MovieChat Forums > The Dummy (2000) Discussion > Robyn Coburn NOT the designer of this sh...

Robyn Coburn NOT the designer of this show.

posted 16 years ago by dezigna-2
3 replies | jump to latest

I wish I could get my name off these credits!!! I did not do this show!!!Here's the story...

I had been working as the Production Designer of a movie entitled "The Dummy" by Keith Singleton some time in 1995 or '96. It wasn't a hugely original script but it should have been a fun project, reasonably suspensful, and the dummy figure itself was as creepy as many of these are.

During Prep we built one set on a sound stage in the Valley, and fully painted and decorated an abandoned house in Riverside as the main set. Exteriors were going to be around Riverside also.

The start date came and went without principal photography starting but a lot of talk, and then finally some 2 weeks later it became clear that the project had collapsed apparently due to funding issues. I arranged for all the rented props and furniture to be returned, and my art director dismantled the built set.

My connection with the show ended without a single frame having been shot, and with some acrimony since neither I nor any of my small crew were ever fully paid for the work done! I don't believe that the vendors or the sound stage were paid fully either.

Now this apparently awful turkey is being distributed with my name attached to it, in what I can only assume is someone's misguided idea of reparations. I am not interested in taking the credit for what must be someone else's work. I did not design these sets, and indeed have never seen the picture or had any contact with Mr. Singleton or his company since the picture pushed all those years ago.

[–] punchatz 15 years ago

Same story as Robyn, Was hired to do the job but after making all sorts of cool prosthetics and animatronics the show fell apart. In fact they still owe me money. None of the effects we did ended up on the film.

[–] dezigna-2 15 years ago

OMG Greg, I think I have a vague recollection of you and the animatronics work! Maybe they just submitted an old crew list. I have been trying to delete this film from my credits list here on Imdb for years! My art director took the co. to court for his pay, but I gather he got no joy from that attempt.

[–] keithsingleton-117-467368 10 years ago

Actually, as director (not producer at the time), I recall seeing a young chunky woman very angrily staring at me from across a room. Never saw her before. Never hired her, don't know who she was. (apparently she had been coaxed by others in the art department to join in without officially geing hired by the producer) She came across the room at me looking like she wanted to kill me. She proceeded to insult me to my face, trying to get herself kicked out. I DID NOT SINK TO HER LEVEL. I WAS POLITE AND OVERLOOKED HER INSULTS AND ABUSIVE TONE. I just backed away wondering who this person is and why is she here? Because a property master decided they had the authority to bring someone else on without permission or official hiring? Guess what. Two weeks later she is knocking on my front door at night wanting money. This is the kind of weirdos you end up with who do not understand the pecking order of professional hiring and filmmaking. Yes, this stranger who attacked me without even meeting me took the company to court. Beware of working with beginners who have no clue that they are supposed to be officially interviewed and hired before going to work and expecting money, and especially those immature amateurs who mistreat and are abusive to their bosses FOR NO REAL EXISTING TRUE REASON AT ALL. Watch out for these clowns. They use others to bring attention and unwarranted money to herself. That was some girl who, as I learned since, actually thought she was a professional when she was actually just an assistant teacher at UCLA. Shought she a big deal for being an assistant college teacher at UCLA. It is most likely that the person writing the message above brought her on, without permission, and you wonder why these projects fall apart. Watch out for people who try to trick you with tempestuous behavior; they are out to manipulate and get money for doing NOTHING. One thing for sure, no one gets paid on these small non-union projects at all, mostly, yet she is admitting they did, in fact, get paid (the ones who were correctly hired) so they don't know how lucky they were.