Project: #Harryhausen100 - Making sets!

I started making the miniature jungle/forest by making some trees using chicken wire to create the form. I then clad the wire with 'Modroc', a plaster bandage that sets when soaked in water. I made two of these, one more prehistoric in appearance. Details like vines/creepers were made with wire and hot glue (thanks to animator, Norman Yeend for the suggestion of hot glue). I also used the glue to texture the tree and glued miniature scenics/lichen to chicken wire frames to create the tree foliage. The trees themselves were painted with acrylics. At the base, I glued a plywood disc with a nut embedded in it, which would enable me to tie the tree down to the animation table. This means that I can reposition the trees if needed. The ground was made using Crystacal-R plaster mixed with model railway ballast, which was textured with my hand, and then painted.

Blocking everything out. The second tree wasn't used.

Tie-down tree (same principal as with an animation model).

I also made a miniature foreground, which was carved from urethane foam with a hot knife and then covered in Crystacal. Again, I used acrylic paint and dry brushed highlights on, as well as small details like moss, using model railway scenics.

Urethane foam/Crystacal rock foreground piece.

The 'jungle floor' made with Crystacal and model railway ballast.

Chicken wire frame with wire branches.

Cladding in plaster bandage (Modroc).

Painted and textured. More foliage is glued to the wire frames.

Another finished tree (the first one I made).

Painting the jungle floor with acrylics.

Idea of scale.

More miniature elements added. I decided later on, to remove some of these small 'shrubs' as they were too fragile.

With all of these elements, I could see a scene coming together, but something was still missing; a backdrop. I had two options, the first was to simply use a green screen and make a digital background using Photoshop and scanned drawings, however lighting the green screen as well as the set would mean a lot of lights. So I decided to try my hand at painting, something of which I hadn't done since Advanced Higher Art & Design in high school! My first attempt was on A3 sketchbook paper mounted on plywood, which turned out to be too small. This was good practice though, and gave me an idea of what to fix for next time (I also watched Bob Ross!)

Unused painted backdrop on A3 sketchbook paper.

The style of the background painting was very much inspired by "King Kong", as previously mentioned, but I also looked at Disney's work from the 30's and 40's (particularly "Bambi").

The new and improved painting, which was done directly on plywood (primed first).

Unbeknownst at the time of painting, the colours were quite reminiscent of the sets done for the unrealised Merian C. Cooper (of 'Kong' fame) epic, "War Eagles" from around 1939/40. This film was to have surpassed the 1933 film technically and visually, introducing lush Technicolor! It's a shame that there were no stop motion fantasy films in colour from around that time, sure 'Kong' was colourised later on (horribly!), but I feel that had "War Eagles" been made, it would have been a masterpiece.

Here are some very rare framegrabs from lost "War Eagles" test footage. The miniature setups are very similar to that of "Kong" (the same effects artists were on board) and the vibrant and lush colour palette is something I look for in my set.

Source: "War Eagles" by David Conover and Philip J Riley (highly recommended!)

I also added a wooden foreground frame (made from pine), which would hold the foreground rocks in place, as well as enable me to clamp lighting or add any foreground elements in to complete the shot.

 Wooden frame in place (special thanks to my dad for helping out there!)

The backdrop in place, a much better fit.

So with near enough all elements in place, I decided to try a few lighting tests...