how_to_buildsets

Building an Animation set

While working on a new set recently I decided to document the process. I took photos
and will explain the process I used when building this set. The set is for Busters
Adventures, a stopmotion animation short.
Now of course there are many other ways to build a set depending on the demands of the
set etc. This is just one way I build sets

I decided to use full framing for this set to
help prevent the back drops, which are made of
foam core, from warping. The bottom slat of
the frame also serves as a handy place to
either clamp or screw the set to the animation
table. The walls are a single large sheet of
foam core (20" x 30") and I scored a line where
I wanted the corner of the room to be. (1) In
this case I made the back wall 20" and that
left 10" for the side wall. I used 1" x 2" firring
attached together with standard drywall
screws, to make the frame work. (3)   In
hindsight I might have put an extra vertical
stud in the middle of the back wall for more
support. It seems ok for now but in the future
I will err on the side of caution. Once the
framework was completed I attached the foam
core to the stud section using Elmers wood
glue. I like wood glue as it seems to make a
better bond then normal white glue. I clamped
the wall sections to the framing and left it to
dry.(3) Once the walls were attached to the
frame work I attached the floor. The floor is
MDF board which can be found at most any
lumber supplier. The walls were then covered
with scrap booking paper but could also be
painted. (4)
At this point I cut out an opening for the
window that i had found at hobby lobby (any doll
house supplier would have them).
Once I reached this point I set in the basic
furniture to see how it would look(5).   I also
cut and stained the floor molding at this time.
It gives a room a more finished look.   Now it is
time for the floor boards. I used craft sticks
that come in a bag of about 100 pieces or so.
They are 1/4" wide x 5 3/4" long and 1/16th"
thick. (6) I found these at the craft store. I
used Elmers wood glue to attach the first half
of the floor (7) the first night and then allowed
it to dry over night (8). I placed weights on top
of a board to be sure they remained flat while
drying. (9) After the first half was dry I then
installed the 2nd half. I had run out of Elmers
wood glue so I used regular white glue for this
half. I do not know if there will be a
difference but it did take a lot longer for this
side to dry. Once again placing weights on top
of it to keep it as flat as possible. Also when I
reached the edge I did not cut the pieces to
size due to time so you will notice they are
jagged (10). I used a dremel tool with a cut off
blade to cut the rough edges off. Once the glue
was thoroughly dried I removed the weights
and then sanded the floor surface to remove
excess glue. I used a 60 grit sand paper for
the first sanding to remove the rough edges
and the glue residue, then went over it again
with a 220 grit sandpaper to finish the surface
to a smooth finish. Be sure to clean the saw
dust from the surface really well before going
on to the staining of the floor. I used a chip
brush, then compressed air followed by a cloth.
To color the floor I used Minwax polyshades
Natural cherry. Mainly because I already had a
can but I like the color so it worked out well.
In hind sight I should have stained the floor
prior to putting on the wall paper to prevent it
from wicking up the paper if I got some on it. I
used a foam brush to apply the stain and made
sure to be real careful not to get it on the
walls. If I did get some on the wall as long as it
was low it would be hidden by the floor
molding(11).   Now with the basic room set
finished it was time to furnish it. I already had
the couch and end table made from before so I
had to figure out what else to add. I found
some neat book cases at Michaels craft store
for $1 each so picked up a few different styles.
Here I used one and hot glued some books I
had picked up at a doll house supply. It needed
more color so I decided to make some flower
vases. I used wooden vases/canisters found in
a package at the craft store for this. Painted
white I then free hand painted some flowers on
them to make them look more like flower vases.
Using aluminum wire for the flower stems I
hot glued the "stems" into the vases and
attached some flowers(also from Michaels)(12).
Deciding that every living room needs a
Television and that it plays an important role in
this scene I needed a TV stand for Busters TV.
Using the same craft sticks and some small
planks from the craft store (package of about
12 pieces 3" x 1 1/4" x 1/8" thick) I began to
build his TV stand(13). The TV by the way was
also a doll house supplier find. I pre-drilled
holes where the legs would attach to the
horizontal boards to prevent splitting the small
boards. Used super glue to glue to all together
and allowed to dry(14). Once dry I stained it
with the same stain I used on the floor and let
dry. Now, what do you need on a TV stand?
Well a DVD player perhaps and maybe a video
game console. So I used pieces of the same
small wood to fashion these electronics. Used
size 42 guitar strings for the cables to the
speakers the gaming console and the DVD
player. I felt it added a nice touch to add the
cables and since I want to have a shot which
shows the edge of the tv stand to establish he
is watching television, I felt it was a nice touch
of realism(15).   Now to make curtains and it
should be pretty well finished. (16)

If you have any questions or suggestions please
send them to c hris@cjandbuster.com

More pictures of this set can be viewed
here.

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