WIP ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ paper props!

[Rhett J Martin]

Hello everyone! Been a while since last posting here, but I finally have a worth while project!
So, I’m a HUGE Roger Rabbit fan, which is no secret, and I’ve always wanted a giant collection of props and items from the film. I’ve always collected references and pics and what-not from the film, and as usually happens in this hobby, I finally collected enough that the dam burst and out came this project!
When Roger Rabbit finally made it to HD/BluRay etc. I started to look at screen caps and was like, ‘Hmmmmm.’
Then the recent prop auctions hit and they had the final ingredients for me to scream ‘Yes! Go!’
But things really got going when I rewatched the film, notepad in hand.
In this film alone, between Eddie’s office, Acme Warehouse, and Maroon Studios, there are between 45-50 paper based props
(Photos, newspapers, box labels, posters, and in and on). So I broke them down into categories, realized if I was going to do a run, it would have to be split up over 4-5 sets! But more on that later. So, my notes and references in hand, I fired up my Mac, my Adobe Suite, and my Wacom Tablet and got to work! Enjoy the process, and strap in, this is gonna be a long haul!!

 

[Rhett J Martin]

So I started pretty much where everyone would start; the Pattycake photos and newspaper that drive the story along. I’ve always know there was an early version of Jessica Rabbit that changed midway through production, but I never realized this version made it into the movie. The change was made when production moved from the U.K. (Eddie’s office, Acme Warehouse, Red Car Depor and bar) back to L.A (Desilu, Tunnel, Ink and Paint Club)
So old Jessica (who was deemed too sexy and too Disney Princess-ish) can be seen in the LA Chronicle newspaper and Pattycake photos in Eddie’s desk.
The newspaper was recently auctioned off, and the photos were amazingly clear, so rebuilding the paper was a cinch! (Updated pics for better clarity)

Prop Auction in the U.K.

Up close on the prop replica, both Jessica and Roger Photos are clean as a whislte

Los Angeles Chronicle logo recreated quite painstakingly by hand (the font is hand lettered, digitally of course)

Text is visible now in from the Screened prop, replicated throughout.

Also in that auction were two of the early versions of the Pattycake photos. There are four total, but when Jessica was changed, the photos were blown up, recropped, and repainted (Jessica was old school cel painted and layed over the photo of Stubby Kaye, and then copied).
So, knowing I had 8 variations of this to recreate, and 8 different Jessicas to either clean or repaint(Marvin stays the same in all minus subtle movements), I decided to go all special effects on it, and I built an entire background and would place Marvin and Jessica into it each time.
I easily enough got #1 done, cleaned it up, and am in the process of painting the L.A. version (film) Jessica.

Early U.K. style Jessica/Pattycake Photos on Eddie's desk.

Early digital paint to create the backdrop for all 8 PattyCake Photos

Blended together darn near perfectly(honestly there are some weird lighting things going on in these photos, not sure if I'll keep them)

A finished (lo-res version) of the first Pattycake photo prop. The first test print came out beautifully!

The film version leans much further forward and reveals all the framed artwork and telegrams behind her, which, turns out, are all pictures of Roger taken from his ‘key color sheets’ and concept designs. Up next, Catalina vacation!

 

[Rhett J Martin]

So up next, which scared the crap outta me, were the other photos we see in the film, Eddie, Delores, and Teddy’s vacation to Catalina Island. It’s suggested that when they returned, the first case they got was the case where Teddy has a piano dropped on his head. You gotta admit, that’s kinda funny... but I digress.
so, some of these photos were featured on the 2007 DVD under a fun section called ‘The Valiant Files,’ (ALOT of love went into that dvd), but the photos were lo-res, and had their contrast punched WAY too high. I tried a bunch of classic tricks to sharpen them up, but 72 dpi is a harsh mistress, and I was pretty afraid that it would grind the project, let alone any possible run, to a screeching halt. Enter the new BluRay and it’s gorgeous transfer! I’ve been able to grab dozens or solid screencaps, and use my not-to-shabby skills to bring them up to a really decent quality. Not perfect, but pretty dang great!
2007 DVD

2007 DVD Screencap

BluRay multiple screencaps and various Photoshop tricks

So I’m currently polishing up this one, and building the other. The three others are Eddie and Delores will be in the second set.
All the black and white photos (Including the Pattycake) are 8x10 and a fun challenge is to make them very consistent in tones and grains since they all came from the same camera.

 

[Rhett J Martin]

Up next is a pair of posters seen in R.K. Maroon’s office, and are really great works of cartoon art. Four of the six were available a while back, and occasionally pop up in auctions. They are very clean scans of the original art, which was all hand painted and airbrush, just like they would have been in those grand old days. The two that aren’t available feature the cartoon that debuted Jessica Rabbit, and a poster of a Opossum that has a pretty convincing fan theory behind it. These posters were each very easy to rebuild from screen caps in Photoshop, as they used very classic graphic design and animation techniques. The results were very successful!
2007 DVD

Recreation, 11x17

Multilayer redrawing over 2007 DVD screencap

Test print, needs just a bit of polish but overall DONE!

Next, into the warehouse!!

 

[Rhett J Martin]

So a solid majority of the paper props are in the Acme Warehouse. Boxes upon boxes. Prop upon props. A few screen used ones hit the auction circuit recently, with measurements! Oh the sweet mana of prop building, a prop photo with a ruler in it!!
what’s simply stunning, is that the Acme boxes and packaging are ALL HAND PAINTED!
sonebody has to make those, and if you watch the film closely as the Warehouse gets destroyed, there all fully realized. No stacking of empty’s behind, etc.
Recreating these was really fun, no font deep dive, easy colors to match, POW. Done. Multiple copies of these will be in the set, so you can build your own little Acme Warehouse. I started with the Bird Seed and Rubberbands. There’s gonna be ALOT of these; portable holes, curveballs, singing swords, eyeballs, magnets, overused gags etc!

More coming!! Can’t wait to finish up the first set!!

 

[Rhett J Martin]

Today I added the first of 5 ‘Marvin Acme’s Will replicas that will be done. I went for the simplest, the black sheet with Roger’s love letter that he wrote in lipstick. The real prop appeared to be painted on the paper, and had nice authentic ‘bleed through’ which has been replicated here with a nice sharp print of the digitally painted replica, augmented with color matched embossing powder for texture and demension. VERY happy with this, as it was done quite cheaply!

 

[Lt Washburn]

These are great.

I knew the animation was done in the UK, but I didn't know that part of the film was shot there too. Very interesting.

 

[Rhett J Martin]

Yea, Acme Warehouse was about to be torn down. The rest of the street where Eddie's office is and the Terminal Bar were all torn down, minus Eddie's Office. My mind was boggles when I found out how much filming took place there. I really 'bought it.'

Spent some break time today prepping some of the 'downloadables' that will be available on my Patreon later this year.

Wish I could share these in full and for free, but I've been stolen from too many times. Luckily, when these are released and sold, I'll have my usual affordable prices.

 

[LTsmash1200]

Amazing work. I don't know why, but the Acme box art is probably my favorite of the stuff so far. I'd LOVE a portable holes box. I also never knew about there being a different Jessica.

 

[Rhett J Martin]

The fact that they were all hand painted made my brain melt. That’s ALOT of cramping around a paint marker lol

there’s gonna be like 25 of them so stay tuned.

and the Holes box will be the featured box in the second set.

 

[Treadwell]

awesome stuff!!

 

[MattgomeryBurns]

Can't wait for these! I too have been dying for a portable holes box.

 

[Rhett J Martin]

Test printed the newspaper today and it was ginormous!! 22x38!! Came out very sharp, photos look great and I’m gonna make a few moves and corrections, but it’s just great! What’s fun is that it’s copied word for word from the real one, and chopped/repurposed articles include reporting on Howard Hughes/Brewster hearings, early tensions in South Korea post WWII, and Bill Odom’s record breaking round the world flight. Other actual articles follow their headlines, at least for a few paragraphs.

A note about the ‘misspelling’ of ‘drought’ as ‘drough’. Apparently, this is an actual old English spelling of the word still used rurally in Southern Midwest states. According to Webster’s, it’s since died out, but small places still use it. Even the article itself uses ‘drough’. Pretty crazy our English language.
Enjoy the photos!

 

[Jakeinator123]

That came out fantastic! And I thought the only paper props I would ever be able to find would be the glossies from the Vista Series. It's been a bit since I've watched the film fully through, did they ever redo the newspaper with the L.A. Jessica?

 

[Rhett J Martin]

Nah, no redo. They had finished filming I. The U.K. when the made the change. You really have to look for it, so nobody really cared I’m sure.

 

[Rhett J Martin]

Finished the second Eddie and Teddy Beach photo today. It was a royal pain doing these two, and I'm not looking forward to the Eddie and Delores ones, even though they are brighter and the screen caps and scans are better. But I'm happy with these, even though their not the centerpiece of the collection. I've already printed one of them and it's looks excellent. The grain you see here is mostly due to DPI reduction in case someone here gets 'handsy' with the images. But details are strong, I'm really pleased I was able to keep the great looking patterns on the shirts and hats present, as well as the surrounding beach scene. Only the U.S. version of the Pattycake photo and the container for prop set #1 left to go!!

 

[Rhett J Martin]

Getting Closer on this one, might have it done before the weekend to go with the other test prints . . .

 

[Rhett J Martin]

So, as I wrap up the first set, I only have Pattycake 1 left to go, which has been an absolute pain in my butt. The trouble and delay is that I'm building a background, printing templates, and beyond, so the work load is quadruple, but will catch it self up over the next 3 sets.

But since the background is just about complete (just brick work and wall art work to clean up and repaint), I was able to drop in Marvin, and redraw Jessica.

More to come!

 

[PlanetAlexander]

THIS is dedication - well done!

 

[EmmaInCandyland]

Wonderful!