Replica Prop Forum Hacked!

Just got word that the Replica Prop Forum was hacked.  Here are the details sent to me by one of the moderators:

DO NOT USE WWW.THERPF.COM or THERPF.COM

ONLY USE WWW.THEREPLICAPROPFORUM.COM

There is a FAKE SITE at www.therpf.com

They have your password (with a little work), regardless of whether you have logged into the fake site or not. So you need to change your password... AND PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU SEE www.thereplicapropforum.com in your address bar when you change your password.

We do not know the extent of what they have and don't have, so just assume that they have EVERYTHING (password, email address, saved pm's, etc).

Please just stop using / testing therpf.com at all.

---

The hacker has now duplicated our Facebook page for the RPF.

This is the FAKE page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Replica-Prop-Forum/321458777885579?sk=info

Please go to this page and report it to Facebook by scrolling to the bottom and choosing Report Page from the Left hand side. From the Report Screen choose "Duplicate or miscategorized Page", then choose "Duplicate of another Page" from the drop down. Finally, type in "Replica Prop Forum" and our icon should come up.

I also suggest reporting it also as spam too.

Show your support at the REAL Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/therpf?ref=ts&sk=wall

Please share this with your friends so others aren't fooled into going to this fake page.

A Look At the Props and Sets of DOCTOR WHO

Here is an amazing collection of prop and set photos for DOCTOR WHO from prop maker and set designer Mark Cordory.  From his website he picked up the prop making bug while playing and running various LARP (live action role playing) games.  Proof that your passions can lead you to greater and better things.

Besides his work on DOCTOR WHO, Cordory has also been busy making a Cthulhu creature suit and other TV and Film projects.  Well worth the visit!

(h/t to Propnomicon)

Inspiration: "Fringe" Props

I found this video via a friend and it's so cool that I felt like I should share with you.  It's a short show and tell video on some of the props involved with the FOX television series FRINGE.  You got to love the dead pan manner the way the propmaster goes about showing off the items. Enjoy!

(h/t Dr. Squid)

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)

Learn How to Build a Dalek The Official BBC Way

Here is a set of official BBC blueprints on how to build one of Doctor Who's notorious enemies, The Daleks.  These amazing set of how-to instructions were rescued from a now defunct Doctor Who FTP site.

Go here for full blueprints and how-to instructions.

(via Boing Boing)

Inspiration: Star Trek Props

Here is an amazing two-part vid, from Propguy1701, showcasing how the prop makers for various incarnations of STAR TREK used everyday found objects and repurposed them for the shows.  You will never look at toilet cleaners and nightlights the same. 

Prop Inspiration: Gingerdead Man 3

Dave Lowe, who is an amazing and highly creative prop designer, had the unique opportunity (and challenge) to create a few props for the Full Moon movie, GINGERDEAD MAN 3. 

The budget given to him was only 200 bucks which proves that Full Moon is really a b-movie kind of company.  Go here to see more pics of the cool props that Lowe helped design and create.

Behind-The-Scenes: Critters 1 and 2

Here are some brief behind-the-scenes vids on the puppets for Critters 1 and 2 featuring the Chiodo Brothers.

LEARN HOW TO BUILD A DEMON/SAMAEL CREATURE SUIT

Here is a nifty tutorial I have discovered on building a creature suit inspired by the Samael creature design from the film Hellboy.  Full details found here.

Inspiration: District 9 The Original Short

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

Forced Perspective VFX: Nuclear Hurricane

Filmmaker Fred Olen Ray has been very generous in letting me share these with you two pics of a scene, shot using the forced perspective method, from his latest film, Nuclear Hurricane. 

The first pic below shows a shot which utilized forced perspective and a foreground model placed inside a matte box which has miniatures built inside of it.  Think of it as a miniature studio set which is being combined in camera with the background.

The reactor in the middle is a salad bowl that Fred Olen Ray picked up from a Walmart.  Actor Jack Scala stands a distance away in front of the the camera as part of the background to achieve the ultimate illusion that he is standing inside a nuclear reactor room.

Here is what the final shot looks like:

Pretty damn cool, right?

Many thanks to Fred Olen Ray for sharing this with us. To find out more about Fred Olen Ray be sure to check out his official site at http://www.retromedia.org/ or join his official Facebook page to keep up to date with his films and current related news.

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.

INSPIRATION: ALIEN LEGACY BEHIND THE SCENES

RECYCLED HOLLYWOOD

It's not a big secret that lots of times low budget filmmakers will re-use their own props, costumes, sets, and stock footage for other films.  Troma Studios is a great example of this technique. 

However, from time to time even larger studios have been known to re-use props from other films for other TV programs and movies. 

To discover yourself more on how this technique has saved filmmakers money go over to Den of Geek which has listed a great top-50 list of Hollywood re-used props and scenes examples.  Go here for the full list and the next time you watch a film or TV show see if you can spot any props that have been re-used.

INPSIRATION OF THE DAY: BUILD A MYSTIC FROM THE DARK CRYSTAL

Next to the werewolf suit and the Big Daddy costume I would have to place this DIY in a top five fave list of some sort.  It's an absolutely brilliant build.  Go here for the full details.

BUILD A FREDDY GLOVE

CONCEPT ART: BACK TO THE FUTURE 2

Someone has been generous enough to share some of the amazing concept art that was created for the props, some seen and unseen, from the film Back to The Future 2.  The entire gallery can be seen here.

As a bit of a sidenote it's interesting to see how the concept art for the Kodak camera was not too far from reality compared to the digital cameras we have today.

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: BEHIND-THE-SCENES

Here is a collection of some neat behind-the-scenes vids on from the cult show Msytery Science Theater 3000.  What makes these videos so great is that we finally get to see a bit about how the puppets were made and worked alongside a look inside the props room.

DOCTOR WHO: CONCEPT ART

Over at i09 is a small collection of concept art from the Mars episode of Doctor Who. It's a rather impressive gallery showcasing some of the prop designs that were used. (h/t to i09)