Movie Magic HD episode 11 - Miniature Making

How miniature models are used in effects scenes with an emphasis on the television series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
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.

[@user-ct8my8rv9c]

These guys were replaced by CGI artists, and the CGI artists are now about to be replaced by AI.

[@Jeroscope]

Not really. Most model makers actually transitioned to CG as it was a tool to help them realize their creations faster. This comparison cant be said of AI.

[@kodiak8525]

And model makers aren't gone.

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

A lot of the guys made the jump to digital. The 3D model work they delivered afterwards was just as good in thanks to their experience.

[@desainalf]

...and AI replaced by there guys again tomorrow 😎

[@j03T3XAz]

Always remember what they took from us.

[@AvArIeNmArKu4]

God i was looking for this show for years

[@kevinpogue7294]

I started working at Greg Jein's shop about a year or two after this episode aired!

[@matsnilson7727]

Creating miniatures for movies is probably my dream job. It'll be quite difficult to earn a living doing that today, but it looks incredibly fun and satisfying. Massive respect to these guys for all their awesome work!

[@Ayogenius67]

bruh everything is done now in computer maybe if the movie production has a bigger budget

[@oxmeatpete]

I just love and miss these shows. Thank you so much for posting these so I can enjoy them again now I’m so much older. I sure miss the effort put into these practical effects. Thanks friend.

[@DrMurdercock]

They usedd to put more effort into these FX than modern directors seem to put into a lotof their movies

[@jmalmsten]

I don't know how many times I watched these as a kid on local movie satellite channels. They were usually used as filler content between movies to make the start times of the main presentations be on half hours. So I would always catch them in semi random order. Usually the same episodes over and over. Finally I get to watch them all. Making sure I don't miss an episode. :D Also. The random japanese segment on Cliffhanger was an odd diversion :p

[@kiniburk]

This is the job I wanted when I was growing up. Not an astronaut or a firefighter but a model builder.

[@DrMurdercock]

This show only aired on Discovery Channel. This show would have never aired anywhere else in the World and also, wouldn't have played between movies. So iam confuseed here

[@guy1ncognit0]

Wow I had this episode recorded on VHS when I was a little kid. Still remember hearing the theme song come on and running over to hit play and record at the same time and letting out a little "Yes!". Back then recording a show from the beginning felt like a small victory since who knows when a rerun would happen. Used to watch this episode over and over for years. Great stuff thank you!

[@nekodesigner]

Thanks for this video. It made me feel like a kid again

[@thepensivepenguin]

I miss this series.

[@captainchaos6628]

I LOVED this show! I still remember seeing behind the scenes of the Aliens attacking area 51 during Independence Day about 4 months before the movie came out. I knew right away that movie was going to be EPIC! And, it was.

[@ordinalkirk]

Not in all cases, but sometimes the miniatures appear more realistic on film than CGI.

[@sylkates]

They used to show this on I believe Discovery channel. Or TLC. I used to watch it at least once a week! It started my interest in special effects!

[@garycolton6522]

We see only the finished product in the cinema thinking that it’s an easy job. People in the industry both in front of the camera and behind it work damned hard and earn every penny they worked for.

[@steverino6954]

They are frequently very underpaid.

[@compact_parsee]

@@steverino6954 That's why OP said, "earn every penny", because that's all they're paid.

[@richardvasquez1666]

Unfortunately CGI is replacing this amazing trade

[@SB111058]

'Mini-AH-chures!' LOL!

[@joshuarnal]

The 😂 narrator at the end is hilarious

[@ryan8211982]

That narrator was Neil Ross who voiced Constructicon Hook and Autobot Springer on Transformers G1, Shipwreck and other characters on G.I. Joe, Keith, Pidge, Jeff and other characters on Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin on Spider-Man from 1981 and 1995, he did the narration for the Biff Tannen museum video presentation in 1985A (Alternate 1985) in Back to the Future Part II, he did the voice over for Game Show Network and as the announcer and the voice of the Whammy on the 2019 revival of Press Your Luck.

[@x180286]

I love miniature effects!

[@richarddeese1087]

Thanks. I hope we'll keep using all the techniques we have. A good blend of whatever's needed for the shot always makes the best film. tavi.

[@adamklopfenstein9440]

Sadly, there's only a handful of directors who call for miniatures - everybody else has transitioned to computer animated.

[@glbm555]

Masterpiece!!!

[@spectrastar2749]

For those who don't know, the USS Saratoga was destroyed at the Battle of Wolf 359 as one of the 39 ships to be destroyed by the borg cube.

[@CheapCheerful]

Loving this stuff. I remember watching as a kid. Wanted to work in SFX. That never happened, living in Australia, but still inspires everything I do today :)

[@VFXGeek]

Australia is a big VFX hub today.

[@ekojar3047]

@4:24 he was absolutely right then and he is still right today. It's probably far more rare these days to accidentally render something wrong and it ends up being magically perfect and something new to show on the big screen.

[@tillenbillagwa7548]

Fantastic bro

[@lamecasuelas2]

Excellent!

[@localbod]

I have always felt that models always look better than CGI because they are, in fact, real things. I think people intuitively know the difference. That's just my opinion.

[@jasonpatterson3593]

Yup I grew up with only 1 dream which catered to my limited skills & motivation. Monster making etc for film. Late 70s thru 80s. When i became an adult, CGI was on its way fast & surely to take that over. Never assume any job or career will always be around nor the same. CGI trumps but hands on & getting em dirty was the dream CGI kicked to the curb with out a 2nd thought. Now other artists,...musicians, actors etc are in the crosshairs. Think we can slow tech advancement down sum. Enjoy today. Too much living in the past & future. Today is now after all.

[@esignsmedia]

Inspirational

[@pattideibert6838]

My husband is a model builder. He has the AMT 1/2500 scale model of DS 9

[@trevorbrown6654]

Give me old school miniatures over CG any day.

[@bangash55]

Love from Pakistan

[@TheJPinder]

so many mullets

[@Jesus_Answers_Prayer]

What movie was the hell planet landscape in?

[@GreyRaven75]

The one at 18:08? It's from the Deep Space Nine pilot episode, "Emissary".

[@blackbelt2000]

I sometimes wonder if CGI never took over model making but high resolution 3D printing did, how much easier or quicker it would have been to make these props. Or maybe it would present a whole new set of challenges.

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

Smaller studios that still do model work use a lot of 3D printing these days.

[@x.noybic7007]

Maybe I missed it, but what film was the Hell planet from?

[@VFXGeek]

It's from Star Trek Deep Space 9

[@x.noybic7007]

@@VFXGeek Awesome thanks

[@brian_belmont87]

Real models will always be better than CGI because they have this presence to them

[@scifiguy26]

I'm glad they gave Richard Dayton credit in this for building the original Enterprise model I just read his book building the Enterprise he didn't get much credit throughout the years he also mentioned how the Smithsonian acting like they didn't want to be bothered with him during the ship restoration 😢

[@Gruselstudio]

Rechts fehlt die Hälfte

[@hornblowrfilms928]

Green screen has taken over most of these affects, and why special effects these days sometimes ruin action scenes, mixing affect techniques with real objects is almost a lost artform. Great show 👏

[@willcarroll8438]

Another almost dead profession

[@user-dk3up2nl1m]

Its why movies today suck

[@Dr.W.Krueger]

We had to close our last model department in the 2010s, but there are still smaller studios that will do this kind of work. The craft also lives on in independent films.

[@crazyralph6386]

@@user-dk3up2nl1mexactly. same goes with makeup and special effects. one only has to compare the CGI Predator in 2018 to its 1987 predecessor.

[@gaemlinsidoharthi]

Could do without the hieroglyph overlays but, apart from that this series makes me miss the times when movies and drama series had storyline’s supported by the VFX rather than the other way around as it became. Of course, more recently, both have become subordinate to pushing whatever propaganda or idiotic agenda the studios think the zombie masses will feed on.

[@Uhfgood]

Honestly I wish they would have focused on something other than DS9 - didn't care for that show at all. So the miniature isn't that neat to me.

[@Uhfgood]

@@Pugggle - So?

[@lorenkuhn3806]

I hope you get better soon

[@user-dk3up2nl1m]

I loveeedd DS9

[@gaemlinsidoharthi]

Oh ffs! Enough with the gibberish dubbing!!!