apples and oranges - corporate video - sculpting / casting / painting

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You can't compare apples and oranges.., unless one is inside the other! Our client needed an apple which, when peeled, revealed an orange. I molded several actual oranges and produced plaster casts, which were then painted. I sculpted several apples, scaled so the oranges would fit properly inside, made molds and then cast foam rubber around the orange 'cores'. The 'hero' apples were painted and when peeled, had a white interior skin and.., an orange inside!  

 Created for a legal firm in reference to attorney's fees. Our client needed a scale model into which could be inserted an animated 'spinning clock'. The model needed to 'explode', with the numerals rolling down past the actor. I created a plywood scale model with an intricate pediment which was hinged on one end so that it could be 'dropped'. Trap doors were built into the base to allow the main supporting column to 'crumble'. 'Explosion dust' was accomplished with concealed compressed air line

This 'Passage of Time'-themed production involved creating scale model roads, which depicted the advance of civilization and technology. The challenge was that the camera would be moving faster through each epoch. In order to accomplish this, each 'road' had to be longer than the previous, so that, in post-production, the shot would transition seamlessly from time period to time period. I built a series of narrow platforms (after a lot of mind-bending math!), ranging from 5' to over 16'. ,

My client was in need of a repair of a previously completed TV spot. The effect in the 'comedy' spot was dragging a child actor over a fake lawn with her fingers leaving troughs of dirt in her wake. Unfortunately, the effect wasn't convincing, but they did not have the time or budget for a full re-shoot. I built a faux-lawn rig, which matched the original footage, with two movable 'troughs' to accomplish the 'replacement'.

If you really want to test a washing machine, you have to give it a test run.., from the inside. This jumbo washing machine was built with cabinet plywood and Plexiglas. Inside was a spring-loaded rotating stool which the actor could use to mimic the 'agitation'. The machine also included a remote-control bubble-machine for an 'extra sudsy' effect.  

For the Grand Rapids Civic Theater production of 'Little Shop of Horrors', I built four 'Twoey' puppets, ranging from a small potted plant up to an 8' long version, with 20' purple-satin 'victim batwings'. The puppets were built using a variety of foam rubbers, the small ones being carved from solid blocks, the larger ones being built on PVC frames. Rubber-mask latex paint was used for the surfaces as well as faux-fur and satin fabrics.  

Sting, cos-play commission, built from poplar and faux-painted/engraved.

To reinforce the dangers of underage drinking and driving, our school district asked me to recreate a fatal car crash in which teenagers were involved. Four student volunteers allowed me to use SFX make up to create the injuries. A 'crash scene' was staged with local police and first-responders on the evening before Junior/Senior prom. 

While I dabbled in rubber-mask making in my teens, it wasn't until my son became interested in the process that I actually undertook my first creations. These three below were all sculpted in oil-based clay, molded in Ultracal cement and cast in liquid rubber mask latex. Hair and yarn were punched into 'Sweet Tooth' and 'Frankenklown'. Sadly, 'Frankie's' mold was so large and heavy, it cracked. Only one copy of this mask was ever pulled.  

Cat Wizards - Commission - Ceramic clay with glazes and acrylic paints.