Fortem Films asked me to fabricate an alien spaceship and planet-surface set for a client's comedic, sci-fi music video. The client wanted to give a nod to the 1965 futuristic puppet TV series, "Thunderbirds," in the style of the ship and take-off ramp.
I modeled the spaceship out of floral foam, then covered it in plaster and sanded it down. This worked great as it allowed me to attach pieces securely into the foam as I built. I brought my partner, Nik, onto the project to help with electrical and woodworking. Before I added the plaster, Nik installed small LED lights and a battery pack inside the foam carving.
To give the illusion of metal panels covering the ship's exterior, I carved lines into the plaster. I had a lot of fun adding paint details like weathering and the typeface on the ship's side. The client wanted Klingon numbers for an easter egg to the biggest Star Trek fans to recognize!
My studio and terrible work posture!
Nik did an amazing job as the Set Carpenter and Electrician on this project! He engineered the runway to be functional so that the ramp and rocket-absorber chamber would open and raise by pulling wooden dowels.
I wanted the asphalt of the runway to have a realistic texture. Using what I could find, I poured wood glue and pieces of sand over the road.
I had a great time foraging in the Oregon forests for plant material. I used acrylic paint to add detail and dimension to the boulders.
