Table of Contents:
Design Statement:
In my design of Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s Saw, and Riff Raff’s Antimatter Laser, I aimed to create two weapons that capture the theatrics of my director’s Club Kid concept for the show, and paid homage to the classic film adaptation, while maintaining the danger and drama of the two scenes in which the props are featured. The desired reaction to the two objects was “oh wow, that is ridiculous and extremely dangerous.” In more specific terms, I needed the Laser to light up and shine a laser beam from its barrel, and I needed the blade of the Saw to spin visibly to the audience.
In the broader design of the show’s props, my focus was to have a consistent design feeling of all the alien technology so everything seemed to be from the same place, made by the same people, and using the same technology.
Initial Design Stages:
Reference Images:
Original Forbidden Planet Laser Rifle auction house image
5000 Euro Custom Heavy Steampunk Laser Rifle by Anselmofanzero on Devianart
For the scale of both the Laser and the Carcass Saw, I was careful to use real-life objects as a starting point so that both weapons were comfortably handled by both actors. For the Laser, I based nearly all measurements for handles, trigger, length of stock, etc. on a Red-Rider air rifle the department had in storage. For the Saw, I closely referenced the dimensions of the pictured saws, a gas-powered concrete cutting saw used in the construction industry.
Art Deco Tommy Gun by joeharlow_art on Instagram
Electric Carcass Saw catalog images from Alibaba.com
Sketches:
Early Antimatter Laser Sketches
These rough sketches were the first step in my exploration of what the Transylvanians' technology might look like. Despite any one of the sketches not looking very much like the finished piece, elements of all of them appear in the piece I put on stage, most notably the fins, repeated spherical forms, and the classic stacked panels on the barrel of the laser. The plane paper sketches were originally done in rough scale, 1/4 for the single sketch, and 1/8 or the multiples.
Early Carcass Saw Sketches
My director’s concept for the show revolved around the looks of Club Kid culture of the late eighties and early nineties. And so, the setting of the show transformed from a castle to a club reminiscent of Studio 54. As a result, in my first props meeting, I pitched the carcass saw to him as an alternative to the chainsaw described in the script, or the classic pickaxe from the film adaptation. These sketches are what I used to pitch the idea, and to hammer out the rough proportion of the final design. All sketches for the Saw were originally in an approximate 1/4 scale.
Final Carcass Saw Sketches
These three scans are of the final sketches I used to make the CAD files I needed to create the physical prop. Their views are notated by the letters in the lower right portion of each drawing.
Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing:
Preliminary CAD Screengrabs
Because of the precise geometric design of the Laser, I ended up doing a lot more designing of it on Fusion 360. In CAD I was able to parametrically lay out the dimensions of its profile and fine tune it at scale, without having to redraw it over and over again which saved a tremendous amount of time.
These two images show some early progress in blocking out the form and proportions of the Saw, based on my previous sketches.
Antimatter Laser CAD Files
Below are three screengrabs of some of the final files I used to create Riff Raff's Laser.
Above: Screengrab of nearly finished CAD of the Laser, including pieces that will not be made via CAM
Above: Screengrab of final Laser design with front trim and panel hidden to display the inner structure I designed for 3D printing. These brackets gave the finished prop much greater strength, encased the electronics and anchored the barrel to the rest of the prop.
Above: Detail of the handle bracket I designed to fit into a hole in two of the brackets of the Laser's chassis. The 3D printed bracket slipped inside a piece of chrome sink plumbing tube, and held the metal tubing inplace once epoxied to the chassis.
This is an embedded viewer that allows you to see all sides of the finished Laser CAD file, which is a collection of files I either 3D printed in PETG plastic, or laser cut at a neighboring university out of some scrap acrylic sheet we had in the department scene shop.
Carcass Saw Final CAD Files
These screengrabs are of the final Saw CAD files. The major difficulty in the design of this piece was the splitting of the file into the multiple pieces that fit onto the build plate of the Prusa MKS 3+ I used to print nearly all of the pieces of this prop. The only parts of the final Carcass Saw prop that were not printed was the blade, the ripcord handle, and the upper loop handle. For these I used: laser cut acrylic, a found pull-starter handle, and hand-bent aluminum struts fit with a set of found bike handles, respectively
This embedded viewer allows you to look at all angles of the files I used to create the Carcass Saw prop. Take a moment to zoom all the way into the interior of the Saw body to see some of the internal structure I designed to allow the Saw to remain light, yet strong enough to put onstage.
CAM Processes
Here are two screengrabs of the gcode I generated for two of the many build plates worth of pieces for the Saw and Laser. The first image is of 1/2 of the back handle and the second image is of the blade guard after being split into 5 pieces. These two images summarize nearly two straight days of 3D printing, which ended up being only a fraction of the total print time needed for the show.
Here are some images of the Saw blade and some trim for the Laser being cut on a Universal Laser Systems brand laser cutter that I was taught how to use to create this project. Without the gracious help of some staff from a nearby university, both of these props would have had to been redesigned from square-1.
Assembly and Finishing Steps:
Antimatter Laser Assembly
These images depict the processes I used to fabricate the iconic laser/raygun stack of acrylic panels that act as a transition from the Laser chassis to the barrel. This specific design element was very important to include for me, as I really love the classic look of retro-futurist raygun and, most specifically, I wanted to pay homage to the design of the Laser Rifles from Forbidden Planet. In most sci-fi world building circles, the repeated panels are described as a sort of heatsink, so I will refer to this portion of the build as such.
Due to the forward slant of the Laser’s design, I could not have simply laser-cut out the small panels needed for this piece. Instead, I designed a jig in Fusion 360, which held each panel at the required 30 degree angle so that the holes I drilled into them so that they would run parallel to the barrel when glued into the forward tilt.
Left Most Image: dry assembly of the cut panels, barrel and first prototype of the 3D printed spacers.
Left: One panel with 4 of the LEDS clipped into place while I was determining the length each wire needed to be.
This step of the Laser build was the most tedious and frustrating because of the wiring needed to light the heatsink. As part of the design, the Laser had 4 "stages" starting from off, to on, to "charged," then finally to fire. The difference between on and "charged" was signaled by the heatsink panels lighting up bright purple. In order to make that happen, I had to individually cut, strip, solder, and heat-shrink tube over each of the 20 connections. If I could go back, I would have made a more robust 3D printed base for the panels and electronics as the result on the current Laser is not up to my typical level of finish for a stage prop. Due to budgetary and time constraints, this is what I was able to accomplish. Overall, I am happy with what I was able figure out as I went, as this project was my first experiment with wiring or electronics in general.
IMG_7872.MOV
The two images seen here show the laser-cut pieces of acrylic receiving their metallic finish, which was actually a roll of one-way mirror film I purchased at Ax-Man Surplus in Minneapolis, MN. Both the trim on the Laser and the blade of the Carcass Saw were sprayed with Super-77, then stuck to the film. Then all I had to do was cut away the excess film and remove the protective tape from the opposite side of the acrylic. The spray adhesive had the added effect of dulling the mirrored film on the plastic, which kept the blade from looking like a glass mirror.
This is a detail shot of the aluminum spacers attached to the front an back panels of the Laser, before the addition of all the 3D printed brackets that filled in these gaps.
This image was taken right after finishing the wiring of all the switches and lighting for the "energy source" of the Laser, which in reality were three snap christmas bulbs, green string LEDs, and some mirror film I wrinkled with a heat gun.
This is an image of the internal wiring of the Laser which, I am the first to admit, is a rat’s nest. This is a result of my inexperience, and time crunch. Though not pretty, it worked, shown to the left in a picture taken by a friend of mine, the very first time I was able to turn it all on and pick it up. I hope that going forward, I am able to take on more projects like Riff Raff's Laser, so that I can continue to polish my wiring and soldering skills.
Carcass Saw Assembly
Above is an image of the Saw blade after attaching the mirror film to the inside of each laser cut piece, and then Super-77ing both pieces and pressing them together, film sides in. This sandwich method gave me a few advantages, including an extremely durable metallic finish, a strong Saw blade, and allowed me to design a different hole (one round and one hexagonal) that kept the spindle of the Saw from losing its grip on the blade.
This is an image of the blade guard and Saw neck after I had assembled the parts off of the printer. The neck of the saw is hollow, which allows a rip cord to travel down it from the head and spindle to the Saw’s body where it exits the prop when pulled on stage moments before Eddy’s murder by Frank. Because it is hollow, I designed channels that run parallel to the cord track, that ¼” steel rods were epoxied into to significantly decrease the chance of onstage catastrophic failure.
The guard itself was plastic-welded using a soldering iron and 3D printing filament. This was my first experiment with plastic-welding 3D prints, and I was impressed by how strong the resulting piece was. Though part of the blade guard shattered during a performance, the part that broke was not on any weld seams. The one draw back to the technique is that the seams are very difficult to hide/remove, hence the hot glue I used on the Saw to hide the real weld seams with fake ones that looked prettier.
These two pictures show the last few steps of the Saw’s paint job. On the left, the final coat of satin-black spray paint, and on the right, the pristine silver coat of Rub ‘n’ Buff before spending a time in the paint booth slinging blood on to it, which is always the most fun part, in my opinion. There is nothing better than adding that last bit of weathering that pulls the piece together.
Production Photos and Details:
Carcass Saw Images
Above: Image of me before one of the last nights of Tech Week, presetting the ripcord by feeding it through the body into the neck and out of the head of the Saw, and wrapping it around the spindle of the blade. I got very quick at this by the time the show closed.
Above: Image of the Carcass Saw after a day of blood-slinging and dry-brush weathering in the paint booth.
Right: Me posing with the results of my many hours of toil, ready for the ultimate test.
Chainsaw.MOV
Above: Production Photo of Dr. Frank-N-Furter admiring his creation, while his creation admires his "equipment". Taken moments after the murder of Eddy.
Left: clip taken during tech of the finished Saw in action.
Antimatter Laser Images
The grand and final entrance of Riff Raff and Magenta in their Transexual Transylvanian Uniforms, brandishing the Antimatter Laser and the Transit Beam Crystal Activator
(a little prop I quickly threw together so that both characters could have a piece of alien technology).
I included this image to highlight the intentional inclusion of the lightening bolt motif in the profile of the Laser, which is also present in the Transylvanian Uniforms, and as shown above, the detailing of the set.
IMG_7953.movRiff Raff threatens Frank-N-Furter who is nonplussed.
*Note Phantoms in background cowering in fear.
Additional glamour shots of the Laser and Riff Raff in above: full stage light and below: the darkness that allowed the point of the laser to appear on Riff Raff's Targets.
Left: Clip of the Antimatter Laser in use.
P.S. Transit Beam Crystal Activator
This embedded viewer holds a rendering of the file I used to print the base of the Transit Beam Crystal Activator. The clear dome was a different sized snap christmas glob half I lightly sanded, then blue-tacked into the base so that it could be removed to change the batteries on the battery-powered disco light I installed inside for some sci-fi lighting effects.
Reflection:
Of the over 14 shows I have designed for my school’s theatre department during my four years there, this has show has been my favorite by far. Beyond my love of the Rocky Horror Show itself, I was able to really use my creative freedom to design and build these pieces, (and many others not depicted,) using skills, techniques and materials I typically did not get the opportunity to use. My very earliest endeavors into Props Design and Making was in middle school, where I endlessly 3D printed out model kits for Sci-Fi blasters and macguffins, and spent hours with an airbrush, CA glue, and Rub ‘n’ Buff trying to make those plastic pieces shine like metal. The whole design process of this show for me was a welcome return to those early days spent with sandable primer and black spray-paint.
While this was a satisfying return to my roots, these props also allowed me to experiment with electronics, which formerly I had never explored. The nights spent in my shop desperately trying to wire the three switches on the Laser to the three spheres so that I could run the lights in the toggle switches, in the orbs, and in the rest of the Laser, off of one battery pack were extremely frustrating. There were a few I seriously doubted my ability to deliver on what I had pitched to my director. But as frustrating as those late nights were, the moment I saw the finished pieces on stage, I was reminded why I persevered. I hope for more moments like that in years to come.
and Special Thanks To:
Travis Greisler for giving me the creative freedom and support that allowed me to realize a design for this show that I am proud of.
Ben Bernard for your help on the laser cutting of the prop pieces, they simply could not have existed without your gift of time and tools.
Dr. Krys Strand for allowing to use the Neuroscience 3D printers for nearly a month, I could not have built the Saw without your generosity.
Danika Vukovich for capturing such lovely production photos so that I can now accurately recount the events of this show's creation.
Professor Dwight Mickelson for lending me the studio space I needed to "organize" and coordinate the numerous overlapping processes required to make these designs a reality.
Sam Zimmerman for your skillful assistance with the fabrication of many of the props for this show and others. Your willingness to learn and experiment in the shop made these designs possible. I eagerly look forward to seeing what you create in the future.
Cedar Remmen for your kind support and trust in my abilities to complete what I set out to do. I could not have grown into the designer I am without your respect and guidance.