Documentary about Customizing - Help Me Make It!
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Documentary about Customizing - Help Me Make It!

Posted in Custom Workstation

Hi everybody!
We're havng a documentary course in school, and I've decided to make a film about customizing.
It will be informative for those that are new to it or have never heard of it, and it will explain what it's all about. It will start with a brief history of the action figure and then move on to customizing, explaining what it is and why we do it and that stuff. My voice will narrate the film with facts and information.
For this, of course, I need everybody's help! I want this to be a nice film about this great hobby, that customizers can show their friends and family that don't understand what it is you are actually doing, and also for people that are just starting to find out what it is and want to learn more.


So how can you contribute?
- Give me permission to use pictures of your customs. Especially if you have WIP pictures so we can show a before/after effect. I'm not looking to show only the best figures or anything, I want a wide variety of material to just show off. It's easy to just give your permission, so please do! You can also provide me with higher quality pictures than the ones on the site (without your personal logos on, so I could add the logos on another layer afterwards) Even if you don't have a logo, I'll of course add your name.
- The most impotant thing you could help with is to actually film. If you'd be okay with being in front of the camera and representing our community, it would be SUPERB if you could film your work, while sculpting or painting or just filming your collection!
Also filming an interview with yourself, where you sit in front of the camera and explain the hobby and how you work and stuff like that. I would then use your inteviews as narration for explaining the hobby and a kind of "how to" guide.
You could also film the action figure shelves in the local stores, because I need such footage too!
So if you have access to a camera, don't be shy! You can use your real names or the forum usernames, it's up to you!
I'd love to have our members participate, it would be great fun and something we can all be proud of.

I'd love for this film to be accessable here on the site when it's done, I think it will be a great information video, fun for customizers and non-customizers to watch.

So guys, please help me out as much as you can because it'll be be fun! I'm sure you have friends or family that have a camera if you don't. There's no deadline either. The film won't be finished with this course, so there's no hurry!
Thanks!

Posted by LWes
on Monday, September 17, 2007
User Comments
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GreenRanger1 -
Friday, July 24, 2009
I am new to customizing and Id love to see this. There is so many figures I want to create. I havent made any yet but if I do before you complete your film I'll share my pics with you.
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pock63 -
Saturday, July 11, 2009
I would love to help in any way posible I do have a camera so that is a option. I made a slide show a few months ago of my Skelitar figure from start to finish and I would be glad if you desided to use picctres of any of my figures(exept the really bad first threa I did before I new what I was doing). So PM me if I can help.
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Henchmen4Hire -
Monday, December 15, 2008
I've been looking for some cheap video-cams to make some tutorials with, maybe I can pick-up where you left off. Maybe we could send it to Toyfare and they could write about it and make fun of it or something
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LWes -
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Hey guys! I was surprised to see a topic reply notification email from this old thread.
Yeah, I'm busy with school in Canada, having left all my customs behind back in Sweden. I've been out of the loop when it comes to customs for a while and yeah, this project never really took off, and now it's been over a year since anything happened. If anyone else wants to continue and try and make this film, they're more than welcome to do so, I'll share the material I gathered, but it really isn't a lot at all.
Anyways, take care guys, stay cool.
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Henchmen4Hire -
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Unfortunately we haven't heard from LWes in a long time, I guess he's busy with school and other stuff. Hope he's been working on this though!
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Briightcore Toys -
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Heyya. Cool idea. When's your project due? Sometime in the next few weeks, I'll have my customs up for display at a local comic/collectibles shop, along with an opening night. I could take some video of the event and fire it your way if you're interested in seeing another angle on the custom figure world beyond WiP's and posting online.

Same goes for WiP shots of mine. I'll have more figures posted before next week, along with in progress shots on my deviantart account.

Again, cool idea. Hope your project goes over well at school.

Cheers,
-Blayne
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cowboyink -
Friday, March 7, 2008
my dremel is at your service anything you need that I can do,
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Shady8168 -
Friday, March 7, 2008
Hey that sounds great! I got a camara and would love to help when do you need it by and can we have a copy of the final cut?
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evanjones1 -
Friday, October 5, 2007
Don't know how I can help, but I'll try!

Just give me orders!
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LWes -
Monday, September 24, 2007


I'm the man in charge and my email address is: mailto:linus.wesley@telia.com
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Crisco -
Sunday, September 23, 2007
I would certainly like to submit footage, who do I send it to? email address?
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Gee_jays_Customs -
Friday, September 21, 2007
so when can I come over!?! ^_^

~Gj
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drop_of_caramel -
Friday, September 21, 2007
We are still working on it. Still have to trim up and add the curtain I am making. Here's the slide of our room. The dazzler I bought off ebay and I got my Signed Lady Death statue from my local comic store. I shop a lot on ebay lol.



We pasted the pages up which we spent 20 dollars on and then we glazed over to seal it.
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Henchmen4Hire -
Friday, September 21, 2007
Fraggles!
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drop_of_caramel -
Friday, September 21, 2007
Okay, here are my fraggles on display. I collect the Tomy fraggles. I perfer collecting vintage items especially from my fav show Fraggles. I still watch their episodes on dvd lol. Down at Fraggle Rock of course!

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Henchmen4Hire -
Friday, September 21, 2007
Lol, that's how fast a Green Lantern is
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Punstarr -
Friday, September 21, 2007
There were two action figures in that clip?

(Seriously. I only saw one)
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Henchmen4Hire -
Friday, September 21, 2007
If you slow the video down, you can clearly see the giant smirk on Kilowog's face as he punches that vampire's lights out
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Punstarr -
Friday, September 21, 2007
What the heck was that, Doc?
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AREZ -
Friday, September 21, 2007
I'm in Bro, you can use my pictures. As long as you let people know who the customs belong to. I wish I had WIP pics for you.

::AREZ::
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Henchmen4Hire -
Friday, September 21, 2007
I want to see Caramel's Fraggles too

Okay, here's a weak video, lol. I'll go find somewhere with more light... http://www.motionbox.com/video/player/ec95d2b31e17eb61
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Kern -
Friday, September 21, 2007
YAY FRAGGLES!!!!!!!

...Work your cares away... worries for another day...
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drop_of_caramel -
Friday, September 21, 2007
Actually, you all would have a blast seeing our computer room which is where we work on our customs. It's dedicated to comic stuff, including my fraggles lol. Which I own all the fraggle comic too. People come over and take 20 minutes just looking at the walls, which are covered with comic pages and toys and stuff.
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deadeye -
Friday, September 21, 2007
seriously its more like a room full of fodder - and yeah I'll take some pics

Its creative chaos in here - so don't expect neatness

I drive the wife NUTS

lol

~_@
Dedi
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Gee_jays_Customs -
Friday, September 21, 2007
lol kyle! hey hey! lets keep it clean!

caramel- id love to go down and customize with you and hulk! ^_^
we'll have a 1st time reunion someday, hopefully!

~Gj
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drop_of_caramel -
Thursday, September 20, 2007
lol
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Kyle Robinson -
Thursday, September 20, 2007
sounds sexy? Remember to avoid the night vision (thanks paris***)


J/K
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Gee_jays_Customs -
Thursday, September 20, 2007
if I meet up wit doc, we'll try and do something together for you. ^_^

~Gj
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drop_of_caramel -
Thursday, September 20, 2007
My ccacmera takes a little video tape if it helps PM me if you need me
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LWes -
Thursday, September 20, 2007
That's awesome. It makes me really really happy that you want to help me get me some footage.
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Kyle Robinson -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Im game.... I already told ya, when im done with toyfare stuff I can shoot some footage for ya.... Like I told ya man... Im a customizer by hobby, but my real passion is film making... I will probably get carried away and shoot like 2 hours of footage..lol.. so have with that.
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LWes -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
If you guys could take a couple of pictures of your boxes of fodder that would be great too!
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Punstarr -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
You could very well be the absolute very first customizer then, mate.

I started in '93 or so... well before most, but nowhere near as soon as you.

I was born in '78.
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deadeye -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
blahhhhh dodge the question why dontcha

I began customising things '77 - cos I came to the conclusion starwars stuff was shyte
needed modding - collectable bedamned

made quite a bit of money doing that at highschool

scratchbuilt hongkong fooeys and scooby doos too

~_@
Dedi
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Punstarr -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I don't mean age, Deadeye.

I mean how long we've been customizing.
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deadeye -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I done my first customs in the 80s - mostly starwars stuff -3.75'' to life size

see other custom creations for an example of my lifesize starwars work

~_@
Dedi

Wow, and I thought I was the oldest customizer here!

Nope

Born '65 - you?

~_@
Dedi
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Punstarr -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I done my first customs in the 80s - mostly starwars stuff -3.75'' to life size

see other custom creations for an example of my lifesize starwars work

~_@
Dedi

Wow, and I thought I was the oldest customizer here!
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LWes -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I done my first customs in the 80s - mostly starwars stuff -3.75'' to life size

see other custom creations for an example of my lifesize starwars work

~_@
Dedi

Thanks great I'll check it out!
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deadeye -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
I done my first customs in the 80s - mostly starwars stuff -3.75'' to life size

see other custom creations for an example of my lifesize starwars work

~_@
Dedi
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LWes -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
You're hip Okaaaaaay...

Now, there is something that all of you guys can do to help out, and if you don't have a video camera, but a regular digital camera, what you can do is take pictures of the figures you're currently working on. You know taking pictures throughout the process of making the figure, from the beginning to the finished product. Like I said before, there's no deadline so if it takes a month or two before you finish that's fine.
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eminem -
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
im hip!
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TPCustomStudio -
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
That would be awesome. If you need anything, gimme a shout.
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Punstarr -
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
My Ranma 1/2 figs and this Tigra fig http://www.figurerealm.com/customfigure ... ew&id=2921 are the only ones I still have pictures of. Well that and my Bullwinkle: Moose Without Fear figure that Wizard published.
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LWes -
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Thanks guys.

Do any of you know of sites that have pictures of older customs? Like old G.I. Joes, or other old ones. And all kinds. Maybe you have pictures of your 10 year old customs, Punstarr?
And just pictures of regular old figures that have pretty good resolution.

And you guys that have digital cameras, do you think you could bring it next time you're at a store with toys and snap a couple of photos at the action figure shelves? And if you have video function film a bit?
That would be great.
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Gee_jays_Customs -
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
id say so, cuz they're more posable and just look better, IMO at least.

~Gj
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Punstarr -
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Well I started in '93 or so... customizing the Toy Biz line of Marvel figs. Wizard made it a hobby that got some recognition but was still pretty unknown (They had a section for it called "Homemade Heroes". I stopped doing it in around '97... 10 years later I discovered the hobby had boomed when I found Figure Realm. I hope that helps some.
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LWes -
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Thanks Deadeye and Aneses.

DrSean: Sure, give me pictures of battle wounds. I don't know if I'll use them, but maybe!


So for my research: Would you customizers that have been doing this for a longer time say that the hobby blossomed with the Marvel Legends line? I know there's been customs for much longer than that, with 5" figures in the '90s and before that too, but with Marvel Legends it seems to have become a more popular hobby. Could anyone comment on this?
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Aneses -
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Great idea LWES!! I´m wishing to see the finished video.
Of course you can use my custom pictures if you want to.
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DrSean -
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Do you want any pics of all the battle wounds we get from this?

I know I've cut myself with an exacto knife once or twice.
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deadeye -
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
I'll help out anyway I can - even if I'm just there to represent disabled customisers everywhere

~_@
Dedi
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