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Thatsmye Talks With Marvel’s Head Prop Master

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6 years ago

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Movies are more than just actors, it is about everything they interact with on screen. Creating a world, whether it be 1940s Chicago or a planet far, far away is all about the little details.

When it comes to making those details come to life you go to the prop master. In Hollywood there’s few better than Russell Bobbitt. Bobbitt has been in the industry for almost four decades with a resume that includes everything from Invaders from Mars and Jingle All the Way to the entire Iron Man trilogy.

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe celebrates its 10th anniversary That’s My Entertainment sat down with Bobbitt to talk about his amazing career and what went into the creation of some of the most iconic pieces in movie history today.

You’ve been working with Marvel since the very beginning in Iron Man. How do you think your work as prop master has evolved with the Marvel Cinematic Universe now that we’re almost 20 movies in?

The Marvel projects have been great for me. I’m part of the 10 year anniversary because I started on Iron Man 1 and have been working on the movies ever since. The context of the Marvel films make them incredibly challenging to work on. If I were working on a period film set in the 1940s, there’s a clear visualization of how that should look. In space, there are no rules so your imagination comes into play. The biggest challenge is to sell the audience the idea of humans as superheroes! But advancements in technology definitely help us bring this to life.

You got your start with the movie Private Resort in 1985. How has the industry changed since then artistically? Has the role of the art department and the prop master changed?

When I started out in the industry 35 years ago, the technology wasn’t quite as advanced as it is today. We didn’t even have cell phones when we were making prop phones for the characters! Nowadays, I use 3D printers and we have illustrators to create CAD drawings and model every prop from the inside out. The technology allows us to analyse whether it’s going to work mechanically or not. There is also a team of painters and sculptors who provide the finishing touches.

 You’ve worked on every genre of film out there. Do you have a favorite? What makes you choose one film over another?

I guess comedy because I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Betty Thomas, she taught me how to put make the audience laugh and how that can be achieved with different camera angles, cuts and of course props! 

When you were young you were fascinated with mechanics and electronics. Do you have any recommendations for other tinkerers out there that want to take your career path? What brought you to the film side of things?

I would say it’s important to have a passion for whatever you do. If you have a real talent and love for your craft, you will go far in the film industry. My mother was friends with a set decorator named Robert Gould and he gave me a job for three weeks when I was 20 years old. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. It was a huge challenge in the first few days. He threw me on set in front of a camera and essentially said ‘make it work’- and I did! I completely fell in love with the magic of movie making that week.

 Do you have a favorite prop you created? What is it about that you love?
My favorite prop will have to be the Arc Reactor that Tony Stark wears on his chest. The research and development of the prop and all of it’s different iterations have been great fun to figure out. Robert Downey Jr. and myself sit and talk about each one and what purpose it will serve in the story.

Is there a Marvel character you want to design for but haven’t yet?
Perhaps the X-Men. But I stay very busy with the handful of characters that I am currently doing props for. The team is currently over 50 characters. But I always invite more to cross my path.

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Paramount+ Reveals Official Main Title Sequence for the Upcoming Series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

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9 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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During the TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES panel earlier today at San Diego Comic Con, Paramount+ revealed the official main title sequence for the series. The sequence is composed by EMMY® nominee, Matt Mahaffey, known for his work on Sanjay and Craig, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie and much more. 

From the studios of the Mutant Mayhem film, the all-new Paramount+ original series TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES explores the adventures of everyone’s favorite pizza-loving heroes as they emerge from the sewers onto the streets of NYC. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey are faced with new threats and team up with old allies to survive both teenage life and villains lurking in the shadows of the Big Apple. The series is produced by Nickelodeon Animation and Point Grey Pictures.

TALES OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES is executive produced by Chris Yost (The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok) and Alan Wan (Blue Eye Samurai, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2012 Series]). Production is overseen for Nickelodeon by Claudia Spinelli, Senior Vice President, TV Series Animation, Nickelodeon, and Nikki Price, Director of Development and Executive in Charge of Production.

In addition to the upcoming new series, stream all things Turtles on Paramount+.

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Comic-Con 2024: Those About to Die Activation

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12 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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DISNEY+ CASTS DANIEL DIEMER AS FAN-FAVORITE ‘TYSON’IN SEASON TWO OF “PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS”

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12 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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 in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, Rick Riordan and Disney+ revealed that Daniel Diemer (“Under the Bridge”) will star as fan-favorite cyclops “Tyson” in the epic adventure series “Percy Jackson and the Olympians.” Diemer joins Walker Scobell (Percy Jackson), Leah Sava Jeffries (Annabeth Chase) and Aryan Simhadri (Grover Underwood) as a series regular. The Disney+ Original series from Disney Branded Television and 20th Television will start filming its second season next week in Vancouver.

Season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is based on the second installment of Disney Hyperion’s best-selling book series titled “The Sea of Monsters” by award-winning author Rick Riordan. In the new season, Percy Jackson returns to Camp Half-Blood one year later to find his world turned upside down. His friendship with Annabeth is changing, he learns he has a cyclops for a brother, Grover has gone missing, and camp is under siege from the forces of Kronos. Percy’s journey to set things right will take him off the map and into the deadly Sea of Monsters, where a secret fate awaits the son of Poseidon.

Diemer stars as Tyson – a young Cyclops who grew up all alone on the streets, and finds it difficult to survive in the human world.  Shy and awkward, with a heart almost as big as he is, Tyson soon discovers that Poseidon is his father, which means Percy Jackson is his half-brother… and that Tyson may have finally found a home. 

Diemer recently starred in the Hulu limited series “Under the Bridge” based off the critically acclaimed book of the same name and a tragic true story of a missing teen girl in Vancouver in 1997. He will next star in the indie “Thug” opposite Liam Neeson and Ron Perlman for director Hans Petter Moland. Daniel was recently seen as the lead in the indie “Supercell” opposite Alec Baldwin and Skeet Ulrich and the lead in the film “Little Brother” opposite Phil Ettinger and JK Simmons. Daniel can also be seen in the Netflix series “The Midnight Club” and recently starred as the male lead in the breakout hit Netflix feature “The Half Of It” from producer Anthony Bregman and director Alice Wu. He is a graduate of Victoria Academy of Dramatic Arts in Vancouver.

Created by Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg, season two of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is executive produced by Steinberg and Dan Shotz alongside Rick Riordan, Rebecca Riordan, Craig Silverstein, The Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Bert Salke, The Gotham Group’s Jeremy Bell and D.J. Goldberg, James Bobin, Jim Rowe, Albert Kim, Jason Ensler and Sarah Watson.

The first season of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is available on Disney+

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