What a Film Sculptor does.
In film, sculptors work within the art department and can create special structures and props using techniques like sculpting, which include cutting/sawing, chiseling, carving, molding, casting and welding. Sculptors work closely with production designers, visual effects directors and prop masters, depending on where they are needed. They are skilled at constructing both large and miniature objects for elaborate set design models as well as crafting life-like figures and replicating landmarks such as recognizable statuary and monuments. Landscapes as well, that would include for instance trees and natural rock formations, in accordance to the designer’s specification.
Their skills are and can be used to create any number of different things from giant rocks in a landscape or oversized stone blocks cladding the façade of a castle to statuary and ornate paneling, to more specialized pieces such as a vehicle hull for a fantasy film used in set construction. The material often utilized for large-scale rocks or columns is polystyrene because it is light and can be carved easily using a hot wire. Polyurethane can also be used to sculpt mid-sized items that are difficult to build in wood and too large for clay - an item such as a molded chair can then be cast with plaster and reproduced in fiberglass. Clay modeling is still preferable for any item needing detail and is always used for smaller and finer work.
