Sergio Leone Movie Set Diorama (2 Viewers)

[JohnReid]

I came across this pic just today.Wow ! great timing as I had just started to sheath the movie side of this car with wood.Although it is not exactly like the car in the movie it sure is loaded with research info.
Like Sergio I love detail,attention to detail was one of his great strengths.
The trick here is to maintain enough of the original passenger car while aging it.Some of the original carpentry on the car was of high quality and must be retained while a lot of the added stuff looks like it was just slapped up there any old way but you and I know that everything there was precisely planned to be there.My diorama is not meant to be an exact copy of his film sets but something similar.
The wood siding that I put on the model today was treated with a couple of washes of the gray mix.Some edges were left broken on the ends. Remember old breaks can be aged too but new breaks should show a change in color back to the original wood.
I left enough of the windows outline to identify this as an old passenger car which is an important consideration as you want your viewer not to question what it is.
I then took a sharp needle and added some nail holes not in a pattern but not just randomly either. Then I took a sharp HB pencil and added a little graphite to each hole to make it look like a nailhead.Later when finishing the weathering I will add a drop of water to each hole which will swell the hole back level again but leaving behind something that looks like nails.I will then add some rust and have it running into and down the wood.The whole thing will be softened using pastels which are put on last after all the handing is over but that is still a long way down the road.

 

[JohnReid]

The old rail car is in Montana on a farm somewhere.

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

This is the interior of the same wall.I placed the rough cut boards horizontally because if I decide to light the car from above it will have a more dramatic effect.I covered over all the windows except one which will have shutters.(mostly for my picture taking purposes) These boards in real life would have been put up there in an attempt to make this area livable.The interior will be weathered but not to the extent of the outer side.How this car got there is not really explained in the movie.It looks like it got there in pretty rough shape to begin with.Why ? because if the railway was just pushing through this area, where did an old weathered rail car come from? It could be that its present resting place ,is just its final resting place , at the end of a long hard trail across the country.(maybe on a flat car)Anyway that is my story and I am stickin' to it !

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

I almost finished the interior ceiling ,the only thing left will be to do some shading with pastels after the sides are finished.I used some long thin coffee stir stiks and painted on some very thin nimbus gray /raw umber mix (95% gray,5% raw umber).I then glued them on with carpenters glue to the underlying cardboard roof that was pre-painted burnt umber .I left the boards really rough and warped for the aged look.When dry I took a pin and created holes in the wood in a random fashion, as though somebody had quickly nailed them up there at some point in the cars history ,for insulation purposes.I then used a ordinary HB pencil and twisted some graphite into each hole to represent a nail head.With a small brush I then took some very thin raw umber and put a small drop on each pin hole to swell the wood level again and add a little color.Next I mixed up a very thin wash of raw umber and with a stiff bristle tooth brush I flicked on some of this onto the ceiling.You could also have handy a thin wash of the gray and flick this on if things get too brownish.The trick here is knowing when to quit and not cover all of the underlying wood grain.
The next couple of steps require that you be subtle in your work and don't over do it.Take a thin burnt sienna wash and with a very small round brush randomly put drops onto the nails to represent varying degrees of rust.Rust you say!! in the desert? Well like I said earlier this car only ended up here.
Let it dry ,and then you can come back with another small brush and soften the rusty edges using a little burnt sienna chalk pastel.Also the ends of the boards tend to soak up a little color too.Now stand back a take a look If your not happy with the look you can always come back and flick on some more gray or raw umber if you want more color or to slightly change a shade.Here again you can play with this all day if you want.Have fun! The pics in my photobucket covers each of the steps involved.

 

[mikemiller1955]

John...

your work is really nice...you pay a lot of attention to the detail...I have been following this thread for some time and have thoroughly enjoyed it...things look like they are starting to take shape...

 

[JohnReid]

Thanks Michael ,glad you are enjoying it!

 

[lancer]

Wanted to let you know that I have been following the thread, also. I am fascinated by the choice of subject matter as I think the movie is a great one and the classic beginning even more so. Can't wait to see the finished product but I am loving the bit by bit progression and seeing how you do the detail. I have followed your aircraft threads as well. Just really impressive. -- Al

 

[mikemiller1955]

John...what technique or product do you use to simulate the nail holes in the wood on the top of your rail road car...they look very realistic...

 

[JohnReid]

Thanks Al and Michael ! Michael take a look a couple of posts up for ceiling info.

 

[mikemiller1955]

Thanks Al and Michael ! Michael take a look a couple of posts up for ceiling info.

John...I'm embarrassed I did not read that post...I played around in your photobucket for too long and just flat didn't read that one...keep up the good work...

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

Here we are getting close to the finished product.I added a little shading using black pastel applied very lightly with a small soft brush(kind of a miniature make up brush).Try to be very subtle about this ,try not to overdo it.
If you blow up the picture(all my pics are 2 megs at least) you will see that the underlying wood grain is still there which is most important for this technique.Each piece of wood retains its individual pattern and color ,no two are alike.
When I come to doing the luxury hardwood stuff on the other car, I will use no paint or stain just the natural colored wood, hand selected for grain,pattern and color.

 

[Mister Dave]

Truly impressive looking results John. I am really impressed with the appearance of the latest photo. You have the weathered wood grain and nail holes looking spot on. This is inspirational work to all of us would be diorama builders, well.....this one anyway.

MD

 

[JohnReid]

 

[JohnReid]

This is the opening scene from the movie and is from the film set that I am constructing now.It looks old and chaotic but everything here has been purposely selected for maximum impact on the viewer.Nothing is square or at right angles to the other.The colors,the lighting,the textures,even the old clothes line wheel, all have a role in creating the scene.The drama is created by the anticipation of who is behind the door ?What better way to open a film than the opening of a door ?

 

[JohnReid]

 

[mikemiller1955]

John...your last group of photos are nice...it's really starting to come together...

 

[JohnReid]

This is about the most you ever see of the other side of the set,taken from a camera high angle near the water tower.The wicket /WC (every station needs one)was created with original parts of the model.On the inside of the window was the old telegraph machine that got on everybodys nerves and was ripped out by a baddy.On a old railway car bench on the outside was where the now famous "fly on the face" scene took place.Next up will be the shed to be built over top of the old car.This should be fun!