someone would step on it.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 23, 2019, 07:25 PM
 
In other wacky build news, I have to make fake cream soup. The bowl gets manhandled, and we don’t want the mess.

I thought maybe a giant pool of hot glue, and got this result.



That’s... not bad. It needs to be more opaque, but a big pool of hot glue more or less levels itself before it dries. The bulge at the top is me adding a second layer, and that melted into the first layer without any seams. It’s a little uneven, but so is cream soup. Disgusting looking, too, which is one of the goals.

For the opacity problem, first step is to try hot glue for wood, which I remember as cloudier. Beyond that, it looks like I’ll have to learn how to finesse where it meets the edge of the bowl.
     
ghporter
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Mar 23, 2019, 09:01 PM
 
If the phone chassis have holes (like many old style phones I've seen), hook a small paperclip through a pair of holes, then connect your fishing line to another paper clip that will hook onto the small one. Think "using paperclips like Christmas ornament hangers." This makes the anchor easy to connect and disconnect.

Otherwise, Home Depot and Lowes have a wide variety of STRONG magnets you can epoxy your line to. Those phone chassis are plated steel, so magnets will be your friend.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 23, 2019, 09:09 PM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi View Post
make your string adjustable with a slip knot. If your string is rough enough, and you don't have lots of wake in your pool, it won't slide unless you force it.
I’ll have to run tests, but I’m leaning towards figuring out a length beforehand and sticking to it. Then I can use a regular knot on the phone side, which at least is the safest option in terms of visibility.

I really have no idea what it’s going to do under real world conditions. Dive weight won’t dig in like a real anchor, but at some point I can get enough mass the phone isn’t moving it no matter what.

No clue how much that is. I’m starting with 1 pound, but that’s hopelessly optimistic.

Further, I have no idea how the phone will float once there’s tension on the fishing line. My instincts tell me longer is going to better for that, but at some point it’d get annoying. I ass-pulled 12 feet as a starting point for testing.

Still way to cold to do much meaningful testing. I really should put this one down. I’m procrastinating on more pressing issues at this point.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 23, 2019, 10:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
If the phone chassis have holes (like many old style phones I've seen)...
They do, and as soon as I saw all the holes, I parallel developed a plan similar to yours.

I had considered this problem solved, but the more I turned it around in my head, the more I realized the holes aren’t really where I want them. To the point I was resigned to drilling my own holes, which was an annoying prospect.

Until the magnet idea.

I thought I’d need one of the kinds which injure fingers, but the one with the hook I have on my fridge was enough I couldn’t pull it straight off.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 24, 2019, 03:23 PM
 
Not prop related, but I was getting around to mastering one of the last bits for the soundtrack. The performance was... weak.

My partner said he fixed the bad performance by “chopping it up”.



Jesus. This hurts to look at.
     
andi*pandi
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Mar 24, 2019, 04:29 PM
 
Do you give an A for effort or a D for.... yeah. How does it sound though?
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 24, 2019, 09:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi View Post
Do you give an A for effort or a D for.... yeah. How does it sound though?
This is going to sound weird, but I haven’t listened to it. I assume it’s good.

This is also going to sound weird, but I won’t be listening to it while I master. I need to objectively “hear” what I’m doing, so I use meters. If it needs work in the mastering phase beyond that, I’m not the one doing it.

Since I can put off listening to it, I probably will. I like my first “real” listen to be under the best conditions possible, and as close to finished product as possible is one of them.

I’ve heard the song though... as have you! It’s a Jazz version of the song the band did for the Tiny Desk audition.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 26, 2019, 05:55 PM
 
Fishing line showed up. I was surprised by the amount of force required to pull it apart. The best simulation I can think of is to tie it to an anchor and yank on it really hard. Gotta figure out how to do that without accidentally burying it in my skull.

Invisibility is obviously dependent on both background and lighting. A spread of bad to good...



     
subego  (op)
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Mar 27, 2019, 07:21 PM
 
I’m beginning to think if the line on these anchors has any real length to them, I’m just going to turn the “set” into a maze of invisible tripwires that’ll get tangled and broken.
     
andi*pandi
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Mar 27, 2019, 09:17 PM
 
white coat hanger wire. rigid and not tangleable.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 28, 2019, 05:28 AM
 
But far more visible.

That’s what’s making this difficult (beyond my propensity to overthink things). Keeping it all invisible.
     
andi*pandi
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Mar 28, 2019, 07:28 AM
 
a lake with waves is not going to be crystal clear. especially with people in it muddying things.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 28, 2019, 06:29 PM
 
The clarity will more or less be a variable outside my control, so I’m stuck with planning for the worst case scenario. Far away from people, and under the right conditions, Lake Michigan is, well... kinda clearish.
     
Thorzdad
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Mar 28, 2019, 06:36 PM
 
You must be referring to another Lake Michigan, right?
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 28, 2019, 06:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by Thorzdad View Post
You must be referring to another Lake Michigan, right?
Well, everything’s relative. I’m defining “clearish” as a visibility of, like, 3 or 4 feet.

That’s enough to screw me over from the right angle. If the line has any real length, a portion will float near the surface. Hell, part of it will probably float on the surface at times.

If I can get away with a short line, none of this is really a problem, but too short a line will make the phone float unnaturally, and the shorter the line the less “holding power” I get out of the anchor per unit of weight (and expense).
     
Thorzdad
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Mar 28, 2019, 08:17 PM
 
Meh. We’ll fix it in post.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 29, 2019, 03:22 PM
 
That’s plan Z.

I don’t want to be too casual about it purely because I’ve got such a massive plate of post work to begin with.
     
andi*pandi
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Mar 29, 2019, 04:02 PM
 
Plexiglass dowels? We're trying, here!
     
reader50
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Mar 29, 2019, 06:48 PM
 
Do they even need a dangling weight from beneath? How about gluing down the handset, and let the base plate bring them upright again. And just not shoot when wave action is too heavy.

If you must have them, add a glass cylinder. Glass can be nearly invisible in water, and fishline is already intended to be invisible to fish.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 30, 2019, 11:05 AM
 
Oh crap.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

I need to ask everybody’s forgiveness. I can’t believe how badly I got everyone’s wires crossed.

The idea I’m going for is like anchoring a boat. All I want to accomplish is keeping the phones from floating away. The weights, like anchors, are on the lakebed.

My problem is the same as too many boats trying to share the same anchorage. They cross while anchored and get their lines tied, or someone gets tangled trying to cross over all the submerged lines.
     
andi*pandi
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Mar 30, 2019, 12:29 PM
 
I got that.
     
reader50
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Mar 30, 2019, 01:15 PM
 
In that case, only the fishline needs to be invisible. For the anchor weights, any common item on lakebeds will work. Shell with weight inside, beer bottle, old tire. River rock with a line-hole drilled through it if you want to get fancy. Use a masonry bit + hammer drill.

Adjust the line lengths on-site as each is placed, killing the slack. Use a small chip-clip or something on the underside. That way each phone stays in place, and the anchor lines are vertical. With no one allowed to swim beneath them.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 30, 2019, 04:35 PM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi View Post
I got that.
Then I admit I’m baffled by the suggestion of making the line out of a rigid material.

I mean, it eliminates tangling, but at the expense of “going with the flow” of the wave action.

This isn’t lack of appreciation. I’m genuinely confused.
     
subego  (op)
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Mar 30, 2019, 05:31 PM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
In that case, only the fishline needs to be invisible. For the anchor weights, any common item on lakebeds will work. Shell with weight inside, beer bottle, old tire. River rock with a line-hole drilled through it if you want to get fancy. Use a masonry bit + hammer drill.

Adjust the line lengths on-site as each is placed, killing the slack. Use a small chip-clip or something on the underside. That way each phone stays in place, and the anchor lines are vertical. With no one allowed to swim beneath them.
I’m hoping I can do this, and if I can I will, but there are a couple factors which make me need to plan for the eventuality longer lines are required.

My main concern is if the line is too short the phone won’t bob properly in the water. The phone directly over the anchor is a worst case scenario. The phone won’t bob on a wave, it’ll submerge. I have a strong hunch the greater the horizontal component of the pull, the more natural it’ll look. The only way to increase the horizontal pull is by increasing the line length.

How well the anchor holds is also dependent on horizontal pull. Assuming the anchor is dug in, it has the least hold if it’s pulled straight up, and the most hold when being dragged horizontally across the bottom. This isn’t as important as the bobbing, because we can keep piling weight on until it works, but it’s an added wrinkle.
     
andi*pandi
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Mar 31, 2019, 07:20 PM
 
I understood you wanted it to sway in the water, of course... but to clarify, my idea of using a rigid material to avoid tangling still would have pivot points, mainly the hinges at the phone and weight. Or you could make other joints... perhaps running your fish line through plexi tubes, or clear straws. I did not intend for you to make plexi stands to stick directly in the sand.

Does that make more sense?
     
subego  (op)
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Apr 1, 2019, 04:26 PM
 
Yes! 100%! Thank you!

What threw me off was the hinge. I couldn’t envision a design which wouldn’t bind up with all the random movement.

In other words, what I was imagining would become a pole planted in the sand once the hinges bound up.

However, the solution to this problem right there in your plexiglass straw suggestion. With that, the line is rigid, but the hinge has total freedom of movement.
     
subego  (op)
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Apr 19, 2019, 04:28 PM
 


The wood glue actually has fake cream soup potential. That’s a penny in there.
     
subego  (op)
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May 17, 2019, 01:17 PM
 
Been quiet since I’ve been sorting out the camera.

Not that this matters, but it certainly looks cool.

     
reader50
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May 17, 2019, 02:27 PM
 
Looks expensive too. Hope you picked up insurance, in case anything walks away. After all, it already has legs.
     
subego  (op)
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May 17, 2019, 05:17 PM
 
Oh, yeah.

I’ve skated by with just liability for a while, but that had to stop.
     
subego  (op)
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May 24, 2019, 02:25 PM
 
I have these little, square, padded bags which Velcro sticks to, so I label them with “name tape”.

Amused myself ordering these.




Which are for an actual Killa Donut.




For the curious, if instead of screw-on filters you use a filter holder, any light hitting the backside of the filter reflects right back into the lens. I’ve had this happen, and it’s like, a really embarrassing ****up.

Ideally, you have a ring on the filter holder the exact diameter of the lens. The Killa Donut covers you when you don’t, with that flexy gasket thing. Building the gasket into the ring is actually an innovation. Donuts of the non-killa variety are separate pieces.
     
subego  (op)
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Jun 26, 2019, 02:14 AM
 
Ooooh... pretty sure we found our main exterior location!

This photo from the listing has been over-HDRed (or tone mapped for the picky), but it’s actually this amazing in real life.




Unfortunately, we lost out on this place for the interior.



The TARDIS-like aspect of the inside being huge is totally perfect for this project.
( Last edited by subego; Jun 26, 2019 at 02:46 AM. )
     
subego  (op)
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Jul 20, 2019, 06:50 PM
 
It’s rotting apples on the plate. I need an apple cart full. No, autocorrect, not an Apple Card full.

Not my best example, but it’s the best in terms of taking a (hopefully) reasonable amount of time to make. I want at least 100 before tomorrow.



This began life as decorative fruit, and I boiled its styrofoam guts with a heat gun.
     
subego  (op)
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Jul 21, 2019, 12:57 PM
 
The right is an artisanal burning. The left I just stepped on.



Stepping on it is quicker, and doesn’t smell as bad. The burning looks better but I can only manage about 7-8 an hour.


They’re starting to fight back though. Some shit about apple rights. One of them swallowed this spike. It almost went straight through my flip flop.

     
andi*pandi
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Jul 21, 2019, 03:09 PM
 
the left looks more realistic.

what about boiling in water?
     
subego  (op)
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Jul 21, 2019, 09:45 PM
 
Really?

In this photo I’d say the right looks more realistic... though much older.

The left looks too much like plastic to me.
     
andi*pandi
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Jul 22, 2019, 09:44 AM
 
The right does look much older... but less like an apple. The less has that wrinkled look of an apple that's found in the back of the fridge. Maybe do a little of both? The treatment of the right takes the shine off so that may be what you like.
     
subego  (op)
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Jul 22, 2019, 12:09 PM
 
It’s weird... the shine works for me on an undistressed apple, but once I step on it, it looks more like a plastic wrap.

The burning is sorta all or nothing. Partially burned gives me the “lizard man” look.



I actually have issues with all three, but the director said this bit is cartoony enough, they all work for him. Totally okay if it’s unnatural.

He prefers the first two though.

But yeah... the totally burned one is actually a better simulation of a blanched tomato.
     
subego  (op)
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Jul 24, 2019, 05:18 PM
 
The finished product!

     
andi*pandi
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Jul 24, 2019, 09:23 PM
 
I am torn between making the obvious (and intended) upsetting the apple cart reference, and a good will hunting reference. So torn.

But how does the client like those apples?
     
subego  (op)
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Jul 24, 2019, 10:24 PM
 
I see what you did there.

He was actually very pleased... more than me.
     
reader50
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Jul 24, 2019, 11:29 PM
 
Lot of work there. Assuming the lower layer is the bottom, it's closer to 200 apples than 100.
     
 
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