It was a strange question three weeks ago, beginning September 2024.
These are things of everyday life, right?
I like challenges and am sharp with arts and crafts, sewing, and “3D modeling”.
So, I said,
– “Why not?”.
Project Description: Make a Prop Deer for a film. 🦌
Context:
In the movie industry, you need to give life to cameras. In this case, there was a scene that implied a car accident and a deer. The more real the object you film, the more accurate the image reproduced, hence credibility and no interruption of the narrative.
There was going to be gooey fake blood made by the FX guys.
The prop deer had to be able to breathe.
Problems:
There are ways to access a dead deer: collecting one from the accident traffic office, hunting one in the season with all the activity rules, and celebrating with a feast for the team. Logistics in both implies getting big freezing boxes, ice, transportation, storage, smell, etc.
Any project has the same parts.
First, you think of the problem. Then, think about the things you already know that can help you solve that problem. What resources can I access to? Which techniques are fast enough for my deadline?
I considered the problem a block problem, like Legos or Rastis (*).
We got an old hide from an old deer online as an 80-year-old stuffed young head.
The reality is that taxidermy has not been trendy, so these objects sometimes stay on the market or in an old attic for a long time.
After that, I got tape and cardboard to shape a more solid structure for a deer.
– “Like a figurine for the Christmas tree but ..mmm… (did my research)
of around 1 meter and 30 centimeters tall”. — I said at the moment.
Height 1,30 mt, Width 1,10 mt
So, I did the structure.
So far, so good, until the whole excitement of building my gigantic Christmas figurine faded away like a shooting star when I realized that strange moment when I had to move around the head, cut the hide, and finally, cut a little bit of the dry neck of the stuffed head.
I’ve always loved life, nature, and living creatures. I still have an innocent view of the world. I was raised in the countryside, and after getting my chef’s degree, I could cut a rabbit and all kinds of animals.
Time has made me more sensible about life, and the whole idea of doing it has become an enormous challenge. The other producer used to be a chef, and he took the first cut. Once that was done in different steps, I released all that guilt and achieved the project.
Most of us are used to getting meat from a plastic box at a supermarket or a butcher. Dealing with all the images from Bambi’s movie, the first Disney movie I had ever seen, was difficult.
I was about to become Victor von Frankenstein and make a cardboard deer with real fur, that also was able to breath using pibes and a huge and hard balloon.
After a few days of work playing to be Edward Scissorhands, I got to the result of a decent breathing deer prop.
I love challenges; I like to think about doing things; it is like playing a game and solving a challenge. The joy of problem-solving is what keeps me engaged and excited.
When doing things, many situations present themselves.
Sometimes problems, others challenges.
Doing things implies knowing your limitations and how long you can push your capabilities because doing so makes things happen.
My catch?
That is the fun and challenging part, which makes the game much more engaging. When we think in problems positively, our attitude changes and we enjoy more. Overcoming these challenges is not just a task, it’s a source of inspiration and motivation.
It was called Colette (a Frenchie way of saying “tail” in Spanish).
After its parts had been forgotten in the online market, we gave it a few minutes of timeless life in a short movie.
The satisfaction of creating something unique and giving it a new life is truly rewarding.
