Director Max Rolf is over at the props department meeting with the head of the props team Bill Smith to see how the work is progressing for the coming dress rehearsals for Congo & we've set the camera crew along.
Max"How is the work coming along on the jungle scenery Bill ?"
Bill" The latest delivery is just arriving now Max so the team will be getting cracking on it right away"
Max" I'm please to hear that as we need to starting getting in some dress rehearsals, by the way I've bought a camera craw along do you mind if they film the work in progress Bill?"
Bill" Not at all Max, sounds like an excellent idea"
Bill will talk us through the process, here at N&D Productions we us sheets of cork for our bases, I know other studio's like to go with hardboard but here it cork.
We mark out a rough shape, you got to keep in mind is in nature at work we're try to reproduce not something man made so no straight lines.
When it cut we sand the edges before
painting it green.
Then its gluing & flocking
we always mix in some static grass with the flock, the last think we do is go over it with a spay glue
While part of the team were getting the bases ready others were set to work on the foliage.
Some of the type of things used, from pet-shops & Ikea, tree-bark is used for rocks.
Also of use can be artificial house plants.
The plastic plants are giving awash using different colour washes on different ones,I've herd of other studio's using a spay mat varnish instead of washes.
This is one of the washes used, here at N&D we use three different ones two are brown's & one is yellow.
With both foliage & bases ready it time to start putting them together, first a hole is drilled in the base,
Then the join end is cut off & a dab of pva glue put on the end & stuck in the hole.
the underside of the bark is sanded flat & then its glued to the base.
Little bits of foliage is glued next to the rock in places.
All that's left is a little track to be added.
The piece is finished & ready to be moved to the set.
The set as you can see is nearing completion & that's how we do it here at N&D Productions
That's a rap, a big thanks to Bill for walking us through the process & as always my thanks to you for dropping in & if you'd care to leave a comment it would be welcomed :)
Props to the Props deparment for their relentless shortcuts.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joe, if this is a shortcut I must be the slows hobbyist on the planet :)
DeleteMany thanks for the "behind the scenes" tour Frank - taking along the camera crew was a boon!
ReplyDeleteI discovered some one foot square cork tiles a while ago and bought two packs, intending to use them for modular boards with pdf roads etc glued to them. I made up a three foot square table but it warped badly and I put the idea 'on hold'. Cutting the tiles into smaller pieces for terrain bases obviously solves the problem - and gives me a use for the second pack of tiles :-)
A big THANK YOU to the Nickel & Dime props department!!
Thanks Greg, are your cork tiles 3mm or 5mm ? as I've also used them for a gaming table but I'd guess its the roads glued to them that costing the problem, anyway I'm glad this will give you a use for them, their also good for making buildings with :)
DeleteNice behind the scenes look at the prop department in action. I have made various jungle terrain trees and plants, making use of various floral items (some plastic, some cloth) and other bits and bobs (wire armatures for trunks, covered in celluclay and/or wrapped with string, and other such techniques to get a few different varieties). Used them when I was playing some Adventures in Jimland games.
ReplyDeleteThanks Fitz, it's an affordable way of doing it & looks good in mho, although I didn't good to as much effort as you did with making up tree's.
DeleteI know of Jimland from Joe above & it seems great fun :) have you any movies of the action I could go watch ?
The Jimland reports (in the form of illustrated newspaper) can be found at my old blog - https://soweiterleague.blogspot.com/search/label/Adventures%20in%20Jimland
DeleteAnd the jungle trees (some finished and some in progress) at https://soweiterleague.blogspot.com/2010/09/jungle-terrain.html
Thanks Fitz I' take a look :)
DeleteGreat stuff Frank! I just started working with cork tiles myself not too long ago, very versatile material ☺
ReplyDeleteThanks Ivor, yep cork is great stuff & its robust & light :)
DeleteAnother Nickle and Dime first, a view behind the scene at how the studio operates.
ReplyDeleteSome good tips for all our other studios running as fast as we can to try and keep up with new innovations and technology coming out of this dynamic film company.
What's next? We can only wait and see.
Another good post Frank and a great introduction to it. The idea of the studio running a film presentation of the process is inspired. Well done.
Thanks John that's very nice of you, it's really only a WIP post with a little something added & I knew that you need to make some jungle terrain for India ;) so hope this helps :)
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