When the team behind the new Ghostbusters movie needed something for the movie made within a week, they turned to cosplayer and props maker Shawn Thorsson to get it done.
That something was the silver ghost hood ornament found on Ecto-1, which actually gets some pretty prominent screen time. You’d think that because of that it was the result of months of sketching and fabrication work by Hollywood professionals, but nope.
Turns out that, just as the crew was getting ready to shoot, someone on the art team had wondered at the last minute whether the new car would look even cooler with something on the front of the hood. While everyone thought it was an amazing idea, they were resigned to skipping it because filming was to begin in less than a week.
One of Ghostbusters’ artists Peter Rubin knew Shawn, though, and that not only could he come up with awesome gear, but could do it really fast. So one phone call and an emailed 3D model later and Thorsson was working on creating the ornament, which he knocked out using a combination of 3D printing, casting and fancy paintwork.
You can read Shawn’s full account of the production at his blog. There’s also *ahem* a nice profile on his work in mine and Brian’s book Cosplay World.