National Film & TV School
This was my graduation project at the NFTS, and it was nominated for a Best Foreign Short Oscar. I was in charge of the practical fog FX for the entire film, but most excitingly I got to build a miniature skyscape and a mechanical flying machine to go in it.
The flyer was carefully hand-built with a soldered brass frame to match the full-size version used in the rest of the film, with each prop and detail lovingly recreated in various materials. I even had to build a painstakingly costumed miniature character inside the flyer, with articulated legs so that he could appear to be pedaling. Hidden inside his body and the seat was a motor that ran both the propeller and a cycling motion for the pedals, designed so that when filmed in slow motion it would move at the the correct speed.
Check out the whole film here: https://vimeo.com/117849018
