The Skypod is a ~6 foot boom that attaches to a standard camera tripod and holds a camera about nine feet in the air, pointing straight down. The boom extends several feet horizontally, enabling the photographer or videographer to capture pictures of a floor or table surface. I designed the Skypod so that I could take overhead video of the 2001 Icehouse tournament.

Full details of the Skypod, which was designed and built by Elliott C. Evans, can be found here http://www.ee0r.com/proj/skypod.html

There are a number of interesting tutorials out there on making track dollys, stabilizers, jibs, booms and cranes for camcorders and cameras.

This is the crystal hunted by the aliens in 'Meet The Locals'. Not really sure what it actually is but could be a fragment of glass. Simon aquired it while living in Birmingham from the rockery in the garden.


This is the helmet worn by Simon as the alien commander in 'Meet The Locals'.


This briefcase of fake money was used in 'Hollow Point' during the ransom money exchange scene. The money was created by printing single sided British bank notes onto paper. The notes were resized so that they fitted in neat rows within the briefcase. Only the top layers were fake notes. The main bulk of the money bundles was created with newspaper.


A fake sponge brick used in the Hollow Point car chase sequence. This brick bounces off the police car windscreen. A tutorial explaining how it was made can be found by clicking <a href="http://www.matthawkins.co.uk/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=5&pid=48">this link</a>.


These fake bullets are from a collection we plan to use in our next film. They are extremely realistic. Not easy to find places that sell these. Often they turn up in museum gift shops and other strange places ! Fake guns, bullets, holsters and other such stuff is available online from <a href="www.battleorders.co.uk">www.battleorders.co.uk</a>.


This was worn by the fighter pilots in 'Meet The Locals' as they intercepted the alien UFO. It was made from a motorbike helmet, spray painted grey, with a Union Jack flag and pilot's call sign added ('Chimpboy'). It was worn with a DIY dust mask which doubled as a pilot respirator. A good prop for the grand total of 3 pounds.


These grenades were used during the arms dealer scene and final showdown in 'Meet The Locals'. They were made from 'Lynx' deodourant spray cans and a few pieces of metal. All held together with glue and black spray paint. They had a habit of falling appart during filming because they were so fragile!


These handguns are used by the two cops in 'Hollow Point' and featured working laser sights.

These graphics were used to create the illusion of hotel corridors in 'Hollow Point'.


This is an ID card used in the first film me and my brother, Phil, made back in 1993. It was called 'NightCrawler'.


This is a sew on police badge which I bought in Crete from a strange shop selling all sorts of dangerous stuff. I also bought a shoulder holster and various other sew on patches.


These Police ID badges were used in 'Hollow Point' by the two cops. They were created in CorelDraw and inserted into modified leather wallets. The metal crests were actually just scanned images although on camera they look fairly convincing.


This is the shoulder mounted Rocket Launcher used in GUTS during the battle with the Aliens. It was made from green plastic pipe used to lay cable TV. It had a working flip-up sight and fired live firework rockets. During firing it was important that the actor using it closed his eyes to avoid being blinded by the rocket fire.


The alien syringe was use during the medical experiments to take a blood sample and to insert the cybernetic implant. It was actually a syringe from an inkjet printer refill kit (www.jrinkjet.com). Available from all good computer shops!


This bomb was used in 'Hollow Point'. The explosives were made from blocks of clay and the control box was made with spare electrical components.

This guide shows how I made a fake sponge brick for one of our scenes in Hollow Point. We needed a fake brick which we could throw at the windscreen of a car without smashing it.

There are several commercial camcorder stabilizer options, which range from approximately $200 on up. You can also make one yourself for about $30 plus a weekend of work with some hand tools. It won't look as professional as the commercial products, but it works pretty well ...