Howdy all youse guys!!

Erik Monson

Member
Messages
6
Location
Los Angeles
Just wanted to introduce myself to the membership. I've been looking over the posts and I like how friendly everyone is. I live in Los Angeles CA, am I in show business? Actually yes, in a way. I'm a propmaker, building props and sets for movies and tv, not so glamorous, Tom Cruise hasn't invited me for a coffee(which is ok with me) but if you've been to the movies much in the last 5 years you might have seen some of my work. I worked heavy construction in Texas back in the 80's then got myself inside a cabinet shop when I moved to upstate New York (much warmer). Lived outside Washington DC working at a shop there before I married a great lady and moved west. I get my exercise wrestling with our two year old twin boys and am trying to finish a extensive remodel (rebuild) of our home before my wife loses patience and I'm living in my '74 Westphalia again. Got a two car garage pretty much filled w/ old wood tools and a pottery studio, my other vice, where I'm cutting up cabinet parts for the house. I'll post more after I've read what's there (love the shop posts) Take Care Erik
 
Last edited:
Welcome to FW Erik!


I hope it's not another long haired blonde guy .......

Ooops....Sorry Vaughn!:D
Hey, I resemble that remark! :rolleyes: Welcome to the clubhouse, Erik. I'm another LA-ite...up in Tujunga. You have a cool job. I remember having a beer one night with a carpenter who had just gotten done building the Academy Awards set that year. He'd also worked on the set for the Lexus (or was it Infinity?) commercial where they stacked champagne glasses on the hood of the car running at highway speed on a dynamometer. I've always been intrigued by the behind-the-scenes work in the film and TV industries. Never have gotten involved in it during the 16 or so years I've been here, though. (I work fir a software company.) I think I'm the only guitar-playing writer in LA who's not working on a band, a recording deal or a screenplay. :p

If you haven't noticed already, we like pictures here. Feel free to post some shots of your work. :thumb:
 
Welcome Erik. It'll be nice to have another member around who understands that it really is cold when it gets down to 50* :D.
 
Wellcome Erik, yep most of them are Americans, but not me.
Hey, have a great time in this madhouse.
 
Welcome Erik
I woulnt have cup of coffee with Tom Cruise after he blows up all my props :rofl: :rofl:

PS
I dont blow up props, so you can enjoy a good cup of coffee with me.
 
Thanks for the Welcome

Sure appreciate all the greetings. I've got some old Arn the I'll try to post soon and maybe get a shop tour going. Oh and Ken I'm haven't been blonde since my 20's and haven't had long hair since Jerry died (Har har).
Hello Ad only time I was in Holland was just Skiphol(?) airport. I'd spent the night before drinking and dancing in Barcalona and went straight from the bar (at 6 am) to the plane. With a 4 hour layover to Oslo I had one of the best showers of my life there. (Which my fellow passengers appreciated)
Hi Drew Been to Canada a few times, when I lived in Syracuse we used to drive across the border to get full strength Labatts.(Those guys up north have more alcohol content in their beer, a sign of a more advanced culture).
'Lo Vaughn looked at your website. You do some beautiful work. I'd like to see one of your shows sometime. The hardest thing to get used to in prop work is leave out the glue. As soon as you finish something the art director will come by and want it bigger, smaller, or hanging from a cable 30' in the air.
I'll figure those smilies as I go along, also how do I add pictures? Hmmm.
Here some shots from a big one a couple of years ago. Typical story, Boy meets spider, spider bites boy, boy gets super powers. The first one shows the sandman pit and the second shows the bell tower coming together.
 

Attachments

  • SpiderDude1.jpg
    SpiderDude1.jpg
    92.9 KB · Views: 11
  • SpiderDude2.jpg
    SpiderDude2.jpg
    98.8 KB · Views: 10
Last edited:
The hardest thing to get used to in prop work is leave out the glue. As soon as you finish something the art director will come by and want it bigger, smaller, or hanging from a cable 30' in the air.

I can totally understand that Erik as I have done work on a few theater sets for a local company up in northern BC and here in Victoria. Building something screwed together for just that production then it is dismantled or stored away for a later date. It all comes down to the art of illusion and what you can make the audience believe in for a certain budget. But isn't that the fun of the job? You must have one huge back lot with all the set materials.

Dealing with the art director must be frustrating at times.
 
Top