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Miniature UFO for Static Short Film
For this gig, I printed, painted, and wired a 14 inch diameter practical effect film miniature. I was contacted in December at first to look over the initial 3D model but ended up taking the role of fabricating the prop. I started in February and finished in late March with a total budget of $150.
I received the initial 3D model as well as some concept sketches but I also was fortunate enough to be able to talk to the director for progress check ins. The print consisted of 2 parts: a main body and a free spinning outer ring. They had originally planned to print the dome of the UFO but I suggested it would be much more feasible to just get a plastic dome.
The parts were printed with PLA and the eye holes on the outer ring were manually drilled. A 24V LED filament was wrapped around the ring and powered through the center. The whole thing was primed and sanded then painted with acrylics.
The concept for the design was meant to be a bit subversive of the classic flying saucer. The director envisioned a more hybrid organic and mechanical feeling with visual influence of "biblically accurate angels", a popular eldritch trend featuring overwhelming light and rotating rings of eyes. The UFO was to feature a giant eye as it's bottom dome in which the light would shine through to glow and act as a tractor beam.
Another visual theme we pursued was the idea that an alien spaceship upon earth would be comparable to a submersible along with strong weathering effects upon exposure to our atmosphere. Here, I drew inspiration from vintage bathyspheres of tarnished and heavily oxidized copper.
The eyeball component was actually a bird feeder cover, some nonsense amazon product that worked perfectly for this project. I sanded the interior to frost it and dripped paint down the bowl to create a veiny effect. The pupil itself was actually cut out with soldering iron.
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