Creating Lifesized Giant Props for the Birdman Premier
After already making 1,500 mini Birdman figures, we took on the challenge of creating five life-size Birdman figures for the promotion of the movie, Birdman.
Given only a little amount of time to make them, we sent away one of our mini figures to be scanned and cut in polystyrene, but we couldn’t just stop there. The detail had been scaled up to 20 times its size, so there was a lot of extra work to be done.
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Lifesize Polystyrene Sculpture
The first challenge we had was the lead time given to complete the work. we had very little time to make all 5 of the birdman figures so we had one of the 1500 mini birdman figures we had previously made, for promotion of the upcoming movie, sent away to be scanned and cut in polystyrene with a 5 axis CNC machine. As the detail had been scaled up 20 times its size there was a lot of extra work and we had to create a polystyrene sculpture. -
Lifesize Polystyrene Sculpture
Because the detail had been scaled up 20 times its size there was a lot of extra work we had to do to the polystyrene sculpture including the specific detailing of the head. -
Remaking the Head
In order to capture the detail in the face and head we had to completely re-make the head and sculpt a lot of detail back in to the polystyrene before we were able to mould it. -
First Pour of Silicone
We then pour silicone onto the newly sculpted head, which can then be used to create a cast fibreglass head. -
Fibreglass Head
The cast fibreglass head is then attached to the polystyrene body -
Creating a Mould of Birdman
We are then able to create a mould of Birdman -
Opening the Mould
Once the mould is completed we are left with the completed cast. -
Working on the Wings of Birdman
The wings for each of the Birdman sculptures were made separately and were designed to bolt on to the body in situ. -
Birdman Super Hero Badge
Birdmans super hero badge was separately sculted ready to be moulded and recast -
Assembled Birdman Sculpture
And here he is ready to be painted. The fella holding him might look tiny but Birdman is huge -
Being Primed
Here the Birdman sculptures are being primed ready for painting -
On their Bases
Each of the models is then added to its base to ensure it is free standing -
Head Shot of the Completed Birdman Sculpture
Beautifully painted face and Bird helmet -
All Five Sculptures
All five giant props painted and ready to fly. -
Birdman Figures and Sculptures
The completed figures and sculptures side by side -
Birdman Sculpture being Placed
Birdman sculpture being placed onto the cinema in Brighton -
Finished Giant Birdman Prop
The finished Birdman prop in situ
The details
We needed to completely re-make each of the models’ heads and sculpt a lot of detail into the polystyrene to get them all up to superhero-standards. Then it was time to get them moulded.
Not only did we have to make sure they were a Birdman replica, we also needed to consider the weight of each of them. With the plan being for them to be placed on top of cinema roofs across London and the South of England, they needed to be lightweight but robust.
How we did it
With Birdman’s huge wings, this came as a challenge. Done wrong and the wings could easily catch the wind, and the next thing you know Birdman would be flying… then crashing to the ground. Luckily, with our great experience in moulding and casting our sculptures, we knew exactly how to get around this.
By using the correct thickness of fibreglass matting and the correct amount of resin, and building it around metal armatures we formed something that was strong and would stand against the high winds, without snapping in half.
The result
It’s fair to say that our customer was incredibly happy with the outcome, as with the rest of the work we have done for them – including giant t-shirts, giant coat hangers and mini models of characters for movie promotions, counting our little Birdman figurines too!
We received a lot of great feedback, and even picked up a few new clients on the back of the project, which is fantastic, especially with the amount of fun we had doing it.
Take a look at some of the kind words our client said about our work:
We have worked with spur creative on numerous projects over the years and have always found them easy to deal with and utterly professional. Whenever we are asked to source something fantastic I always go to Spur first and will continue to do so because their work is impeccable, which inevitably reflects well on us when dealing with our own clients.
Empire design