Building A Shark

[waefre]

Hey I'm working on making a few shark pieces for a shoot I'm putting together in the next month or so. I thought I'd just throw it out there and see if anyone might have some input on any aspect of the construction. Going with the idea of less is more, and also more costs more, I'm keeping it pretty simple. The main things I'm hoping to put together are some fins that can skim the surface of the water and the top part of a head for an actual attack. Its kind of a comedy bit so it doesn't have to look super real. The head needs to be light enough not to sink and to be raised above the water but also must remain submerged with little effort. Ok so thats about it. Hopefully I can post my progess here as I start. Thanks a ton.

 

[Capt Quirk]

It sounds to me like you will need some sort of track to run the thing on first, otherwise it will just sort of float there. Look into something like a tripod dolly set up, and you might be able to get by with just the front and top half of the shark. Of course, I have no idea how you are going to get it to move through the water.

 

[waefre]

I'm probably going to follow follow this guys lead as far as building the fins: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=581799
That seems like the best place to start as its less complicated than the head. I'm not going for anything as complicated as to require tracks. The only real shot I need is the head lunging out of the water. My thought is that the head will be a sort of hollow structure which a man could stand under in around 4 feet of water and lunge upwards to push the head out. It needs to be strong enough to take the force but light enough to be manageable. If anyone wants to help with the shoot I'm in the central Florida area.