Brockton Holiday Parade

The 501st was once again invited to march in Brockton’s annual Holiday Parade. Aside from a little wind, the weather was great. Judy and the kids took the ride with me to watch the parade while I marched in it. Luke and Mary had a great time seeing all the “behind the scenes” action, and the costumes. The Parade Committee was kind enough to donate $500.00 to the Make A Wish Fondation in our name!

Mary lovin' the power of Empires trusty E-11 Blaster.

Santa deployed Scout Troopers this year to take childrens wish lists, instead of elves.

Following behind the "boss man."

What do you get a Wookie for Christmas, when he already owns a comb?

 

 

Ready For MY Close-Up!

I have been photographing a lot of Star Wars themed costumes lately for members of the 501st Legion. I have, of late, been shooting with a somewhat dark & mysterious style that I am kind of partial to.  I wanted to somehow try and capture that same style with my costume. So, I set-up and metered my lights, put up my black backdrop, and got my wife to compose the shots and press the shutter button.

I think she did a great job composing the photos. We took about 30 shots altogether, but the photo on the left was my absolute favorite.  I’m actually thinking of making it into a trading card to hand out to kids at 501st events, as well as make it into a 16″ x 20″ for my home office.

The photos below were runner-up’s. The guitar shot was a whimsical, spur of the moment thing, which is something I would eventually like to incorporate more into my costume photography. Sometimes those are the most enjoyable, and make for a great conversational piece.

 

Star Wars In Concert

The powers that be at Lucas Film had been rambling for well over a year about the possibility of putting together a show that would combine both, film footage of the Star Wars Saga, and the astonishing musical arrangements of John Williams into one magical, musical journey. Being a huge fan of both the films and the music, I thought that this would be something to look into.

In our area, New England, there were four potential shows: one in Rhode Island, one in Manchester, NH, and the other two in Boston, MA at the TD Garden. Well, Manchester, NH was announced before Boston, so I nabbed those tickets up for myself, my wife, and my three year old daughter, Mary. Shortly after that, the 501st Legion was invited by Lucas Film to “troop” all of the New England concert events. What we would be asked to do is troop around the concourse in our armor from the time the doors open, until the show starts, then troop the intermission, and the end of the show. I thought, “SWEET! Now I can also go to the two shows in Boston!”

In Manchester, since I bought tickets for this show, I just trooped the beginning of the show and met Mary and Judy at our seats about 15 minutes before the concert started.

The show was amazing! Mary, at one point, was traumatized by some pyrotechnics, and from that point on wanted me to block her eyes. She was also VERY tired since she missed her afternoon nap. But she survived.

The troop was pretty fun as well. The people were thrilled to see us, and my group probably posed for at least 100+ photos. We had myself as a Snowtrooper, then there was a Stormtrooper and a Scout Trooper – We had the O.T. triple play going on. It was pretty sweet getting in early, and watching Anthony Daniels and the Orchestra warm up from our balcony dressing room, overlooking the stage… albeit, a 8′ x 8′ balcony suite… which needed to hold 24+ 501st members, with 4 foot long plastic trunks, trying to get into costume before the doors opened in 40 minutes! Some members ended up changing in the hallway… it was good time.

Boston, was a blast as well. Best of all, we had a much larger dressing room. I carpooled  in with another member, and we got some premium parking… I’m guessing it was where the Bruins, and Celtic players normally park, behind some gate. I haven’t been to the Garden in years, so I’m not too familiar with it.

Anyway, we ended up waiting at security for about an hour, because our contacts got lost in the building… yes, in the building! By the time they found us, and found our dressing room (“Legends Suite?”) we had about 15-20 minutes to get ready before the doors opened to the public.

The first show was INSANE! We were mobbed with people wanting photos. There was absolutely no where to move. during the show, a group of us was able to head out into the empty concourse, grab a bite to eat, and check out all the props on display without another soul around… it was great! Trooping the closing of the show was a bit more relaxed. It seemed like less of a crowd, but was still busy. I also got to sign a couple of autographs for some kids… what a task to sign autographs behind a mask, with 25% visibility, and gloves on… but with our wranglers help, I managed. It was amazing seeing the look of awe on everyone’s face.

The second show seemed alot more sane, and had a much more fluid flow to the crowd. Just as enjoyable as the first show.

All in all it was a long day, but an enjoyable one. I met some wonderful new faces, and had a great time bringing a little happiness to kids and adults alike. Our contacts said that we were the most organized and pleasant Garrison’s that they worked with on the tour to date! They were pretty great as well… Thanks Kirsten and Wendy!

Group shot! I'm the Snowtrooper on the left.

Myself on the left, and Snow-comrade, Margaret, with two future 501st members.

Even being behind a mask, I think that I actually smiled for all the photos.

 

Becoming A Member Of The 501st – Part 2

... Continued from part 1.

The difference between looking like a walking action figure, or looking like a movie prop that just walked off of a Star Wars movie set, is indeed, the weathering. It has always been instrumental in the creation of the Star Wars films. George Lucas wanted that “real-world,” used look in the details.

For me, this was the most fun of the armor build. Once again, I referenced photo stills of the actual movie prop, and film footage, to best replicate the color of the weathering, and decide how much weathering to apply to my armor. I noticed in the costuming world that there is always the danger of applying either too much, or too little filth. I wanted to avoid both of these instances, and nail it somewhere in between. So, what would a battle hardened Snowtrooper look like? Here are my results:

The color I chose for the weathering, was "Raw Umber." It seemed to best match the color they used for the actual prop.

It's important to NOT just slop on paint, but have a plan and a thought process of where weathering would actually be in the real world. It makes a world of difference in the end.

Paint isn't the only thing that brings weathering alive, but also scratches. Getting that dirty, they must have banged into things, or had to dive for cover from time to time. You think?

A little crud around the eyes, and even on the shroud. Gotta get that new "white-look" outta here!

... and the ab plate, complete with weathered nylon webbing.

Completed!

Voilà! The completed suit. The duster coat was assembled by my wife, with help from a relative. The weathering for that was a little different from the armor. I bathed the entire coat in tea, which is how the originals are believed to have been weathered. I also added a few spots of diluted paint to create some “oil spots” on the coat. The boots actually came weathered, since they had already seen action. They did, however, need to be modded by adding straps and removing the laces.

My wife, Judy, deserves a ton of credit for helping with this build. She did ALL of the sewing; wether it was the coat, or the countless pieces of Velcro, or the nylon webbing that needed to be attached. The suit would have never come together if it wasn’t for her.

Judy also made the pouches from scratch. The gloves were basic gardening gloves (as was the film prop,) and the pants were “Dickies” painters pants.

The E-11 blaster, is made of rubber. There were a number of choices for this including, but not limited to plastic, metal, and resin. I chose rubber because I drop a lot of things. I’ve already dropped my blaster four or five times.

All in all, the project was a blast. I look forward to my next build, which will be coming shortly.

Giving my best effort with the action pose.

 

Becoming A Member Of The 501st – Part 1

I remember when I first met my wife. I can’t really remember where in the relationship we were, but Star Wars came up. I looked my wife in the eyes, and said: “I’m a Star Wars fan.” She looked at me, as if I just made the silliest statement one could ever deliver to another human being. She was probably thinking, ” Ummm okay… that’s interesting.” Her reply: “I’m okay with that.” Then without hesitation, I said: “No. I mean… I am REALLY a BIG Star Wars fan.” I think I might have frightened her that day.

What is the 501st Legion? In a nutshell, the 501st is a large costuming group of Star Wars fans, that spans worldwide, and donates it’s time and efforts for charity. Basically, we dress up in handmade Star Wars based costumes, that either rival, or surpass the actual movie props, and “troop” events where our presence is requested. In return, donations are made to many different charitable organizations. The man himself, George Lucas, became an honorary member back in 2005. This year, Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) became a member with his Boba Fett costume.

I have been a member of the New England Garrison (NEG) community since this past spring, but have only been a full member (having a costume to troop in,) for a little over a month. In that short time of trooping (four events,) I have to say that the experience is surreal. You are transformed into a superstar. You bring smiles and a look of awe to every child you walk by, or give a high five to. I trooped the “Star Wars: in Concert” event at the Boston Garden last weekend, and I signed autographs! Even the adults were sent back to their childhood, and you could see it on their faces. I must have been in at least 100 photographs with individuals spanning from infancy, to early 80’s… they all looked like children again. For me, I think that this is the appeal… innocents, kids, and smiles.

So, what character did I choose for my first costume? Well, the 501st is “The Darkside.” None of this good stuff – we are the Empire… Vaders Fist! So, the choice had to be evil. One of my favorite bad guys has always been the Snowtroopers, from the battle of Hoth, in The Empire Strikes Back. There is just something about them that is mysterious, and menacing… and that always appealed to me. So that was my choice. Here are some progress photos I shot during the construction of the armor:

It starts like this... Nice white shinny ABS plastic.

The details start to bring the suit to life. The research that goes into these things is mind boggling! I studied original props from the films, and countless movie stills to replicate the color, detail, weathering and fabric as true to the original as possible. The boots, that were used in the film were actually Canadian Military Mukluks. I actually found a pair that fit me at an army surplus store (they still have the soldiers name written in them.) You don’t just buy these costumes off of the shelf, you have to work long hard hours to complete them… but it’s a labor of love for the Star Wars fan.

The chest plate: painted details, and hardware added.

More paint details, and the bracket installed for the nylon webbing.

Paint details on the back pack. Still needs more paint.

The ab plate and thermal detonator.

The "bucket" with the shroud trimmed and installed, as well as the lenses.

In part two I will discuss the weathering, and completion of the suit… Stay tuned!

 

Star Wars: The Photo Shoot Strikes Back

Yesterday evening I had the pleasure to photograph Margaret in her Snowtrooper costume from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back! Margaret is a member of the infamous 501st Legion, a costuming group dedicated to raising money for great causes, but doing it in a fun way – dressing up in full Star Wars garb and bringing smiles to the faces of MANY children. The 501st Legion spans the entire globe.

It had been gorgeous weather all day, then the minute I got into my car and headed to Wellesley, Ma, it began to torrentially down pour. It seemed as though the storm followed me all the way to Margaret’s home, and continued to do so after I arrived. So, to start off, we did some portraits in her 9’x9′ kitchen using her wallpaper as the backdrop (seeing the photos, you wouldn’t believe it WAS shot in a small kitchen against wallpaper.) After about 1 hour, we went outdoors into the backyard and shot some more.

Being an insane Star Wars fan myself, Margaret and I had much to talk about, and I had a total blast having the opportunity to photograph a subject that is in the universe I so love!

 

Star Wars At The Museum

Today Judy, the kids and myself took a trip to Worcester, MA to see “Star Wars Day” at the Higgins Armory Museum. A friend of mine, who volunteers at the museum, told me about the event.

Getting there was half the fun because I got to try out my new GPS navigation system. I was pretty impressed that it got us there flawlessly! I had heard many people rave about them, so I finally decided to get one myself. I figured that all the ink and paper I have used in the past to print out directions from Yahoo! Maps could have paid for several GPS systems. Anyway… upon arrival, we found Darth Vader himself greeting fans at the door accompanied by an imperial officer. Upstairs my friend Chris, was putting on a lightsaber demo with another volunteer. Although Mary knows Chris, she wasn’t having anything to do with him dressed up as a sith lord. It was pretty awesome, and the kids were very impressed! Many members from the 501st Legion were present. If you’re a Star Wars fan you know all about them, if not, they are a group of people who do a lot of charitable work, but dress up in Star Wars garb to do it.

The kids were a bit hesitant to get their pictures taken with many of the Star Wars characters, but we got a few very non-expressive pictures of them. All-in-all, it was a great time. This Star Wars fanatic probably enjoyed the event more than the rest of the family!