Build Your Own Vampire Hunting Kit

Every video that Stiltbeast Studios releases each week is solid gold in terms of great prop making techiniques and tips and this latest video just proves that.  Here is a great tutorial on how to make a vampire hunting kit with a low budget.

Help Support CURSE OF THE PHANTOM SHADOW

CURSE OF THE PHANTOM SHADOW is a nifty film project which is a throwback homage to the serials and pulps of the 1940's.  The film is over 75% completed but is need of completion funds and you can help out by donating a few bucks through the film's Kickstarter page  and getting some cool rewards back in return.
By donating you help keep the pulp and serial genre alive and get some cool swag.  It's win-win!

Synopsis snipped from the Kickstarter page:
There is only one man to call, Agent 236, an elite government agent. Agent 236 has been dispatched to launch a rescue.

Along the way, Agent 236 is befriended by a spunky, sarcastic, gas station attendant who just happens to have pinup girl good looks. She also just happens to be looking for a little action,and excitement. Luckily, Agent 236 is the man of her dreams. Agent 236 puts the station attendant and her tow truck into service in pursuit of the Phantom Shadow.

Pics and more details here.

Lost in Schlock on Amazon's Kindle

As you may know I get a huge kick of discovering and sharing tutorials with my readers covering a broad range of topics from puppeteering to how to build a prop all with a low to zero budget in mind. 

Lost in Schlock truly is a blog for moviemakers, set designers, prop builders, visual effect artists, puppeteers, and even home haunters.  In doing so one of my many goals has always been getting this blog in front of as many eyes as I can. 

Keeping all of this in mind, I am happy to announce that starting today Kindle readers can now subscribe to this blog straight into their Kindle devices.   Now you can keep up to date with the blog no matter where you are.  How cool is that?

Subscribe today by going here. 

Want to buy a Kindle or discover more about the device go here for the full details.

Cortec and the Wonders of Cardboard

If you're like me and are always looking for ways to save a few pennies on a prop or set build then this site was tailor made for you.  Cortec is a website which focuses on turning cardboard (which is mostly free from local dumpsters) into a wide array of amazing set pieces or props.  This even includes cardboard furniture. 

The best part of the site is the free two-part how-to manual which can be found here.  It's a awesome 32-page set of tutorials on crafting cardboard into said props and sets. 

Go here for more details.

Hilary Scott

From Dave Lowe's blog is this cool and inpirational vid of sculptor of Hilary Scott that I just had to share with everyone here.  Video after the jump.

Learn How to Build a Tombstone

As you may recall I mentioned a great resource for any prop maker or home haunter out there from Terra's Lair (scaryladyvideos) Youtube channel.  In the video below Terra shows you how to build a tombstone.



Want to know what monster mud is?  Go here for more details.

(h/t to Haunters Digest)

Productivity Hacks: The Pomodoro Trick

This week I'm trying to increase both my writing and creativity output by using a method called The Pomodoro technique. 

The idea is that you give yourself only 25 minute intervals to focus on one single task, in my case writing or crafting a prop, then after time runs out you leave the task and give yourself five minutes of fun.  Sounds a bit weird, I know.  Yet I have to say that so far I have to say that it works well.

 It is a better way of doing things than most techniques or tricks I have tried in the past.  I'm generalizing on how Pomodoro works and what needs to be done but please go to Lifehacker for the full details and vidoe instructions which can all be found here.

How to Make a $15,000 Dollar Monster Movie

Recently at the SXSW film fest, filmmaker Gareth Edwards, screened his latest film Monsters.  One of the coolest things about this film was that it was completely made for less than $15,000.  It was all done with a two-man production crew, edited in a hotel room, and with visual effects done in Edwards bedroom. 

Go here for the full details and scroll to the bottom to see a behind-the-scenes video on a inside look at how this film was made.

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30 DAYS OF CREATIVITY STARTS TODAY

This is a brilliant idea.


#30daysofcreativity - A How To Guide from 30 Days of Creativity on Vimeo.

Weekend Recap

Here are some tutorials and links you may have missed:

• Chris Sharpe Discusses How to Make a Web Show
• Concept artist Peter McKinstry showcases his designs for Doctor Who
• Learn how to create a comnpound fracture make up effect via Indy Mogul
• Check out a forced perspective shot that Fred Olen Ray created for Nuclear Hurricane
• Build connecting film set wall panels
• VFX Inspiration: Chrono Trigger short film

VFX Inspiration: Chrono Trigger Short Film

Here is an amazingly cool short film someone has made utilizing tons of great shots and some After Effects elements.  Watch the vid below and be sure to stick around at the end to find out how it was all made.  (h/t to The Daily Wh.at)



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Inspiration: Peter McKinstry

You may not know the name but you certainly know and have seen his work.  Concept design and illustrator artist Peter McKinstry has created brilliantly awe inspiring concept art for films such as Harry Potter: The Half Blood Prince to the current Doctor Who series from season 2 through 5 and it's spin-off Torchwood. 

McKinstry has recently started a website showcasing his concept art designs for the Doctor Who series as well as the Harry Potter films and more.  Go here to be amazed and inspired. 

Also take note at some of the differences a movie or TV show goes from a design to what appears on screen.

GET FREE STUFF FROM SPARKFUN

Sparkfun.com is doing something truly awe inspiring, ballsy, and downright awesome. On Januarary 7th, 2010 they are giving away free stuff. This is a great way to get me hooked to their goods. In the meantime be sure to support them by buying their components and helping yourself by creating some kick-ass props.

Snipped from Sparkfun.com:

You can blame it on Chris Anderson's book Free. After reading his book, I started kicking around the idea of what we can do that's 'free'. Sure, we have free bits (open-source hardware designs, available code, etc.), but we don't have free physical widgets. Now combine that with our love of creating shear havoc (AVC, C&D letter, Portable Rotary Phone), and you get Free Day.

Nobody gives away a free physical thing. There's always a catch. So up front: you have to pay shipping. Other than that, it's open season.

• $100 max per household
  


• You pay shipping


• Limit of $100,000 in giveaways for the day
  


• Starts 9AM MST January 7th, 2010


• Ends 11PM MST January 7th, 2010 (or when we hit $100k, whichever comes
  first)
  


• Rainchecks for popular items will be
  allowed

Why are we doing this? It's not that I want to create hell for
the shipping, production, and the IT teams at SparkFun. There's a multitude of
reasons.

First and foremost, we want to give back. We've had a stellar
year in 2009, and it's all because of you. So please, have a beer (or a Stepper Motor
Driver) on us.

Second: We wish we could sponsor more groups
but we don't have a sound way of selecting appropriate projects. Because we
can't afford to say yes to everyone, we have to say no to everyone. It pains us
every time we have to do it. So this is a way for us to evenly enable all the
students and great minds of the world to pickup a $100 worth of free gear. Go
for it!

Third: Free Day will possibly create a maelstrom of site traffic,
the likes of which our servers have not seen. At the beginning of December,
2009, SparkFun will be graduating out of its high-chair and moving into a server cluster. We are excited to
have the breathing room, and Free Day will help us evaluate just how much
breathing room we're getting. We'll do everything in our power to keep the site
up but please understand that the site may go down.

Fourth: We turn 7
years old! SparkFun is now over 70 employees and is the ripe old age of 49 (in
business and dog years). We'd like to celebrate our birthday with a
party.

More nitty gritty details:

• There is no special code to type in. But you get only one order on Free Day, so spend it well!


• Only one $100 credit per household. We ask that you respect this limit and
  don't try to abuse this gift.
  


• There is no minimum or maximum order. You can spend more than $100, the
  balance of which will be charged to your method of payment.


• Only Credit Card and Paypal orders will be eligible for the $100 credit. We
  don't want to have people tying up inventory with POs, wire transfers, checks in
  the mail, or lost faxes.


• You will see whether or not your order qualifies for a credit in the
  checkout process.


• Free Day does not apply to our distributors. Sorry!


• Gift Cards cannot be bought on Free Day.
  


• Every order isn't going to ship on Free Day, or for a few days after. We've
  got extra tape guns on hand, but please be patient and give us some time to
  catch up!


• We are ratcheting up inventory for Free Day, but backorders (a.k.a.
  rainchecks) are allowed on most items (some items we simply can't get
  anymore). We'll get you your goodies
  just as soon as we can get them back in stock.
  

As we usually do things here at SparkFun, these rules are open for revision. We may need to tweak
them as our astute users point out how silly we are. If we have to make any
changes to the rules, we'll let you all know here on our homepage. So mark
January 7th, 2010 on your calendars - it's Free Day!

HALLOWEEN DECOR IDEA: A WEREWOLF HEAD HUNTING TROPHY

It's the perfect thing to have at at den, home office, or anywhere else in your creepy castle. Full instructions on how to build one can be found here.

BUILD A SHIATSU MASSAGER PSYCHO PROP

MONDAY INSPIRATION: OUIJA BOARD ART

Today I thought that I would share a great link that pops up from time to time on the intertubes showcasing a interesting online gallery of the different types of ouija boards through the decades. Not only is the online gallery impressive, there is also bit of history of odd genre that can be found here. There is even a virtual ouija board so you can talk to the dead while wasting time at work.

This is perfect for that supernatural ghost story, a live-action Cthulhu game prop, or just to communicate with the chain rattling spooks in your own house. Go here for more.

COOL IDEAS: DOLLAR STORE LASER GUN

This is utterly amazing; as part of a prop building contest, someone by the name of ThrowingChicken over at The FX Lab, made this amazing gun culled from mostly dollar store stuff. It is awe inspiring to see things that I have passed over at my local dollar stores get turned into something so awesome.

Go here for more pics and to see what parts went into this final creation.