From Shield to Screen – A talk with #CaptainAmerica Winter Soldier Shield-Maker

cincomom January 30, 2014 Comments Off

In theory, there’s only one Captain America Shield.

It’s the prominent piece of hardware that propmaster Russell Bobbitt takes great pride in crafting. But behind the scenes, there are different scenarios and different missions in the Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie that calls for at least 50 different shields.

Last year I got the awesome opportunity to go on set for hours during the Iron-Man movie event while the new Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie was being filmed. (I’ll have a post later on about my behind-the-scenes experience.) One of the very cool things I got to do was hold the Captain America shield and kick ass. OK, I didn’t kick ass but in I did in my head. Cool huh?

And I got to learn more about the process of making the shield from propmaster Bobbitt! Russell Bobbitt is a rockstar PROPstar who is responsible for crafting most of Marvel’s props like the Captain America Shield and the Thor hammer. For this second installment of Captain America, Bobbitt said he made at least 50 shields of varying materials.”I have hard rubber, soft rubber, fiberglass, metal to depending on if there’s an insert on it. I use a metal one ‘cause it looks the best. Uh, this one that you’re gonna hold and play with it’s the hard rubber one. It’s the next to the best,” Bobbitt said.

And the rubber one, pictured above is lighter than the heavy metal one, he said.

Making various shields is needed depending upon what Captain America is doing in the movie.

“We need so many because we do different sort of shoots. If he’s walking around and it’s on his back, I can put a really clean nice heavy one on him. And when we photograph them from behind, it looks shiny and new like metal. When he takes it off and starts fighting with it, obviously we can’t hit each other with metal shields or the boys won’t be able to play very long,” he jokes.

Stay tuned for my post about the on-set visit to see the filming of Captain America!

A Little About Bobbitt

Russell Bobbitt is known for his work on Iron Man (2008), Star Trek (2009) and The Hangover (2009). He has been married to Tracy Bobbitt since October 5, 1996. They have two children.

Won Hamilton’s “Behind the Camera Award 2008” for his Prop work on “Iron Man.” Friend and Actress Lucy Liu presented.

Won Hamilton’s “Behind the Camera Award 2011” for his collective work as Property Master in 2011 on “Thor,” “Cowboys & Aliens” and “Hangover 2.” Bobbitt’s “Iron Man” and “Cowboys & Aliens” director and friend Jon Favreau presented.