Oversized props and giant replicas of your own product
Your product, three metres tall, in the middle of a launch, a shop window or a trade stand. People walk over to it, stand beside it and photograph it, which is the whole point. It only works if it looks exactly like the real thing.
Getting the proportions right
Scaling a product up is less simple than it sounds. Details nobody notices at hand size, like a seam, a slight taper or the depth of an embossed logo, become obvious at three metres, and small errors in proportion that would pass on the shelf look wrong from across a room. We work from your product's CAD files or a 3D scan of the real thing, so the prop keeps its true proportions.
If there is no CAD file, a single retail sample is enough: it is scanned, cleaned up and scaled.
You see the giant version as a realistic render at full scale, with a person beside it for reference, before any material is cut. That is the moment to decide the size, the finish and how much of the detail to carry across.
How big pieces are built
Most oversized props start with a core of expanded polystyrene, light enough to move and easy to shape by hot wire, CNC or hand carving. Over that goes a hard coat such as polyurea, or a fibreglass shell where the piece will be handled, knocked or taken outdoors. Anything tall or heavy gets an internal steel or timber frame. Then comes the paint, which is where a replica either looks real or doesn't.
Transparent or reflective products, like glass bottles or chrome, take extra thought. They are often built in clear or tinted resin, acrylic or mirrored finishes, and lit from within.
Moving it and standing it up
A three-metre prop still has to get through a door. Large pieces are designed to split into sections that join cleanly on site, with crates built for them. We check the route before we build: door widths, lifts, stairs, floor loading, and whether a forklift or crane is needed.
In shops and venues, installation usually happens out of hours and is planned so the piece goes up in a single visit.
Outdoor pieces need more: resistance to UV and weather, anchoring or ballast, and for anything large, a structural check on wind loading. If yours needs one, you will know at the drawing stage, before the price is final.
Using it again
A giant replica built to last can move from a launch to a window to a trade stand. Refreshing the paint or swapping a graphic panel for a new campaign costs a fraction of a rebuild, and storage between uses can be planned from the start.
Tell us at the start how long the piece has to last and how many places it will go, because a one-week launch piece and a two-year touring piece are specified quite differently.
About oversized props
How big can an oversized prop be?
Large enough for most launches and windows, provided it is designed to split into sections. The real limits are usually the route in, meaning the door widths, lifts and ceiling height of the venue, and for outdoor pieces the wind. Those are checked at the drawing stage, before the size is fixed.
Can a giant product replica be see-through like the real bottle?
Yes. Glass-like products are usually built in clear or tinted resin or acrylic, sometimes with an internal light so they catch the light the way the real thing does. It is more involved than a painted finish, so it is decided early, when the render is agreed.
Can an oversized prop include lighting or moving parts?
Yes. Lighting, a slow turn or a simple moving part can be built into the internal frame, with access panels for maintenance. Anything electrical used at a public event has to be safe and PAT tested, which is planned in from the drawing stage and adds time and cost.
Send us the page of the deck with the prop on it.
Or the product file, a photo of the maquette, or the window measurements. Tell us how big you have in mind and where it has to stand.
Or write to info@stillroomcreative.com
Hal is automated, so there is no wrong hour to ask. Say what the prop is, how big it needs to be and the shoot or install date.