Mos Eisley Cantina - Corporate Product Short - Art Direction and Fabrication

---

 Our client was keen to use the 'Star Wars Cantina' for the theme. I designed the set to be built within our warehouse space. Using 'Star Wars Blueprints', supplied by one of my eager free-lance assistants, we built the bar and two sided environment using standard wood rough-framing and drywall. For the bar area, most of the items were scavenged for the assemblage, using a variety of scrap PVC pipe and water coolers. The bar itself was built on a light-weight wood frame and Masonite, with landsc

 Our client had a love-affair with the NYC subway system. While the rest of the house was 'French Cottage' in design, the basement 'man-cave' was all about the subway. We spent more than a year creating the faux tile and mosaics, 80' of faux girders (plywood birch doll-house bowls for the rivets), the faux cement wall treatments, steel coffee-table, manhole-cover side-table, industrial fire-place, stainless steel bathroom accouterments and retro 'automat' kitchenette. 

 Since the airlines had refused access to their planes because of the theme of the infomercial (humorous high-jacking), our client needed one side of a jet-liner coach cabin to be built. I designed the set to be constructed in our warehouse, using the existing area for the structure. The set itself was framed and skinned in luan plywood with foam-core and cabinet-plywood details. The airplane seats were traded for a case of beer. 

 What is the best object to use for killing flies? A skillet! Our client wanted to feature a 'Honeymooners'-style retro kitchen for their cook-ware line in which the frustrated housewife could smash the lathe-and-plaster walls with a frying pan. I constructed the one-wall kitchen set with strategic areas cut out and backed with faux lathe and 'stunt' plaster and rigged compressed air lines to produce 'plaster dust' with each 'blow'. We sourced period-appropriate appliances and furniture. The set

 For the Grand Rapids Children's Museum, I designed an inter-active exhibit which featured landscape work by prominent artists. Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' display had objects which could be spun, the Bearden collage-wall was painted sheets of steel with magnetic vinyl pieces which could be rearranged, the small water-wheel-spinning 'mini-mill' was part of a Rembrandt landscape and one could walk up and into and re-arrange the Diebenkorn city-scape.  

 My salon client was interested in renovating a retail space in an existing building. We gutted the space, built a code-approved handicap bathroom, refinished the walls and floor, provided shelving, lighting, cabinetry and furniture.  

 For this spot, we worked in existing spaces to create an 'old' studio dance space with faux-painted staining and wear, built a prop period bed head-board and 'aged' a car.  

 Working with the Channel 13 news director and station manager, I designed two hard sets for the main broadcast and the 'news room' which was a practical working space. I used back-lit sheets of floating plexiglass with vinyl applications for both spaces as well as an under-lit 1/2" thick sheet of custom etched glass for the main set logo. The most interesting part of the build was the installation, as we couldn't begin until the 11 o'clock news was over and had to be finished before 6 a.m.

 The Campbell's Corral was lightweight and could be easily assembled / disassembled by one person. 

 The Air Room Set was a faux interior draped with plastic sheeting to create a closed environment in which, through time lapse, the air was filtered by the featured product.