Movie Magic HD episode 07 - Action Miniatures

Special effects shots using miniatures with an emphasis on the 1993 Fantasy/Romance, Heart and Souls.
Documentary series dealing with every aspect of special effects in movies, from low-budget make-up to multi-million-dollar computer-generated graphics. The clear presentation includes descriptions of the creation and technical problems of the effects, and interviews with effects technicians, directors, stars and other crew. Each episode deals with one topic, effect or technician (eg theme park rides, CGI, Stan Winston), concentrating on one or more current or recent films.

[@briannord950]

These guys are true artists. Screw cgi!

[@ThunderZandor]

Hey go watch the movie Screwed with Norm McDonald and Dave Chapelle and Danny DeVito. NO CGI at all. Just classic old style comedy.

[@hamursh]

If I had a nickel for every time somebody badmouths CGI, I'd buy all the movie studios in Hollywood! Now I know that I'm not the first nor the last person to admit that CGI has taken away the charm of handcrafted effects, I am just one of those people who is right in the middle.

[@CheapCheerful]

The Schoteks (sp), what absolute legends. Thank you for this, and for showing the story of the Russian special effects artists and directors who inspired them.

[@SB111058]

Skotaks?

[@julius-stark]

I used to watch this show as a kid. I miss practical effects so much. They almost always hold up better than CGI.

[@schultzeworks]

If done well, not at all true.

[@zyourzgrandzmaz]

​@@schultzeworksbahaha! 😂 You gotta be blind homie. The Marvel movies look like absolute sht in comparison to even just a muppets episode.. You're brain can tell what's 2d and what's 3d. By definition any CGI amongst real objects is 2d. Avengers looks like a flat image with green screened actors. And then there movies like roadhouse that use CGI fight scenes for no reason. CGI post Malone is cursed.

[@daffers2345]

I think CGI definitely has its place, especially for enhancement of backgrounds or when oractical effects would be too difficult or costly. But I do NOT think it should be generally used as much as it is today.

[@julius-stark]

@@daffers2345 100% agree. I think CGI is great for scene extensions and wire removal and stuff like that, but I've been watching a lot of old movies and I miss real explosions/stunts with real stuntmen and real squibs and muzzle flashes. It just feels different. Models, even when I can tell they're models, are still more "real" than a CGI vehicle that has no weight.

[@daffers2345]

_Terminator 2_ is one of my favorite movies. The nuclear explosion scene is still chilling to this day. That's a movie that used CGI properly -- as an enhancement to practical effects. I understand that, at the time, the nuclear explosion dream sequence was considered the most accurate in film. It's so cool to see even more behind-the-scenes stuff.

[@PhantomFilmAustralia]

Another practical use for CGI is to eliminate wires and poles from practical effects. That still looks more convincing than to produce the entire shot in CGI.

[@tobiaslescano5419]

is a shame this kind of effects are not used. They were really great, they look real... because they were real.

[@trainlover16]

They still are, but in not as many films. I hope to change that when I enter the professional film industry though. I’m going to use A LOT of miniatures in my productions.

[@joen8529]

@@trainlover16 I wish I hadn’t gotten discouraged when I was younger and wanted to be a filmmaker. Back in the 80’s and 90’s the whole world wasn’t nearly as accessible as it is now to a kid in the middle of America. It seemed impossible, and that’s exactly what people told me. I had no idea it would get to the point where we’d have every avenue, contact, industry at our fingertips 24/7…. No idea it would get to the point where so many hacks would be able to break in either, which frankly is what has happened. I was born at just the wrong time for what I wanted to do, and eventually I found myself doing other things. Wishing you well.

[@trainlover16]

@@joen8529 Thank you so much.

[@ZeBlackRider]

Maybe because computer graphic effects are cheapier than miniatures.

[@trainlover16]

@@ZeBlackRider Who cares if they are? If they look better, which they almost always do, use them. Also, many $200 million to $300 million budget tentpole films are flooded with CGI, and mostly look like dogshit, so there’s no excuse for not using miniatures just to save budget.

[@mactocmo]

Didn't know until now that Heart and Soukd is heavy with miniature effects. I love watching this show as a kid. BTS back in the day is as entertainment if not more entertaining than the movies they are from.

[@EleyReiHer]

I LOVE this show when I was young. Also Heart and Souls 😍❤️

[@daffers2345]

I never heard of _Heart and Souls_ before watching this episode today, in 2024. I'd like to see it now, even if it isn't a genre I don't normally enjoy. I like RDJ, and I would like to see him in movies I haven't seen, even older ones. Now I want to see the special effects too. :)

[@daffers2345]

*even if it isn't a genre I normally enjoy (I can't edit for some reason, sorry for the confusing grammar there) :B

[@JustinBradleyPhotographer]

OH MY GOD! Instant sub, I taped all of these episodes and they could still be in my Mom's attic to this day. I miss this show A LOT. This had an influence on me. I work creating professional media, currently trying to work my way into a movie job. If not, I am certainly having fun on here with my camera.

[@daffers2345]

This was the only show that our family of 5 ALL enjoyed watching. Sometimes my parents would rent a copy of of a movie that we saw featured so we could watch it together and see the special effects. I am hoping to see more practical effects as time goes on. I generally like them a lot better than CGI.

[@JustinBradleyPhotographer]

@@daffers2345 Agreed 100%. As someone who is working towards this type of production, whether through KZbin or if I am eventually recruited by major production team (recently recruited and hired by a major media company), practical effects is my main focus. At worst practical enhanced by digital to make it look more real or to help with scale. I can't even watch 300, it looks like a video game from the early 00's.

[@nyze6686]

looks better than todays CGI

[@Lumibear.]

Fantastic insight, great blast from the past, thank you!

[@edgardmachiavello]

Love it. Pure Magic. Pure Nostalgia.

[@EricCabana-cj6se]

The Russians special FX were really clever and came out really great! I especially love the solution for rockets' fire. And the landspeeder like vehicle? Just wow!

[@Laufield]

Better than cgi

[@k.rot9175]

Working with miniatures for the screen makes fun. I used 1:24 cars for some scenes too and a submarine. It is really facinating, how much you can make possible, with just the right lights and a good camera view 🙂

[@shaider1982]

I watched this as a kid. The episode on the film printer (edit: should be optical printer) which combines multiple films to composite them into one was interesting.

[@dan_hitchman007]

That is called an optical printer.

[@shaider1982]

​@@dan_hitchman007ahh, my bad. Thanks for the correction.

[@kylewarren5268]

This is now just another lost art

[@peterloohunt]

Really pleased this acknowledges the Russian pioneers.

[@jamesgallagher1992]

Love this....cgi no comparison

[@J_Thomas24]

Awesome! Movie Magic was one of my favorite shows.

[@SB111058]

'MINI - AH - CHURES' !!!! Love it!

[@Thiantrus]

CGI is great but practical stays the best

[@brandonjacksoon]

Thanks VFX Geek!

[@wernervanpeppen4873]

When visual effects were real and computers only used to blend them all together or do things you couldn't do practically. Nowadays they'll film the actor in greenscreen and only think about the set in post...

[@ferantunes72]

THANKS ! GREAT DOCS

[@markbarrera6807]

loved this show

[@Ponk_80]

Seriously KZbin, why is there ads every five minutes? You don’t even own this video.

[@brandonjacksoon]

That's interesting! Thanks!

[@MASTOMOKUCRUSH]

Miniature action model. Super awesome

[@LeMecQuiestCool]

Thank you for uploading this that’s so cool and still has some really fascinating insights!

[@ThunderZandor]

This intro reminds me a lot of another show from early 1990s called Sightings on the FOX channel. Synthesizer and image melding from 90's technology. Another intro that has that vibe is Seaquest the tv series.

[@davidvanhorn3340]

I cant believe the producers didn't even MENTION the legendary work of Eiji Tsubaraya

[@user-sr4up5vx7m]

Derek Meddings was doing exactly this before they were born. Check his credits.

[@wyldemusick]

Meddings had a hell of a career, going from Thunderbirds and other Gerry Anderson productions to the Bond films, where he delivered brilliant work through to GOLDENEYE.

[@daffers2345]

I'm the only person I know that liked _Thunderbirds_ unironically. Always good to meet other fans. :)

[@stianthomassen6693]

Is there an episode with the making of inner space?

[@mego73]

13:13 I believe they used front projection for the drop ship crash. You can make out the dim projection of the image on the actor's clothing.

[@wernervanpeppen4873]

yes on a scotchlite screen

[@user-qc8cg1ly6t]

Como conseguir está serie en DVD. Please

[@shaggycan]

I was thinking the music sounds like Babylon 5...so I watched the credits...yup Christopher Franke...same composer.

[@Gillian-xl7wb]

Nice to see his name, did great music, needs recognition for his contribution, especially t sounds from B5.😊

[@daffers2345]

I never watched _Babylon 5_ but I love the _Movie Magic_ theme song. Maybe I should look up more of his work. :)

[@user-sb9bt8xu8g]

Any Idea what they're spraying on the trees at 6:04? I may be getting ahead of myself, but i'm looking for more info on what the miniature buildings are actually make out of when they're meant to be destroyed in a scene. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[@ionabarker]

It looks like dust or some sort of aerosol to affect the atmosphere in the scene. The models are made out of whatever they need for the result, can be wood, cardboard, foam, or plaster. If it needs to break up like rubble they might use plaster, sometimes weird and bazaar items are used because its the only thing we can get our hands on with the time restraints or a strange material that will give the desired result (i used to work in model making for film and tv and still do it as a hobby).

[@Damidas]

Minny-uh-churz or Minnuh-churz?

[@Dreaklock]

So much better than doing EVERYTHING with CGI. I hate CGI. It is an affront to move making. (It has its placenbut Hollywood has so overused it they've soured me on it)

[@ThunderZandor]

All these modern, (so called), SPFX artist will be getting thrown off to the side of the curve now that A.i will be doing all the FX combined real and computer generated.

[@daffers2345]

I agree. CGI is good for enhancement. But too much is too much. I appreciate "real" effects much more. It's even more interesting if an accident makes it into film, such as the car failing to flip over properly when Loki blasts it in _Avengers._ Movie makers still need that "magic" and they still need to be creative and do workarounds when something unexpected happens.

[@ThunderZandor]

@@daffers2345 Very true. Many happy accidents happen because the laws of chance apply in the real world. In a computer the director can get the preferred result of an explosion during the blast and after on a scale of 1 to 10, lol😄. Not good. Chaotic chance is obliterated by CGI.

[@user-sr4up5vx7m]

Don't the people, who have made this video, Derek Meddings was doing exactly this 60 years ago Just check his credits.

[@wyldemusick]

This series is something like 25 years old.

[@IanDanielCassidy]

Disney, Hollywood, and so many other companies are just too rotten to the public anymore, so I'm willing to change them after I've got a dream job and stop all this madness in today's world to make "What" we really want to watch, cause as long Hollywood redeemed themselves, Disney and the companies will have another chance.

[@zyourzgrandzmaz]

Nowadays everything is just a flat 2d CGI image green screened around the actors who are also covered in green Dots for their CGI superhero outfits.. Any of these older movies is far better. More clear and better fps cus it's on film, and the effects are all real. Even the spaceship from "cat from outer space" is impressive on today's standards. cus its a physical object. Not a flat image of CGI.

[@user-zi1fi6fu7k]

Anti-Japanese Cameron's anti-Japanese film

[@dan_hitchman007]

Huh?

[@HeyDirty]

I loved the ever-loving-heck out of this show as a kid, and thought of it frequently while growing up.

[@FactsDontCareAboutFeelings_97]

They don’t make em like they used to. Hollywood puts out nothing but rushed garbage, woke nonsense, pointless remakes.

[@daffers2345]

Sometimes all 3 in one film. I haven't liked Disney for years. I'm sure it's much the same with other companies, but I don't go to the movies much. :P

[@Sl20]

All this work just to please the audience!!!!and nobody else !!!the creativity it has no limits!!!,and all of them are filled with that!!!!,🔴🫢🤫 20:17