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Making Props for SF Movies
If you were propmaster for a Science fiction movie, how would you create exotic weapons for use by actors?
For instance, if I were doing a film, I would dress up G36 rifles with the parts of a VCR to resemble a futuristic laser weapon. From space. |
#2
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Well..... In major motion pictures, they have custom prop shops, like the HAND PROP ROOM or other places that employ 'model fabricators' and designers. These special effects artists come from the 'model building' side of the props business. They have skill in sculpting, molding, painting and do tons of custom items as well as electronics. I held the Medical Tri-corders that were used in Star Trek Voyager and they were AMAZING! They cost $2000 each to build and had the most advanced programmable LED 'light shows' to date built within the unit. They were built by a 'model building' shop by artists who specialized in plastic fabrication and electronics. ARMORERS are closer to gunsmiths than modelbuilders. Sure armorers can do custom guns/conversion/fixes/specialty accessories/specialty fittings/etc. but to create SCI FI looking parts requires plastics fabrication, Vacuforming or other model building disciplines, like plexiglass fab or other metalworking skills. As for a PROPMASTER, usually that person is just the guy in charge of acquiring and administering all the PROPS in a film. In movies heavy with military or law enforcement details, you can have a tech advisor or separate the propmaster duties and have a dedicated propmaster who specializes in weapons/uniforms/gear/etc. or is also an armorer. But 99.99% of propmasters just deal with the mundane details like "bedsheets", "Dinner plates", "Paintings on the wall", "Chairs", etc. In the world of small student/amateur films, you wear 20 or so hats, so the propmaster would probably BUILD all the specialty props for the film as well as be responsible for all the real world props as well. Nowadays, the advent of CHEAP crappy airsoft guns (CYMA, etc) allows propmasters much greater freedom in creating fake sci wi weapons. Just being creative and the "ability to figure out what junk to glue on to it" is required. |
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One thing I've always found funny about sci-fi movies from the late-80s and 90s is how they always have bullpup-type weapons, and those often pass for "futuristic" guns. Think how many action movies set in the future used to have Steyr AUGs, Mossberg 500 Bullpups, Calicos, Ruger Mini-14s in Muzzelite stocks, etc. Apparently, propmasters back then figured that in the future, everyone would be using bullpup long guns.
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#7
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I remember in the 1990s, everyone wanted one of three guns, a Beretta 92FS, a Glock or an M1911A1. No other guns existed. Every subgun was an Uzi, Every assault rifle was an AK47 or M16. And yes, no other guns existed. And a lot of these people were adamant about wanting what they were familiar with, not with what was either correct or 'cool'. Sorry, I've tried to push XDs on people with no success! |
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