Nasty apartment.

J

JoeB

New member
I'm shooting a scene in my appartment this weekend. I've moved all the beds and tables out, and now I just need the place to look nasty. My biggest worry is the white walls. I want them to look really nasty and dirty. Any advice? I the only thing I need to worry about is the cleanup after, so I cant just throw mud on the walls :P

The set is supposed to look like a drug cartel hangout spot/ meth lab.

Thanks for any advice!
 
I'd maybe look into getting some cheap wallpaper and tack that up to the walls and then rub coffee grounds on it etc. I had to make a disgusting apartment for a film a long while ago, and the best thing to dress the set I found was to have a few friends over to drink a bit. The mess more or less took care of itself.
 
Lighting effects might be the easiest way - keep the walls in dark shadows or break up the shadows with cookies over the lights. I'm imagining a "hanging fixture with conical shade" in the middle of the room for the apparent light source. Piles of newspaper/cigarette packages/takeout containers/ammo boxes/etc strewn around the room to complete the effect.

I've been on shoots where a fake wall was build on-top of the existing wall. Wooden 2x2inch frames covered with foamcore, or even muslin are painted to match the desired 'atmosphere' for the film. You might be able to attach large sheets of appropriately painted, thin foamcore/insulation board directly to the existing walls with double-face tape.


Jim
 
Painting with a layer of latex would allow you to smudge the latex, and allow you to just rip everythin out later. Might not be the cheapest, and you need some knowledge and supply of the materials.

Thin fiberboard (I don't exactly know what's it in english, but the one that is often used on the backside of bookshelves. other side is coarse/porous, other side has smooth surface) is very cheap and relatively easy to cover walls with (a few small nails are good if you don't mind the tiny holes they leave). You can then paint the smooth surface side and do whatever with it. For hardcore three-dimensionally damaged walls (not only dirty but chipped/wrecked) you can also consider drywall sheets, but that would be a bit more involved and messy.

Wallpaper suggestion is not bad either. Depending on walls it might be hard to attach to existing walls while being able to be removed easily without damage. Temporary wallpapers are also hard to attach smoothly without wrinkles, which might or might not be a problem in your case. The heavier, plasticky wallpapers tend to be easier in that sense (most bathroom wallpapers around here at least).
 
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I'm thinking of Se7en... those were some dark walls, but it looked so good!

So changing the wall color somehow will probably give you the most.
 
Don't forget the ghetto trashbags/aluminum over the windows. Black trashbags with a few small holes + spots outside + smoke machine could add some nice atmosphere. Stained sheets and ripped posters on the walls might cover spots you don't want to have to modify so much. You'll often see tacky carpets hung on the walls to insulate from the cold, especially above beds. Maybe go down to salvation army and see what their furniture/mattress/various junk "rejects" are?
 
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