I know one day in the future folks will be very nostalgic for Tuesday DVD releases, but in my youth, just having a now antique VCR let alone owning a store bought film on VHS was luxury. During those years, it was a big deal when big movies aired on any of the regular big three networks even though they where a few years old by the time they did.
The ABC Sunday Night Movie was a "second coming" for beloved movies in those days. They where heavily promoted, starting from a few weeks before right up until the very last minute before air. There was a unique feeling of excitement caused by these network premiers that recent generations will never experience due to DVDs, BLU-RAYs, web downloads and the 1001 cable channels to choose from.
Below are some opening title clips from the Sunday Night Movie that feature a few of my favorite movies. The creative inspiration from these is very personal. They remind me of evenings when I'd sit in my room after the movie ended at 11pm, drawing or making stuff, pumped up and wide awake due to the "event" feel of it all until the wee hours of the morning.
104 Days 'til Halloween: Bloody, Dripping, Head Sack How-To
I'm not a big fan of extreme gore at Halloween, but a touch of it is okay by me, especially if creepy and mysterious such as an unseen severed head wrapped up waiting to be disposed of or saved for some unspeakable reason. The fun of this prop is it actually can drip blood for upwards of 2 hours (depending on how you make it) and is easily refilled as needed.
It's really simple to make and requires zero high tech. Basically you just wrap a plastic jug full of colored water and poke a few holes in it. It also lends itself to numerous variations creating different hanging "parts" using different sized containers. A bunch of these will be dangling around my Frankenstein lab this year. Imagine a tree full of these that folks have to walk under Halloween night and get hit with a few drips doing so. It would give me the "willies".
The one pictured here is sort of a quick "proof of concept" version. I hope to make improved ones later with added details in more natural shapes. One with visible strands of hair or an ear or nose poking through the burlap would look great. Fake hands and feet attached to longer thinner bottles are definitely planned on.
Materials: Used milk gallon container, red food coloring, pitcher of water, nail (or something similar to poke small holes with), burlap, rope and black spray paint (I suggest Krylon Fusion for plastic).
Who? What? Where? When? Huh?
2 weeks ago I signed on to a TV show for what was originally going to be just 5 days of work and only yesterday was my last day. Many long hours that all blurred together.
Today I hope to get back to making my Franken- Switch and also spend part the weekend doodling up many new new cartoons for much neglected Para Abnormal.
Today I hope to get back to making my Franken- Switch and also spend part the weekend doodling up many new new cartoons for much neglected Para Abnormal.
121 Days 'til Halloween: Franken-Switch (Part 5)
Not much progress over the past few days, turned out to be a busy week in the real world. I did doodle where the piece might go next, based on what has been done so far. As you can see below, I've decided to make the switch built into the pillar by adding a curved support element.
This sketch also allows me to play with color schemes. Pretty sure it will end up being brass and copper with lots of verdigris and rust. A good look for the Frankenstein theme and much more Halloweenie.
This sketch also allows me to play with color schemes. Pretty sure it will end up being brass and copper with lots of verdigris and rust. A good look for the Frankenstein theme and much more Halloweenie.
124 Days 'til Halloween: Franken-Switch (Part 4)
Finished the actual switch for the Franken-Switch. This is going to be a blast to paint and detail up. I went with the classic rocker switch style. It's big, theatrical and cartoony looking so it will seem dangerous and easily seen by the Trick or Treaters. It will also make a fun prop to actually use by my brother Ted if he wants to return and play the mad doctor again in October.
I played around with it's placement on the pillar and liked it at an angle. It seems more practical to use and interesting to look at rather than flat on the side as I had in the first doodles. It's just loosely attached for now by a bent L bracket underneath. I'm still undecided whether or not to make permanently affixed or it's own standing prop.
Dark brooding will take place pondering this (as well as the final color scheme) in my lab tonight.
125 Days 'til Halloween: Franken-Switch (Part 3)
Here it is so far. My thoughts were to add the oversized on/off switch to the left of the clear dome on the column, but I like how this is looking without it. We'll see, the switch may become a separate freestanding piece.
The domes will have flickering lights inside. As of right now I'm planning to use a fluorescent light starter wired into an extension cord for the effect (which I already have). As usual, trying to keep it a low budget Halloween. In a perfect world I'd love to buy and use those tabletop lightning balls.
Many more details to add while I debate whether to finish it in a verdigris copper steampunk theme or stick with the silver retro-future look it's got going now. I'll break down what all the parts and pieces are in a later post.
127 Days 'til Halloween: Franken-Switch (Part 2)
This creation is going to involve a lot of recycling junk into something new and I love that kind of prop making. Today, I started to pull potential parts and pieces from the stash. In doing so, as with other things I make like this, I usually lay out and divide what I might use into 4 categories.
GOOD BONES: This is big junk that could be cobbled together becoming part of, if not the whole main body of a prop.
SUPPORTING PLAYERS: These are random odd things that have potential as additional elements. Especially good when just parts from other things and not recognizable as anything it once was.
FANCY DOO DADS: These are decorative elements that some manufacturer has already made for you. Anything that is "designed" already and might work with the theme.
GREEBLIES: This is the real fun stuff, parts and pieces you can use for small details.
GOOD BONES: This is big junk that could be cobbled together becoming part of, if not the whole main body of a prop.
SUPPORTING PLAYERS: These are random odd things that have potential as additional elements. Especially good when just parts from other things and not recognizable as anything it once was.
FANCY DOO DADS: These are decorative elements that some manufacturer has already made for you. Anything that is "designed" already and might work with the theme.
GREEBLIES: This is the real fun stuff, parts and pieces you can use for small details.
Propmaster Tip of the Week: Slimed Spare
When transporting slime, never underestimate the importance of well secured buckets with tight lids!
128 Days 'til Halloween: Franken-Switch (Part 1)
Alright, time to stop thinking about ideas and switch to some actual prop making by making an actual switch. I want to add more decor and really flesh out (pun intended) the annual front porch Frankenstein theme. Below are a few doodles of what I'm thinking. This is going to be the weekend project and hope to post few updates on it along the way.
Monday Morning Sliming
To promote season 2 of Nickelodeon's BrainSurge, host Jeff Sutphen appeared yesterday on Good Day LA, a local FOX morning show. I got to be apart of it being called back from slime making hiatus asked to mix up a fresh batch and dump on Dorothy Lucy, one of Good Day's anchors...
New episodes of BrainSurge air every weekday at 6pm.
Creative Inspiration: Al Williamson
A two part interview with him in 1991 found on YouTube. These videos have some audio glitches, but if you can ignore them, there are some wonderful insights and stories to be heard from a career that spanned nearly 60 years of comic history.
My Great Grim Ghastly Garage: Weekend Progress
The odds of seeing the Loch Ness Monster are often better than seeing my garage this clean...
Still a way's to go, but huge progress since this last picture I posted back in January...
Still a way's to go, but huge progress since this last picture I posted back in January...
Mysterious Tales of the Mysterious: Episode 2
I present Episode 2 of Niece Devin's Mysterious Tales of the Mysterious...which also begins a video mini series posting every Friday over on Para Abnormal.
If you missed Episode 1 (which was way back in January) you can see it by clicking here.
143 Days 'til Halloween: Abominable Announcment
I want to put just one single prop out very early this year, maybe in the last few days of September as an announcement that the season is arriving while I get the rest of the decor ready. Above is a real quick doodle of a possible idea that might be fun to place at the lawn's edge near the sidewalk.
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