Building the Shore of the Sand Sea: Part Three

The shore of the sand sea is complete and animation has begun! The wave generating mechanism is working as I had hoped it would. It keeps the sand sea in the background moving. The waves crashing on the rocks in the foreground are animated with a variety of brushes, including a dusting brush used for drafting, a two inch paintbrush and a soft broom. Continue reading to learn how the wave generator was made.

Four rows of plated steel slotted angles holding 1/8th inch threaded rod tipped with plastic have been installed under the perforated metal tables using 1/4 inch threaded rod. These can now be raised and lowered incrementally to animate the waves in the sand. Photo by Adam Hoffsette

photo by Adam Hoffsette

From the top you can see the plastic shapes that will make the waves. Photo by Adam Hoffsette

The perforated metal tables are then covered with cloth that has been dyed to blend with the sand. Photo by Adam Hoffsette

Sand is poured onto the cloth.

The set is so large, I had to climb onto the table to smooth the sand in the center. Photo by Adam Hoffsette

Here you see the lighting setup. 500 watt bulbs are bounced off of a sheet of foam core and grey paper stapled to the ceiling to throw diffused light onto the set. The pebbles that were sifted out of the sand were used to make DIY sandbags for stabilizing the light stands. Photo by Adam Hoffsette

For lighting the translum backdrop, one LED flood light shines up through crumpled tracing paper to create a cloudy look. Photo by Adam Hoffsette

 

Advertisement