So, for no reason at all, I started gluing together space ships made from index cards I had laying around. It seemed like a harmless enough, free way to pass the time, but then I needed paint, some new brushes and now I'm going to need more movies set in space in which to use my ships, which means more aliens, monsters, puppets, stop motion, miniature sets, etc, etc.
So much for free.
Anyway, I started trying some shots of the one ship suspended from fishing line. It didn't have an anchor point built into the design, so it was front heavy. Made for a kind of cool stance when flying at the camera, but, it also made it "spin" a bit or sway from side to side. I decided to use some post animation and make use of those turns and the effect is a very 1960s, moved by string, look, which I love.
I know a lot of filmmakers shoot for ultra realism in their finished product, but unless I'm shooting dead serious drama, which I rarely am, I prefer the unworldly, dreamlike quality of old F/X. I think part of creating a fantasy world is letting the audience in on the fact that it's all make believe with the subtle hints of "not quite right" F/X. Total immersion when telling a serious story is great, but a touch of, "hey, we're playing heroes" when telling a fantasy adventure story is an invitation for the audience to relax and enjoy the fun.
Anyway, here's how I did it.
Let me know in the comments if you'd like a video on how to make simple shape space ships like these.
Coming next, how to make a gory eyeball from a dollar store ping pong ball eye.
Also check out Indie Streams on Facebook for free footage you can use in your own space operas.
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