How Wes Anderson uses miniatures

In order to go big, sometimes filmmakers go small.
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Miniatures in movies are way more common than you may realize, and one of the most stylish filmmakers keeping them alive is Wes Anderson. In this video we spoke to Simon Weisse, prop maker and model marker for some of Wes Anderson’s recent projects, like The Grand Budapest Hotel, The French Dispatch, and Asteroid City.
Older movies, like 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, had no choice but to use miniatures to make their worlds feel real. But even in the modern day of CGI, filmmakers are still using minis - just look at projects like The Mandalorian, Blade Runner 2049, Harry Potter, and The Dark Knight series. In those movies, miniatures are used for expansive sets that establish the world of a film, otherworldly vehicles like spaceships, and more.
But fully fabricating a 1/18th scale hotel is just the beginning. Then filmmakers have to film it in a way where it looks huge, or, at least, life-size - using the movie magic of cameras, lighting, and forced perspective.
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[@charlieg2262]

Weird that everyone in the comments is only complimenting Wes Anderson. Simon Weisse is clearly a master at what he does!

[@granturismoKL]

Same here! Scrolling through the comments, hardly anyone mentioned him

[@unworthy.potato]

Well, the topic of the video is Wes Anderson, so it’s gonna make sense for all the comments to be on Wes anderson

[@SPNMEDIA]

Agree, I was fortunate enough to see the french dispatch minature set with Simon and his whole team are true artists

[@blindedeathh]

the video should have just been about simon

[@iflick7235]

Frankly, I watched about forty minutes of this and it bombed. Characters attempting to be eccentric appeared simply dull. I happened to have been born in the 50's. Even with poetic license, people didn't behave that way. I was bored with it and shut it down.

[@ICharlyl]

Ive always felt like wes Anderson's movies are just pure passion, movies filmed, acted and edited with pure joy and love for cinema.

[@petschitt2252]

That is the very reason I love his films. ❤🎥

[@sweetbabyrodney]

Like you know that he put his absolute best in his movies!

[@ohshamelessgravity]

Simon Weisse is a genius and a master at what he does. Wes Anderson on the other hand is equally smart for actually wanting people to recognize that he's using miniatures for his films and at the same time they're conveying a sense of realism. I salute them both!

[@linksauce_1]

I always can spot the miniatures in his films, but I’m never bothered by it like I am with most other movies. It’s that Wes Anderson Magic™

[@jamesmcinnis208]

"actually"

[@las1147]

These miniatures and practical effects is what makes the Lord of the Rings movies hold up so well 20 years later

[@elizabethpatitsas565]

Also why 2001: A Space Odyssey still holds up 55 years later

[@LizziesLukas]

but the Hobbit series are gonna feel outdated much sooner

[@gasdive]

I was surprised that you could make a film about large scale miniatures and not mention Weta.

[@alexpotiomkin]

I was waiting for this commentary. LOTR was groundbreaking in every special and visual effect technique available, including miniatures. The camera movements are fantastic!

[@TreeStump-and-CheeseKetchupIT]

There's the opposite effect in LOTR too! Some shots used an oversized ring to bring out the details.

[@nigelcarren]

My name is Nigel Carren and I am a professional miniature medieval armour maker. I typically working in 1/6th and 1/12th scale and each hand-forged steel knight is typically comprised of 73 separate parts. WE enjoyed this video immensely thank you! Best wishes from me and all the mice in the workshop. ⚒️🐭🐁🐭🐁

[@christinaapplegate5281]

Yes it’s so wonderful to see a resurgence in the art form overall. And your hobby and passion can truly become a career if that’s your goal. I just enjoy making my Miniature houses, rooms, and all the things that go inside. And now that I’m no longer working I enjoy the company and knowledge of fellow miniaturists at my local miniature society. ❤

[@nerd26373]

We Anderson is a brilliant filmmaker with a vast color palette. His films are willing to go the extra mile. The cinematographies and stories all work together seamlessly to create masterpieces onscreen.

[@mareecuree]

i love love miniatures. it excites me to see the whole process on how these artists put all those tiny little details to make every piece look and feel realistic.

[@wxlurker]

I absolutely love the craftsmanship that goes into making miniatures and props.

[@RapidActionAnimations]

It’s unfortunate that miniatures aren’t used as often as they once were as they are an amazing art form. Practical effects just made films so much better.

[@ojtheaviator1795]

Miniatures feel real not because they fully authentic to our world but because they are fully authentic to their own. They are a 'real miniature'. And there's a charm to that which can't be understated.

[@theawesomer]

So happy to see that miniatures and practical effects are being preserved by masters like Simon!

[@Aloddff]

Physical effects are really captivating

[@5MadMovieMakers]

Great video about the pros and cons of a unique filming method!

[@mikesouthworth]

This video was really well done. Great job of showing the process in layman's terms while still making it exciting and interesting.

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

Wes Anderson films are the romance of Film making, just beautiful.

[@user-rr7vq4xk1b]

Wes Anderson films are the romance of Film making, just beautiful.. So much respect for these artist .

[@chas4life]

Asteroid City is a photographic masterpiece. The details in the sets are genius.

[@TheFatblob25]

Absolutely beautiful filmmaking for a relentlessly boring & confusing plot.

[@andybearchan]

Can you do a video on matte paintings? So many movies from the 80s and 90s had amazing detailed paintings. Do they still exist? Do people collect them?

[@rohitmishra670]

its amazing to hear from Simon Weisse . I can feel the enthusiasm he has and emotion of fun he has doing the work.

[@Sabotage_Labs]

His work with Wes Anderson is just amazing. It has to be I suppose with Anderson's incredible attention to detail. He tells such great stories on so many levels.

[@artlovepeace42]

Thank you so much for showing this! These artists are the epitome of talent! Would be an incredible video to go to a model shop and show all the departments and artists working through a large scale model, start to finish.

[@joiedevivre9861]

makes me respect directors like wes anderson & christopher nolan all the more for how much they know about & show their love for filmmaking :') loved this insightful vid!

[@zaneverovati]

The thing that had me fall in love with Wes Anderson's filmmaking is the fact that I feel like I'm constantly pulled in through the screen onto the set, most of the time by the miniatures but also by the feeling that the film sets, and then I get into this sort of swaying back and forth, back onto the seat in the movies as a spectator watching a film, and then back inside of the set, and so back and forth, it makes me enjoy his films on a whole another level. And the miniatures themselves make a part of that feeling, being made in such a glorious way that they don't interrupt that feeling, yet still making themselves apparent - I know they're miniatures, but they're made so good that it doesn't matter, the momentous "okay, it's a miniature, but it's a part of the story so it's just another way for Anderson to convey his storytelling" is there for a second and it just makes the miniature blend in and feel as a natural part of the story. It's apparent that it's a miniature, but it's not tacky, B-movie style, but rather gloriously made sculpture, put there to help with telling the story.

[@Harleylover14]

I have the greatest respect for any director who can and will still use practical effects. It's truly an art.

[@DippedInInk]

The world of miniatures and dioramas are amazing. As an artist to be able to capture realistic things in a small scale is truly a talent.

[@heckensteiner4713]

Miniatures are my absolute favorite form of film trickery!

[@mastermavrick]

Great video, miniatures like stop motion are rare but amazing artistic works and this goes over why you get that feeling from it.

[@davidcashin1894]

Always love to hear about model building for movies and set building in general. There are a lot of us tabletop wargamers who work in scale models all the time and it is fascinating to see what other model builders do. Especially people who have limitless budgets ;-) compared to a game that is.

[@milonso650]

i was lucky and got to see the grand budapest model in weisses workshop before it was even used. such stunning work done by these guys... feels surreal somehow.

[@rickfazzini22]

I’ve always been in love with the art that is miniature model making. Thanks for sharing this great little film, what’s a treat!

[@bigsam653]

Using miniatures for Blade Runner made all the difference. The buildings with real fog looked super good

[@pocketrocket6494]

As someone who is into the hobby of large scale rc cars everything here is literally flipping awesome

[@Noumm]

Asteroid city was excellent and all the projects this amazing Simon Weisse worked on Anderson's movies !!! Love his way to talk about his work you can feel the passion !

[@tomwatts703]

Having grown up on Thunderbirds and other Gerry Anderson shows, I've always had an appreciation for miniatures and practical effects like this

[@YanceyLu]

Really love to see more stories of amazing people with amazing craftsmanship.

[@JJadx]

just delightful to look at these, i wish scale models where more commonly used as an art form the way paintings on a wall are.

[@harrazmasri2805]

man this doubles the work, it's amazing just how much effort they spend for such movies

[@thewillsfamilyaccount6486]

I glad I found this rediscovered this channel! Did not realize how good it is and how vast the subjects are.. Nicely done!

[@nazru8]

still remembering nolan did the plans crash in TENET, where he completely avoided miniatures.

[@BobJillJackZorroKhoshekZuko]

I love miniatures, I hope they make more movies using them. My favorite is stop motion, the pink house in Coraline is so good,

[@JAVTROOPER]

Finally I understand how they create those spectacular scene in box office movies in the era of early computer

[@RafaelBernatto]

Disclaimer: Just because tightening the 'aperture' 5:38 "decreases how much light you let into the camera" does not mean that by "reducing the light" you'll end up with a wider depth of field ("every part of the model" in focus). There are a bunch ways for you to decrease light: ND filters, faster shutter speed, light absorbers/black flags and so on... It's not about decreasing light. It's about the >aperture< and the way it filters and shapes the light passing through the lens. Also, the bigger the sensor or film format, more shallow the depth of field. Aperture doesn't (just) mean less light. 🇧🇷

[@drlong08]

I can't show this to my photog/ film major son because his comment will go on for at least an entire 15K words on this one...yes, he's on the scale.

[@passtheparcel2007]

Quite amazing! All together now, "It's a small world after all"...

[@Durmomo0]

It was a beautiful spaceship, glad they went with the green...

[@-Alberto-Bolanos-]

again this is a introduction of a master class filming....... merci beaucoup

[@AAWagner]

I’ve always been fascinated by miniatures and how they are used in all ways including cinematography.

[@alastairbattson5123]

I am glad that people like Simon Weisse are still around and doing the work allowing the likes of Wes Anderson to make the movies in the style and techniques he would wish, especially as a movie every 2 years from Wes probably doesn't offer Simon enough work to live off.

[@theraphman]

This magic is the reason why I enjoy watching movies 🎥…

[@OxburgerStudios]

Long live miniatures, stop-motion, and other traditional visual effects techniques! This was a great watch, thanks for putting it together VOX.

[@xaviconde]

The Millennium Falcon bit in the video is actually CGId, not the model. That scene was added in the Special Edition of Episode IV.

[@cedricklyon]

Don't forget to visit the miniature and cinema museum in the old town of Lyon, France !

[@pushbikeman]

This video was simply fascinating I loved Asteroid City funny amusing and visually abstract looking like a model railway table.

[@EdBabb]

VFX Artist here -- that shot of the millenium faclon you used was CG, not a model, from the reissue Lucas did in the 90's.

[@withconfettiinmyhair]

Been really enjoying every Edward Vega essay I've seen so far!

[@WrvrUgoThrUR]

Fascinating! Thx. This kinda stuff got me into media production some 50 years ago as a 10 year old who had just seen Star Wars in the theater.

[@jucaropis]

Magnificent video, a talent on the part of the team of layout designers as well as the filming team. They are cinema geniuses!

[@dathorndike4908]

I remember the original Star Wars trilogy and how they used mostly miniatures for alot of the ships. It was a great example of making more out of less in film.

[@sabersight908]

with a video all about bigatures im surprised it has not been mentioned ones that they are not miniatures but bigatures xD great video about the mini world in the film industry i already knew quite a lot but i keep learning some new things.

[@bitspacemusic]

4:54 Long lenses only crop more. Perspective (compression) is the same for all lenses when shot from the same position.

[@DCDSG]

I love that a lot of the old stuff is not dying yet and maybe still has a bright future ahead. Like vinyls. Thrifting. Etc. Might not be super commercial / popular but will keep an important place.

[@adamzimmerman9459]

Love this thanks for posting

[@freds3265]

The clip you used of the Millennium Falcon taking off at 3:18 isn’t actually a miniature. That scene was added in the special editions of a new hope so the Falcon is actually a digital model in that shot. Nice video, just a funny mistake.

[@bySterling]

So much respect for these artist 💯👏🏻🎉👍🏻

[@kazpaapzak8637]

The novelty of computers and perfection is wearing off and we are now moving towards a place where the character and artistic style of a film is once more the most applauded aspect. It’s the same with camera lenses, cinematographers want hand built anamorphic lenses over the ‘perfect’ new lenses because they have more character and add to style of the film

[@passtheparcel2007]

I remember being suitably impressed, when that space ship (Star Wars) passed overhead, it was huge! I had never seen anything so big an it took so long to pass...

[@michaelhollinger7034]

Weirdly brought up Game Night and I worked on that film. I drove through that neighborhood that you referenced as use of models. I’m pretty sure we used Tilt Shift to create that look and not models. Don’t remember ever seeing models in our Art Department.

[@Blasharga]

feels wrong not to mention Lord of the Rings in this context. Minas Tirith especially.

[@WLANDFILMS]

increíble gracias por este video!!!

[@sjbechet1111]

The size of the APERTURE defines the depth of field - not how much light you let in. The amount of light can be less or more with aperture but this can also be controlled with cutters/screens, ND filters and shutter speed.

[@StrawberryFeildsforNever]

I pray that they sell these. There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do to get my hands on the grand Budapest hotel

[@DrawnInk1]

Fascinating upload thanks.

[@thecasualfly]

I love practical effects and all the artisans who are involved with it.. miniatures are so rad too.. great stuff

[@bazza5699]

wow i'd love to have the skills to be able to build models like that

[@ajo510]

This is fascinating

[@MattWinchell]

You guys somewhat touched on this, but I'd love to see a video on motion-control/go-motion.

[@VietVuHunzter]

Wes Anderson is when you can do what you really love and the audience happen to love it. too.

[@AlbertaRose94]

The use of miniatures in Asteroid City added to the old time vibe.

[@guy_incognito]

Nice essay! The "miniature: battleships for In Harms Way were up to 40 feet long.

[@protorhinocerator142]

In Asteroid City, I could absolutely tell that the mountains in the background were mini. At first they looked good, but then those sideways crawl shots allowed me to parallax the distance better. They weren't miles away like the movie implied. They were very close. If they had instead done a spin shot or a pan up, it would have hidden the real distance much better.

[@Oisin2]

Great video! So entertaining and informative :)

[@DOI_ARTS]

There is this old show in Discovery Channel Movie Magic, I love it so much they explain the movie techniques and made me understand how movies were shot.

[@anarey-oktay2683]

This makes me so happy.

[@martinstent5339]

It's a shame they didn't mention the ultimate model in terms of looking real: The 2001 spaceship. At F22 every frame over 1 minute!!

[@RealSalica]

Wow 🤩 Thank you for this video ! So interesting .

[@lissetteyepezsaltos4878]

This is amazing 👏

[@ThePCDealer]

Thanks for such amazing video. The real hero here is Weisse.

[@precioustraveler]

Love seeing all of this craft.

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

I ❤ only God.

[@matthewbenoit3098]

Big fan of models!

[@jozetkrekel7625]

Loved the item!

[@QuizWriterMark]

I can finally watch this now I’ve seen it!

[@AtZero138]

Water.. always Fights against the amazing work done by effects artist...

[@dada-pm5cd]

2:28 he's soooo real for using the metric system bc same

[@Byrolandito]

This is amazing 😮

[@elyornoyovanna5482]

Creí que hablarían del estilo pausado y caricaturesco tan característico que tienen sus películas Stop motion Al presentar el ambiente no satura la pantalla de tantos elementos, ésa simpleza es increíble

[@andrews.]

Is Lord of the Rings considered old now? They used HUGE miniature sets to bring the story to life. The Rivendell Model is amazing if you have seen it.

[@toddjones1480]

It's actually possible to make extremely convincing miniature bricks and concrete, but maybe not at 1/18. At 1/12 any defect will give away the game so you'll need to scrap about half of what you make. Bigger scales are more forgiving.

[@MacGuyver85]

Great video, thank you!

[@iamharnad]

this is a great video, thank you

[@nestoraoc32]

Gran Gran Gran Explicación!!!!

[@GERntleMAN]

I'm not entirely surprised he is German since building miniature stuff is almost embedded in our older generation. Basically every grandpa built everything in small scale and the bestest grandpas of them made it the smallest and most realistic. Many attics are still filled with a lot of miniature worlds.

[@survivingworldsteam]

Not restricted to Germany though. It was, and still is popular in the UK, North America, Japan, and elsewhere. Check out large scale miniatures like Miniatur Wunderland, Northlandz, Grand Maket Rossiya, Our Home and Miniature Land, and Madurodam. Thankfully the art of model building and model railroading is alive and well; 3-D printing has breathed new life and new possibilities into the hobby.