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My newest MOC, India’s Taj Mahal, is a commissioned piece made for an Australian
film called Taj.
It's a redemption story about an Indian man Vjay (Indian as in India, not North
America) who rebuilds a relationship with his 10-year-old daughter from who he
has been estranged since the breakup of his marriage to her mother.
What brings them together is the chance finding of thousands of white Lego
pieces at a garage sale. They decide to build the Taj Mahal over several
weekends.
The film’s producer, Winston Furlong, asked me to build a model of the Taj Mahal
that incorporated the best features of the previous two models I had built. So
it is not surprising that some of the designed elements (the turrets, the
reflecting pool, etc.) have similarities to the two previous models.
The producer had some other requirements that I needed to incorporate into the
model. First was the idea of “simple elegance”. I needed to remember that the
model was being built by a precocious teen-ager (with the help of her
grandfather who is an architect) so I tried not to use any advanced building
techniques (ie. SNOT, etc.). Second was the fact the model occasionally gets
damaged (there’s one scene where Vjay tips the entire model) so not only does
the entire model neatly fall apart into 40 some odd pieces, but each of the
individual designed elements (turrets, archways, bases, etc.) further fall apart
along pre-designed fracture points.
This build was also unique for me as I allowed the producer full creative
rights… thereby allowing him to ask for changes and modifications (even if I
didn’t agree).
With any luck I’ll be heading off to Australia this summer with the model to be
the Lego “expert” during some of the movie’s filming. The producer is also
ordering enough spare parts so that I (with some help) can produce a duplicate
of the original model and some extra designed elements.
Photo
<<http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=3170529>>
Entire gallery
<http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=318902>
The model’s first public display will be at Brickworld.
Arthur
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WOW! Great post! Wonderful opportunity for you, a fantastic MOC!
Please let us all know when the film is completed, I would like to see it. Very
inspiring!
Thank you,
Eric Sophie
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In lugnet.build, Arthur Gugick wrote:
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My newest MOC, India’s Taj Mahal, is a commissioned piece made for an
Australian film called Taj.
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What a beautiful MOC! It is indeed quite simple and elegant.
Good luck with your film career, and please do keep us posted on the film and
its release.
“Big Daddy” Nelson
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"Arthur Gugick" <torgugick@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:K0z6Mx.41B@lugnet.com...
> My newest MOC, India's Taj Mahal, is a commissioned piece made for an
> Australian
> film called Taj.
Wow, that's impressive! I love the reflecting pond! Initially I thought the
pond was tiles and you'd used lighting to get them to reflect the real model
until I looked close enough to realise you'd built the reflection into the
MOC itself.
> What brings them together is the chance finding of thousands of white Lego
> pieces at a garage sale. They decide to build the Taj Mahal over several
> weekends.
OK, so you did use white parts? Looking at the photos, they look more like
tan parts to me but I guess that is just a yellow-ish lighting effect.
> First was the idea of "simple elegance". I needed to remember that the
> model was being built by a precocious teen-ager (with the help of her
> grandfather who is an architect) so I tried not to use any advanced
> building
> techniques (ie. SNOT, etc.).
I think I see some SNOT on the smaller domes :-) But then I'd like to see
the inexperienced teenager who can build even non-SNOT domes like those! But
I guess the film's audience will not be so particular as me!
>Second was the fact the model occasionally gets
> damaged (there's one scene where Vjay tips the entire model) so not only
> does
> the entire model neatly fall apart into 40 some odd pieces, but each of
> the
> individual designed elements (turrets, archways, bases, etc.) further fall
> apart
> along pre-designed fracture points.
Are these fracture points visible in the external model (at least to the
trained eye)? I am guessing you did layers of tiles rather than studs to
achieve it? What stops the model falling into more than 40 pieces? Is it
glued?
> With any luck I'll be heading off to Australia this summer with the model
> to be
> the Lego "expert" during some of the movie's filming. The producer is also
> ordering enough spare parts so that I (with some help) can produce a
> duplicate
> of the original model and some extra designed elements.
Which summer? The Australian summer? Or the northern summer? Whatever, let
us Aussies know when and where you will be coming as I am sure people will
want to link up!
Kerry
Proudly a member of LUGnet & Brisbane Lego Train Group (BLTG)
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In lugnet.build, Kerry Raymond wrote:
>
> "Arthur Gugick" <torgugick@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:K0z6Mx.41B@lugnet.com...
> > My newest MOC, India's Taj Mahal, is a commissioned piece made for an
> > Australian
> > film called Taj.
>
> Wow, that's impressive! I love the reflecting pond! Initially I thought the
> pond was tiles and you'd used lighting to get them to reflect the real model
> until I looked close enough to realise you'd built the reflection into the
> MOC itself.
Thanks! I actually stole the reflecting pool from a previous model of the Taj
Mahal that I built three years ago.
> > What brings them together is the chance finding of thousands of white Lego
> > pieces at a garage sale. They decide to build the Taj Mahal over several
> > weekends.
>
> OK, so you did use white parts? Looking at the photos, they look more like
> tan parts to me but I guess that is just a yellow-ish lighting effect.
Though my photography skills are lacking, I've improved over previous posts. The
yellow effect is a result of a large yellow kitchen
<http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=2374798>
> > First was the idea of "simple elegance". I needed to remember that the
> > model was being built by a precocious teen-ager (with the help of her
> > grandfather who is an architect) so I tried not to use any advanced
> > building
> > techniques (ie. SNOT, etc.).
>
> I think I see some SNOT on the smaller domes :-) But then I'd like to see
> the inexperienced teenager who can build even non-SNOT domes like those! But
> I guess the film's audience will not be so particular as me!
Hmmm... okay... some snot techniques were used. Shh. Don't tell.
> > Second was the fact the model occasionally gets
> > damaged (there's one scene where Vjay tips the entire model) so not only
> > does
> > the entire model neatly fall apart into 40 some odd pieces, but each of
> > the
> > individual designed elements (turrets, archways, bases, etc.) further fall
> > apart
> > along pre-designed fracture points.
>
> Are these fracture points visible in the external model (at least to the
> trained eye)? I am guessing you did layers of tiles rather than studs to
> achieve it? What stops the model falling into more than 40 pieces? Is it
> glued?
For example: The thin turrets fracture into four parts: the spire; the half
dome, the walls under the half dome; and the cylindrical thin base.
The front wall of the bases easily tear off
The circular collar that the dome rests upon is easily squashed and deformed.
The arches are made from long rows of bricks w/handles (over twenty of them in
some places) circular bricks and plates, etc. All of which are only connected
with one piece at the top and bottom; which all neatly falls apart into strips.
No, its not glued. Each archway is connected to the wall behind it. The back
walls themselves do not connect. But each of the sixteen archways are connected
to each other with one 1x2 tile. What keeps it standing? If you look closely,
the four main facades have 1x2 panels in front (and in back) that keeps the
facades in position. The four diagonal facades are keep in place by.. well..
geometry. I chose an octagon shape where the diagonals facades came out close to
an integer. The diagonal facades are resting on top of the facades next to it
with a hinge on either side. Hope that makes sense?
I've taken photos of all this for the producer. Eventually I'll upload photos of
what I'm talking about to Brickshelf.
> > With any luck I'll be heading off to Australia this summer with the model
> > to be
> > the Lego "expert" during some of the movie's filming. The producer is also
> > ordering enough spare parts so that I (with some help) can produce a
> > duplicate
> > of the original model and some extra designed elements.
>
> Which summer? The Australian summer? Or the northern summer? Whatever, let
> us Aussies know when and where you will be coming as I am sure people will
> want to link up!
Sorry... that would be a northern hemisphere summer. Perhaps I should have said
sometime in August. BTW I believe the filming will be in Melbourne.
From what I understand... movie timetables for filming, etc. is not an exact
science. The producer might need me earlier (in July) or not until October or
perhaps early next year. Either way I'll keep BTLG posted and look forward to
meeting all.
> Kerry
>
> Proudly a member of LUGnet & Brisbane Lego Train Group (BLTG)
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Just an update. (Sorry for the large photo) :<(
Taj: The Movie.... I’ve spent the past three weeks in Australia working on the
movie “Taj”, an Australian film whose central prop is a Lego model of the Taj
Mahal. The original model, that I built last spring, took three months to build
(about 300 hours). Besides bringing the original model with me on the airplane
(it comes apart into 40 modules that were each carefully wrapped), I also
brought with me an additional 30,000 pieces to build a duplicate model. It took
about 75 hours to complete the second model. So the image shown is not computer
trickery but two complete models (each has about 25,000 pieces). A second model
was needed for a variety of reasons (including the fact that the model get
tipped over in over in one of the final scenes) Thanks and gratitude go out to
Shannon “Ocean”. He lives in Melbourne Australia and will be assisting the
producer in my absence. Many of you know Shannon from his amazing Mocs and
cheerful and whimsical comments he’s alway leaving others. In my three weeks in
Oz I got to know the “live and in the flesh” Shannon. Amazingly dedicated to the
film project, artistic, soft-spoken, intelligent, always cheerful, insightful
with ideas, Shannon also acted as my guide helping me to explore Melbourne and
its surrounding attractions. (We need to figure out how to get him to the
states!!) The movie begins filming in April. Release dates etc. are still up in
the air.
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