Did you like my cheap pun in the title? Good, because being cheap is what this post is all about. I mentioned trying to keep costs down in my “Making of The Shining Diorama” post, and I wanted to spell out the costs of creating a gorgeous, otherworldly beautiful diorama like this one!
The Shining Diorama: the Finished Product
The biggest reason I’m doing this is to hold myself accountable so the diorama costs don’t get out of control. I made an initial investment in building out the window space, and I need to be conscious of ongoing costs given I’m pretty certain this space will never generate income, and that’s probably for the best.
Also, I did spend a fair bit on the Creepshow diorama, and while I was happy to do it cause it meant bringing in and paying good people, it also meant I was potentially creating an unsustainable hobby monster. All-in the Creepshow diorama cost me about 1350€ ($1,500 US), and most of that was dedicated to custom art, high-end prints, and modifications to the actual diorama stage. On the up-side, it went to good people doing awesome stuff very affordably, so it is also worth noting art ain’t cheap 🙂
Spreedsheet of costs for Creepshow diorama (items highlighted in pink were not used)
Until bavastudio gets a rich patron an average price tag of 1,350€ ($1,500) per diorama is a bit rich for bava’s blood, especially if I hit my goal of doing as many as four per year. It could be argued any amount spent on this vanity project is too much and I hear that. So, for The Shining diorama I wanted to get closer to a 500€ all-in budget. Such a limitation forces me to take on more of the work, which is nice for my creative muscles. At the same time, I greatly enjoy bringing people’s ideas and skills into the process and being able to pay them for their contributions (they always make it better!). So, in the end, it’s a mixed bag at best.
Spreadsheet of costs for The Shining diorama (items highlighted in pink were not used)
The Shining diorama cost almost half as much as the Creepshow installation, even though I still exceeded my 500€ goal. Entries highlighted in pink are things I didn’t need to buy, or were excess and can be re-purposed.* That means the costs could’ve been closer to 630€, and when the exchange rate is good that’s a tad closer to 500€. Part of what helped me save on this one were printing costs were cheaper (even if I made some mistakes) and I was able to include a bunch of people who donated their time (thanks Wren, Kamille, Tommy, and Anto). Exploiting friends, family, and family of friends in this context is new for me and I love it. Maybe I can turn this whole diorama making thing into an Italian family business if you know what I mean. Next diorama is Sonny at the toll booth 🙂
Anyway, not sure this will be of interest to anyone but me, but trying to keep these projects affordable pretty much means I can keep doing them at will, and that’s the goal.
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*Part of what I spent money on for The Shining diorama were straight edges, t-squares, and other tools and supplies that can be used for future dioramas, so there are some one-time costs that might save me money on future projects
But the Big Wheel, Jim! ?
I know, i just couldn’t fit it in the diorama, and if I had done the math and understood the space was not going to fit a full-sized Big Wheel I would have never gotten into that $100 mess. I have an idea for re-using that piece too, but until then it is sitting in my garden acquiring a much needed weathering 🙂
I can’t imagine being able to know in advance, the fun and creativity seems to be in what you learn and figure out as you go. But a “head full of human hair” put that on your yearly requisition.
Someone send in the MacArthur folks with a Genius Grant!
It’s true, I’m being a bit ridiculous with suggesting there is some crystal ball calculations for each project, there will always be mistakes and that’s part of the process. I guess part of this post comes from a sense of guilt at the indulgence of it all. At the same time I love it, so there’s a bit Jekyl and Hyde haunting my diorama obsession.
Also, your reading of the head is actually right, I bought a mannequin head with human hair that apprentice stylists use as they’re learning to cut hair. That was a key find for faking the head in the sand, and it also looks good on a balance sheet 🙂 I’m going to update that screenshot accordingly now, thanks Alan!