Props, popcorn, roll movie...

By Neil.

The Redoubt has been showing films in Casemate 20 for the last three seasons, lending it's unique atmosphere and our passion for props to a variety of films. From 'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari' complete with a live score to the Speilberg classic 'Jaws', our dedicated team of staff and volunteers has put on a series of films for our enthusiastic and often costumed audiences. As we head into our fourth season, we take a peek behind the curtain, at some of the prop making that helps to add a little something extra to films at the fortress.

Film goers in fancy dress enjoy a break in the Outpost cafe.

Our most ambitious prop to date was the sharks mouth entrance for Jaws. The frame was constructed of wooden battens, plywood and chicken wire. This was then overlaid with paper-mache until the sharks head took shape. Some deft application of grey and red paint and the addition foam-board teeth completed the beast. The sharks head was then bathed in blue by LED par cans adding a suitably watery and eerie effect. The sharks mouth was lit by LED tape lighting in red.

From paper-mache to finished article.

Other props have included skeletons, dummies in dresses, dummies in baskets, dummies hands in vents (you may be detecting a dummy theme here...) as well fingers in jars of goo and the decorative use of voile's of various colours. Not forgetting some great art work by our artist in residence - Nigel. All with a liberal sprinkling of atmospheric lighting.

This season we kick off our films at the fortress with a trio of films for the 'Museums at Night' national event. On the 13th of May - 'Alien' (1979), the 14th of May - 'The Mummy' (1959) and on the 15th of May - 'One of our Dinosaurs is Missing'(1975). Work on the props for these films is well under way. The photos below hint at what you can expect. See if you can guess which item or prop goes with which film... Tickets are available online or from the Redoubt by phone or in person.