Safety was a major concern in our approach to this project. The ice shells were purposefully made open on the off-camera sides so the actors could enter and exit as quickly as possible. The prospect of hot, tired, air-starved actors falling over in pointy, full wraparound ice suits was a potential danger that we preferred to avoid. 

​

Once the four actors were chosen and their positions committed to, we coated their fronts (camera facing sides) with plaster bandage. We floated these rigid bandage fronts over plywood flats, and we filled in the gaps between the plywood and plaster with chickenwire and more plaster bandage. We then gave each whole piece a dribbling over with wet plaster to give the soft, melting surface feel of ice.

​

Paramount Pictures Staff Shop then helped out with the biggest vacuum plastic tables in town -8' by 16' long- and pulled clear castings for us. The vacuum formed plastic forms were cut out and the icicle edges were softened with a heat gun. While they were still hot, we shaped the icicles by hand while wearing leather gloves. Clear caulking hazed up certain areas and the use of spray snow flocking and styrosnow completed our ice look.