Letter For The King (2020)
Mechanised hero prop and screen-ready replicas fabricated for the Netflix series The Letter for the King — a sprung switchblade canister built using in-house 3D modelling, printing, moulding and paint finishing.
The Netflix series The Letter for the King follows a young squire on a quest to deliver a secret message that holds the fate of a kingdom. At the centre of that story is the hero prop — an ornate canister containing the letter, carried by the protagonist throughout the journey.
Human Dynamo Workshop took on the brief to translate the production designer's vision into a working object. We delivered a clever, complex sprung-loaded mechanised switchblade system housed inside the canister. When wound in one direction, the internal trigger activates and blades spiral out from the centre. Wind it the other way, and the blades retract into a fully concealed position — leaving the prop reading as a simple, ornate cylinder.
The mechanism also produces an appealing, slick, clockwork-like sound when activated — useful detail for the camera and the sound mix. Our team used in-house design and technology including 3D modelling, 3D printing and moulding, with detailed paint finishing to bring the final look in line with the series' art direction.
Alongside the fully functioning hero prop, we also fabricated multiple screen-ready replicas for the series shoot.
