In Film and Television

by Jake SPECIALHamilton EFFECTS IN FILM AND TELEVISION

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)*) )**)** IN MINIATURE Special effects (SFX) is the art of making the impossible Concept model is 1 ft x 1 ft into a fantastic reality. Special effects has always pushed the (0.3 m x 0.3 m) A General Idea 1 A special effects team must boundaries of human imagination. It keeps today’s movie and build a prehistoric world in a television audiences glued to their seats in starry-eyed wonder. workshop. The team’s first step The art of miniature model-making has always been an 400-foot (120 m) is to make a “concept” model of important part of special effects in movies. Some movie stories film magazine this mini-world. The model will with running give a general view of what the have big, spectacular, action-filled scenes. They may call for fights 1 time of 4 4– finished product will look like. between dinosaurs, explosions on the Golden Gate Bridge, or minutes at This model shows that the normal speed an armed force charging through the desert. Movie- landscape will include a fallen makers can save time and money by making tree and a circular lake. models for these scenes. This article tells the story of the building of a miniature landscape for Getting Larger a television show. 2 The movie-makers study this concept model to decide on the size and shape of the finished product. Then they make a larger and more detailed “prototype” model. This gives Prime lens interchangeable them a clearer picture of how the finished Final model landscape will with the zoom lens product will look. The prototype comes in be in three main sections— sections that are fitted together like puzzle white areas show where Matte box reduces the divides are between the pieces. This 2 ft x 2 ft (0.6 m x 0.6 m) prototype lens flares. main sections. is fully painted and fitted with bushes and trees. Now the team can work on the final product.

Cameraman’s eyepiece

Camera door is opened to thread the film past Cardboard representation the gate. of early reptile

)*+ )*, Getting Started The full-size miniature model will be Foaming the Model 24 ft x 24 ft (7.2 m x 7.2 m). Building it will 3 6 At the studio, the model is put back together, and the take real cooperation among all the SFX team miniature trees, rocks, and other surface details are all put members. The model’s base is made of the kind in place. Then a technician wearing a special protective of plastic used in fast food cups and boxes. suit sprays the model. He uses a light foam Model-makers carve the plastic surface to make made from toxic chemicals. The foam gives hills and valleys and rivers and lakes. They use the surface of the model a smooth, references such as pictures of trees and rocks natural look. He also adds bumps to guide them. These model-makers are using and dips to the surface. This makes photographs of a dry riverbed as a guide. it look just like a real landscape. Model-makers carve details in To protect against toxic fumes, the ground of model’s front section. technician wears a respirator. Miniature trees and bushes are modeled with plastic and paint, as well as real pieces of greenery. In the Studio Carving It Out 7 Putting the miniature landscape back together takes Here, the model-makers 4 a great deal of attention to are cutting out the area of detail. Every last tree, bush, the huge circular lake at the and rock must be exactly in heart of the model. They place. A huge painted back- will then add more surface drop of blue sky streaked with detail and mark out other clouds has been placed on the features in the landscape. far wall. Lights positioned over- head will give the landscape more texture and shadow.

Rebuilding The model is cut into sections 5 Rebuilding the landscape so it can be taken on trucks to the is just like putting a huge television studio. Since the model is jigsaw puzzle together. so large and detailed, each section is numbered. That way, when the pieces reach the studio they can be reassembled easily.

Technician’s head pops up between two of the main landscape sections.

)*- )*. REPTILE MODELING

Appropriate large Early reptiles were needed to inhabit potted plants are the prehistoric scene, so miniature used for the models were prepared. After it was foreground. agreed which reptiles to model, including Moschops (left), each one was sculpted carefully in nondrying clay, which is easy to shape. The model is attached to metal leg stands, and the smallest details are added at this stage, including horned backbones, razor- sharp claws, and scaled reptile skin.

The model-maker sprays the model with plastic sealer to make it possible to Fixing in Place release the fiberglass of the mold from 8 Model-makers use a the clay later on. A dividing wall of special glue to make sure clay is then placed around the model (right) so that the sections will not come when the mold is made apart. The glue is carefully it can be split into two dried by hand. Technicians halves. use the same kind of blow- dryer people use on their hair. That way they can aim the hot wind just right The mold is filled with foam latex so it will not disturb any and the result is this white- delicate details on the faced reptile. The model- landscape’s surface. makers can now paint its skin with different textures of green and yellow. The creature is hollow in the middle so that SFX technicians can get their arms up Foam latex model and inside to operate it without the of a Lystrosaur viewer seeing.

Water makes Lystrosaur glisten on film. The final image Computer of one reptile Generated Imagery perched on a fallen log in the min- Many future movies will be iature landscape created or enhanced on screen, looks incredibly using computer generated imag- realistic. The crea- ery (CGI). This 3-D animated ture has also been dragon has been created as a given small eyes, wire frame image before being pointed claws, and fanged teeth. fleshed out, enhanced, and lit carefully—all on a computer. )+% )+& Toy Soldiers Director Steven Spielberg used a Spielberg decides where to Tricks of the Trade miniature model to plan shots for position the camera for the The model-makers go to great the film Raiders of the Lost Ark. desert shot. lengths to make a miniature look as Directors often use miniature realistic as possible. Here, they are models to plan the way a scene Sand dunes are constructed from working on a slight depression in should look, including actors’ polystyrene and beach sand. the surface that was carved out for a movements, the scenery, lake. It is filled with water to a depth and any special lighting of just 1.5 in. (4 cm). The model- or camera angles. makers are layering the shallow water with fabric to make it look more like a deep lake. Model-makers refer to television monitor for camera’s eye view.

Large, potted trees are used for fore- ground section.

Miniature models of tents, tanks and other vehicles are used.

Miniature trees are planted in the section behind muslin-coated pond. Real log is used in foreground of landscape. Finally Ready It has taken most of the day to reassemble the entire miniature landscape. Now the scene is ready for filming. During filming, SFX team members beneath the plat- form can reach up and move the Landscape is supported on reptile models around from below. timber platform. Notice how the trees in the back- ground section of the landscape are much smaller than the trees in the foreground section. This makes the scene seem to roll back Sand used on away rapidly into the distance. The ground of minia- large painted backdrop and studio ture and to cover cracks in model lighting add to the effect of a vast surface. prehistoric landscape roamed by early reptiles.

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