HAMSTER IN MY HEAD - Short Film
Prop Fabrication & Food Styling by Sophia Finley
Written & Directed by Jerry Gonzalez
For this project, I created over 15 different food props- mostly fake, but some real or hybrid. This food needed to stay out under hot lights for multiple days of filming, and most of it was cheese based required by the plot, so anything cheese related was fake.
There was a fight scene, so some of the food was thrown around and even stomped. I had extras of the mini slider burgers for each take.
Additionally, there was some food that was eaten and both lead actors had food allergies to take into account. The lead had to "stuff his cheeks" with mozzarella sticks, so I bought a bulk amount and handled all of the food safety to make sure they weren't sitting out too long and that we had enough for each take.
A fun aspect of the project was creating a chocolate volcano cake with real sparklers! I formed the base out of foam then coated it with heat resistant caulking in red and brown shades. Then, I added spackle to the base tray to create ice cream scoops. To add to the parody Rainforest Cafe vibe, I found some jungle animals and added them all around!
Some methods used for this project:
- hand soap from the dollar store and white paint as ranch for dipping the clay wings!
- uncooked rice painted orange with clay peas, red peppers, and shrimp for paella
- created nacho cheese with yellow paint and lotion
- rolled clay mozzarella sticks in layers of paint and sugar for a crisp exterior
ICING ON HER CAKE - Short Film
Prop Fabrication by Sophia Finley
Directed by
My portfolio was chosen online and I was commissioned to create a fake cake for a short film in Los Angeles. I received measurements for a tall cake that were adjusted later on and I had to pivot and shorten the cake- my method of sculpting makes this not difficult at all!
The cake had a portrait based on one of the actors, and it required some pre-made holes for candles. I also tested a few piping methods to make a small scale "Happy Birthday" message and altered it a few time for a nice cursive end result.
MOLDING AND CASTING
I created these fake chocolates and petit fours out of polymer clay, then I glued them to the bottom of a plastic container and poured in my silicone mold.
I chose a white plastic for casting. Some of the details came out with cracks or small missing pieces, so I went in with small scissors to adjust and was able to regain more of the missing ridges.
(This was not my first mold/cast, but my first one at home!)