INDEPENDENCE DAY miniature effects

[@jakerazmataz852]

I never would have guessed some of those scenes were miniature. These guys are artists, they bring the movie alive. they deserve more credit IMO.

[@telboy1965]

These people are really the stars they are truly brilliant at what they do

[@bradmullaerialphotography]

Agreed. A matchbox f18 in the flying scene next to a miniature Air Force one. I watch the scene now and you still can’t tell. A true art that is lost these days

[@budget-adventure]

@@bricktimelapsebuilds after the film I knew the buildings were miniatures but I never knew the planes and enemy ships were

[@purefoldnz3070]

just watched it again in 4k yesterday, the models are beautiful.

[@JaceD4V1S88]

@@bricktimelapsebuilds thats why 80s and 90s were superior, dantes peak, galaxy quest, jurassic park, ghostbusters, honey i shrunk the kids, etc all used miniatures and it looks real, you literally cant tell theyre miniatures

[@wildman2012]

The effects still hold up today - amazing work!

[@StoutProper]

Look better than cgi

[@nursestoyland]

@@StoutProperyeah!

[@Bogeyatyour6YT]

Those were exactly my thoughts, this is better than 95% of high budget movies that we see today because it is real and talented people who cared about details were part of it, more than outsourcing art and rushing the process (which is the real reason for CGI, not money). At the end, practical effects done right look better and cost less...and employ more people somehow. Weird, right?

[@lcfflc3887]

today effects are all CGI garbage.

[@HighwayLand]

A movie I have seen hundreds of times and yet I never realized how many miniature effects were used in it. I was that 17 year old who watched it on day 1, and I must have watched it a good 10 times in theaters alone. I still watch it every July 3rd.

[@4Everlast]

No CGI will ever compare to a small scale model.

[@VictoryAviation]

I saw it in theaters when it came out. I think I was 14 at the time. It’s definitely a 4th of July tradition, and then I end up watching it a few more times throughout the year! We were gifted this movie. It’s damned near flawless.

[@leonleon2276]

That’s the point. If you worked it out then that means the movie would have been trash.

[@quantumphaser]

Long live practical miniature fx. CGI will never replace what these guys can do.

[@Just-Gi-404]

But making 3D models is basically the same, just digitally. If you ever doing it you will know , but if you never doing it you won't.

[@Braindeadlobotomite]

@@Just-Gi-404 it may be similar, but it still looks worse than a tangible model

[@peterthx]

@@Braindeadlobotomite Most CG these days is hidden. You'd never know a building's been added or a car (or buses) or people or whatnot. I'm not talking your superhero or sci-fi epic either. Just normal, mundane life on the street where the street was a studio backlot that had to be expanded digitally.

[@liamlefebvre5869]

@@peterthx CG artists are like plastic surgeons, if your work is noticeable then you probably did something really wrong.

[@benbunch4159]

I mean, there is some really impressive great looking CGI in this movie that is called out in this video…

[@grimmer2005]

Well... This kinda explains why this movie from 1996, still looks better than most movies today.

[@kotchapakmaneechote2062]

1996*

[@Kaltavious]

July 3, 1996

[@grimmer2005]

@@kotchapakmaneechote2062 corrected 😄

[@billjamison2877]

Fantastic craftsmanship! The amount of work that went into this to make Independence Day is mind boggling. GREAT JOB ALL!

[@Crazyuncle1]

The talented people behind the camera are the real magic of Hollywood. Great writers and actors are rare.

[@c123bthunderpig]

You just had 1,000's of plastic modelers faint all over the world to know you could build that many models with great detail in such a short time, crazy fun summer flick, Thanks for the memories.

[@tsarbomba1]

When you're good... you're good.

[@JohnJ469]

It probably helps not to have the rivet counters looking over your shoulder.

[@KumaBean]

I watched another of these videos just before this one, about the Titanic movie, where the modeller said that the built a 12ft scale model has f the Titanic in only nine days. They obviously had a large, skilled and dedicated team to pull it off, but it still boggles the middle mind, 👌 🤝

[@KumaBean]

(Sorry about the jibberish, fat thumbs and a disobedient phone, lol)

[@c123bthunderpig]

@@KumaBean OMG, 12 FEET, in 9 days, I can't imagine the skill set in that. It seems that the 1990's was just starting to improve CGI and still had to build a lot of models. The way plastic kit models are increasing in scale, like 1/16,1/24 and 1 / 32. We may soon have kits that big :-) Cheers and Happy Holidays

[@guksack]

Perfect blend of models with CGI I thought. Wish it was still more like this era.

[@lcfflc3887]

it's better than full CGI, more realistic.

[@garyc3955]

You will not find a finer gentlemen then Mike Joyce, an amazingly talented effects specialist and kindest person their is!!

[@lemondemerveilleuxdechrist6515]

Golden era of movie model ! Such a great work !

[@patsquach4080]

Thanks for putting this out there …. Kudos to ALL the people behind the scenes who helped make things happen …

[@davidw5532]

This work looked amazing on the big screen back in ‘96. Saw the film five times at the cinema that summer at age 16. Great memories!!

[@afterlife_gl2818]

And it was really something when the movie came out, because they showed us something that we really haven't seen before on movies. The miniatures looked so real when I saw the movie and I think I was only 10 at the time, and it blew my mind - the effects are noticeable now, but still, the movie looks great. And respect to all the craftsmen in the movie.

[@HighwayLand]

I was 17, and I loved everything about it.

[@afterlife_gl2818]

@@HighwayLand I really miss those kind of effects nowadays; I'm not saying that visual effects are bad these days, but growing up where visual effects were at the nasciment at that time, miniature made a huge impact on my love to movies, of course visual effects as well. I think I spent more time watching the making of's and behind the scenes of the movies and this channel revived my interest in watching making of's once again.

[@HumanHamCube]

I'm in vfx (on a few Emmerich productions) and this channel let's me fall in love with the work on a daily basis. 🙌

[@piercefilm]

Thanks for watching!

[@frankgonzalez966]

How can I get into the business what do I have to do?

[@chrisw443]

@@frankgonzalez966 honestly, probably just ask people in the business, most folks are very nice to people who wanna learn. There are so many ways in.

[@HumanHamCube]

@Frank Gonzalez it's difficult takes a lot of commitment and personal sacrifice. The work and yourself can be pretty intertwined. It was worth it for me. I will always encourage anyone to enter this field! And know the toll it can take.

[@HumanHamCube]

@Frank Gonzalez companies are always looking for good junior artists. If you are fresh in this, you can be flexible. An eagerness to learn on the spot is a big plus. Dont have to be the best but be a good junior and be willing to work in different ways different places with different people. Openess and communication is really key. You can specialize or be a generalist. Focus took me a while but that's essential.

[@olentangy74]

I remember the super bowl trailer for this film and was blown away by it and I couldn’t wait for the film to premiere. I wasn’t disappointed. Seeing it on the big screen was amazing. I saw it again recently and it still holds up today. IMHO ID4 is one of the great sci fi films to be made.

[@Angelo_Nicolson]

Back in the golden era of special effects. These hold up way better that pure CGI.

[@musoseven8218]

Awesome dedication - I've made models for 50 years and I can't imagine the amount of work and time that these guys put in (very often only to be blown up!) Kudos!✌️👍😊

[@manfromanywhere]

Those would have been the bog standard Hasegawa 1/32 Hornets then. Always wanted to know. Nice to spot the venerable 1/72 Italeri C-130 and the 1/72 Heller E-3 Sentry awacs. Funny; I got two 1/72 C-130 hanging behind my workbench as well - indeed like fish!

[@Jedi-Deni]

Oh the memories! I devoured every bit of behind the scenes info when this movie came out. I liked it as a good popcorn flick, but LOVED the miniatures and fx work. So much so I remember driving about 30 miles to the nearest Wal-Mart to buy it on VHS on release day bc that was the only place open at midnight, lol. I took a lot of ribbing for doing tgat, but I didn't care, seeing the Special FX again and again were worth it to me. Brilliant work! :)

[@yemx4683]

Exactly why older movies will always be better especially ones that were very attention to detail! Independents Day still is a great movie and the all of the work to make it real still holds strong today!

[@grahamehadden4320]

Some amazing interviews. Your giving an insight into the industry that rarely gets seen.

[@piercefilm]

Thanks! It's been a fun project. Now I'm leaving it here on KZbin for the education and inspiration of future filmmakers.

[@EgetFox]

Great job. They never cease to admire the work of people who create miniatures and other pre-computer special effects. - Великолепная работа. Не перестают восхищаться работой людей, создающих миниатюры и прочие докомпьютерные спецэффекты.

[@redstrat1234]

Absolutely amazing. Those models looked amazing in the film

[@stephenkissane4268]

It's amazing, the blu Ray never had an effects segmant like this. The models are beautiful and look real . I thought after the abyss and jurassic Park there was alot of cgi

[@SolidMikeP]

I love these videos so DAMN much, thanks!

[@piercefilm]

Thanks for watching!

[@gieselats]

Still so interesting to listen to you guys. I love your work. Thanks for sharing your stories and your hints and winks behind the scene. Keep up the good work.

[@GigaBrand]

Been waiting to see the film on this channel. Absolutely stunning work I had no idea how they pulled those shots off!

[@frankrobyn-fuhrmeister7774]

In Germany they told Emmerich was praised for using miniatures and toys and saving a lot of money to the studio. They acted as if Emmerich invented using miniatures.

[@Netbug]

Really appreciate the longer talks, thanks!

[@TheBonsaiZone]

Wow, this was awesome, I'll have to watch the movie again!

[@mattgaming8717]

Mind blowing I still cant tell with most of the work. Well done man.

[@Kosackk]

One of my favorite movies as a kid, i used to pop the movie in a VHS-player when i felt like it, good times!

[@mattharris8622]

Amazing work! Amazing artists!

[@spaceflightengr]

Ah, for the days of pre-slap good Will Smith scifi movies…. ID4 is, on many levels such a fun and well made genre film. Thanks for the look at the miniature work!

[@Holtenstein]

Love that move. IT made that summer great!

[@blacktronpavel]

Awesome. Practical effects are so much better. You can tell the love that went into this movie... Unlike its sequel.

[@FPilotBierce]

The Lindberg scale model company was one of the merchandisers of Independence Day, and they were selling kits of the alien and the Attacker ship and the Hornet and Stearman biplane and one of their selling points was "our kits were used by the effects department". Had no way of knowing how true that was but I guess it got confirmed now! Oprah Winfrey did a program on movie special effects and Independence Day's effects were featured.

[@lear60man]

I worked at a place that was in the licensed prop replica business and we got a ton of molds from ID4. Everything from mailboxes, to cars, to radios.....molds of everything from the destruction scenes. We only produced the alien fighters and I painted up some of the large F-18's to hang over our booth at Comicon 1994? Thanks for doing this video.

[@encinobalboa]

Analog special effects is so much better than CGI.

[@Electronzap]

Much better than CGI.

[@pixelforge4858]

very cool. rare pics of the mothership shown in here 5:12

[@sittingstill3578]

I wonder how the popular miniature makers on KZbin compare to those in the film industry. When I watch _Studson Studio_ or _Boiley Hobbies_ their skills are amazing but when I see the scale and productivity of the makers on these movies I wonder how much more is possible.

[@philliphartman2381]

Independence Day was the last great practical effects movie.

[@PolLight3000]

When Independence Day came out they showed how they created those tons if flying Hornets and alien ships on the computer just by 'copy and paste'. But they never showed all the real model stuff like you get to see it here... By the way, I first became aware of miniature construction for films when an article about Roland Emmerich's "Moon 44" appeared in a german cinema magazine back then. There it was explicitly shown how the models were built and how certain scenes in the film were shot with them. The flight scenes in the moon valleys in particular were created differently than one might think. I found that extremely interesting, I was absolutely fascinated - I was still a teenager and had just started the modeling hobby. It's a pity that I accidentally saw this booklet at my brother's, I would have loved to keep it (this booklet is long lost today...).

[@Nordlicht05]

Animation was hot shit than. Maybe same with all things that getting a certain age there are people that say this garbage interests nobody and throw things away. The interest than comes back.

[@PolLight3000]

@@Nordlicht05 Das ist wohl wahr!

[@lepterfirefall]

Outstanding effects....

[@CSltz]

No wonder it’s called movie magic. I thought that they might have been some of those radio controlled jets that are out there. Your eye for detail is amazing. I saw a movie a long time ago.Where the landing gear was sappose to come down on a airliner. They used stock footage from a B-52.

[@DuaneTanTC]

there's something about movie out of a miniature set that is so much realistic than how a realistic life-like CGi movie can be...

[@kensmith2839]

I was stationed at MCAS El Toro from Feb 73 to late June 76. Nice to hear that the movie scenes were actually in Montana.

[@FranciscoSilva-bv9qq]

4:23 I had NO idea that was in camera! all this time I thought it was just stock footage they had sourced somewhere but the fact that an f15 and a f14 flying in formation always caught my attention. would the navy and Air Force split up escort duties?

[@silkcustoms520]

Mad Skills. Raw talent

[@TheRubberStudiosASMR]

I am amazed at how much of this is miniature

[@model101t800]

Is that the ROJ X-wing fighter that is now at the propstore ?

[@piercefilm]

X-wing?

[@model101t800]

@@piercefilm from 1.20 on you see a X-wing in the back ground, I wondered if that is the one of ROJ kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXqwpqaMnpp6nM0

[@model101t800]

Correction, Epp IV X-wing

[@piercefilm]

@@model101t800 It's a kit. Not a filming miniature.

[@model101t800]

@@piercefilm yeah I know now, someone of starshipbuilder pointed it out for me aswell, thanks for the feedback, love your channel sir

[@waverly2468]

I had a magazine about "Goldeneye" and how they did the effects in that Bond movie. When the jet crashes into the radar station, that was miniature work. Derek Meddings said if you can do everything "in camera" that saves a lot of money.

[@davidf2281]

Great episode!

[@YouOnlyIiveTwice]

I wonder if that pattern you see at 9:50 on the alien spaceship is an Easter egg reference to the Millennium Falcon

[@joelesher7106]

I had a high school friend who played a role in this movie. It was a shock the first time I saw the movie because I didn't know he was in it (8 or 9 yrs after high school). It was pretty cool to see.

[@THR33STEP]

WTF!!!!!! I thought that was all CGI!!!!! Mind literally blown away!!!!!!!

[@Annatar0]

How did they add all the detail on the city destroyer ships?. You can see some of the detail at 9:16 and I doubt they sculpting in all that tiny detail by hand.

[@piercefilm]

layers of etched brass and castings of sculpted parts

[@Annatar0]

@@piercefilm yeah...when I googled around it seems that they designed layers of detail that can be seen on the space ships in a computer and then laser printed it onto brass. It would explain the very fine detail on the smaller scale ships like the city destroyer I refrenced there. I would imagine they started with a big overall pattern as the first layer and then added to it with more layers with finer and finer detail very similar to sacred geometry patterns.

[@ajb695]

Had NO IDEA the tarmac scene with all the Tomcats and Hornets was a miniature. We watch the movie once a year, every year on July 4th, so, between all that and the number of times I went to the theater, I have seen this movie A LOT. No idea...

[@jasonamigo023]

As one who builds model fighter jets as a hobby...working on this would have been a dream. Haha

[@JoshuaC923]

No wonder it looked so good

[@PplsChampion]

love these videos

[@jasonpomare5639]

You guys are amazing model builders , I didn't even know they were model aircraft in the movie.

[@railerswim]

Practical and funny at the same time. Ironic how that kind of inguinity helps make a film timeless while Hollywood today is abusing vfx and cgi instead of using them to help elevate their films.

[@Just-Gi-404]

Making miniatures , or scale models is really fun .

[@luisgordillo1695]

This Movie Had everything from A to Z as far as Special effects and Movie Class.. Jets, helicopters ,Dog fights , Plane crashes , Fights, explosions ,gun fire, aliens, nuclear Bombs, earthquakes, fireworks , military, Spaceships, Area 51, Conspiracies , Astronauts, demolition, world wide scenery, cities ,oceans, deserts, Desert people, a Love story and almost all types of story's, Man I can think of a lot more 😱😱😱😱😱😱🤘🤘 they even said Tamale in this Bitch 😁😁

[@johnosbourn4312]

This was very interesting.

[@allgood6760]

Awesome!

[@NoSuRReNDeR001]

@9:51 that looks like the millennium falcon on the left... is that an Easter egg there?

[@Parawingdelta2]

Amazing talent to build these things and then create the desired effect. It must be a bit frustrating when they go to all the trouble to build an exact replica of the White House just to see it blown to bits.

[@kidchuckle]

is this film available on any streaming service?

[@piercefilm]

All of Sense of Scale is uploaded here on my channel. Around 20 hours or so. Free! And more coming up.

[@kidchuckle]

@@piercefilm thats awesome. sorry i wasnt sure if there was a seemless version. 20hrs. thats astounding!+!

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Absolutely fantastic, amazing pooptube channel. One of the best 👌 👍

[@Candyguy8283]

🥺❤ the models are so cute

[@HULLGRAFFITI]

Wow...Spooky ,I only watched this for the first time in years a few days ago...Great popcorn movie I remember seeing it in cinema..

[@ashman187]

Welcome to Earth!

[@applejacks971]

"I coulda been at a bbq...and what's that smell!?!?!?"

[@Sska29]

The problem is studios used cgi to completely push miniature effects out of the industry. Studio movies don't do miniature effects and in-camers special effects anymore. Haven't done in 20 years atleast. Maybe one niche director here and there, maybe some cartoon channels with one show that relies on stop motion, and maybe a few speciality movies. If studios used both miniature sfx and cgi together to do the best job possible then people wouldn't call out and hate on cgi workers so much. This stuff is what engineering is about honestly. Building prototypes and testing them. It's delicate work. But everyone in industry just wants to sit in front of a computer and get the product out as cheaply as possible.

[@billbombshiggy9254]

THATS why these effects still hold up almost thirty years later. They look very real. And it's pathetic how bad CGI is now.

[@MeaProcerDiligo]

How does he built them? There are 1/48 Revell models? Or the pieces are man made or customized?

[@piercefilm]

1/32nd scale model kits from hobby shops. He made an assembly line like in a factory. First the wings parts, then the tail parts etc.

[@MeaProcerDiligo]

@@piercefilm what an amazing job. I feel lucky to watch this mastery in model making. Thank you so much.

[@MarK-x9y]

I actually thought that the some of the air craft scenes were shots of real jets!

[@87yugo74]

good job

[@DynamteKid316]

Earned a sub.+like! Love it!

[@MikeJamesMedia]

Brilliant! :)

[@SR71ABCD]

Explain why was there a F-16 in RAF markings?

[@piercefilm]

Maybe the whole world had to group their weapons together to fight the aliens? Who knows... It was a sci fi summer action popcorn movie.

[@janbaukespoelstra6839]

The magic of film😂!

[@1183tn]

The irony is now that CGI is the main go to when it comes to movie magic, they completely forgot to work on plots and story line. Independents day will always be a classic...

[@441rider]

Adobe photoshop filmstrip plug in was around in 90s any video can be altered in micro detail.

[@piercefilm]

Yes, but most of us didn't have home computers back in 1995. At least not good ones with expensive software...

[@441rider]

@@piercefilm The function was there but RAM on the video cards made the process useless till much later like photo resolution LOL!. Amiga's video toasters were still worse than Star Wars etc. Great channel you have, worked a lot of sets here in Vancouver back then nothing like ID.

[@GABRIEL1030]

magic!

[@chichiboypumpi]

I will still use practial effects and miniatures, minimal use of cgi vfx.

[@LieorDie24]

Me too i always thought the flight scenes wher all real lol okay on Top Gun i knew they use scale planes for some scenes its impressive how many scenes are still made with models and the viewer thinks they use real planes

[@4Everlast]

Going from this to full CGI is Emmerich's biggest mistake. Besides his scripts tho.

[@cesarriquelme9487]

independence day is biurifore movie is My favorite and the miniature efects exelent vvorks congratulations guys tanks you very much okay bye bye 👍💝👌💯👑💝🇦🇷💝💝💝🇺🇸💝😂😁😀😇😷🙏🆗

[@richardjohnholdenra3492]

I used to fly on the AWACs back in the 80s

[@jubadjennadleconquerant8067]

Better then CGI

[@Bringos76]

Did you interview people that worked on the miniatures for The Fugitive (1993) train crash scene? Warner Bros. told the staff not to discuss the use of miniatures so they could promote the scene as all real-for-real. But the real train crash footage shot did not work- well so they had resort to using miniatures.

[@piercefilm]

That was done by Introvision. I have many photos of the miniature work, but no one I interviewed talked about the film. It was a great sequence.

[@Bringos76]

@@piercefilm Oh cool. I had heard a rumor they had to sign NDAs not to talk about it

[@22ergie]

Just curious why they didn't computerize everything; as it seems it would be much less time consuming, much more cost effective, and easier? I personally prefer the 'old school' way, yet I was surprised it wasn't all computerized. Nice job, guys.

[@piercefilm]

In 1996, computers were much slower and cost a lot of money. CGI was only used for some shots. Miniatures cost less and were faster to build and film. Explosion in CGI looked terrible back then, so it was more realistic and cheaper to just blow the models up.

[@22ergie]

Got it, thanks! Happy new year!@@piercefilm

[@vladviliga8107]

[@chrislj2890]

It seems like only yesterday that this movie came out. With everything being CGI these days are all of these talented type of people out of work?

[@piercefilm]

Unfortunately, many are. But some directors like Wes Anderson and Tarantino and Christopher Nolan still like to use miniatures in their films. Get ready for Asteroid City coming up in June. Lots of model work in that!

[@mr.manfredjensenjen7294]

Indiana Jones 5 looks mostly CGI. I think they over use it. I don’t know if they’re too lazy or what but I don’t like these mostly CGI action scenes. I really enjoyed the visuals of this movie!

[@uncledavesfrontier6846]

Real movie makers!