A big screen thriller with item
Compatible, flexible and extendible – the film industry is the latest sector to discover just how many different ways item components can be used. The star-studded sci-fi thriller “Stowaway” was released in German cinemas on 24 June. During shooting, the production team needed to build parts of a spaceship and other elements to realistically depict a setting in outer space. To achieve the right look, the team used numerous aluminium profiles, fasteners and T-Slot Nuts from the item MB Building Kit System. More than anything else, they were won over by the opportunity to combine different profiles quickly and easily and extend structures as and when necessary. item was on hand to offer advice and practical support throughout the entire shoot.
The sci-fi thriller “Stowaway” centres on a scientific mission to Mars. A few hours after launch, the three astronauts discover they have an unexpected passenger on board. Since returning to Earth is out of the question and supplies of oxygen and other resources are insufficient for everyone, the mission becomes a race against time.
Steps, fixtures and fittings made from item components
To make the spaceship and space station look as realistic as possible, the team at Augenschein Filmproduktion GmbH needed a basic construction that would be both stable and versatile. “We were looking for a system that we could extend on a modular basis and that would allow us to create a structure for rooms, and item offered us the perfect solution,” explains Art Director Uwe Stanik. “For instance, we used item components to build connection systems for the space station and even steps and entire fixtures and fittings.” Using item parts, the team was able to integrate ladders and cables into niches and ceiling recesses in the spaceship. The production company created a partition in the cockpit with rectangular profiles, Corner-Fastening Sets and Angle Fasteners. Rectangular and radiused profiles were combined with some 200 Corner-Fastening Sets and 32 Angle Fasteners to build a basic frame inside the space station. The structures containing the largest number of aluminium profiles and fasteners were a solar panel rig and a “walkway”, which consisted of two platforms and a gangway and connected together two space stations. “We initially thought about using steel constructions,” recalls Set Decorator Christiane Krumwiede, “but the end result would have been too rigid and static. By contrast, item components give us a lot of flexibility and enable us to change the constructions as much as we like, whenever we like.”
Countless variations and appealing aesthetics
In order that it could assess the scale and feasibility of the project, item was first given a 3D model of the objects that had to be configured. Once the project was under way, countless construction kits weighing more than 800 kg in total were delivered to the shooting locations in Cologne and Munich. “Our team got on really well with the item system,” recounts Stanik. “For instance, we were able to put together all the structures in next to no time.” The production company singled out the wide range of profiles and fasteners as the most stellar advantage of the item MB Building Kit System. For example, item recommended that the walkway should be built from stable Profiles 8 40x40, natural to prevent vibrations and deflection in the structures. Besides functionality, the appearance of the constructions was also a top priority. The clean contours of the aluminium surfaces were a perfect fit for the design concept for the spaceship and space station. “We were in constant contact with item throughout the project and really benefited from the expertise and top-quality advice provided by its staff,” sums up Stanik.
Length: 3,803 characters including spaces
Date: 11 August 2021
Photos: 3
Caption 1: The production team behind the sci-fi thriller “Stowaway” used countless components from item.
Caption 2: Connection systems in the space station were made from item components, as were steps and entire fixtures and fittings.
Caption 3:The structures that used the largest number of aluminium profiles and fasteners were a solar panel rig and a “walkway”.
