More Miniature Helicopter Effects

This week I added a link to an article outlining how to add a miniature helicopter to your film. That was the third post on miniature helicopters in this blog (the other two are here and here.) One of those old posts was about using a 1:72 helicopter model for an effects shot, and the maker of the example video has made a new attempt using as larger model (1:48) and higher quality camera. The new version references the older video and you can see the difference in quality.

VFX with Scale Models

Miniatures DIY: Put a Helicopter in Your Film!

 Film Riot is a web series that exists to help low-budget filmmakers add special effects to their films. While most of what they cover is digitally based, they featured an episode that showed how to use a miniature in combination with digital tools to get a very nice result. The principles will be familiar to anyone with an interest in miniatures in film, but the practice of using off-the-shelf models and toys for a miniature is one that even the pros have turned to on occasion (and that we have touched on here.)

Of course, I would encourage filmmakers to resist the urge to put a helicopter in your film just because you can. One of the reasons the early Star Wars films were so successful was because the miniatures were not showcased - they were merely a means to advance the story.

Film Riot: Put a Helicopter in Your Film!

The Martian Experience

Modelmaker David Sisson reminisces about his attempts to create a super-8 sci-fi epic in the early 1980s. Having attempted such things myself during the same period of time, when Star Wars was driving the imagination of young filmmakers, this was an engaging and heart-warming read. Of course, if you give it a look, you'll soon see that David was (and is) a talented model-maker. I am not.

Though the work is dated and may seem amateurish, I am impressed with what he accomplished with the tools available to him. Be sure to follow the links to the film clips!

The Martian Experience