METEOR miniature effects

[@doktor_ghul]

I still have good memories of watching METEOR first run in the theater, just to see the results of all the effects photos I saw in STARLOG...and when I saw Hong Kong get tsunamied...I just sighed and said to no one..." Well, they don't always work. ". The World Trade Center smash wasn't too bad, either, but it just came apart like it was made of toothpicks. Didn't ever believe that we'd see what the real thing would look like, years later. In any case, I'm glad Warren and his crew got paid. In the end, that's the foundational benefit. You live, you learn, and the cheque clears.

[@Barot8]

I love these. It's amazing the quality of work that went into these older movies. They did wonderful work.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

It's a long time since I've seen the movie itself. This is why I love your channel, these personal stories. Sometimes due to budget or time constraints, effects sometimes didn't get the desired outcome. These people had a real passion for what they did. Although there are some CGI creations that look fantastic, so much CGI has become soulless. There are few things that can match a good miniature, prop, prosthetic or animatronic.

[@christophermitchellsr9492]

i love how they talk about the builds but add in the science factor when it comes to the water effects an how fire an water dont scale up when it comes to movie miniature's an that comone theme when it comes to movie mitatures an the sort of effects that you want to show in a movie . now with cgi it not as hard to to get that done but before cgi it was shoot an pray for the best if not rebuild /fix an try again until it looks great an pray it dosent wind up on the cutting floor after all the hard work .

[@thumperjdm]

I love these videos. I wish more of today's movies would use miniatures, for added realism. CGI these days is so apparent to the eye, it takes away from the movie.

[@RealBLAlley]

Nonsense. _Bad_ CGI is apparent. 90% of CGI is invisible because they had the money and more importantly the time to get it right, and are creating something real rather than fantastical. Most miniature work doesn't fool us, often for the reasons cited in the video. Even so we accept it as a storytelling tool while appreciating the problem solving and artistry involved in creating the effect.

[@MikeJamesMedia]

"In the trenches" on that one! Thanks to everyone involved for sharing these stories with us! :)

[@reziserNS]

Thanks so much for sharing these interviews. They're such an invaluable part of documenting the awesomeness of analogue visual effects techniques (and oral history of the people behind them). Plus, who doesn't love a miniature!? :)

[@dennissmith5807]

I remember Meteor from the Famous Monsters cover.

[@ptonpc]

I love these stories about how they did things. Better than CGI.

[@Wailwulf]

In 1981 or 83 I had to do an interview with a person who was or had worked in in a career that that I was interested in. I was able to get a chance to interview Wah Chang who worked with Gene Warren Sr. on the Puppettoons and the Time Machine. I actually was able to handle one of the Puppetoons.

[@piercefilm]

I wish I could have met Chang and interviewed him! He must have had so many great stories about miniature effects.

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

Fantastic story ❤❤❤

[@MrSnaztastic]

"Dinosaurus" was casually mentioned there, would love to know more about that one. It's a bit of an overlooked movie that I've always found quite fun and has some great stop motion / minitature scenes.

[@jaymanuel3396]

I always thought that they used a matte painting when the tidal wave enters the harbor. It just looks so stationery with the lighting, you don’t really see any movement, other than the wave itself. Have to rewatch this movie soon.

[@cloverfield911]

Love the pics of the Man From Atlantis submarine and docking tunnel.

[@RealBLAlley]

CG is an amazing tool that has advanced visual storytelling by leaps and bounds, but the one thing missing from CG is the problem solving required to make a miniature or background look and behave as realistically as possible.

[@s2mann]

I've re-watched this clip a few times. It's too bad the wave machine didn't work well but the solution for recreating Hong Kong was elegant for a tight budget!

[@paulhugo1623]

These are great insights... but I wish they would include the actual sequences for review (but I guess copy rights are an issue)

[@piercefilm]

Yes, I don't want to get into that studio lawyer mess. Sometimes I do include them like with the Quantum Leap clip. You can see the Hong Kong scene here on KZbin.

[@piercefilm]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5m4aGSGrtZledk

[@BubblegumCrash332]

I didn't know it was a model. It looks like a composite shot in the film

[@importon]

This guy rocks

[@fredleggett923]

Meteor is a far better film than people realize. Yeah, some of the effects are dodgy, but others are outstanding, especially the model work. The climax is edited masterfully, with the quick intercutting between the American and Russian missiles right before it hits the rock being a highlight. Speaking of the climax, I was never entirely sure what that ending explosion meant. Did the film imply that the meteor was completely destroyed or just knocked off its trajectory? It seems like the former, yet the characters all speak of redirecting it. It doesn't really matter, but I was curious....

[@coltseavers6298]

High speed fans help break water drops into much smaller sizes so it's looks a lot more realistic. However . . . the shot has to justify the wind gusts blowing the water shown on camera. So for this to work wind gusts have to be written into the script. And in some obvious cases this is not really possible.

[@malloid]

IIRC Dennis Muren pioneered the fans/water atomisation technique for the mineshaft flood in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

[@6milphil975]

"Zanti Misfits"!

[@DrWhom]

water is a kilogram a litre - see how everything is easier when you go metric, America?