My Summer Slaycation

I am in the middle of working on a horror short film so posts here will pretty much light till August.  For those interested I have been keeping a journal of sorts of the film's progress here.

One of the challenges is that because this is a shoe-string budget, I cannot afford Airsoft's prices on machine guns or even rental fees.  I've tried toy shops but the guns are either too science fiction or too pricey.  The internet and places like Ebay are not much help either.  So what do I do when I need assault rifles?  I build them out of cardboard and paper mache.

When in doubt make it out of paper mache

I made a template using a image of a assault rifle found on the net and ran it through Rasterbator.  I then cut out sections of the gun out of cardboard and glued styrofoam in between the parts.  At the moment I am now in the mache phase.

The guns may look cheap but the trick is to keep the shots involving the guns wide and fast.  The less time the guns are on-screen the better.

Friday Link-O-Rama

Here are a few things you may have missed these past few days:

How to build a cardboard Tec-DC9 gun.

Emily DeCola explains Puppet Design

Learn how to make a latex crowbar the cheap and easy way

Here is a great starter tutorial on those wanting to use Wonderflex on their next prop project.

Over at Blastr.com is an amazing story of how the Nostromo prop from ALIEN was restored.

For those who have seen the Nuka Cola Break short film can now buy their own Pip Boy here.

Build a Cardboard Tec DC9 Prop

Another cool use for recycled cardboard can be found with this tutorial on how to make a realistic Tec DC9 gun.  Full details here.

NOTE: As with all tutorials on building prop guns, safety first. Don't be a idiot and go outside waving a fake gun around It may be fake to you, but to others it might not be. Your neighborhood police officer is not a psychic. He or she will not always know if you are making a movie. Always keep that in mind. Know your state laws and get permits or police aid whenever needed when necessary.

IMFDB - Internet Movie Firearm Database

I always wanted a replica of this. 
It's so damn purty!

Has there ever been a film which there is a character who has a very unique firearm that you wish you could own a replica of, if not the original?  Yet you don't know what make and model of the gun was or any idea as to where to find it on the intertubes. 

Well, now there is a site just for you; IMFDB.org (Internet Movie Firearm Database) is a wiki database of the thousands of guns and other assorted firearms used in films.  Now you can spend hours on this site looking up everything from the guns used in Blade Runner to Hellboy's Samaritan and more! 

Go here to see for yourself.

(h/t to Boing Boing)

How to Build A 1950's Raygun

Perfect for the next Buck Rogers

Here is yet another fantastic tutorial on how to build a 1950's era inspired ray gun.  The perfect thing for anyone into cosplay or wanting to make their own pulp serial webseries.  Full details here.

Inspiration: Fallout 3's A3-21 Plasma Rifle

For fans of Fallout 3, you gonna dig this.  Someone has made a amazingly cool replica of the A3-21 Plasma Rifle.  There is a Flickr album of the step-by-step process of how the Rifle was made.  Check it out.

BUILDING A GUN FROM ORANGE JUICE BOTTLES