Making a sign for channel 4
In 2020 we were asked to make a sign for the channel 4 / NBC tv show ‘We are lady parts’. We have worked with the production designer Simon Walker on previous projects when we were based in London, so we were super excited when he gave us a call.
The sign would be user during a surreal cut scene where the main character finds herself on a reality dating show.
We started by working out how we would make each part of the sign. The design was to have the hearts and text in neon and the border of the sign in the cabochon style with lightbulbs. We’ve made a few of these in the past and they always end up looking great, they have a warmth which is difficult to achieve with just neon.
A cabochon sign we made for designers Abbey and Alice in 2019, photo from there website.
Once the style and design were finalised we worked in Adobe illustrator to make some files that we could CNC cut. We made each shape and letter a vector and then added lines in the middle which would become our channels for the Neon flex to sit in.
When making detailed signs like this its important to use the right materials we used birch ply for the sign because its strong, dosen’t warp easily and it paints up really nicely. For the neon parts we decided to use silicone neon flex which is better for bending around the tight corners in the letters, you can be very precise and make the exact shapes you want, its also not as fragile as glass neon, even if part of it did break somehow the process to repair it is much easier.
Once all the pieces are cut we checked it would fit together nicely, Then we sand, fill and prime before spraying each part the correct colours, we use a water based satin wood paint to give a really nice smooth finish. We also sprayed the fittings for our bulbs in a gold.
The sign was then assembled and we started on the electronics. We used LED bulbs to keep the wattage of the sign as low as possible. Using 60w filament bulbs on a sign like this would need a hell of a lot of power. We then fitted a 12v LED driver to power the neon flex parts. Because elements of the sign were 240v we took the sign to an electrician so it could be signed off as safe.
We then delivered the sign straight to the studio and talked the prop department through it so they knew how to operate it and the best way to mount it on the set. I cant quite remember which episode the sign features in but you should watch the whole series anyway as its a great watch! Good job guys!
With all signs that we make for film and TV we offer a free collection service to pick up the sign once its been finished with and dismantle it so the components can be re used. Having worked in the industry a long time we are aware of how much stuff ends up in skips at the end of shoots and always strive to recycle and re use as much as possible.
take care fans x