So, this project was a beast from the very beginning. Stephen Sanchez and I worked on this set for about 6 months. There were so many props and set pieces to build, it hurts my head just thinking about it. I'd say 80% of the material used to build the set and props came from a dumpster by our shop. You'd be surprised what some people throw away! I won't cover every single prop we built in this post, but I will show you some of the coolest ones.

The Cryo Chamber

This turned out awesome! Stephen put a ton of work into this prop using little more than wood from old pallets he found by the dumpster, EVA foam and Styro Spray. I'll post a video showing how he put it together in the near future.

S13: The Alien

I'll just say that expanding foam is my new best friend. The S13 specimen was made entirely of expanding foam, cotton blanket stuffing, latex and 1x2 boards. Jeff Fields gave S13 a fantastic paint job! video coming soon!

The Incinerator

The incinerator is a massive device used to destroy hazardous material. I made this out of a chainsaw carrying case, legs of an artist easel, random circuit boards and a very bright shop light. This baby folds up toward the ceiling while not in use. Even though I secured the incinerator tight to the ceiling, I would still have panic attacks anytime someone got close to it. It looks a lot heavier than it is.

Dr. Livingston's Drill

I'll just say that this drill may or may not be made out of a Star Wars light saber hilt I stole from my sons toy box.

The Hand of Dr. Cole

This was all Jeff Fields. I tried to make a prop hand and failed miserably. Sometimes it's best to let an experienced prop maker handle it. He did an awesome job crafting this hand for the short film.

I'm excited to show everyone the final product in the coming weeks. I hope you enjoyed this peek behind the curtain!