Did you know that the Sandworm, in Tim Burton's 1988 (pre-CGI) "Beetlejuice" movie, was made with stop motion animation?
How to Build a Processional Sandworm
The first thing needed is an inspirational idea (Thank you Tara Sullivan). Next, engineer the Worm for a specific operation (mechanically and structurally) and choose the materials (assessing strength, weight and cost). Additional considerations in the Sandworm's design include fixturing (for ease in working on it ) and sizing so it can be moved outside the building. It will need to be transported to the Parade in various pieces (make sure the rental truck has tall enough doors!) and reassembled on site.
The skeleton of the Sandworm is made by attaching foam tubing and hoola hoops with electrical tape. When completed, the whole skeleton (all 35 feet of it) can be suspended from the ceiling for ease of handling.
Next step... sewing ...lot's of it.
44 yards of fabric, 50 yards of 2" Velcro.
Cut aluminum mop handles 6" longer than the hoop diameters. Insert Cotter pins 4" from one end (bottom). Affix "handles" with electrical tape vertically on the center of the hoops, every other color segment, allow the 6"extra tubing to extend from the hoop bottom. These tubes allow separate handling rods to be inserted on-site for the purposes of carrying the Sandworm body by the Wranglers.
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