Death Becomes Her Fall-Apart Rig
For “Death Becomes Her” the Broadway musical, we crafted a fall-apart effect test rig prototype to give the production the option of recreating the original movie ending on-stage. The design underwent numerous rapid changes before being shipped out for the Chicago out-of-town previews, but was eventually scrapped in lieu of an alternate ending (mild spoiler-alert). The rig is worn as a backpack with shoe stilts, and when the cable is pulled, the limbs, heads, and torsos detach from the leg section, creating a dramatic visual effect. The on-site costume department handled all costuming to ensure seamless outfit matching, so we were purely focussed on the mechanics and underlying shapes.
- Initial mannequin backpack attachmentInitial mannequin backpack attachment
- Figuring out the positioningFiguring out the positioning
- Locking down positions with metal bracketsLocking down positions with metal brackets
- Locking down positions with metal bracketsLocking down positions with metal brackets
- Continually working for more expressionContinually working for more expression
- Beginning the mechanismsBeginning the mechanisms
- Testing the limb spread on releaseTesting the limb spread on release
- Skinning the padded mannequinsSkinning the padded mannequins
- Rubber & fabric skinned and painted torsoRubber & fabric skinned and painted torso
- Rubber & fabric skinned and painted partsRubber & fabric skinned and painted parts
- Rubber & fabric skinned and painted headsRubber & fabric skinned and painted heads
- Completed bodies (front)Completed bodies (front)
- Completed bodies (rear)Completed bodies (rear)
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