What would you like to learn from the Stan Winston School?

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Comments

  • Super hero costume would be good.

    but how about some general things like:

    working with different types of clay, foam latex, rubbers etc - why use one over the other etc
    best materials for miniatures 

    I think the courses are amazing on her but some general overviews of techniques would be good to learn so you can easily apply them to your own projects
  • All of the above comments I'd like to see. Definatley a 3d printing pipeline, and maybe how you would tackle a small production run (i.e toys/collectibles) from the moulds and tips on maintaining mould life.

    -Any info on licensing, I do not wish to infringe on copyright works of others but it's temping to do fan art or unlicesed work to draw in an audience. How would you go about approaching a company to do it all legit, protoype first and do a proposal? Is it all down to finances and simply you pay out for a license? For example you've seen a movie you adore and would love to make high quality official halloween mask or statues or props? -the internet hasn't provided me concrete answers on this one.

    -On the less creative side I think some more overview of workshop safety, materials etc. How to rig homestyle alternatives for fume extraction etc, home made sparay booth, I see lot's of photos of people working in their home kitchen, (been there done that too) not ideal but how can we make it safer for those without workshop access?
     And guidelines to consider when fabricating, how do we know the structure we've made is safe (i,e large dinosaur internal armature) and how to fireproof / preserve sculptures etc for outside long term display in a public place (i.e  made of fibreglass).

    -How about a bare bones series, similar to Garage monsters where everything fabricated has to be 'off the shelf' or found, no specialist advanced materials allowed, minimal use of power tools.
    What would a pro bring with them in their tool kit to work on site short notice?
    Or a head to head challenge, a real time brief, your working pro doing a project and updating alongside a open forum challenge, real life setbacks and all.
    I think it would be interesting to see how a professional finish can be achieved with the simple stuff, I know I often get distracted from projects if I haven't the resources to finish it and should know better that great art isn't about flashy clay etc. It's nice when your instructors elaborate on their thought process', how they persevere through 'valley of the suck'-(Don Lanning reference).

    That's loads sorry, SWSCA is great just the way it is, and I'm grateful it exists! Thanks again to all for your hard work making it awesome!! 😍
  • Other (tell us in the comments!)
    Well, personally I hope to one day teach for you guys. I think a very important aspect of effects that gets missed is how to properly light and shoot them. A beautiful effect can look horrible if filmed, or for that matter edited, poorly.
  • Honestly, SWSCA has covered so much ground that I don't mind simply seeing more of the same! I'd love to see some more from Don Lanning, Jordu, Norman Cabrera (who was great for his first time teaching!), Steve Johnson, Shannon Shea, and others. It's an honor seeing these great artists create beautiful works from start to finish. 

    As far as new tutorials, I would love to see some complex figure/maquette molding. That's a very advanced and elusive process that would be great to see. Perhaps some silicone mask making as it's slightly different than latex mask making. Any cable-controlled puppet making is always fascinating. 

    All in all, everything has been great and I appreciate everything the SWSCA has done. Keep up the great work! 
  • Puppets
    I personally would love how to learn how to develop scenes, and sets, landscapes, worlds. Fabrication, design, sketch, any tips and tricks on that. Little details to fit a look of whatever place you want characters or monsters or aliens to be. From grandiose to shoestring budget
  • I'd like to know more about professional costume weathering techniques. 
  • Other (tell us in the comments!)
    I would love a general course that covers handling problems that can happen. Like mold lock, air pockets, tears, adhesion issues, whatever. Just some kind of course on tips and tricks to overcome challenges, mistakes, etc that you might come across in a variety of sfx settings. 

    Might be hard, because the topic is so wide, but maybe it could be a compilation of mini tutorials covering different areas. Like, sculpting could be a category, mold making could be a category... airbrushing, undercuts  and so on. Each subject area could cover the most common mistakes and fixes, as well as tips and tricks for those subjects.

    I feel like a lot of the videos touch on these things in a nebulous or brief way, but there's no sort of compendium video lesson containing all of this piecemeal knowledge. Hope that makes sense.
  • Sculpting
    What are the chances of getting Mike Hill to do a live course on sculpting a bust?
  • Other (tell us in the comments!)
    How To Make Halloween Animatronics like those from Distortions Unlimited. Using pneumatic pumps and motion controlled by sound.

    Thank you in advanced!!!  


  • Pumpkinhead… I would love to learn how to make Pumpkinhead….
  • I would like to learn: Transformation effects just like in “An America Werewolf in London”, David Cronenberg’s The Fly and in John Carpenter’s “The Thing”.
  • Other (tell us in the comments!)
    Stilted framework for building massive costumes 
  • Sculpting
    My goal is to learn as much as possible to become a master creature creator. Well maybe not a master, but be considered one of the best =)
  • Other (tell us in the comments!)
    Complex mould making is what I need to learn more about. Multi piece and matrix moulds.
    Also how to cut up and key maquette statues.
  • Other (tell us in the comments!)
    whould love to see proces of making silicone monster mask example like a freddy krueger or nemesis or doesnt have to be a monster even a animal look alike mask is good for me just the silicone mask proces whould be more than apreciated thanks winston school
  • It would be AWESOME if their was a scenic design/movie set design class
  • Other (tell us in the comments!)
    Have access to a Job Board...
  • Other (tell us in the comments!)
    I am trying to teach myself to hand tie beards, is there a formula for measuring the dimensions for the mustache and chin piece?  

    I am not doing this as a job, I’m trying this as part of my physical therapy after my stroke and subsequent surgeries. 
  • Painting
    Painting, sculpting, quick effects, the latest and greatest tools and tricks!
  • @Chris Ellerby Hi Chris, I think it would be fun to see how to use camera angles and light to make practical effects look the best. It would be interesting from a painting, cinematography, sculpting and director perspective. :) Br, Oskar
  • I'm a little late to the party but I'd like to learn how to make and apply bald caps. There are several different types and knowing the difference between them all would be great too.
  • I would like to learn Painting and Fabrication as these will help me to be creative.
  • Sculpting
    How to make a silicone Mask :) 
  • Micah J.Micah J. ✭✭✭
    edited February 2019
    Fabrication
    I think it would be good to have a silicone painting lesson for a female face, maybe with a range of complexions. 
  • Other (tell us in the comments!)
    Fiberglass moldmaking
  • Puppets
    I voted for "puppets" but specifically, I'd love a "crash course" on mechanisms, particularly one that covers a) how to make a wide range of simple mechanisms from cheap or household objects, and b) covers a broader range of how those mechanisms can be utiltized. 

    For example:

    Part One: Basic Mechanism Construction

    "Jaw" mechanism

    • demo 3 distinct construction styles (brake cable, eye screw + fishing wire, etc.)
    • Here's how your "jaw" could be a crab claw instead, etc. Here's how to mount your "jaw" over an actor's head, or to the end of your actor's arm, etc.
    "Finger" mechanisms 
    • demo 3 distinct construction styles
    • Here's how your "fingers" could be retractable snake fangs. Or make giant-sized fingers for crab legs. Or add webbing for bat wings.
    "Snake tail" mechanisms
    • demo 3 distinct construction styles
    • Here's how your "tail" can be tentacle arms. Here's how a small version can be a tongue. 

    Part Two: Putting It All Together

    Once the basics are out of the way the course could show how to connect these mechanisms to one another; how to use them with actors versus puppets, etc.

    You could have a workshop with students and let them go wild. Maybe one student creates a snake-man (an actor) and demos how to create a mask / helmet for the actor which incorporates the jaw mechanism, the finger mechanism (retractable fangs), and the snake tail mechanism (tongue). Another student simply creates a giant snake puppet (jaw mechanism = head; finger mechanism = fangs; snake tail = well, snake tail). Another makes a giant crab puppet. Another dresses an actor as a crab / human hybrid. So on and so forth.
  • Puppets
    The new "pathways" organization is fantastic. You guys rock!
  • I also would like to see newer methods of using 3d printers in various ways for production. Obviously for props it's very useful.  But for use in making mechs, using it to print sculps or printing the mold directly, and some discussion of materials and how they interact.  What will adhere to what and what will release from what.

    The 3d printed eye mech class is great.  But it's already getting a little old from a materials standpoint.  FDM printers have built in weaknesses (resolution, strength, and more) which showed in that final product.  Still the design aspects of that class is invaluable.  Newer SLA, DLP, and LCD resin printers can make really hard high quality prints right out of the box.
  • Actaully I'll add to it.  The rod puppet class ended up being more about the molding process than the process of designing and crafting mechs for the rod puppets.  I'd like to see a new rod puppet class on how to create the different types of rod mechanisms for a full rod puppet.  Talk about making the small soldiers walk and how to rig legs, knees, ankles, etc.  Talk about a more organic creature like the duck or reptile and how to think through that type of creature.  Discuss the extra mechanisms and running the cables for those inside or along a rod line for other things.  The other class was good but I think there's a lot that could be addressed now, especially if you skip that parts that are in that other class - the mold process.  Like the organic mechanics class has the mold already made to use.  Thanks!
  • Other (tell us in the comments!)
    I would like the recipe for making a realistic skin tone when casting silicone props and masks.
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