Dave Elsey, Oscar Winner has a giant hand and strange hair?

www.mckeewildthings.com This was a giant unpainted hand I mechanised for episode 7 of Farscape (DNA mad Scientist) The giant hand was sculpted by Martin Rezard and mechanised by myself in a single day. It is being worn in the video by creature shop supervisor Dave Elsey who believe it or not is not a natural blonde. (incredible , I know!)
All work on Farscape was done in Sydney Australia

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Dave
• Elsey
• Oscar
• Artificial
• limbs
• prosthesis
• mechanical
• hand
• animatronics
• robotic
• alien
• mechatronics
• prosthetic
• arm
• dexterity
• Monster
• werewolf
• Frankenstein
• Underworld
• makeup
• effects
• Foam
• latex
• electronics
• technology
• diy
• environment
• lego

[Farmerwal]

Can you describe the mechanism to move the thumb and fingers a little more? I'd like to have a go at building one.

[GregOrca]

@Farmerwal

Hio. It's basically a pneumatic hose with Vs cut where the fingers need to bend.

A cable pulls the end of the tube/finger and causes the tube to bend at the cut joints.

Very fast and simple to make but not particularly accurate. You can sheath the tube in a rigid thin wall metal tube so ensure it only bends where you want it to.

[The80sKickAss]

Do you know where I could learn how to do that? Any good books or online tutorials?

[GregOrca]

Watching and studying behind the scenes DVD extras of old films like Labyrynth and Dark Crystal or Return to Oz shows you how work like this first advanced quickly.

There are some glossy coffee table books about the Jim Henson Company and Stan Winston and Rick Baker.

If you tinker with rc models or real mechanical devices, or are a good imaginative sculptor with a realistic sense of anatomy then you're on your way already.

Most work like this is now for themeparks, theatre etc.

[GregOrca]

This is unpainted foam latex straight out of the mould with no final colouring.

The mechanism to move the thumb and fingers was built in less than a day.

The hand was included in an alien monster costume with deformed head and feet.

Although Dave Elsey looks scarey in this vid with peroxide hair, the Farscape character from episode 7 looked slightly more gruesome.

[Farmerwal]

Thanks for the quick reply! I know the kind of mechanisms you're talking about - There are a few youtube videos about them. Building the Thumb is what scares me most. I guess it is just practice making them and practice for the actor.

[GregOrca]

Hi.

Farscape was a Jim Henson creature workshop production, but none of us making the stuff for Farscape in Australia except for one electrician had worked for Henson's before.

Myself and a partner had run our own company previously that made half the creatures for Babe.

Nowdays mostly groups of individuals band together for projects for few months or sometimes a year or two.

3D computer animation does most creature work now which is the field I'm also involved in 99% of the time now.