Fake Salmon and Chicken.

[Looby]

I am currently researching ways of making realistic looking remains of a roast salmon and a roast chicken, for a production I am stage managing. The scenario is that the actors have just finished eating dinner, but the leftovers are on the table. Any Suggestions?!

 

I only have a small budget, and most food replica sites only seem to stock whole items (ie before they have been eaten!). I am looking into making, but trying to think of something to use as a base that I can then build onto, as making the skeleton from scratch would be tricky (especially a salmon!) and I don't have much time!

 

Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have!

[Jivemaster]

Products ABF78172 ABF03641 from terralec.co.uk are cheap enough to play with.

 

Saw the breast slices of the chicken and paint it striped pinkish white meat texture.

 

Get the fish, saw off some of the usual fishmeat places paint salmon pink and add some real fish bones

 

Either that or have salmon sandwiches before the show on the props budget and get the neighbouhood cats to clear up after!

 

Eaten Buffet Salmon is usually a few bones and lots of Cucumber garnish to keep the flesh moist, so the cucumber covers lots of things!.

[Looby]

That is a possibility, however I have just spoken to someone at Terralec and the items are hollow inside, which means cutting sections off would leave holes that needed to be filled! Definately something to think about though!

[Jivemaster]

They wouldnt be hollow if you filled them with foam polyurethane (builders merchant, in a can) or plaster.

 

How many shows have you? One small ready cooked chicken from asda £3.00 and make the crew sandwiches first! Likewise one medium fish!

 

For a three show run feeding the feral ( feline and Leatherman wearing!) population would be cheaper that overtaxing the props dept.

 

Added: Get a real food item and take some or all of the bones and bleach them till they are clear of soft matter then they are preserved smell free. Then add the bones to a model sliced up as would be carved. Or build plaster and paint round the bones to the shape of the joint.

[GridGirl]

Carve them out of polystyrene? I worked on a show earlier in the year which required us to first dish out roast pork (including carving it!) and all the trimmings for eight, and then in the next scene clear up the remains of the meal. Polystyrene turned out to be the easiest solution - it was coated with something to stop it crumbling, and then just painted up. Our theatre is pretty small, and the audience is close to the action, and from the front row the food looked pretty good.

[Looby]

Thanks for the ideas. The chicken, I am planning to use the remains of a roast chicken which have been bleached etc and then rebuild the fleshy parts, and for the salmon I think we are going to just make some salmon flakes (that have dropped off) and the garnish that it would have been sat on! Hopefully it will work!