Professional prop builders amongst us?

[TridCloudwalker]

How'd I miss this thread? I'm about as far from "professional" prop builder imaginable, but I helped make all the pewter uniform buttons and helmet plates for The Patriot, Wild Wild West, and Last of the Mohicans.

 

[TridCloudwalker]

But it was my electronics that was the real engine that drove my getting work, model makers were a dime a dozen, but working light and LED systems were rare back in the 70s and 80s, I did a lot of winky blinkies.

The job would come in for the electronics and I would sell the fact I could also make the housing/case/prop.

In the 70s, did you make a laser gun that was made all out of acrylic and was filled with a bunch of LEDs that lit when the trigger was pulled?

Oh, and my join date is wrong too. I signed up in 2000.

 

[spcglider@aol.com]

I'll put in my hat as well.

I've been a professional prop builder for 20 years. I currently run Minnefex, Inc., the studio that hired me so very long ago.

99.9% of what I do goes relatively unnoticed simply because its for advertising. Odd huh? Nobody noticing advertising...

Lets see, big ad stuff you may have seen: We did the wrecked miniature city in the initial release of the Kevin Garnett "Got Milk" ad. We did props for the "Sci-Fi Channel resurrects MST3K" photo ads. I used to do hats for the Ziplock Fingerman.

Movie stuff: I designed and built Kevin Smith's Batman-style grappler gun from Mall Rats. I made those "frozen" letterman's jackets in "Mighty Ducks 3" that crashed to the floor and shattered. I made a fake car nose that somebody got their head smacked on in "Feeling Minnesota". I managed the building of the pageant hats (including the burning Statue Of Liberty) on "Drop Dead Gorgeous". I made soft mannequin heads for Tim Allen to punch in "Joe Somebody". I built and performed gray aliens in "Spaced Out"... a short by Andrew Hunt for the Speilberg reality show "On the Lot". And plenty of others.

This week we're handling a bunch of stuff on the shoot for "Ana's Playground"... in indie picture about kids in war zones. Including building a fake Russian tank and RPG launcher.

-Gordon

 

[TridCloudwalker]

This week we're handling a bunch of stuff on the shoot for "Ana's Playground"... in indie picture about kids in war zones. Including building a fake Russian tank and RPG launcher.

-Gordon

Is that the one I saw photos of that's made mostly out of cardboard, yet still somehow looks completely real?

 

[madrobot]

Gordon does some amazing stuff. I've seen some of this stuff up close, and it's unbelievable.

 

[spcglider@aol.com]

Yup. That's her. Not really cardboard, but chipboard and 1x3's and luan plywood along with a turret that's sculpted out of salvaged white bead foam sheets that used to insulate some business' roof.

What can I say? Indie budgets suck.

Gordon does some amazing stuff. I've seen some of this stuff up close, and it's unbelievable.

Thanks again, Tommy. Your check is in the mail! LOL!!


-Gordon

 

[anubispro]

: I designed and built Kevin Smith's Batman-style grappler gun from Mall Rats. I managed the building of the pageant hats (including the burning Statue Of Liberty) on "Drop Dead Gorgeous".
-Gordon

DUDE!
I loved those hats !
DDG is a favorite of the wife and I.

...and the grapple gun was the "bees-knees" too.
:thumbsup

 

[spcglider@aol.com]

DUDE!
I loved those hats !
DDG is a favorite of the wife and I.

...and the grapple gun was the "bees-knees" too.
:thumbsup

Well, the grapple gun was an emergency that I had to handle. They hadn't designed it or even thought about having it made until one day when my buddy Eric (who was working stunts for the film) came running in and asked if I could crank out a Batman grappler for the movie. They only paid us $500 for the thing, which meant I needed to make it in about 7 hours in order to not lose money on the project. Eric tossed me a standard air-capsule powered paintball gun and said "we have THIS to work with". So I slapped it up on the greaseboard and traced around it, then went in and drew a cowling and some ideas for the general lines of the thing. Then we got down to busting the design out of basswood so it would fit over the top of the paintball gun and not interfere with the works. Then there was bondo, model sprues for greeblies, and sanding with much gnashing of teeth and swearing.

Interestingly enough, the paintball gun belonged to one of the other guys on the crew. When the movie wrapped, they wanted to keep the gun but refused to buy the gun part from the crewman. So he kept it. he tossed it in the back of his truck and it sat there and got all gross for the next 2-3 years until they wanted it again for Silent Bob Strikes Back. Then they were willing to buy it. But it was basically trashed. So I got paid another $500 to clean it up and get it functioning again. They eventually bored the thing out back in LA and instead of using air capsules, they hooked up a compressor to it so it REALLY shot darts like a MO FO. Ahhh... geeks.

But that isn't the whole story. We were shipping two props on the same day. One to Chicago and one to LA. And Fed Ex switched the boxes!!! So the photographer in Chicago got a Batman gun and the movie production office got a high-end prop abacus. But that isn't even the end of it, since the abacus was delivered to the studio gate house and left there. When the second shift security came on, the first shift didn't tell them there was a box waiting for the production. So it got set aside and suddenly nobody knew where it was. It was a HUGE crapola-pile comedy of errors. It eventually got sorted out. But in the end, the prop person on the movie only knew that she got the prop a day late. And that's what she told Mr. Smith.

If you listen to the commentary track on Strike Back, Kevin Smith grumbles about it. I've tried to get in touch with him many times to talk with him about it, but either my messages never got through to him or he just doesn't care to talk to me. Either way, I moved on. LOL!!

-Gordon

 

[Goodwolf]

I'd be willing to bet that if you took your average CGI hater plunked him down in front of a screen and asked him to write down scene for scene what is and isn't CGI in the prequels, he'd be wrong 50% of the time.

I dunno if I'd be considered a "hater" but I do love and respect the amazing things that were done in Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. That's craftsmanship right there.

And it really depends on the movie you use to do the test. Jurassic Park was amazing in it's day but I can still pick out most of the CG effects. I say most because there was one scene that I still can't pick out. It's where the little boy is behind the overturned Bronco and the T Rex is spinning it around. I've seen the CG work myself and even knowing it's CG when I look at it it looks real. All the dinos, while they look good, have a certain... unnaturalness about them. And I'm not talking about the fact that they're dinosaurs. Sometimes it's the quality of the light doesn't quite match up. Sometime the CG stuff looks more diffuse than the practical elements. With CG animals, sometimes something doesn't look right in what my brain expects to see when animals move. And working at a zoo, I know what animals look like when they move.

But the new stuff? I'm with you on that. Some of the new CG stuff is so realistic looking I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. Motion capture has helped a lot with movement and the colors and resolution match up seamlessly.

But I still miss practical effects sometimes.

 

[Hangar18Studios]

I've worked in the business since 1991.
Mostly Broadway, but I've worked on;
Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind
Casper
Freinds
All My Children
Regis and Kelly in the Morning
Worlds Finest and Sandy Collora's upcoming Hunter Prey
The Producers (Broadway and remake film)
and an upcoming Jack Black film.

add to that:
costumes, props, and scenery for DisneyWorld, Universal Studios Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, and too many more to think of right now.

I don't do it anymore....at least right now. Currently I'm making bionic limbs.

Scott

 

[Thermalized Plastics]

If you know me, You know what I have done!:love
Thermal :lol

 

[defyitall]

I painted a microphone for an upcoming movie with Michael Cera...:confused

 

[Onigiri]

Ive worked on a few things but got tired of eating Ramen

 

[lmgill]

I've work'ed on a couple of things over the years:unsure
Can't remember all of them, but here are a few.

FILM:

The Watchmen
Trunk
Race to witch mountain
Night in the museum: Escape from the Smithsonian
Land of the lost
Dragonball Z
Last Samurai
The Core
Black Knight
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Visitors Props
Sphere Wardrobe
Fantasy Island Super Hero Costume
Deep Impact wardrobe
Armageddon wardrobe
I Know What You Did Last Summer props
Sphere wardrobe
Contact wardrobe
Looking For Richard wardrobe, consultant, props
Mars Attacks! makeup effects, props
Star Trek VIII-First Contact wardrobe
Kiss the Girls props
Escape from LA wardrobe, props
The Rock wardrobe, effects
Amanda wardrobe, props, technical adviser
The Juror wardrobe
Twelve Monkeys wardrobe
Indian in the Cupboard wardrobe, performer
Virtuosity wardrobe
Outbreak wardrobe, props
Casper props
Power Rangers-The Movie wardrobe
The Mask makeup effects, props
Stargate wardrobe, props
Beverly Hills Cop props
Beverly Hills Cop 3 wardrobe
Forrest Gump wardrobe
Naked Gun 33 1/3 wardrobe
Bram Stoker's Dracula wardrobe, props
Robin Hood: Men in Tights props
The Bodyguard wardrobe
Barb Wire coolsuit
Hoffa props
Batman Returns props
Batman Forever coolsuit
Hook props
Star Trek VI wardrobe
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story props
Showdown in Little Tokyo props
Addams Family props
Rocketeer props
Mr. Destiny props
The Doors props
Back to the Future props
Shocker makeup effects
Warlock I & II props
The Blob props
Midnight Run props
Predator props, coolsuit
Witches of Eastwick props
Barr Sinister props
All I Want for Christmas coolsuit
Chasers coolsuit
Darkman props
Edward Scissorhands coolsuit
Little Man Tate props
Mortal Kombat effects
Robocop 3 props, coolsuit
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 coolsuit
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 wardrobe
The Santa Clause props,
The Vanishing props
Wilder Napalm
Beastmaster 2
Child's Play 2 props
Dead Heat props
Exorcist 3 props
Gorillas in the Mist
Highway to Hell props
Star Trek V
Little Monsters
Little Nikita
Purple People Eater
Silverado props
The Shadow wardrobe
Ninja Academy props
Nightmare on Elm Street III effects
Perfect Weapon props
Romancing the Stone makeup effects
Runstone
Strange Days props
The Two Jakes props
Webber's 15 Minutes props
True Lies props
Masters of the Universe props
Matilda
Paint it Black makeup effects, props
Space Camp prop
Holland Voyage props, effects
Hell Comes to Frog Town coolsuit
Blankman props
Devil in a Blue Dress props
Double Cross props
Best of the Best effects
The Cure props
The Guardian props
Father of the Bride II props
The 1st Power props
The Four Diamonds wardrobe
Block Party props
By the Sword props
Double Dragon props
Far North props
Kuffs props
Mom & Dad Save the World props
Red Rain props
Reckless Kelly coolsuit
Spaced Invaders miniatures, props
Hunchback of UCLA coolsuit
Lottie World props
Beowolf props

TELEVISION/VIDEO
From The Earth To The Moon wardrobe, props
Apollo 11 wardrobe, props
Weird Science wardrobe
The Burning Zone wardrobe, props
Lois & Clark props
Charmed
Space: Above & Beyond wardrobe, props
Chicago Hope wardrobe
Earth 2 props
The Stand props
Star Trek: The Next Generation wardrobe, props, performer
Masked Rider wardrobe
V.R. Troopers wardrobe
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers wardrobe, props, effects
Madonna "Cherish" makeup effects
Iggy Pop "Beside You" props
Ice Cube wardrobe
Amazing Stories stunts
Guinevere props
Perfect Strangers coolsuit
Twilight Zone props
Space Rangers coolsuit
Seaquest DSV props
Late Show with David Letterman wardrobe
Fantacy Island Super hero
Sledgehammer wardrobe
Maximum Security makeup effects
Babes props
The Return of Get Smart props
Hard Time on Planet Earth props
Hardball wardrobe
The Flash props
Incredible Hulk Returns props
People Next Door makeup effects
Gong Show props
Flying Blind wardrobe
Casablanca props
Without a trace
Bones
Buffy
Yes Dear
Battlestar Gallactica
24
Andromeda strain
Scrubs
Viper (Pilot) props
Woops! makeup effects
Kiss wardrobe, stage prop

 

[lmgill]

I forgot some of the commercials::rolleyes
COMMERCIALS
Discovery Channel
Coors
Bud lite
AT&T wardrobe
Chinet miniatures, puppeteering
Coca-Cola wardrobe
Cup Noodles wardrobe
Diesel Jeans makeup effects, puppeteering
Dunlop - Maxifli effects
Ford miniatures, puppeteering
Honda Civic props
Fortis Insurance wardrobe, props
Lexus wardrobe, puppeteering, makeup effects
Lindt Chocolates wardrobe, puppeteering
Mattel wardrobe, effects, performer
Mazda props
Miller Genuine Draft effects
Miller Lite props
Minolta makeup effects
Pressman Toys makeup effects, puppeteering
Terminix miniatures, puppeteering
U.S. Marine Corps wardrobe, props, consultant
409 props
Bud Lite props
Donnelly Directory effects
Foster's Light effects
GM set dressing
Keystone Beer wardrobe, props, effects
Nuprin props
Northrop wardrobe
Pizza Hut
Pop Tarts props
Clorox 2 props
Grape Nuts
Lowenbrau props
Osaka Gas effects
Teddy Grahams
Toyota props
United Airlines
Zima props
Raleigh Hills props
Libera Cigarettes sets, special effects
Carnation props, coolsuit
Chevron props, special effects
Citroen props
Virginia State Lottery props
Blue Kick Sweat Powder effects
Chevrolet
Fancy Feast
Valio Ice Cream (Finland) wardrobe
Monopoly Game Show oversize props

SPECIAL PROJECTS
Mulan Parade / Disney Land & Disney World wardrobe, light effects, props
Islands of Adventure/Universal Studios Armor, Horse Armor
Power Rangers Live on Stage wardrobe
20th Century Fox Promotions wardrobe
U.S. Postal Service wardrobe
AT&T Final 4 "Star Wars" Party Wardrobe, Props, Entertainment
Lotai World Armor, Horse Armor
NASA-Spacesuit design for Orion missions
Training Spacesuits for Orion moon missions

 

[Hangar18Studios]

Imgill,
I'd say your overqualified here for a position on the RPF.
:lol
Scott

 

[Studio Stasis]

I think Imgill has me beat. Haha.


As a kid I was making Aliens smart guns out of crutches, bike parts and duct tape, and Pulse Rifles out of shelving materials, a plastic mac-10, jewelry box parts and lots of duct tape again, haha.

I became more seriously interested in props when I co-hosted a tv show on the sci-fi channel in the early 90's called The Sci Fi Trader. The set of the show resembled a study with original screen used props and costumes displayed everywhere, courtesy of Lim Latta and Roger Sides. I interviewed Latta numerous times on the show, showcasing items like his screen used Darth Vader helmet and armor, Spocks tunic from the original series, a Terminator Endoskeleton skull and arm, A working Predator 1 cloak control gauntlet cover, etc.

Later, I was an art director for two films in the 90's that were fairly low budget which included full prop master duties.

At a southern california RPF prop party I met a member who later asked me to fabricate props for Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3, Enterprise, War Of The Worlds, and a few others, at Studio Art and Technology.

I was Prop Master for a film last year titled "The Deadliest Lesson" starring Penelope Ann Miller.

Lastly, I fabricated molds and produced castings for various props as well as real world items at Spectrum 3D in Anaheim.

I'd love to make props full time again.

 

[Ghost Host]

Here's a cut and paste from my IMDb listing...




Filmography as: Special Effects, Make-Up Department, Art Department, Miscellaneous Crew

Special Effects - filmography
(2000s) (1990s) (1980s)

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) (prosthetic technician: Steve Johnson's Edge FX)
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) (special effects makeup)
Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers: To Live and Die in Starlight (2002) (TV) (prosthetics technician)
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
... aka Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Series
- Flooded (2001) TV Episode (special effects makeup)
- Afterlife (2001) TV Episode (special effects makeup)
- Bargaining: Part 1 (2001) TV Episode (special effects makeup)
- Bargaining: Part 2 (2001) TV Episode (special effects makeup)
- The Gift (2001) TV Episode (special effects makeup)
(...23 more)
"Crossing Jordan" (2001) TV Series (prosthetics technician) (multiple episodes)
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001) (special effects makeup)
Monkeybone (2001) (special effects makeup)
Red Planet (2000) (fabricator)
"FreakyLinks" (2000) TV Series (special effects crew)
Galaxy Quest (1999) (special effects makeup)
Bicentennial Man (1999) (prosthetics technician)
End of Days (1999) (prosthetics technician)
"Angel" (1999) TV Series (special effects makeup)
"Crusade" (1999) TV Series (prosthetics technician)
Can of Worms (1999) (TV) (special effects makeup)
My Favorite Martian (1999) (prosthetics technician)
"Power Rangers Lost Galaxy" (1999) TV Series (special effects crew)
"Charmed" (1998) TV Series (prosthetics technician)
"Mercy Point" (1998) TV Series (technician: Steve Johnson's XFX)
"Any Day Now" (1998) TV Series (prosthetic effects)
The X Files (1998) (lab technician: Amalgamated Dynamics, Inc.)
Deep Rising (1998) (sculptor)
Alien: Resurrection (1997) (prosthetics technician)
"Stargate SG-1" (1997) TV Series (technician: Steve Johnson's XFX)
Men in Black (1997) (special effects makeup)
Batman & Robin (1997) (special effects crew)
Warriors of Virtue (1997) (foam department supervisor: Alterian Studios)
High School High (1996) (special effects makeup)
The Rock (1996) (special effects makeup)
Spy Hard (1996) (prosthetics technician)
Dunston Checks In (1996) (special effects makeup)
Theodore Rex (1995) (special effects makeup)
Here Come the Munsters (1995) (TV) (prosthetics technician)
Digital Man (1995) (prosthetics technician)
Bushwhacked (1995) (special effects makeup)
Species (1995) (fabricator)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995) (prosthetics technician)
Desperado (1995) (prosthetics technician)
"The Outer Limits" (1995) TV Series (technician: Steve Johnson's XFX)
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) (special effects makeup)
"The Marshal" (1995) TV Series (prosthetics technician)
Demon Knight (1995) (special effects makeup)
Storybook (1995) (special effects makeup)
The Viking Sagas (1995) (prosthetics technician)
Disclosure (1994) (special effects crew)
M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994) (TV) (prosthetics technician)
Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter (1994) (prosthetics technician)
"The X Files" (1993) TV Series (prosthetics technician) (multiple episodes)
Rex: kyoryu monogatari (1993) (animatronic technician)
... aka Rex: A Dinosaur's Story (informal literal English title)
Lorenzo's Oil (1992) (special effects makeup)
Army of Darkness (1992) (special effects makeup)
The Gate II: Trespassers (1992) (special effects makeup)
"The Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys" (1992) TV Series (moldmaker)
Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) (special effects makeup)
The Rocketeer (1991) (prosthetics technician)
"Harry and the Hendersons" (1991) TV Series (prosthetics technician)
"Land of the Lost" (1991) TV Series (animatronic effects: Chiodo Brothers Productions)
Critters 4 (1991) (special effects makeup)
"Adventures in Wonderland" (1991) TV Series (prosthetics technician)
Critters 3 (1991) (special effects makeup)
Night Life (1989) (puppeteer)
Clownhouse (1989) (effects makeup chief)

Make-Up Department - filmography

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
... aka Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Series (USA)
- The Gift (2001) TV Episode (special makeup effects coordinator)
- The Weight of the World (2001) TV Episode (special makeup effects coordinator)
- Spiral (2001) TV Episode (special makeup effects coordinator)
- Tough Love (2001) TV Episode (special makeup effects coordinator)
- Intervention (2001) TV Episode (special makeup effects coordinator)
(...17 more)
"Angel"
... aka Angel: The Series (USA)
- There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb (2001) TV Episode (special makeup effects coordinator)
- Through the Looking Glass (2001) TV Episode (special makeup effects coordinator)
- Over the Rainbow (2001) TV Episode (special makeup effects coordinator)
- Belonging (2001) TV Episode (special makeup effects coordinator)
- Dead End (2001) TV Episode (special makeup effects coordinator)
(...17 more)

Art Department - filmography

Clownhouse (1989) (design crew)
"Gumby Adventures" (1988) TV Series (character design/prop design)

Miscellaneous Crew - filmography

Lost in Space Forever (1998) (TV) (costume props)


I also worked at Disneyland in the mold (staff) shop for a few years, and later in the Warner Bros. Staff shop for a bit. Through God's graces I was fortunate enough to be part of a crew who won an Emmy for work on an X-Files episode in 1998, as well. I've moved on now, but it was a fun ride through a couple decades.

 

[PHArchivist]

Imgill, did you happen to work on the VX caddy from The Rock?

 

[anubispro]

Here's a cut and paste from my IMDb listing.....................

WOW! :eek
VERY impressive.
"Fun Ride" indeed.
XFX certainly had "interesting" moments, eh.