Smile, You're on Supernatural Camera

I'm cross-posting this with my other blog, the one I share with Paul documenting the behind-the-scenes processes involved with making our movies. Currently we're working on our second Inspector Hieronymus short, so most of our postings over there are about that project. If you're subscribed to my blog here, please add HomoMech to your subscriptions, too. It'll keep you up to date on the movie side of what's going on with me....

Here's the post from HomoMech:

Paul's script called for Inspector Hieronymus to use his "fabulous steampunk Polaroid" in our second short film chronicling the adventures of the intrepid occult detective. The camera needed to look like something that the Inspector would use to photograph supernatural activity, and in Paul's mind, I guess, that's "steampunk." The first Hieronymus short featured his "fabulous steampunk flashlight," and given it's brass fittings and such, I'd say it was, indeed, steampunk. (You can see the flashlight -- and the entire short -- here.) I'm pretty familiar with the historic line of Polaroid cameras, from the old Land to the Spectra and the "Go," but none of them were what I'd call "steampunk."

So, one Saturday a few weeks ago, I got together with JT Tepnapa of Star Trek Phase II, In the Closet (In the Closet isn't safe for work!) and Judas' Kiss for a walk through the Mission District of San Francisco to hit some thrift stores, looking for material to work with. We found a bunch of old cameras for cheap, and one awesome object that's a relic from the physical film days of home-movies (which I'm hanging on to for future projects!). Thrift-shopping for props is a great way to spend an afternoon hanging out with a friend.

Once home, I took apart one of the cameras, added some wood inlays, some brass brads, and some leather, but I still wasn't feeling it. It needed some brass fittings. So, I went to our local hardware store and spent more on brass lamp parts than I did on the rest of the camera and drilled, screwed and glued them on. The end result is the contraption you see the Inspector holding in the photo above. All in all I think it worked.

If we keep making these movies, we're going to build quite a collection of steampunk or para-Victorian items.

And that couldn't make me happier.