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Ideas For Creative Movie Props? (Page 5)
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reader50
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Oct 24, 2019, 10:19 PM
 
I assume you used actual candy bars, keeping the silver inner wrappers. Then supplied new outer wrappers. A laser printer with glossy thin paper could make those.

Congrats on them. You could have thrown in a candy-bar company logo, for the fictitious manufacturer. Perhaps a hand with index finger up.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 24, 2019, 10:22 PM
 
Here’s the “finished” candy tray. Had me drill bits, so the D-rings got the pilot holes they deserve.



We’re going to use ribbon for the straps, which we’re going to wait to put on until the day of the shoot. We’ll have the girls there and can measure exactly. Two sets of straps so it (theoretically) won’t flip over if it’s not being held.

The real unfinished part is painting “candy” on it, which makes me nervous. I’ll probably wait until tomorrow, though I can hopefully muster up the will to do a test on an spare tray. Want to make sure the paint will stick to the lacquer.

The toy tray is more unfinished. We decided on stacking, so I’ve got to stick two together. Decided to use wood glue, which may be a problem because after sanding the lacquer off, I’m not sure WTF this is. I think it’s MDF.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 24, 2019, 10:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
I assume you used actual candy bars, keeping the silver inner wrappers. Then supplied new outer wrappers. A laser printer with glossy thin paper could make those.

Congrats on them. You could have thrown in a candy-bar company logo, for the fictitious manufacturer. Perhaps a hand with index finger up.
We went through an online place who you send the image, and they do the rest. It could have been done for much cheaper, but the lack of hassle appealed.

These designs were ultra quick, too. We’d design the hell out of an actual product.

Unexpectedly, the Hershey bars inside are still in their stock wrapper, which makes it less appealing as a product we’d sell. I assume this is so they don’t have to deal with sanitation or going stale... problems we’d take on if we did it ourselves.
     
andi*pandi
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Oct 25, 2019, 07:37 AM
 
Font choices and small text ftw.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 25, 2019, 10:23 AM
 
Here’s our choice for “candy”.



Basically as large and thick as we can get, so it’ll read from the maximum distance.


Glue’s holding up so far!
     
andi*pandi
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Oct 25, 2019, 12:07 PM
 
It's very wonka-esque.

To clarify my previous statement, I wasn't advocating for small text, but appreciating what you had written in small text.
Cooper Black and Hobo, very distinctive.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 25, 2019, 10:20 PM
 
Ah! Credit goes to the director for the candy bar designs!

Someone wanted 50.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 25, 2019, 11:27 PM
 
Gawd... I hate this part so much.



It’s fine, and I’m probably going to wreck it in some way.
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 26, 2019, 04:50 PM
 
I did come close to wrecking it. Paint stuck to the stencils. Luckily, with “candy” we could scrape the paint off, and “toys” was so screwed up it came back around the other side to cool.

     
reader50
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Oct 26, 2019, 05:18 PM
 
Yep, gotta remove stencils before the paint dries. But I didn't think of that in advance either - I rarely use stencils.

I assume the TOYS box will be sex toys, monster dolls, itch powder, hand buzzers, and whoopee cushions?
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 26, 2019, 08:18 PM
 
It’s possible that wasn’t the problem. Wasn’t really the right paint for finished wood, so it didn’t stick. I imagine if the paint was actually sticking to the prop, I’d be able to pull it off dry, like masking tape. Taking it off while wet isn’t a bad idea, but I’m almost positive I would have smeared it.

It stuck enough, when I did a test, but I obviously didn’t manhandle that sample enough.

It’s still (ironically) about the best case scenario. If I had discovered this during the test, I wouldn’t have gotten that nifty effect for the toy tray, and since it wasn’t sticking anyway, returning candy tray to “like new” was a total success.


In terms of the toys, the girls are stepping up the evil. They’re all toys the victim lost track of as a child, and they price them all out of his reach. So we went very iconic. Jacks, marbles, army men, toy car.
     
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Oct 28, 2019, 11:57 AM
 
distressed matches the tone well. happy accidents!
     
subego  (op)
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Oct 29, 2019, 01:02 AM
 
Very much so.

Another was our “salesgirl” loves Hamilton, so she was absolutely thrilled with her costume.



We couldn’t decide whether the other costume was Robin Hood or Peter Pan. Maybe they’re the same.

Edit: for the curious, the yellow is what’s getting overexposed.

The shoot the next day, last Sunday, was the official end of our outdoor work for the year. Now we do indoors for 6 months. First order of business is dressing our interior set, which is a different house. It was originally slated to be both interior and the exterior. Splitting it up doubled our rent and utilities, as well as blowing way past what was budgeted.

This doesn’t bother me. That’s how ****ing ugly I consider the outside of this place compared to the near perfection of the other one.
( Last edited by subego; Oct 29, 2019 at 01:13 AM. )
     
subego  (op)
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Dec 14, 2019, 04:26 PM
 
Back in the saddle for the winter season!

Some experimentation with bloody head bandages. These were a little too Civil War.






This is more in the zone, and I think it’s realistic, but it can’t really be art directed. The “blood” comes through where it comes through.




All of these were using black paint, either acrylic or tempra, with the idea we make something once, and it gets reused. We ultimately decided we’re going to draw it on each time with black greasepaint.

     
ghporter
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Dec 14, 2019, 10:56 PM
 
After actually investigating the continuity issue with Kirk’s blood stain in Star Trek II, it’s just not possible to depend on something that’s supposed to soak through actually doing it the same way more than once. I recommend taking a butt load of pictures of the “approved” version of the blood stain, then use them as a reference for reproducing it.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
Laminar
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Dec 14, 2019, 11:33 PM
 
11 Pro or Pro Max?
     
subego  (op)
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Dec 15, 2019, 01:16 AM
 
Originally Posted by ghporter View Post
After actually investigating the continuity issue with Kirk’s blood stain in Star Trek II, it’s just not possible to depend on something that’s supposed to soak through actually doing it the same way more than once. I recommend taking a butt load of pictures of the “approved” version of the blood stain, then use them as a reference for reproducing it.
Oh, yeah.

I used to have to buy Polaroid film by the case. It’s so nice having a camera in the pocket.

Speaking of...

Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
11 Pro or Pro Max?
Pro.
     
subego  (op)
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Dec 22, 2019, 01:10 AM
 
Spooky production still from tonight’s shoot (not by me)...

     
subego  (op)
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Dec 30, 2019, 01:22 AM
 
Time has finally rolled around to design the newspapers! What’s more is it’s not a panic build yet, so I get to be more thorough then usual. A refreshing change.

Designed the “style guide” for inside the columns today. Of course, we’re going for a first half of the twentieth century vibe.

     
Thorzdad
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Dec 30, 2019, 09:44 AM
 
Having begun my career setting cold type, period-correct newspapers in film and tv scenes are small bugaboo of mine, especially headlines. I always appreciate it when the designers get the look and feel right (or close to right.) Those samples are pretty darned good. I might quibble a slight bit with some of the leading in the headlines, but none of it is distracting the way some I have seen are.

Did you base all of these on actual period press samples?
     
subego  (op)
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Dec 30, 2019, 12:52 PM
 
Thank you!

In terms of basing it off a sample, I said above I “designed” the style guide. I more accurately “copied it whole cloth” from an original.
     
ghporter
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Dec 30, 2019, 08:32 PM
 
I particularly like the subtitles for the hippo and pool tax items.

The grammar in the lead story's headline is great. What passes as "headline grammar" today has probably been a driving force for text-speak and then lol-speak to become the crapstorm of mush they are.

Unless you want an ambiguous headline, it's best to stick with at least some semblance of real grammar. Your headline is very retro, simply because it does use real grammar.

Glenn -----OTR/L, MOT, Tx
     
subego  (op)
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Dec 31, 2019, 11:22 AM
 
Thank you!

With the arctic one, not only did I steal the design from the source material, I stole the cadence from the original headline as well. Instead of 14, it was 2, and instead of an arctic explosion, it was a baby buggy run over by a train.

One of the things I’ve noticed about this paper, which is a turn of the century Chicago rag called “The Inter Ocean”, is almost all the stories they decide to cover are completely horrifying.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 1, 2020, 03:19 AM
 
Test page “proof” on 8½x11. Took way longer than I wanted. Only 80% happy with it, but I doubt it’ll ever be seen on camera.

     
Thorzdad
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Jan 1, 2020, 10:56 AM
 
"Inter Ocean" should be hyphenated.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 1, 2020, 01:32 PM
 
I agree.

The real life publishers of the paper waffled on that one. They seemed more inclined to hyphenate it in the 19th century, but decided to drop it in the 20th.

Director picked no-hyphen.
     
Thorzdad
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Jan 1, 2020, 05:33 PM
 
Too bad. You could have used a nice fancy tilde (~) instead of a hyphen, too, for that beaux-arts flair.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 1, 2020, 05:39 PM
 
I know, right?

The nameplate/masthead is the traditional, “ye Olde English” script, which looks very dapper wearing a tilde.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 2, 2020, 04:16 AM
 
One of the things I didn’t like about my test page was only one ad, so today I went ad hunting.





     
reader50
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Jan 2, 2020, 05:48 AM
 
How disappointing - they all look authentic for the period. Needs more future humor.

Delicious cigarette ad next to the discount grave digging. 25% off if you die on a Sunday.
Coal - nature's energy of the future.
Cola drink, with new ingredient "cocaine" - really gets you going on those cold mornings.
Snake oil skin cream. Helps keep the scaling away.
Amazing strychnine medicinal tonic - makes all your problems go away.
     
andi*pandi
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Jan 2, 2020, 12:03 PM
 
Love the newspaper design. Lemme look for some excellent medical ads.

Did they really set the headlines left justified first line then centered then right justified afterwards? If there's a lot of text it looks just randomly aligned.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 2, 2020, 03:55 PM
 
Thank you!

They did, however it looks like they took much better care with giving each line a similar letter count, and also played around a lot with the spacing/tracking.

( Last edited by subego; Jan 2, 2020 at 04:12 PM. )
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 2, 2020, 04:07 PM
 
Originally Posted by reader50 View Post
How disappointing - they all look authentic for the period. Needs more future humor.
I did come across a Ford ad from the 20s with swastikas for a border.
     
andi*pandi
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Jan 2, 2020, 04:35 PM
 
This one ran in medical journals:
(dig that bodoni compressed - ooh lala)


also there's this:
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 2, 2020, 04:47 PM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi View Post
This one ran in medical journals:
(dig that bodoni compressed - ooh lala)
Historic Camels!!!
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 4, 2020, 04:15 PM
 
We’ve got a vegan who’s allergic to gluten on Wednesday.

Any suggestions for snacks past fruit, veggies, and nuts?

We’re going to ask her for suggestions, but also want to do some due diligence on our part.
     
andi*pandi
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Jan 4, 2020, 05:54 PM
 
There's a wide variety of gluten free pretzels, chips, cookies, etc. Rice crackers and hummus. Tortilla chips and salsa.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 4, 2020, 06:19 PM
 
An excellent point!

I need to check my gluten privilege. I didn’t think of those first few because I’d never eat them myself if given the choice.
     
Laminar
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Jan 5, 2020, 06:15 PM
 
I have a friend that's GF/DF. I found a recipe for chocolate chip oatmeal cookies that's legal. It's...decent. If I'm making cookies it's not my first choice, but my wife has made them a couple of times for herself. Instead of egg it's flax meal, then coconut oil instead of butter, coconut sugar and maple syrup instead of sugar/brown sugar, oatmeal, oat flour, and some other stuff. Corn-based chips are good.

Trader Joe's has a lot of GF-legal stuff too. The 3-seed sweet potato crackers are super tasty.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 6, 2020, 07:20 PM
 
Another emergency build. Due Wednesday evening.

We’re turning the top part of this...



...into a fancy sign.

First order of business is to chop the bottom three-quarters off. Looking at it, I need some serious cribbing for support, or once I saw through a post the whole thing will fall apart.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 6, 2020, 08:00 PM
 
Guess that wasn’t too bad.



Decided to cut lower first to see if anything weird happened. I’m going to chop in the same place the next tier up. The extra hanging down will have to get matted out in post. No way I’d be able to freehand saw those buttresses.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 7, 2020, 12:07 AM
 


Chopped down to size. Now it’s time to test paint. I’m mainly curious if the bristle marks look bad.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 7, 2020, 02:36 AM
 
It’s not even like watching paint dry. It actually is watching paint dry.

I’m using bonding primer, so in theory I can get away without sanding.

I used too much for one coat in my first test, and it didn’t turn out well. I started over with some thinner coats. Whether I’ll be able to get total, even coverage still remains a mystery.
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 7, 2020, 03:44 PM
 
Time to start painting for real.



Of course, all my tarps ended up on set, so I decided to sacrifice a box of garbage bags rather than run out to the Deepo.

Going to go with very thin coats. Not quite dry-brushing but close. This seems to hide brush marks and not warp the wood, but takes a long time and requires drawing deep from the patience reservoir.


Here’s a single coat test where I slopped it on. It cracked all over. I think the orange cast is from dissolving the stain.



This is three coats, and it needs a fourth, but no cracking.

     
subego  (op)
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Jan 7, 2020, 05:03 PM
 
Almost done with the first coat. What I hate about this is how crappy it looks at this stage, but I need to hold fast and let the layering do the work.

     
subego  (op)
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Jan 8, 2020, 01:59 AM
 
Better.



I lost count of how many coats. At least 6 or 7. Still not getting what I feel is total coverage, but it’s close enough, and will have to do. Time to wrap it up for the night.
     
Thorzdad
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Jan 8, 2020, 09:01 AM
 
Why aren't you spraying the base coat for full coverage, then brushing-on a top coat to get the hand-painted look?
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 8, 2020, 11:06 AM
 
If I didn’t use enough spray paint, I might have adhesion problems with the top coat on the stain. If I used too much, I would have gotten spray paint drips. Overall, I judged it as too risky.

Plus, it’s illegal to sell it in the city, so that’s a 20 mile round trip.
     
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Jan 8, 2020, 12:58 PM
 
Ah. I assumed you'd have access to a sprayer of some sort (not cans)
     
subego  (op)
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Jan 8, 2020, 01:46 PM
 
I was eying them at the Deepo while I was waiting on the paint shaker.

Also wouldn’t mind getting an airbrush.

Ultimately though, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get past the learning curve in time.
     
 
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