The way cameras
and film see what is in front of them is radically different
than the way our eyes see things. With my images and your
eyes, I create solid walls out of flimsy movie sets
and hard, shiny polished chrome out of styrofoam and paint.
Following are
some technical notes about how I do my work. Please feel free
to email me if you have
any questions.
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Sets: |
The sets are made
of wood flats. Some are discarded from film sets and some
I make myself. Curvy parts are made with bendable luan. I
use flat latex paint and good brushes. I occasionally use
spray paint as well.
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Props: |
I build
props starting with pink styrofoam insulation board for armatures.
I shape the styrofoam to the general form I need for a given
prop then I coat the styrofoam with about 1/4" of Durabond
(a mixable muddy joint compound that dries very hard). After
it hardens, I smooth it down with water and carving tools (Durabond
is not sandable). After the piece dries, I give it a skim coat
of joint compound and sand it smooth. Then I give the piece
many coats of good quality latex primer, sanding between each
coat. When the piece is perfectly smooth, I give it a final
coat of chrome spray paint. If any parts need to be formed out
of metal, such as antennae, I use found objects or build them
myself. I use tape and hot glue as needed.
Other props, such
as martini glasses and olives, are found or bought at local
stores.
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Camera: |
Cambo 45NX 4x5
studio rail camera
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Lenses: |
Nikon 90mm f8.0,
Schneider 150mm f5.6
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Film: |
4x5 negative,
usally Kodak P100 tungsten balanced film
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Lights: |
As you can tell,
I use lots of lights. I use a mixture of tungsten lights and
strobes everything ranging from clamp-lights to projectors
to Speedotron strobes.
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Paper: |
Kodak Duraflex.
This paper, made for the advertising industry, is an ultra-high
gloss polyester-based paper which has the identical irridescent
quality of Ilfochrome or Cibachrome. However, in my experience,
Duraflex has considerably wider tonal range capabilities than
positive papers. Kodak claims that the dyes will last anywhere
from 50 to 100 years before noticeable color change in normal
viewing light and temperature. Every test I've read has a
different evaluation for the archival quality of given papers.
It is widely agreed that Ilfochrome/Cibachrome will last approximately
60 years before noticeable color change, and that any polyester
paper base will last indefinitely.
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Frames: |
My
neighbor, David
Parker, welds aluminum frames for my work. I polish, drill,
and assemble them myself. |