hi, im currently in the process of tracking down some one in the uk who would be prepared to help a bunch of film students out on their graduation film. we need a model of a Boeing 767 in United airlines colors. we would be prepared to pay materials costs for the project and let the builder(s) keep the model when the shoot is over. the model will need to be built in in-flight stance and have powered jet intake fans. the model would be filmed against green screen and then given over to some special effects gurus who have agreed to help us out, for them to paint the sky in around the model.
Hello,
not from england, buth isn’t there a modelling club or something in a town/city nearby ? Inform or they can do it. I think it only would be a problem that you want powered jet intakes, that ain’t easy, most 767 models availeble are i a small scale, and for moving jet intakes you should be able to install a small motor in the intakes.
I’m starting to think you’ll need someone who can scratchbuild it, or find someone who makes from those big, radio frequency controlled planes, buth then you have a big 767, and you have to be lucky to find someone in the UK who has a 767 in United AIrlines colors. Also it costs a lot to build a RF plane.
Good luck !
hi , stew81 i used to work with United air and might be able to help … what are you looking for. just retired from them last year.
This is just my skeptical side coming out, but I would find out what the model was being used for before committing myself to the project. Is it just a coincidence that the model they want made is the same jet and livery of one of the 9-11 aircraft? This plus the fact the request is the first post from someone makes me wonder even more. I would like to think that everyone’s intentions are honorable, but I know that’s not always the case. Of course, I could be completely off base with this. These film students could just be wanting to make a film of a United Airlines 767 peacefully flying around.
eagle344 you are right to be skeptical, the film we are working on is set on that day. although not about those events it does follow the story of someone that loses his wife in those attacks. however if you are curious the script should be avaliable on the website www.thelastremaininglight.com. the footage we want IS just involving a 767 flying peacfully around!
stew81
As someone who works in the film/televison industry, I might suggest you research and purchase stock footage of airlines flying. This will be, most likely, around the same expense (or cheaper) of scratch-building a model and producing the effects CGI. Also, why not just produce the whole shot CGI? It might be just as easy. If it is the case that you need a model, I hope you have a Director of Photography that is familiar with shooting scale objects. This will be critical in creating the proper “scale effect” for the shots. Model work can be great to work with and ultimately satisfying. If you ever get a chance, the blue screen shots (behind the scenes) of the movie ConAir are useful. So is AirForce One. Good luck.
Dmodeler: thanks, i’ll certainly have a look at the above films. i didnt want to take too many liberties with the amount of work we asked our effects guys to do (they are helping us for next to nothing, and i know they have busy schedules). cheers
If you really need an original model for the green screen shots, you could use a normal 1/200 or whatever airliner scale you could get your hands on (Too bad you can’t use a 707, because Heller in France makes a really nice, big 1/72 civilian version of it. But, given what you’ve told us, that would be out of the question for this story). But, back to the point, your long shots of the a/c are not going to give you detail of the compressor blades whirling anyway. Why not long or medium shots of the entire a/c, cut in with shots of an engine. That close-up engine could be motorized and made a reasonable size, up to, say six inches or even eight inches in diameter – I don’t know what scale that would work out to, but large enough to make it look as real as the real thing in the hands of a good modeler – and not only be cheap and easily managable, but would provide you with enough detail so that your film wouldn’t look like so many bigger budget projects do – like someone used an obvious model for in-flight shots. For one thing, real airliner wings “flap” in flight, even in perfectly still air. They are very deliberately designed to do that. Film makers never seem to understand that an airplane in flight looks like an animated piece of machinery, not just a static movie prop hanging in midair. Even with computer FX taking over everything, they still look lifeless in films like, for example, the execrable Independence Day (about a $200 million budget, and totally phony looking F-18s from beginning to end). Back to the things directors should look for, the ailerons and spoilers are constantly making little adjustments, flapping up and down a tiny bit every couple of seconds. The elevators at the tail go up and down a little quite often on modern, computer-driven jets. This is not just the nit-picking of a bird watcher who wants to take realism to absurd lengths. If you take what I’ve told you and use it overall, you will have in-flight shots that look like an airplane in flight, not an airplane hanging from a string.
Yes, I think you should make a model for the long and medium shots, and a larger model of one wing for closeups. I think, this being a student project with little or no budget, you won’t have trouble finding very able modelers who are enterested in getting a film credit in exchange for their expertise. Best of luck. As a poor, unknown playwright (I’m one of Edward Albee’s alumni, the only model maker among us, as far as I know) I know something about mounting any kind of production when you’re at the bottom looking up.[}:)]
This probably won’t help much, but still a cool site http://www.arance.net This guy is a regular over on the HyperScale forum. Good luck with the project and keep us informed.
Tim