Space Ship interior set, advice needed. Please.

Popeanator

Popeanator

Active Member
I'm currently planing on making a 3-4 part Sci-fi web series. I've helped to make sets in the past for school productions.

Would $1000 be enough to create a car sized Space Ship interior, maybe a little larger.
Planing on making it in a shed, getting some rubber coverings for the floor with a metal texture.

We are thinking of making the walls in segments with wheels, so we can move the walls in and out for more dynamic camera work.
Similar to the cockpit of the millennium falcon meets firefly.
It would have no roof we would just avoid shooting up.
Make it super dirty with lots of pipes an pieces attached to the walls. It is going to be repaired after it was crashed. So plenty of damage.
We were thinking of making a miniature for the exterior too.

Any advice on construction would be very useful and any other aspects. :)
 
Though I'm no expert on set construction, it would seem to me that the first place you should start would be with establishing the measurements of the size of your set and the materials that you will want to use. There's a great deal of 'homework' that you should do, and I think that your question is far to general and broad to pose at this point. However, it shouldn't be too difficult to determine the budget that you'd need for what you'd want to build once you determine the finer points of your project.

2cents.gif
 
What he said.....and Monster Dave and me wont to be actors in a sci fi film as well....lol

anything can be done budgeting if plans for materials , is the biggest thing...there are so many ways to make sometihng , considering the levels you are looking for with detail , always comes at a higher price, I think.....dont really have much info to go on, but with the right people and abilities, I think it may be very possible to construct something like that from plastics and plywood....JMO
 
Hi P,

Sounds like a great project! :) Do you have any drawings or sketches of your design? This will help determine how large and how much material you'll need.

With my building of the MF Cockpit I can honestly tell you that wood is the probably the cheapest of all the material - assuming you have all the tools. It's all the details that begin to add up - sand paper, greeblies, etc.

EDIT: Also, do you have an idea of what the exterior of the ship looks like? This will also determine the size and shape of the cockpit. Every little bit of info helps.

I'll be more than help any way I can! :)
 
Last edited:
Searching junk/salavge yards is great way to find greeblies! Especially if it's based on your own design. You're not forced to follow a specific look and feel.
 
If I understand your parameters correctly this sounds like a case of form before function. The whole thing to be based out in plywood and 2 by fours and in Scandinavia phone core or lightweight Sentra just very thin sort of plastic foam core being the cheapest. And then you can skin it very cheaply using plastic take out containers from smart and final this is in the US of course they usually have very interesting shapes that take up wall space very fast. Then you can use all of your greeblies and toy parts and nurnies and just random junk that you can find from anywhere to dress all the details in. Using PVC piping and joints as well as those ribbed hoses for stereo equipment is a quick fill. The objective is to take up space and make it look like the walls are busy when they really aren't. You should also consider if you're going to do any lighting to at least make those areas accessible see you can drill holes in place lights from the back and still be able to get to them so you can plug them all into one main electrical supply. I need some friends who built an entire spaceship set inside the garage using the exact methods I mentioned, it really doesn't look like a set at all, it looks like a professional Hollywood set completely. Feel free to pick my brain, I'll try to post some pics of the 2 sets I built this way. Good luck. Oh and $1000.00 actually sounds like a good budget for a small 10' x 10' set. Just be frugal with your money and it will go far.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
 
As mentioned above,

Search for as many FOUND items as you can. Go every isle of a store.
You'll be surprised at what items you find that could be used.

Hit up Dollar stores, Salvation army/discount stores, home improvement
centers, junk yards, etc. Auto scrap yards are good to. used car parts and
interior pieces can easily be modified to use as prop pieces.

It's all up to you imagination at this point. :cool

______________________________________________________________

Sent from my laptop by typing on the keyboard..... LOL.
 
You should also consider a virtual set. I've made a number of fan films so far, set on several different planets, and the film I'm working on now is set aboard a space freighter, and includes the bridge, a hangar bay, a cargo bay, several crew quarters, engineering, and several different corridors. I shoot everything in front of a green screen and add whatever digital set I want, allowing me to set my movies anywhere and to change sets on a whim. Some of my sets are exteriors that I shot outside; the spaceship sets are made digitally by tiling different texture panels together and adding lots of digital greeblies. They look good, are infinitely variable, and cost . . well . . nothing.

:)
 
Sorry guys I've been away for a few days. We are currently writing the sci-fi web series at the moment. Then we are going to make a pilot and then if we can raise enough money to do short episodes we will end up making a space ship set.
We are planing on doing most of the work next year as i'm still studying atm. It is going to be a very low budget series.
We have done some very basic sketches for costumes but nothing in the way of design of the space ship. I just haven't had time atm.

If anyone has any tips regarding miniature making that would be very appreciated.

We won't know if we can even build the set until we get funding, at that will determine the size and quality in the end.

Thanks for all the interest guys I'm really looking forward to making this.

We may get a pilot done in six months or so.
 
wondersquid said:
some friends who built an entire spaceship set inside the garage using the exact methods I mentioned, it really doesn't look like a set at all, it looks like a professional Hollywood set completely. Feel free to pick my brain, I'll try to post some pics of the 2 sets I built this way. Good luck. Oh and $1000.00 actually sounds like a good budget for a small 10' x 10' set. Just be frugal with your money and it will go far.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...

That is basically what I had in mind some really good tips, I'm really looking forward to making this series. As long as we get funding, I hope we do :D
Thanks, I'll make sure if I have any questions to shoot you a PM.
 
lflank said:
You should also consider a virtual set. I've made a number of fan films so far, set on several different planets, and the film I'm working on now is set aboard a space freighter, and includes the bridge, a hangar bay, a cargo bay, several crew quarters, engineering, and several different corridors. I shoot everything in front of a green screen and add whatever digital set I want, allowing me to set my movies anywhere and to change sets on a whim. Some of my sets are exteriors that I shot outside; the spaceship sets are made digitally by tiling different texture panels together and adding lots of digital greeblies. They look good, are infinitely variable, and cost . . well . . nothing.

:)
Click to expand...

I don't know many people who have the skills required to do convincing 3D animation and modeling. I've always love the classic 70s-90s space ship sets.
 
SofaKing01 said:
Hi P,

Do you have any drawings or sketches of your design? This will help determine how large and how much material you'll need.

EDIT: Also, do you have an idea of what the exterior of the ship looks like? This will also determine the size and shape of the cockpit. Every little bit of info helps.
Click to expand...

I haven't really had time to draw up any plans yet I have a basic Idea in my head.

I suppose I'll try and kit bash a space ship or make it from an existing object as a base. (or both).

That is something that will also effect the interior, so I'd most likely build the model first and work back from that.

Thanks for all the support I'm sure My in experience with sets is starting to feel less daunting.

I'll have to post up some basic ship layout Ideas in the future.

Lets Hope we can get Funding!
 
PVC pipe is cheap and is great for making conduit running along wall. Rope lighting is cheap as well and can be placed behind panels for track lighting. Heck on the set of DS9 (Real TV show) in the sick bay area where Doctor Bashir worked, there were delivery pallets built into the walls!

Many good options posted here as well.

Oh, foam board lightly melted with spray paint will look like a damaged section of wall.....

Etc.
 
You may wish to work on some actual idea's for your sets before hand.

I know from previous experience, people want to see what you have
planned before they invest. Telling them you want to make a film but
having nothing to show concept wise wont get you many investors.

Something to ponder before you begin.
 
Also, once you get the story written you'll have a better understanding of the type of characters you have. That will also influence the design of the ships exterior/interior.

As I mentioned, I'll be more than happy to help in any way I can. :)
 
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