Weta Workshop - Blade Runner 2049 Miniatures

Proud recipients of the Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project: LAPD Building. Congratulations to our artists Alex Funke, Joaquin Loyzaga, Chris Menges, Steven Saunders, and the Weta Workshop crew on Blade Runner 2049!
Weta Workshop was honoured to contribute practical miniatures, selected cinematography, and concept design work to Blade Runner 2049, directed by Denis Villeneuve.
This was a passion project for our crew, who are huge fans of Ridley Scott's iconic 1982 original.
Here in Wellington, NZ, we hand-made enormous miniature sets which were then filmed by legendary cinematographer Alex Funke. In the Design Studio, our team of conceptual designers helped give shape to the director’s vision.
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[@Winduct]

Incredible. I honestly couldn't tell what was CGI and what was a miniature while watching the film. The junkyard blew me away.

[@neoqueto]

junkyard was actually like 80% real, but it did have some CGI elements in it

[@Iklelele]

It's a blend of CG and miniature craft. So you were looking at both.

[@ty1978]

Then they did thier jobs properly :)

[@Winduct]

@@ty1978 Exactly.

[@TheWeazel80]

Yes its crazy ! Art!

[@Algebrodadio]

I think this movie has to be in the top 5 best SciFi movies of all time.

[@RDZX1089]

Aaron Wolbach Definitely

[@ed1rko17]

I would even say top 3. That being Blade Runner, 2001 A Space Odyssey, and .... Blade Runner 2049.

[@Outland9000]

Aliens? But yeah, top 5 for sure.

[@communitywatch1687]

Alien > Aliens

[@ed1rko17]

Oh agreed. Alien is so much better than Aliens.

[@hermannliang4765]

When we are praising Denis Villeneuve or Roger Deakins for their talents, we should not forget the exquisite work from these guys

[@88feji]

Frankly I think Deakins' cinematography DID NOT do justice to the beautiful miniatures created here ... Looking at all the details of the models in this clip, its a lot more textured and real than the actual movie itself ... the director and cinematogrpher seems to have blurred out much of the grittiness with soft lens and the camera movements feel very cgi like... the movie made a lot of comments think its cgi .. whats the point of using such intricately made models and end up looking so fake that people think its bad cgi ?

[@amber1862]

88feji When watching on a standard TV, I agree, but in the cinema all the detail was there. If they're too detailed then it's just distracting and the shot loses its flow and momentum as your eyes have wandered away from where the director wanted them.

[@88feji]

+Amberoot Audio The fogging and misting in 2049 is overly done as it almost completely blurred out the talented model maker's artistic detailing on the miniatures. As a result looking at aerial scenes like the approaching the police headquarter, most of the buildings become just outlines rather than the beautifully dystopian detailed buildings we see in the making of clips ... misting is overkill in 2049 ... The first movie in contrast, got the fogging just right in that it gave the movie a lot of cinematic mood and yet does not overpower the gritty dystopian textures and set details .. the end result is amazing.. There's a video putting the visuals of 2049 alongside the visuals of the first Blade Runner, many comments are saying that the visuals for the first movie is superior to the sequel in terms of mood and texture, some also mistook 2049's practical effects scenes to be cgi because of how soft and smooth things look .. I also think the flying car's flight is a lot better in the first movie as it looks like its moving against the wind and atmosphere, more real ... In the sequel, the flying car mostly just moves too evenly like in a computer game and its especially bad when it crashes through the junks in one scene, it bulldozes through in a straight line so evenly like as if the junks are ping pong balls, as a result many scenes like this looks like a typical bad cgi scene ... The first movie's flying car scenes feels very real because they took into account the laws of physics in reality, the flights felt real because you can almost feel the tangible resistance of the wind and atmostphere, the sequel failed to do these things .. I do think that Deakins and Villeneuve made some bad judgement calls ..

[@amber1862]

88feji You've made some fair points which I can't really argue with, so thanks for that. I only differ in your opinion about the mist, as I personally just took it as extreme pollution. Google smog images of Hong Kong and Dehli and tell me they look sharp and detailed and non-cgi, and then add another 30 years in the future to that, and then factor in that it's a great artistic tool for someone like Deakins to use to his advantage. Also don't forget about the scale of these buildings compared to Hong Kong and Dehli, atmospheric perspective would definitely appear more pronounced.

[@88feji]

+Amberoot Audio The thing about the premise of Blade Runner is that it is the neverending toxic rains and toxic haze that created the dystopian world .. if you think about it, there has to be a balance where you have some of the toxic haze absorbed by the toxic rains. In the first movie, from the aesthetic perspective of establishing a cinematic look, it strikes a fine balance between showing off that dystopian textures vs adding an atmospheric mood to the movie. But in 2049 there are a lot of self-contradicting scenes where on one hand the atmosphere has so much thick fog (much more than the first movie) that the buildings are almost blurred out completely BUT in many other scenes, the lighting is so flat and bright instead of being dispersed and darkened by the haze .. its very self contradictory and unscientific .. Aside from the unscientific aspects, my main problem with 2049's thick fogging is that I'm just thinking from the movie making aesthetic point of view that 2049 just overdid with the fogging because now a lot of the dystopian textures are not visible anymore which makes the environment less real, less tangible and too smooth and cgi like, which defeats the whole purpose of employing great talented artists to created dystopian looking models. Of course the environment can be anything the director wants it to be for the future, he can always rationalise it by saying the future is this and that ... but whether its effective and creates the problem of looking intangible and cgi like, its up to the audience's personal preferences. I can't argue on personal tastes, so you're just as right as I am with regards to whether those scenes work or do not work from a cinematic point of view ..

[@imyoubutbalder]

The art of miniatures in filmmaking is rapidly dwindling, so I was so overjoyed to see that the team at Weta did the effects for this picture. You've all outdone yourselves, this is some of your best work ever committed to film.

[@rosewhite259]

It's a shame because it looks so much better than CGI. This film was so much better than all those CGI junk films. It looked REAL and gritty and the brain knows.

[@maximeteppe7627]

Honestly, with the recent star wars movies, this one, and the Laika movies, I feel like we might see a comeback of practical effects and miniatures. Much remains to be done, but it feels like it's been 10 years that I hadn't heard of big budet movies using miniatures at all (the last I can think of was Hellboy 2), and here are major releases clamoring their lineage to practical SFX and coming back to a "best of both worlds" approach that had been lacking since the Lord of the Rings. Now I wait to see movies using practical that aren't remakes or sequel of nostalgic movies.

[@ToyFan]

It's making a slow comeback with 3d print tech getting better in better. It's actually more common now than it was 2005-2015. Those were the dark years.

[@blaaarg5294]

Rose: Or not www.artofvfx.com/BladeRunner2049/BladeRunner2049_JohnNelson_ITW_02B.jpg www.artofvfx.com/BladeRunner2049/BladeRunner2049_JohnNelson_ITW_02A.jpg

[@imyoubutbalder]

I mean, yeah there's gonna be some purely CG shots, which is fine and to be expected, especially since CGI has gotten to a point where it's pretty damn good. The thing that I think most of us are excited about is the blending of the practical effects and the visual effects, where the illusion becomes seamless. They're both tools to be used to help tell your story, and when both of them are used in the right way, you can get some incredible results, like the Lord of the Rings or more recently, this. I'm fine with a pure CG shot, and I'm fine with a pure miniature shot, it's when they're used perfectly together that you get that "movie magic." I'm just happy we're seeing a bit of a return to form practical effects having a place at all in a film. Like ToyFan said, the last few years really saw a steep decline of practical effects.

[@cpard2d2]

That´s incredible, l just assumed the city was a mix fo CGI and real buldings but never imagined this. Thanks a lot for sharing the magic of these films!

[@thefirstbourne149]

+cpard2d2 I just assumed they did really good CGI buildings...Holy heck....

[@HerreraAlonso]

They did but they also use miniatures

[@thefirstbourne149]

+The Big Al Ummmm...yeah, that's literally why we're commenting...

[@Hauerization]

I think it has a lot to do in how they lighted the buildings. Its mostly so dark you dont get a sence of that handmade texture at all.

[@LloydWaldo]

The fact that you assumed it was real is what was intended.

[@corentinf8896]

I worked on Blade Runner 2049, trust me, there are also gigantic amounts of CGI/digital vfx, more than you could ever find while searching for it. CGI isn't ugly if used cautiously, it's like any other tool. It's great that they also did miniatures, in fact, the more you mix techniques, the better. But don't fool yourselves, it's not a major part of the VFX in this movie. Many people criticize CGI harshly while praising practical effects, while not even realizing these same practical effects are enhanced, improved or even mostly replaced by CGI.

[@thetelegothika5327]

That's awesome that you worked on it! I was just thinking to myself "I wonder how much CGI really went into BR2049..." I kind of feel that practical effects and miniatures might now be used more as a promotional tool than perhaps because it's essential to the production process for that film. With all the bad press that CGI often (and quite unfairly) gets, it seems like every big production has some practical element now which is highly promoted as part of the hype as if to say "hey! Look this is done for real, come watch our film!" If so then hat's not necessarily a bad thing I guess, because the audience gets to see some wonderful old-skool techniques in use, those craftspeople are in work and the film doesn't feel as souless as a result. CGI is a bit like sound. You only notice it when it's bad (unless there's a stylistic reason to draw attention to it).

[@ker7743]

Could not the VFX team have computer generated the whole movie ? What's the benefit of having practical miniature set ?

[@gooner3681]

@@ker7743 Stands the test of time in the future when current cgi would look outdated. One of the reasons the original Blade Runner still looks phenomenal till this day.

[@flipnap2112]

@@gooner3681 were at the point where CG has conquered most of the "dating" anomalies from decades ago. Physically based lighting for example. You really cant get more advanced than the way real light works. (this is why the rock looked so horrible as the scorpion king..bad lighting and no subsurface skin texturing.) VFX sims are also physically based, like explosions, smoke, etc behave mathematically so similar to the real world its indistinguishable. biggest problems arise when companies do things on the cheap.. too many cheats will give you bad quality, no matter the medium. I know modern CG mostly works because of how many people dont even notice it anymore, which means job well done.

[@flipnap2112]

@@ker7743 probably cheaper and more control to do practicals..

[@dawsonboyle99]

I knew these miniatures are what made the film feel real

[@ryangettig274]

Word on That.

[@dawsonboyle99]

NADS IQ not once they add atmospheric elements to help sell the fact that it is in fact large

[@ryangettig274]

When Ryan leaves Greater Los Angeles I spotted the Sulaco in a cloud burst upper right hand corner of the screen..:)...

[@deadzedcomics]

Don't you mean feel 'reel'? Hahahaha, a beautiful film and an interesting vignette on the lighting, fantastic :)

[@thefirstbourne149]

How to make a train model IMAX-worthy...

[@jonbelanger312]

This movie is an instant classic.

[@TheSaiderRiscam]

When I saw this film in the theater I was blown away with how good it looks. I joked to myself that You guys at Weta made miniatures for the film. Then I watched the credits and when I saw a glimpse of "Alex Funke" gliding up the screen and confirmed it was you guys. I (quietly)cheered, laughed, clapped, and hollered! Ohhh, that was a good day. :]

[@TheSaiderRiscam]

Andy Belarus They probably did. They just know the world isn't ready yet for that kind of insane dedication. ;)

[@eeehmmwhat2406]

Looks much much better than CGI, i hope other movies will take some notes from Blade Runner 2049

[@MikeSandersonVideos]

eeehmm what Only examples I've seen in modern times is the Force Awakens and this. They need to be pushed more, because nobodies barely doing it

[@eeehmmwhat2406]

Mike Frying christopher nolan did some very cool miniature scenes in the dark knight and inception, they look really awesome.

[@albarleta2511]

Interstellar

[@babasemka]

Don't count on that - it's all about money.

[@flaggerify]

eeehmm what Maybe not. Lost money.

[@adam145]

I was sure that the junkyard was made on actual landfill

[@icedanilzation]

Me too, I still kind of do, my mind won't accept that it wasn't.

[@abara5678]

same here! It looks real

[@FrankyPi]

It was, but that was for scenes with real actors. This was made for aerial shots in the film.

[@cheekytyke]

I’m amazed it was miniatures. Just goes to show how utterly brilliant these people are

[@mgabbard]

Same here. I knew the city was miniatures. But the trash mesa was a miniature too ??? That is truly amazing work!

[@ZachBobBob]

Bloody hell I thought they were all CG. Honestly if the whole film was just sweeping shots of the city and landscapes I would've been just as happy. I really hope they go deeper into this stuff on the Blu-ray

[@Yes123786]

Don't forget the score. That's what made the landscape shots even better.

[@sickbrain]

I didn't realize these were miniatures while watching. Amazing job. Using good miniatures instead of CGI, future proofs films. 2049 will look great 20 years from now just like the original.

[@gc3k]

They used good miniatures as well as really complex CGI. Check out the video "Evolution of VFX and the making of BladeRunner 2049"

[@MrMarsFargo]

@@gc3k The key is they have enough practical footage to design the CGI to match up with. If there's no practical footage, they can't match it up with anything (hence zero-practical films usually have bad CGI).

[@btn237]

@@MrMarsFargo I don’t think either yourself or the original commenter know how CGI works. There’s no such thing as a zero practical CGI film. CGI artists use photo scanned elements and environments, photographed textures, filmed reference and so on and so forth. Even if it is a completely CG film, it’s going to be based in reality. You don’t need to go and ‘film’ anything today in order to get photorealistic results, reality can be scanned into the computer and rendered in a totally photorealistic way all in real time kzbin.info/www/bejne/oWbXaHeuich1ftk

[@themexican8720]

@@MrMarsFargo So what about Avatar…..

[@PAULYHEDRA]

This is the reason Blade Runner will always be miles apart from anything produced in a regular Hollywood CGI movie. True art in the hands of masterful, passionate, talented and dedicated artisans.

[@sergioaguis]

People who do CGI are artist too. www.artofvfx.com/BladeRunner2049/BladeRunner2049_JohnNelson_ITW_02B.jpg www.artofvfx.com/BladeRunner2049/BladeRunner2049_JohnNelson_ITW_02A.jpg area.autodesk.com/customer-stories/richard-hoover-of-framestore-my-journey-to-blade-runner-2049/ And they put their soul into it for sure, its not easy as it seems.

[@Droopah1]

CGI can look indistinguishable from reality, it just isn't all the time. If given enough time and money, it will look flawless. Also CGI artists are no less artists than these

[@sergioaguis]

I'm working on two short films. It may take a year to finish, but I can assure you that its posible to archieve fotorealism in animation recreating films with just 1k$ PC at your house. Also, as a CGI artist, I've seen movies, especially independents , where enviroments are CGI and I did not even noticed at all until I saw the breakdown on internet. In natural state rather than extraordinary enviroment its indistinguishable, again, as a CGI artist, this has blown my mind so many times.

[@sergioaguis]

I'm studying fine arts with specialization on painting and yes you're right. Doesn't matter what render you are using, its all upon the artist, thats why most of GREAT cgi artist are traditional artists too, you can't skip it.

[@NoExplosionsMcgee]

Bladerunner 2049 is going to age so beautifully.

[@ryangettig274]

Like Blue Oyster Cult's back catalog!?:)

[@SeanD-BusCom]

This is how its done! CGI is of course incredible these days, but theres just something to be said about the artistry, tangibility, and detail of miniatures

[@MrMadscotsman]

100% agree. There is weight and presence to what they make.

[@Danuxsy]

Same thing exist in 3D models, 3D artist have to have an artistry, tangibility and attention to detail when creating 3D models. It's like creating miniatures but digital.

[@vincybadman871]

This better be on the Blu-Ray. Underrated film.

[@stevangonzalez5908]

Kadeem John I'm 100% sure it'll be on blue ray lol

[@anaussie213]

It will be out on 4K blu ray soon enough.

[@dennisbarac1052]

Underrated by normal movie goers (who mostly don't know shit about the value of filmmaking), and called an instant classic by paid critics (who mostly know shit about the value of filmmaking) ....man I would really like all schools in the world teach filmography

[@Anubis22774]

@@Ziagl What an insult to this team to not have that included on the BluRay. It’s one of the most impressive things about this film.

[@GAMNGgeek]

Personally, I think miniatures look far better than CGI, so if I were a film maker, I'd try to get weta workshop to do as many miniatures as possible. Go New Zealand

[@scottluther2091]

Nice! Too bad they couldn't permanently leave that up somewhere! Would be cool to take a tour of that with the soundtrack playing in the background!

[@CarloRufinoSabusap]

It will be eventually! They don't throw this stuff out. I'm thinking these may go on tour or can be seen at a Weta Workshop tour.

[@jcpouzols]

I wouldn't be surprised if you could see at least one of these at Comic Con next year *hope*

[@felixmcguire2578]

I think some of it’s stored in Weta Workshop’s headquarters.

[@LukSter18998]

Would part of the set collections go on auction?

[@gavinmillar]

There's still a possibility for a sequel or another film set in that world, so they'll be saving all the miniatures in case they want to use them again.

[@lindsaymonroe9501]

Blade Runner 2049 just HAS to win some technical Oscars, it deserved them all

[@konraddobson]

So that's why it looked so unique. We're just so used to CGI which just isn't quite there yet. Getting there though. Really cool to see practical effects playing such an important role. It proves itself time and time again. Great work!

[@yudela1]

Konrad Dobson I can't wait for CGI to get there, as it would broaden what is possible in film, but this is an artform I don't want to die.

[@Daisyboobs]

Konrad Dobson CGI is pretty much already there, it's just that modelling, painting & render time is a limiting factor. When you're using an unbiased renderer with physically based materials, things get very slow. Also, textures get very big for diffuse, specular, normal, bump, subsurface etc. There are shots in the new Mad Max movie in a canyon/valley where you'd be shocked to find it was filmed in a flat desert. The plates for that are insane. I like to think I can spot CG effects, but it fooled me. Check out 'Why CG Sucks (Except It Doesn't)' video by Rocketjump Film School.

[@ViralKiller]

CGI is 'there'...but some people are less talented than others, and produce bad looking CGI...the CGI in Prometheus is seamless work

[@votatic8807]

its interesting everyone complains cg looks bad, it certainly doesn't you just only notice it when its bad. The whole point of a vfx artists job is to make it look like they never did anything

[@Joshua_N-A]

CGI needs to be look custom again rather than looked mass produced. Compositing should be easy nowadays due to latest software and tech. Miniature sets can be enhanced with technology. Blend them for creating best effects.

[@iGxVicious]

Can't believe those scenes were done with miniatures! Absolutely amazing!

[@CanadianBaconPwnage]

I could listen to Alex Funke talk about his job for HOURS.

[@ThePreachingOfHisWord]

Weta Workshop....Lord Of The Rings...enough said! Well done Ladz

[@pnut84]

This movie was amazing to watch in Imax, just stunning. The visuals and the music were top notch.

[@BryceEdwardBrown]

I'm so blown away by this. Absolutely incredible work!

[@kaneedwards79]

Alex Funke deserves to be hired on every big budget effects movie til the day he dies, with directors kissing his feet. The dude is the greatest. His work is impeccable. Miniatures are always the way to go.

[@ChristianNelsonn]

I have watched the Lord Of The Rings Appendices many times. With an average of 7 hours each and after so many times watching it, you start to feel like you're getting to know the people who worked on those things. Seeing a veteran like Alex Funke after so many years makes me feel like I've seen a dear old friend that I hadn't realised I missed very much. Alex Funke and his miniatures/bigatures are one of the main reasons why the LOTR series were visually so great and can still hold up to visual scrutiny after so many years. It's very nice to see you working on a major movie again Alex. You and the work you're doing is simply irreplaceable.

[@argentik82]

This way to make cinema is called true art.

[@Propzie]

More of this in films please, it's just absolutely incredible.

[@larryfroot]

Bigatures! The Weta Workshop is amazing. The stuff they have done...the documentaries about their work on the Lord of the Rings extended edition DVD's are pretty amazing. The sheer love and passion for their craft comes shining through.

[@theburton8718]

Respect for maintaining and creating the typical 1982 BladeRunner non CGI effects.

[@foritall1999]

Weta never disappoints me, you guys are great, keep up the amazing work.

[@MrKJ444]

well except the hobbit films. But we don't talk about those

[@Turtleproof]

As if I couldn't be more amazed by this movie, I find out miniatures were used, spectacular.

[@JCORR76]

Blade Runner 2049 is an instant classic! Best movie in 2017!

[@evilldead6824]

This is why I love painting miniatures.

[@MarshalofFrance]

When I first heard there would be a new Blade Runner movie, I was incredibly sceptical (like any sequel nowadays). But it blows my mind how much detail and love was actually put into this movie. This is quite possibly my favorite movie of the decade and it makes me proud to be a Blade Runner fan.

[@jackbishop3571]

Incredible, the detail always amazes me. Brilliant work weta.

[@johncooper3259]

Wow! Genevieve, what an amazing project, what fantastic artwork you guys did. FABULOUS!! love Dad and Renate.

[@horseradish4046]

one of the best sequels I've ever seen, the amount of love that went into these from people that really appreciate the beauty of the original is what makes it so special

[@forbiddencolor]

Hell yeah. This is what it's all about. More of this type of production in movies please.

[@user-kf6be5en8f]

The miniatures are sick!

[@Canonfudder]

Bravo to the whole weta team. This is a masterpiece, standing on the shoulders of giants (you :D).

[@ChrissibabyUK]

Honestly, this is the first project in the world that deserves advert money!

[@JimONeill]

Fantastic work.

[@FabledGentleman]

I need more clips like this, from behind the scenes. I have seen the film 3 times in the cinema, and it is one of the most gorgeous films ever made, so much talent went into making it, so incredibly talented people, in all fields. So glad i saw this clip, just wished it was 1 hour longer. I need more, a lot more. I want to see everything! :D

[@paulies5407]

So cool that they're still using practical models for major films. Can't beat it.

[@lordterra1377]

There is no substitute for real. I've always said that CGI should help augment traditional effects not replace them. What these artists have created is truly amazing.

[@jmsmith6]

Practical effects are something you feel, as amazing as cgi is, I don’t feel anything when I see it.

[@goldgabich6863]

Brilliantly beautiful

[@sentient02970]

"Is it Blade Runner yet?" I love that!

[@SkyDrillProductions]

You guys at Weta Workshop are an inspiration to myself and countless other filmmakers, keep up the good work! The seamless beauty of the worlds built by your teams will live forever in the arts.

[@TheNearFantastica]

Amazing work! Miniatures are a timeless tool to achieve stunning cinematography. Thank you Weta for being so passionate at what you do and keeping the bar so high.

[@babasemka]

I can't believe they made ALL this shit with their own hands. Imagine that!

[@mm9773]

I could watch 12 hours of this. Don’t know if I ever would, but I know I could.

[@V3n0mCarna93]

It fills me with so much joy to realize these were miniatures, or bigatures, as I sat through the movie I was almost entirely convinced I was watching something digital. I'll forever be a fan of handmade practical sculpted work that Weta does. I'm blown away still.

[@joemoe974]

Alex Funke, the miniature genius also behind the Lord of the Rings movies as well. The miniatures for those movies are what gave Middle Earth such a grounded and real feel. It's a total shame that physical miniatures have largely been replaced entirely by digital effects now. Peter Jackson said that when filming any kind of scene, having an actual physical object to film is far better than filling it in later with a computer effect. The eye picks up the subtlety of a tangible thing vs. a non-tangible thing.

[@NotHome888]

Incredible! The shots I thought were CG but were actually big-atures shows that miniatures are still effective in movies. Well done!

[@NotHome888]

penile 1 sometimes it's just better to have something physically built rather than just doing it all on the computer. It's just more satisfying to see something made by hands be shown on the screen. It's not the same if it was simply done with CGI.

[@DoctorNobody]

My jaw dropped... These bigatures are plain awesome and looked totally real in The movie!

[@ryancparker]

My favorite scene in this movie is that drive through the storm into LA. Thank you for all your excellent hard work.

[@beatmonkey]

This was literally so good I blue myself...

[@justinstewart705]

I wish I hade a mini city like that to play warhammer 40k in lol awsome stuff

[@obeyr8232]

WETA is genius!! Expert in movie art 👍

[@TheSombrerero]

This is one of the best science fiction movies ever made, I love how much effort and passion it has been given in such details.

[@JMino]

what about the part, when K is passing through the giant sculptures, its also practical? :) btw the film is masterpiece and i admire every artist who worked on this mindblowing film

[@imasepan]

J. Mino yes! There are photos of a huge set with some of those statues and a very cool lighting setup above it!

[@balintszollar]

Yep that was shot in a huge soundstage in Budapest (where most of the movie was shot) and those are actual sculptures.

[@karimlabbee1014]

I miss the good old day,s when miniatures ruled before the advent of CGI.

[@alexandresilva3427]

Have you ever seen Waterworld? The film is ok but the visual aspects of it are incredible. They actualyy built whole scrap islands it's awesome.

[@karimlabbee1014]

Yes i have seen Waterworld and you are right about the technical aspect of it.

[@oppenheimer8279]

Congratulations on the Oscar, you guys deserve it!

[@jatigre1]

I like the context: "It's not Blade-Runnery enough yet"

[@tanyasooksombatisatian4208]

You should have an exhibition of the models 😊

[@VincentStevenStudio]

gtfo no wonder it looked so beautiful.

[@julianstuchlik8588]

so much love and detail was put into this movie.. definetly deserves a place in the hall of fame

[@meccanised]

This is awesome. What a feat of model making prowess.

[@OliveRC-Addict]

AMAZING WORK !!! Magnifique ;)

[@marciocouto3543]

This movie deserves sooo many Oscars...

[@FabledGentleman]

There is still a few movies to come out this year. Phantom Thread, The Post and all the money in the world are all strong films that are expected to compete strongly for the oscars. So it's hard to say at this point. But i think this movie will be front runner in Production design, sound mixing, sound editing, best female supporting role (Sylvia Hoeks), best male supporting role (Harrison Ford), Best director and maybe even best film. The CGI in this film is actually for the most part background fill, most of this film was set pieces and real environments. So it does not stand a chance against movies like war for the planet of the apes, which has insane CGI. Before i have seen the last major films coming out later this year, i think this film will win for best production design, that's the one i'm most positive about. Because the production design in this film is absolutely fantastic. EDIT: And lol. i forgot about Deakins. i have taken it for granted he will win it this time, i have started forgetting him xD The strongest Oscar canditate in this film is by far Roger Deakings for cinematography, the film is so beautifully shot, it ranks as one of the best works of cinematography of all time. Deakins is this year in his own league entirely. Not even a competition.

[@MultiBum123]

FabledSomething don't forget cinematography if Deakins doesn't win he would have gotten robbed

[@FabledGentleman]

Lol yes. Thanks xD. I have taken it for granted he will win it this time, so i have started forgetting he was even in the movie roflmao. I have been like saying for a month now that this cinematography is in another world basically, that Deakins is in his own league entirely this year and that the Oscar should be more or less a guarantee. lol. so yes, the absolute strongest Oscar candidate in this film is indeed Deakins, without any doubt. It's not even a competition IMO, if he does not get it, it's a scandal, because this film is one of the most beautiful shot film of all time. There just isn't a chance any film coming out later this year can compete, not a single chance.

[@alm5966]

I'm amazed at the insane level of detail in the buildings for what, in some scenes, will be a fleeting glimpse. In Blade Runner, Scott had model makers create miniature magazines with covers for the newspaper stands even though they could never be seen.

[@imanis.h.8431]

Weta is simply the best.

[@rdecredico]

And still more $$$ goes to the top actors and marketing, which is one of the biggest problems in making films. Like most capitalist endeavours, the real creators are grossly underpaid.

[@ViralKiller]

yeah, this is why I quit this industry. I felt like it was ruining my passion. Overworked, underpaid and always taken advantage of...even if you were CEO you would still be under a lot of stress and little pay

[@MrBeastknows]

Well seeing as the top actors and marketing are what usually draw people into seats and so all the other filmmakers can still get paid, well yeah I imagine that would be where a lot of the money goes.

[@SFGW]

You're saying that as if Weta Workshop is some slave labour outfit. I'm sure they were very well compensated. What Ryan Gosling made has no bearing on what Weta Workshop made. Like most capitalist endeavours, everyone is free to decide if they want to work for $X or not.

[@saran5263]

Shadow Broker and like most capitalist endeavours the top 1% decide the Xs that are going to be given .... the workers might have a little say but once again like all capitalist endeavours... not enough say

[@saran5263]

Shane Benjamson well not fair considering the fact that its the hard work of these people that get the movie done ... you want to enjoy the beautiful cinematography and all the other shit ... pay them good money as well

[@matiaspage]

I thought they were CGI... your miniatures were ruined by too many digital filters in the final product. They look better in this video. Absolutely brilliant work on your part!

[@samvandermeer7735]

It's incredible, plain and simple. I'll admit, as I was watching I had a strong suspicion I was seeing miniatures, but it incited such a joy in me. You associate miniatures and stuff like that with the greats of cinema, not so much contemporary film. To see it done for a 2017 film is just awesome.

[@aubreyvictoria320]

Weta and their bigatures.... I'm always blown away when I find out stuff isn't CGI

[@slavatrue_do6711]

Great work, but looks like average cgi in theater((((

[@Alcroms]

It looked alot better in 4k theater

[@calebmayfield8474]

Small Retardedfish Then you don’t know how to spot Cgi.

[@leokimvideo]

I love this, CGI can't do inherent flaws that real surfaces illuminated with real light show to a real camera. Suck on that you PIXEL pushing lovers. CGI never made the grade.

[@BioClone]

lol, I call this bullshit

[@sylaq1151]

When I saw BR 2049 I was impressed by the "realness" of these shots, that I thought were CGI. I'm so thrilled to see that they were actual miniature pieces. Fantastic craftmenship!

[@eyespy3001]

Seeing the film for the first time, I absolutely lit up during the fly through to LAPD when I recognized that the buildings were practically built “miniatures.” It felt so lovingly old school to me. Bravo to Weta for all their hard/smart work. Hopefully with the advent of 3D printing technology, these types of practical effects will no longer be prohibitively expensive and used more and more in place of CGI. They just fill up the frame and create such a depth that CGI will never be able to replicate.

[@kallekonttinen1219]

too bad the movie scenes were so blurry, rainy or dark you really couldnt see any of the details in the miniatures

[@randomguy6679]

Kalle Konttinen how were they blurry?

[@iTzKneecap]

They weren't blurry lol, and you could see a lot of details, maybe there was something wrong with your theater's projector.

[@MikeSandersonVideos]

Why doesn't it look that good on screen? Did the studio budge in and ask for it to be CGI instead? Because there's definitely something being done that's making it look fake, liquid like

[@joegreenwell5476]

I love this movie so much. The fact that these were practical is even better.

[@KuroHebi]

Thank you for the art, Weta.

[@WHITEGHOAT]

can somebody please explain the benefits of such an approach over the more conventional cg route?

[@GIBunz]

uncanny valley

[@YggdrasilMedia]

Stylistically it's to keep in line with the look of the original. Practically it reacts realistically to on set lighting. Also limits how much camera movement you can achieve, which I think prevents the filmmakers from straying into the superfluous camera moves typical of many effects heavy films these days (ie. Ghost in the Shell).

[@l4nd3r]

I feel like it makes everything seem more real.

[@scottluther2091]

You just can't beat the realism with the models!

[@roloug95]

You get a much more tangible and realistic feel

[@theenchiladakid1866]

miniatures and practical effects will always look better than CGI

[@DennisHoward_rainstadpictures]

I'm so glad to see practical FX making a comeback! This is exactly what I've trained my whole life for and then felt discouraged when CGI started to take over. Nothing will ever look as good as real practical FX

[@Kirsty_McKay]

I know the director said the vast majority of this film was real with vfx overlays. Never thought the buildings were models. This is so cool.

[@EpicAndMore]

I know it's really tired to go on about how great practical effects are over digital, but those models are genuinely beautiful and the attention to detail sure does show up on film.

[@khackett7]

This kind of aspect to this film should've earned it at least another 100 million. At least! Amazing stuff.

[@onbored9627]

Wow. Just wow... Hats off to the team who did this.

[@valpro99]

I was amazed on how well the old movie flowed into the new one. Flawlessly. If I didn’t know it I would of thought the two movies were made just a few years apart. Great job.

[@Retrogamer71]

I love love that big budget movies continue to employ all these artists and craftspeople.

[@arjundhugga93]

People will always give you shit for saying that CGI is inferior to the real thing(sometimes, not always), but this just reminds of the magic of seeing this film in IMAX with my friends while we struggled to pick up our jaws from the floors.Well done!

[@armagedon515]

Brilliant. I hope those sets never get destroyed, are preserve and show to the public somewhere.

[@wolf42i40]

If they were to remake the Crow, then Denis Villanueva and this art team should definitely be behind it. Got the gotic vibes watching the before production camera rolls.