MOON miniature effects

[@decibelfilm]

It's wild to think that the miniatures are what makes MOON really special for most fans, and that Jones gets all the credit for their implementation, yet he absolutely had no intention of using miniatures until Pearson made clear their potential and affordability to him.

[@cheeseskreist5654]

Thats what I heard from Bill when I met him. All of Jones's films are nose-diving since Moon. One hit wonder..

[@blackcatgraphics1483]

@@cheeseskreist5654 gotta disagree, Source Code is a brilliant movie, every bit as good as Moon.

[@cheeseskreist5654]

@@blackcatgraphics1483 We mutually disagree. SC was an extended Twilight zone episode, Warcraft a mess, and Mute just god-awful..

[@pyrotechc3h8]

Yep, once again we were led astray by IMDB "Trivia"

[@kevarosenberg]

@@cheeseskreist5654 Warcraft was awesome!

[@nyastclair8174]

I loved this movie before knowing all of this. Amazing

[@ghostman5620]

The "Moon" miniature effects are TOP NOTCH! the whole movie is top notch.

[@jamesdominguez7685]

One recurring thing I love in all of these videos is how resourceful and creative these model-makers were, finding random bits of junk in the real work that worked as parts for miniatures. CGI is great, but you never get anything for free like that - everything digital has to be built from scratch. Both art forms have their pros and cons.

[@mattdawg83686]

I just watched Moon the other night, and the model work still holds up almost 13 years later. It has never let me down with each viewing!

[@rolithesecond]

If you think about the amount of models and details, I thin 47k is dirt cheap, holy hell.

[@deadredeyes]

Seriously!

[@GnocchiTV]

Could’ve easily doubled or even tripled the price and they would’ve got the gig and it would’ve been completely worth it. They undervalued their amazing work.

[@deadredeyes]

@@GnocchiTV Indeed. They had no idea of their true value. It's fucking sad that they were paid so little when they deserved so much more.

[@joejose8433]

@@deadredeyes sounds like Nancy pelosi where she negotiate the stimulus payment down to 600 bucks when Mitch McConnell had power hell if anything he probably wouldn't negotiate her ass down too 60 dollars you got to know how to negotiate

[@KruddMan]

@@deadredeyes it's kind of a crazy thing that all of the people who work on films (and games) make no returns after the production is over. It all goes, ad infinitum, to whoever paid these people the bottommost bottom line.

[@DFMurray]

This whole time I was saying man wish more people would use the CGI Moon used it was fantastic! lol...this whole time it was Miniatures. I had no idea. No wonder it looked sooo good.

[@EDcase1]

When I worked at Shepperton Studios I often visited Bill's workshop to have a chat and see what he was making. Such a lovely laid back guy. Rest in peace Bill 😥

[@grahamwalker6395]

My family had a model shop in East London and we supplied many plastic kits to Shepperton studios and the like. In fact the space shuttles in Moonraker, the Bond film were Airfix models supplied by us. I believe we even supplied parts for the early Star Wars films among many others.

[@ddegn]

Cool story. Thanks for letting us know. I always loved model shops. They almost had a magical feel about them.

[@coloradostrong]

Oh, you were right down the street from the gun shop that has those beautiful 44. Magnum revolvers, 9mm Glocks that were gold plated and some of the AR-15s and AK-47s. Good thing you still have those self-protection shops to defend against those "immigrants". That only bring "diversity" with them. Cheers.

[@mike18699-e]

@@coloradostrong what on earth are you on about?

[@coloradostrong]

@@Ricardo-cl3vs Spittin' facts in those words.

[@darthbuzz1]

That is really interesting Graham. Funnily enough, just finished an Airfix Moonraker and stupidly added the 'piping' down the middle of the fuel tank which wasn't on the Airfix model only to find that it wasn't on the Moonraker miniatures... now I know why.

[@porkwoofles3909]

Bill Pearson is a living legend, and his portfolio is immense.

[@wayneoates8842]

Pork Woofles sadly, he has just passed away at the beginning of March- so sad 😞

[@mishunkontrol1874]

RIP Bill Pearson! Thank you for so many great memories and movies! Your models spark so much inspiration!

[@deadredeyes]

I had no idea of his passing until I read this comment. Bill's talent and his crew made some of the greatest models ever. I hope that someone is saving his legacy. This man's work deserves to be in a museum.

[@The.Pickle]

Oh man, that's really sad news.

[@kjamison5951]

A tremendous loss to the industry.

[@sjoormen1]

Hell of a movie. Brilliant work. Simple story, but good story.

[@deadredeyes]

RIP Bill. Thank you for all the memories.

[@chrisrogerson8370]

A shout out to Steve Howarth for the MASSIVE undertaking of Model Shop Supervisor too. I can imagine very long hours, stress and deadlines to meet for the huge amount of miniatures to be constructed for the shoot. Bill was just part of a sensational miniature effects team. Proper old school stuff that's hard to beat.

[@MartinFutter70]

Miniatures win hands down every time...hats off to all involved

[@JeffShepherdphotos]

. I appreciate this movie even more now. Who needs CGI when you got such great miniatures!

[@neogeo1670]

even better they are real not just ones and zeros

[@Gambit771]

The CGI was needed for the dust.

[@JeffShepherdphotos]

@@Gambit771 True. But the vehicles etc are still models .

[@eliaspeter7689]

Yeah, people usually say screw CGI, but actually models and CGI together give the best results.

[@Gambit771]

​@@JeffShepherdphotosBut the models would look out of place without the dust.

[@malaudisa]

Great video! Goes to show that a great movie doesn't need expensive CGI to tell a great story... Moon is a favorite of mine, a captivating story with great acting and a set that's just convincing enough. As a hobbyist model-maker, I truly appreciate the great work that these artists have done on the feature.

[@flashchrome]

Well done. You def. fooled me., I didn't know it was miniatures.

[@CarnorJast1138]

Moon is one fantastic movie! When I saw it the first time, I couldn't believe what I was seeing! I still feel that scale models are far better looking than CGI. I have gotten so sick of CGI FX that it was refreshing to see Moon with miniatures! Bravo guys!

[@Gambit771]

Apart from the CGI you don't realise it's CGI.

[@meat-hook]

I love this movie. I was just about to watch it again tomorrow.

[@TheSparrowLooksUp]

I hope practical and miniature effects never die. There's just something about the extremely slight "off-ness" that sells it in our minds that CGI cannot replicate at the same price point (or probably at all, imo)

[@nevertrustatory9412]

Magic Camera, the company that revived after Cinesite closed, is still going at Shepperton.

[@RedStallion2000]

"Off-ness?" In what sense? CG continues to have its own "off-ness" that turns people off from it. Uncanny Valley, etc...

[@Gambit771]

Both CGI and models have their 'off-ness' and both do something the other can't.

[@chipbrandstetter]

The work they did on that film is superb.

[@itsMrNoble]

Brickhouse Films My dad was the production designer on this film.

[@chipbrandstetter]

@@itsMrNoble that is super cool.

[@daveforward4142]

This film really showcases the excellent talent of Steve Howarth - the modelshop supervisor on this film. Who would have thought that toilet paper dispensers would be used on one of the models!

[@dannyr2976]

Great little segment, but honestly after hearing _"Haven't you missed a zero on the end of it?"_ I'm thinking how many would've said _"OH, silly me, of course. My mistake!"_ lol!

[@lepterfirefall]

I literally had NO IDEA it was all miniatures. OUTSTANDING.

[@neogeo1670]

this movie is a masterpiece definintly a future classic

[@RWSCOTT]

6:00- did not notice that, lol. I DO always notice commercial kitchen floor mats as wall and ceiling covering in SF films. I think Kubrick started that tradition with 2001. :D -also noticed the homage to Outland at the end of Moon w/the assassins arriving on the shuttle, which itself looked a bit like a piece of Con-Am 27.

[@Hopkai]

This is part of the magic that is missing from most of todays movies. Thanks for posting this.

[@lucywucyyy]

i had no idea moon was done with minitures, dunno why more movies dont do that it looked really good

[@bamjam0716]

Moon is one of my favorite SciFi pics. I had no idea it was miniatures! Fantastic job!!!

[@unclemonty9506]

Moon was fantastic - I'd love to see a decent remake of Silent Running

[@roxair1]

Good idea - that movie remake would fit quite well into the environmental challenges of today. But Hollywood doesn‘t like sad endings anymore.

[@kjamison5951]

@@roxair1 Holywood needs to wake up to the fact that happy endings are a lie. Sometimes you have to slap the faces of your audience in order for them to act responsible.

[@kjamison5951]

Mind blown. You guys are the bomb! Great job on all the miniatures and miniature effects!

[@ericwilsonfineart]

Another Great Video! legends of the modelmaking world. I know that Model Shop supervisor Steve Howarth had a huge input on that movie and I've had the pleasure of seeing the models he made for MOON with my own eyes. Amazing work.

[@ty1978]

The models made for MOON were just amazing, wish they were available as STL's as I'd love to build some of the props from this brilliant film

[@HonkeyKong54]

One of the model makers released a 1/6 scale version of the robot gurdi I think his name is but it's long sold out.

[@bmused55]

This is a great little video. I love the craft of miniature making and finding out the ordinary every day objects they thrown onto them. Once painted and part of the models, you often never spot them! It's amazing how easy it is to not spot such an object when it is completely out of original context. Also, I love how the first part is very frank. No beating about the bush about how much they charged. Just comes straight out with it.

[@davewar9098]

I enjoyed the movie Moon. One of Rockwells finest. The creative effects, especially the harvestor vehicle, is tops. Great job guys!

[@DVincentW]

Directed by David Jones, David Bowie's son.

[@starclone4]

This was great... Moon is one of my all time favorites !!!!

[@R2D2inAustralia]

Moon was the first movie my eight year old daughter sat still for and was captivated by in a cinema. Brilliant miniatures ... and as underpaid as the fellows that built the first R2D2 for starwars......

[@tomroland2315]

Found this fascinating. I didn't realise how much of the film was produced using miniatures and how cost effective this technique was.

[@blank557]

If I was a millionaire, I'd love to buy the minis and scenery these gents built.. Great stuff.

[@matthewd478]

Despite all the limitations with the budget, the film ended up looking great. The combination of the sets and the writing really did a great job of setting the mood. Haven't watched it in ages, this makes me want to see it again.

[@DVincentW]

David Jones director, is David Bowie's son.

[@j.pendergrass9805]

If nobody spoke at all through this film I’d still rewatch it just for those awesome effects👍

[@petez4608]

Brilliant work. Brilliant film which had a huge impact on me. The miniature scenes were critical to the overall tone and feel.

[@irrationalgaz]

Amazing work for an amazing film.

[@lknanml]

Such an underrated movie. I had no idea what this movie was about when I sat down to watch it aside from it took place on the moon. Good movie. REALLY good sets and models!

[@dogwalker666]

Fascinating documentary. Miniatures always look better than digital, I have never heard of the film MOON I will have to see if I can acquire a copy.

[@piercefilm]

Great film! Directed by Duncan Jones (David Bowie´s son)

[@dogwalker666]

@@piercefilm Cool.

[@dogwalker666]

@@piercefilm I have ordered a copy, looking forward to watching it.

[@msh6865]

@@dogwalker666 you'll really enjoy it. Great little twist near the end and as laid out here, wonderful miniatures.

[@dogwalker666]

@@msh6865 thanks

[@philmellor4885]

This was fascinating...old school genius. Love these guys.

[@praveentkphotography569]

Very good work, so much details 👌👌,

[@JAnthony-bc6qm]

Wonderful film. Excellent miniature effects. This illustrates how miniatures and models are NOT obsolete, and how CGI is great for final touches and certain atmospheric effects and ambiance. I think miniatures can work without CGI, though CGI does add some "gloss" and realism.On the other hand, I don;t CGI on its own is convincing enough.

[@HoLd_My_Beer_Thanks]

You can’t beat practical “In-Camera” effects 👍

[@adrianolima6142]

This is amazing! Great designs in the old school way, I love them.

[@scottb721]

Loved this movie.

[@OliveRC-Addict]

OMG :D thank you for sharing

[@subseeker]

An awesome movie, highly recommended.

[@cryptout]

Great video, what a creative geniuses!

[@mrkumaran]

Legends, I wish they all could make one more movie only with miniatures using all these guys. They are simply amazing

[@piercefilm]

Unfortunately, Bill Pearson passed away, and most directors/producers today only want CGI.

[@jamiethomas18]

Fantastic insights, thank you for sharing this.

[@piercefilm]

Thanks for watching! More coming soon.

[@alexchubbymclynn6060]

Most interesting video, thanks! The models are of stunning quality and realism. I love the movie itself, it is sad but very interesting. Thanks!

[@piercefilm]

Thanks for watching!

[@alexchubbymclynn6060]

@@piercefilm Thanks for sharing!

[@markusdaxamouli5196]

Moon his all cylinders for me....it had TONE down, the visuals were top notch, and the actors played their parts perfectly. Rockwell gained allot of my respect doing this movie..he made it work.l

[@DanielDanielsen]

Highly underrated movie and what an amazing man

[@gigerbrick]

just amazing work!

[@SagaofaCrew]

A 1980's Science Fiction Cult Film Movie Prop is taken out of cold storage to begin a restoration ======= kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJbGoIqij8Z8ndU

[@krombopulosmichaels2996]

Dude I love great practice affects over CGI. Moon was great sci-fi film!

[@35mmMovieTrailersScans]

I don't remember seeing a true science-fiction movie since this one.

[@jatigre1]

Blade Runner 2049

[@35mmMovieTrailersScans]

@@jatigre1 yeah, I exaggerated... We could add Arrival also.

[@jonathan2260]

I find it ironic that back in the days of TV shows like Babylon 5 in 1993 that they started to do CGI because it was cheaper than using miniatures and that in 2009 it's cheaper to use miniatures. If more studios went with miniatures now at these price points, I'll bet it would put pressure on CGI prices to come back down to earth.

[@mdk9000]

Awesome. What a great film with such believable moonscapes and buggies! Cat litter haha...great stuff

[@nel1962]

This makes me think of the effects crew for Space:1999. They did things in a certain old school way that depended on the quality of the models, lighting, and shot design.

[@agent_soshi]

I feel like people underestimate the amount of man hours that go into cg work, love miniatures and the way they look on camera, even though that look can be achieved with cg I hope the art of miniatures isn’t lost

[@HonkeyKong54]

No…no it can’t. I could watch people sitting on a computer creating 3d models/etc for an entire film and I’d still respect these types more.

[@JaapioNL]

Those miniatures are really cool!

[@paulbelci3945]

There is richness you get from a properly shot miniature that only the best cgi gets.

[@beatrute2677]

Moon is a great movie.

[@rhinehardt1]

Never tell anybody "It was a luck accident". The correct thing to say is"You have no idea how long we worked to get that effect. But, it worked."

[@Rayyman]

amazing. LOve miniature work. I'm glad some directors are using it again. I guess cgi is not cheaper

[@ghostman5620]

12:02 when did i start watching "Spinal Tap"?

[@artes.impias]

Moon is amazing, didn't know he was involved in it.

[@drubradley8821]

For what it is worth, out of my collection of approx 2200 DVD's, the movie "MOON" is actually in my top 10... I like the story plot, the "CGI" that I just now learned is miniatures, is amazing. Know what I am getting ready to watch next, now that I just learned all this... Well done guys/gals, if any...

[@VintageMovieChannel]

such an underrated movie.

[@RickyDownhillRDH]

Loved that movie!!

[@EDcase1]

Perfect example of a film where every part was just right. The story, script, acting, models and visual effects (CG) About the models vs CG cost, remember his price was only to BUILD the models. Filming them on a sound stage is more expensive and that's where other expertise is needed to make them look good. Even a great model will look terrible if it isn't filmed well.

[@dansv1]

That is one of my favorite movies. The somewhat low budget added to the appeal of it.

[@CMSixSeven]

One of my all time favorite movies.

[@The.Pickle]

Wow, this is amazing, it's such skilled work, really impressive. Moon is one of my favorite films and I was truly engrossed in what I was seeing; I much prefer real, physical effects.

[@Bigbacon]

wish film would go back to miniatures and actual sets over GCI.

[@deadredeyes]

Same here. They're so much more effective, to say the least.

[@armr6937]

It still does, I guess maximum effectiveness is combining the two. Lots of miniature work in Blade Runner 2049

[@muskokamike127]

The problem with CGI is 1) they rarely "get it right" and 2) they always go overboard.....always.

[@AlchemistsTable]

Apparently, the Arquitens-class light command cruiser in the Mandelorian is an actual hand-crafted model. You can see the imperfections in the close-up shots and it's a beautiful thing.

[@TechNoir808]

I really love these videos, just wish the audio mix was better. Still, thanks so much for posting these!

[@piercefilm]

Well, you can't have everything perfect if it's free.

[@maxpayne2574]

Well filmed miniatures are a lot better than CGI it just never looks real.

[@bobastu]

If these guys would get involved in the Maker movement for 1:18 and 1:12 action figures.....wow! I'm looking at that 1:12 rover and drooling. Great job on the stuff produced for Moon.

[@piercefilm]

Steve Howarth made some studio scale Rovers from his original molds. He sold them all.

[@bobastu]

@@piercefilm sometime in late 90s I figured out how who did the scale models for True Lies. I reached out to them via phone. I was inquiring as to the cost of purchasing the AV-8B studio model as I heard it was done in a larger scale, either 1:18 or 1:6. The individual on the phone acted offended, asked how I got the number, and told me they were a precision modeling company for Hollywood, not a toy store. I was in my 20s and prepared to spend a few thousand on such a beautiful piece. Is that how it was back then, a feeling of elitism and superiority in the industry??? In just curious because, to me, somebody wanting to buy something should be a complement.

[@piercefilm]

@@bobastu I think a lot of the models made in these shops cost tens of thousands or more. And they weren't mass produced. If some were left over after the filming, they usually end up in auction houses. Sorry to hear they were not nice. But these shops were busy places with professionals working for deadlines, and not the right place to ask about buying a model. Time is money.

[@bobastu]

@@piercefilm thanks for the info. I do appreciate it. Model making is an art form. I'm 49, and I always remind my kids about the practical models of we are watching an older movie and they comment how real something looks. While CG has a place, practical models are beautiful. Thank you for sharing.

[@trama110]

He brings up a great point about bidding from the CG and practical standpoint. It actually cost about the same or more to do scenes digitally. It's not about finances. It's about Director's control of the scene or shot. An insecure director will choose to go with CG if they are unsure about shooting the scene because of angles, lighting, etc. Insecure directors tend to do too many takes of a scene. The common: you always get the shot within the first three takes. In this case, the production company made a financial discussion and got the sot or shots. The film looked great. Well done. Duncan Jones is a great director.

[@piercefilm]

It's a shame Jones wanted it all CGI, but gave in due to miniatures being cheaper. All his other films have too much CGI. Moon is his best film partly because of the visual style and practical effects work.

[@trama110]

@@piercefilm funny to think: the star wars prequels consisted of more practical models than the original star wars trilogy...

[@piercefilm]

@@trama110 Yeah. But Lucas made sure the press only heard about "new" CGI technology being used. It's always the same in Hollywood studios. When there is a hit film all the studios want the new tech. Even if it isn't needed. After Star Wars in 77 everyone wanted motion control blue screen shots. Many films could have used models on wires outdoors in real light, but the studios wanted "new!" Firefox made that mistake, but The Right Stuff luckily used older in-camera effects and they hold up much better now.

[@Ulysses-31-o]

R.I.P Bill. :(

[@CookingwithYarda]

Thanks God they went with miniatures instead of silly CGI. That movie looks like a 50 Million !!

[@ddegn]

They could have gotten around the dust problem by shooting the scene in a giant vacuum chamber. It's not the 1/6 gravity that makes the dust look so cool coming off the rovers, it's the way it just falls back to the surface. The moon is one of the few places where rooster tails don't hang in the air (since there's no air on the moon). I'm of course joking about using a giant vacuum chamber. A giant vacuum chamber would have blown the budget by itself. Very cool miniatures. Thanks for sharing the video.

[@darthknight1]

Well done!

[@azathoz]

I have the feeling that this guys are the last ones of a dying breed. Very sad that we can't see beautiful miniatures in films anymore, but a few exceptions.

[@wadewatkins8864]

Fabulous!

[@BuceGar]

Such a great movie.

[@garywilloughby6893]

Brilliant!

[@jatigre1]

These geezers made a great movie

[@rdoetjes]

That’s hilarious. I’m a (part time) VFX guy, as here in NL the business isn’t al that big and as a one man studio, it’s incredibly hard to bid on bigger projects. But VFX are time consuming and SFX seems to have been erased from producers and directors’ memory. I was asked to do a shot on a second project with a group of indie filmmakers, where leeches were stuck to the you actors wet body as he came from the ocean (reference to standby me, many horror references in This pic). And they called for VFX, and I was amazed because the director is an SFX makeup guy and only puts stuff my way if he can’t do it practically or it was messed up. And I told them that it would require lots of tracking markers, that would need to be removed. It would be hell to track because the kid is wet and light will reflect, killing the tracks, so it’s gonna be a lot of manual tracking. It’ll cost me weeks todo the track alone. Why not use rubber leeches? He was like, they will be too static and look fake, besides how do yiu keep em sticking whilst in the ocean?! I was like you can make em from a real soft shore 10 rubber and since Sunny is muscular, we stick then on edges of muscles groups. So whether just breathes or moves it’ll give the illusion they move and the light and wetness will add to it. And prosaid isn’t water based glue, so it’ll stick. Now he has never worked with silicone so I said: “allow me to make a prototype I’m not a clay modeller but I can do a leech! In the worst case I model in t 3D and print it on my resin printer and cast it. I’ll get you 3 leeches. And only the closeup we do in VFX (all VFX even the skin). So I made these 3 made them extra wet with a paint in clear silicone layer and it worked perfectly. instagram.com/p/BuqO6F4HYO3/?igshid=19evu97fir1d1 And I really got more into doing SFX make up. As I never liked my VFX makeup results that much. I think there should be SFX/VFX hybrid people. My engineering background has given me luckily a lot of handsome skills. But most VFX guys aren’t even computer scientists, or filmmaker let alone makers. I would love to only do SFX all day long. It’s more interesting to build and paint things for real. And I’m only a beginner and it looks better and more real than I could initially in VFX.

[@ULTRAWIDE.]

Miniatures>CGI

[@julietgolf3331]

didn't know it was practical models. good movie

[@cloudyaperture4910]

Interesting. Looks like some of the miniatures are 1/6th scale. At 1:23 he is using a 1/6th scale action figure to block out a shot for compositing later.

[@nigelcarren]

Great upload thank you. A great insight into great film. But as we seem to be a small army of model-makers and Miniature Mechanics here , I wonder what everyone else is making today? For me it's a mechanical flag and miniature fully-articulated steel armour for the most unusual medieval army I have ever seen! (short film/music video).

[@piercefilm]

Some are teaching practical effects at colleges. Some make special order models for clients. Some still work in the film industry making miniature effects. Luckily, there are still a few directors who like practical effects (Wes Anderson, Tarantino, Christopher Nolan).