one of a few movie and tv ice sculptures that I’ve done, my gator head ice sculpture for the movie “All the King’s Men” (2006) If you’ve seen the other posts about movie and tv ice sculptures, you’re probably sick of this sculpture 🤪
updated 7/17/23 with seo, formatting, pix, links, and more
some random movie and tv ice sculptures
I’ve written numerous entries in the past about ice sculptures in movies and on television (“ice sculptures in movies and on tv” and “Hollywood on ice” revisited, for example). When ice shows up onscreen, it’s interesting to see how it’s handled. Is it realistic to have an ice sculpture in a particular scene? Does the movie ice “act” like ice?
fake ice and snow
When I was about nine, I was at a ski area in Colorado where they were filming a movie called “Avalanche.” The main thing that I remember was that instead of real snow and ice, they were using chunks of styrofoam to simulate the movie avalanche, even though the real stuff was all over the place.
I remember one of the prop people bet me that I couldn’t throw a piece of the foam up and over something. I was much littler then, but I think that the prop guy knew that even a kid could throw that foam pretty high and if I remember right, I won a dollar or something. When I saw the movie later, I knew that the “dangerous” chunks of ice and snow were only lightweight chunks of foam. The experience helped teach me early on that what you see onscreen is only sometimes “real.”
the good and the bad
“Batman and Robin” was famous for unreal ice (see the amusing video below that compiles Arnold’s “cold” references) and “Edward Scissorhands” was guilty too. “Groundhog Day” didn’t take too many liberties, while “My Best Friend’s Wedding” featured a fully tempered sculpture that still managed to get a tongue stuck to it. “Over Her Dead Body” didn’t trouble itself with realism, getting the bride killed by a sculpture delivered upright and unwrapped in the back of a pickup truck. The bright sunlight had no apparent effect on the ice. Too bad the sculpture didn’t get the director too! (Totally kidding, sheesh!)
Closer to home, I did a gator sculpture for “All the King’s Men” in 2005 (see above) and I have to confess that I didn’t bother to point out that clear Clinebell ice wasn’t available in 1950’s Louisiana. I think I took the approach that I was being paid to carve, not consult. On top of that, we set up the sculpture in a modern acrylic tray from Gourmet Display. The movie didn’t do very well; perhaps they took too many liberties throughout the production? I liked it though. (But I’m biased and not objective AT ALL!)
oops, a video disappeared
Here are new icy puns from Mr. Freeze (Had to switch the video because the old video was “terminated.”):
another one of my movie sculpture projects
More recently, I did a sculpture for the upcoming “I Love You Phillip Morris,” which stars Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor. To her credit, the prop person asked if the color logo in the ice was something that was being done at the time that the movie was set. I don’t recall what year she asked about, but it was close. It was certainly possible to have the color in the ice at the time, but it wasn’t being done much yet, if at all. I’ll have to wait and see if the ice makes it into the final cut of the movie.
the ugly (not really, actually)
If you’ve ever read a newspaper article about yourself, you were probably surprised at how many things in the article weren’t quite right. It’s usually just little things, but they’re still annoying and possibly a little frustrating. That’s kind of how ice sculptures onscreen usually make me feel; they usually manage to screw something up.
But sometimes, they get most of it right. Lately, I saw part of an episode of Ugly Betty called “Filing for the Enemy.” (Let’s be clear: it’s the only episode I’ve seen, and I watched it because I knew there was ice in it!)
For once, the ice was ice and it was pretty much handled like ice. It was delivered wrapped in moving blankets and shrink wrap and required refrigeration. The life-sized sculpture had numerous horizontal welds and dripped while it melted. It was even displayed on a Gourmet Display mirrored rotating tray, just without the rotating. On top of all that, the sculpture was pretty good and played an important role in the story. I can only hope that ice is used onscreen this way more often in the future!
P.S. Even when they’re using the real thing in a real way, it seems that directors sometimes can’t resist adding a little “unrealism.” As the sculpture in Ugly Betty crashes to the ground, you can hear the distinct tinkling sound of breaking glass, which is a sound that I’ve never heard ice make. And one other thing: since the ice tray was on the floor, there wasn’t anywhere for the meltwater to go. Oh well…
related links, etc.
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If you’ve done some movie and tv ice sculptures, I’d love to hear about your experiences. It might be the makings of a great post for the site too!
Over the years, I’ve written several articles and posts related to movie and tv ice sculptures. Below are a few links to other posts on the site.
