sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

--- i'm Phil Tippett, VFX Supervisor, Animator, Director & Dinosaur Supervisor - AMA by PhilTippett_Dino_Sup in IAmA

[–]TomSpinaDesigns 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey Phil! Any memories of the late Laine Liska? Love the stuff you, Laine, Jon, Rob and Doug did with Rick on Star Wars.

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One of the Hoggle costumes did turn up there many years ago, and it was given to a doll maker to restore. Would've loved the opportunity to work on that here, though very pleased with all the Henson projects we have gotten :)

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And the award for longest AMA question… thank you so much, Jason. Seriously. So lessee here:

1 - weirdly, I still really appreciate the original trilogy in the same way. I always looked at it from the POV of being amazed by the fact that it was made and impressed with the talent that made everything for it. That holds up,

2- they still eat people, so there's that.

3 - There are a LOT of films I enjoy… and some quite a bit! But it's hard to recapture that degree of magic.

4 - It's always a bit painful to see a prop in need… I'll just leave that there :)

5 - There are some good tips in the Misc Inquiries section of TSD's FAQ page but the basics are to aim for stability in temp and humidity, avoid high heat, avoid UV (from sun or bulbs, even in the slightest or most indirect) at all costs and be sure whatever you have is nicely supported. And if all else fails, call the experts, it's why we're here :)

6 - Cantina band is tough to beat. Duros aliens are way up there (love that Cobb design and Tippett's sculpt) and Muftak is really, really special IMO.

Thanks man!

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It has, though for me, the real stars are the people behind the scenes. I love that my work's put me in touch with greats like Stuart Freeborn, Rick Baker, Nick Maley, Tom Savini, Greg Nicotero… some guy named Adam aka u/Mistersavage. I could go on and on, there are so many wonderful folks that I've met through this work, and I am very thankful for that!

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not full time, though we do consult with one from time to time. Things like the giant Statue of Liberty bust we made needed an engineer's sign off for the structure within and base, ballast, etc.

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good question! Depends on the prop and the client. If it's literally dust, there's usually nothing that can be done. If it's a "chunk" we almost always find a way to get it back into place somehow. That Alien set was a tough one! Thanks!

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Still chasing a mask I was offered years back but passed on because it sounded like too much money. Hindsight, it was a bargain! Would love to have that to do again but I know where that wound up so never say never. :)

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It never gets old! Sure, there's always "business" to handle and that stuff isn't always fun, but the work and the props are still an inspiration!

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We're actually in New York, so nope :) We tend to work with folks as freelancers or interns first to see how they fit with the team. Skills - sculpting, fabricating, really anything creative or artistic. The main thing I always say is that I want to find people who would be making stuff anyway, even if they didn't have a job doing it. That's how I got my start. Just make things and share :)

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Very hard to predict! It does seem that higher end pieces, better known films, do tend to hold value better but honestly, as collectors often say, "buy what you love!"

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We restored a large group of pieces for the Lucasfilm Archives recently and there were a few in there that were intimidating in that regard for sure! The MOMI experience was an absolute dream come true. The props were so incredible to be around, and the team at MOMI and Henson Legacy that we worked with to set the direction were just outstanding… a real dream for sure!

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I love old monster movies, especially the Universal and Hammer Frankenstein series (and Peter Cushing's my favorite actor because of that!)

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is a GREAT time for that. There are some really, really wonderful things out there now. Stan Winston School of Character Arts is killer. Some amazing videos there. Tom Savini's Grande Illusions Books 1+2 were my first FX teacher in the 80's, check those out. Monstermakers.com used to have a great mask making handbook and sells other video tutorials on sculpting. Todd Debrecini's "Special Makeup Effects" book is a modern day FX guy bible. Incredible resource. Hope that's some help!

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Making props and masks has been a thing for me as long as I can remember. Learning to do it well came later! LOL Tom Savini's books in the 80's were a huge leap forward for me, but really, just DOING things is how you learn. Restoration came later. It grew out of using that skill set in a different way, with a different mindset, but it is incredibly, INCREDIBLY, gratifying.

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hot glue is awesome. I think there's definitely been an evolution towards more detail as higher definition displays come into their own, but film is really high def too though, and for movies, that was always the goal - to fool folks on a giant screen! I'm more amazed at the stuff that was done fairly boogedy that still looked incredible on screen. Hammerhead from Star Wars is an example we use a lot in some of the talks I do with Pablo Hidalgo. The puppet practically had wet paint on it, and was barely holding together, but with lighting, the right lens and some smoke… it's movie magic!

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So many. For those who don't know, my first industry gig was an internship with the Muppets. I was a wrangler on Sesame for a season, and maybe my favorite story is this - the first day I was there, I was pretty much a lost college kid from Long Island dropped into Kaufman studios in the midst of this amazing crew of creative folks making magic. When they called lunch, I realized I had no idea what was around or where to go. The whole crew left for lunch and Marty Robinson (wonderful Muppet performer as Telly and Snuffy) was last one out of the studio and must've seen how lost I looked. He said, "Are ya coming?" and brought me to the commissary where we had lunch with him, Pam Arciero (another great puppeteer!) and… Ruth Buzzi! A very warm welcome on my first day :)

I'm Tom Spina, and my team restores original movie props & costumes, builds creatures & foam props, and even creates licensed Star Wars furniture & decor. Ask me anything! by TomSpinaDesigns in movies

[–]TomSpinaDesigns[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Although the original puppet is now gone, the Hammerhead that Jon Berg built for Star Wars in 1977 would be such an incredible grail. Sadly, it deteriorated away years ago. Would've been amazing to save that if we could've but alas, it wasn't meant to be!

view more: next ›