Mannequin Costume Help (For a movie)

Hey,

So, I just found this forum by chance, and decided to see if maybe I could get advice here.

The project:
I am a film student, and in our next year we are doing a 10minute short film. This film has to be one of the biggest best films we could possibly make because as an additional assignment, we have to submit these films to a film festival.
As the cinematographer, this isn't really my job. But, its a school project, so it doesn't matter all that much. The more help, the better.

The Mannequins:
The film is based on these "robot's" that look like mannequins - Faceless, weird creepy bodies. Like

Example picture:


Looking at picture, if we can make it look just like that, that would be perfect! Probably both male/female versions.

HELP:
So, I have no interest in making stuff like this. I make movies. Our class needs to make a wearable costume that looks like the picture above. There need to be moving limbs for the actors to run around in them.
So, any ideas on how to make such a thing?

Budget:
That is a good question. That is currently unknown. We get funding from our college film program to make our films. I am assuming that we will be getting about $1,200 only. BUT, there have to be many other things we need to purchase, so basically its a small budget. I'm not sure how many of these mannequins we need, but ill assume 3. With a budget of like $200-400?

I'd say lycra full bodysuit and face shell under for a smooth face, maybe some plastic sheets padding around body parts to give it also a more smooth surface and less organic.
You'll find dozens like these :Full Body Lycra Spandex Zentai Suit Catsuit Bodysuit Costumes Dancerwear Adult | eBay on ebay, but if you want a more shiny one I guess you could try faux-leather/rubber instead of lycra, like this : http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dark-Silver-...ht_2571wt_1114. And for the face shell, I suggest you take a look in the spider-man costume threads, they usually use one and will be more able to help you with that.

Yea the body suits you can get for 40-50 bucks online or at a costume shop is going to be your best/cheapest starting point. you can get them in white and shiny fabrics too.


you could be as simple as drawing lines at the shoulder, waist or any other "joint" that you want to look like the mannequins. or even just sew a small seam or pleat to form an edge like joint.

Vacu formed body parts, such as the torso and arms, kind of like how the stormtroopers are made would be the best looking effect but not necessarily a cheap method unless you find some one who already as a vacu form table and can help you out cheaply

I think you should be able to get away with just two suits a male and a female and just digitally duplicate them to make a room full of robots.
I suggest you might want to talk to your schools Theater department as some of those students and faculty might help at least with brain storming some ideas or with helping out with sewing and making stuff.

I doubt they want to use body suits. They are soft material and don't really look like mannequins, they look more like some person inside a spandex outfit.
I believe they are looking for something that is or at least looks like a hard shell.

Seeing these body suits in person compared to on camera is a different look, and this would most likely not be what we want to achieve.

as we said they might be a good starting point such as a base to attach the plastic shells to. or some kind of combination. I think you may have a problem with your actors seeing if you dont use the lycra hood with what ever you use.
please keep us up todate on this project it sounds very cool.

Do you have access to a vacuforming machine?

digital509 said:

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Do you have access to a vacuforming machine?

LOL I don't think so.
Even if we did, why would we need one?

Is this a Silent Hill related project?

How about just using life sizedss mannequins like in your ref pic, puppetter style, "attached" to an actor in the green and film it green screen.
......or one of these guys, an artist's poseable wooden model on a stick!? )


Shylaah

The only way I see to archieve your faceless mannequin and have your actors able to see is the lycra or latex bodysuit with a hard face shell underneath. There is no see-through hard material to my knowledge, otherwise we'd pretty much all be using it on our Iron Man build for the eyes... Trust me, for your budget, I don't think you'll be able to find anything better than these bodysuit. You just have to tweak them a bit, either by putting hard shells for the body inside or outside, like we suggested. Or you find a 3D artist willing to model and animate your robots, with or without DYI motion capture from your actors.

What about a bodysuit, then paint it with that rubberized paint? That might be an option...

I was gonna suggest the same thing. Lycra bodysuit coated in white liquid latex, face shell under the suit to erase facial features, if you want to enhance female form you can add breast shells underneath. After the liquid latex has set up you can hit them with some Armor all ultra shine just before filming to give them that glossy look temporarily. It'll be hot as hell, but aside from making full body hard plastic suits that will look weird because of joint/mobility issues, or going CG, I don't know what other options you might have.

I was searching around and I saw someone making a costume, and got this idea...

Is there a way to make a body double (cast) of the person, and then make the mannequin shell out of hard upholstery foam - then have that sanded down very fine, so its very smooth, and then maybe apply some kind of a thin coat of plaster type material that to give it that hard look like that mannequin picture I posted above?

Never used liquid latex, maybe that would work? Im not sure..

But, I dont really know how a body suit with liquid latex painted over it will look.

OR... If a full body double was made, and the shell, was constructed and worn, underneath the body suit. Then the body would look more firm and most mannequin like?

Basically, make pieces similar to this, but only have the pieces on the parts of the body where there joints are.


And then the edges can be glued together with spandex or something like that, so you dont see the pieces underneath the suit. And the suit can be a latex body suit. Or a spandex body suit?

Would this maybe work?
If so, what could we make this from?

ddirector said:

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OR... If a full body double was made, and the shell, was constructed and worn, underneath the body suit. Then the body would look more firm and most mannequin like?

Basically, make pieces similar to this, but only have the pieces on the parts of the body where there joints are.


And then the edges can be glued together with spandex or something like that, so you dont see the pieces underneath the suit. And the suit can be a latex body suit. Or a spandex body suit?

Would this maybe work?
If so, what could we make this from?

This is what I've been saying all along, bodysuit with hard shells underneath to smooth your actor and break organic curves... You could use plastic, foam, fiberglass ... Basically any material we use for costuming here, but if you use foam, coat it at least with PVA to regidify it a bit.

Oh, I thought you meant to have it on the outside not inside.

So, curiously, if there was a higher budget to make a mannequin suit, to make it look AS REAL as possible to the first picture posted (the white hard shell mannequin), with moveable limbs (shoulder, wrists, head, hips, knees, feet) HOW would YOU make it?

Honestly, I would do this with puppetry. The space inside is so confining that no matter the technique used, if done as a costume, it will always look like someone in a costume since you'll need extra space to fit a person inside.

Basically attach rods to the major limbs and rotoscope them out in post.

-Nick

I'd go CGI, if you can find maybe some 3D students who would do it for free, or cheap !

You might also want to check with the teachers that do 3D animation/graphics classes as they would be able to tell you which students are good enough to help with any CGI and also they might want to make it a class project for their students. If your film group sets up some kind of arrangement with the animation/graphics department that would open up many CGI possibilities for future film projects.

I think a combination of lycra suit and hard shell pieces are one of your cheapest options with out doing full CGI robot.

Shylaah said:

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How about just using life sizedss mannequins like in your ref pic, puppetter style, "attached" to an actor in the green and film it green screen. Shylaah

this would be another good idea it is what was used for the bare wire C3PO in Episode 1. small polls are connected from mannequin to an actor at points like hips, knee, foot, shoulder, hands, etc. while wearing a green suit so he can be wiped out in post leaving the movements of the dummy.

No CGI.

Then there is not much options, you have to choose a solution in this thread ! One thing though : foam can be shaped with a heat gun, meaning that you could shape it around your actor the way you like then attach it to the bodysuit (under or over, your call).
Does the no CGI policy include no green screening ? Because you could go the cpo3 way with a green bodysuit under the shells and work on the joining parts then, like elbows and knees and stuff.