Illusions in Using Miniatures in Film

In this age of computer graphics and animation, there is a special effects art form that's quickly losing popularity and earning a place in film making history. What is this art form? It's only the use of miniatures in film making. Have you ever watched those Godzilla movies in the past that didn't use any computer graphics animation? The destruction scenes of Tokyo and other suburbs used miniatures. They may be crude, but they do a nice job in convincing the audience that Japan is being trampled on by a giant lizard - at least for the duration of the movie.

Of course, there are miniature effects that are more convincing. In James Cameron's Titanic, the director used a partial scale replica of the rear part of the ship as the background of a scene with survivors in the water. Movies like the old Sinbad movies also used miniatures to film stop-motion creatures. In Superman, the Movie, miniatures were used to show the effects of the shifting of the San Andreas fault. Indeed, for years, movie audiences were agape in fascination with these miniatures because they were very effective.

It may be old, but the technique of using miniatures for special effects is not dead. In fact, it is something that budding film makers can use quite effectively. They only need to know a few things about using miniatures to make the scenes more realistic. For example, since the laws of physics (like gravity) makes small objects behave differently, making them look small, film makers "overcrank" their cameras. In other words, they shoot the miniature scenes with a very high frame rate per second. This allows the motions of the scene to be slowed down, making it appear that a falling tiny Statue of Liberty is actually the real thing that's heavy and massive.

Overcranking usually solves motion problem, except for water shoots. In small-scale, a tiny waterfall or tidal wave would produce droplets that are too large for scale. This discrepacny does not escape the human eye. The solution would be to make associated scale models like ships bigger so that the water flow and clumping appear more natural. This was also done by director Cameron in Titanic. Ship models a fraction of the original size were made for ocean scenes.

Miniatures can be mixed or composited with normal scale live action scenes. They can be placed on the foreground and made to appear as if they are in the background at a distance from the subjects. This technique is called forced perspective and was often used to fake UFO photographs in the past. Another technique would be to use a mirror with the silver (reflective material) scratched out a section. The miniatures are filmed through this hole as the normal scale scene plays as a reflection in the mirror. It can be tricky, but it really works. A variation of this is to use a matte painting on glass with open spaces through which the miniature scene is filmed.

There are many ways to use miniatures in film. Just be creative and you may find use for it still in this age of computers!

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How Movies Help People to Remember History and Misinform Viewers at the Same Time

Hollywood helps teach history well by promoting retention of events depicted in movies based on historical stories. Unfortunately, the viewers retain more of the fiction than the fact. Yes, it's true, these conclusions were based on studies done by psychologist Andrew Butler and his group at Washington University in St. Louis.

Two experiments were conducted involving 108 students. The students were grouped and made to watch nine different movies. Along with each movie, the students were also given text to read about the real history behind the story of the movie. Before watching, the participants were warned that the movies can be inaccurate regarding historical facts.

The results of the experiment revealed that when the movie was a faithful depiction of historical facts, the students remembered 50% of the facts even a week later. On the other hand, when the film did not match the factual historical details of the text, the students remembered most of the false events depicted in the film instead of what's written in the text. Some students were also adamant about their claims to having remembered what's historical rather than fictional and that the information also came from the text instead of the movie (which was mostly incorrect).

The researchers note that the early warning about the inaccuracies of the films may have contributed to retention of historical facts relating to the text, while forgetting about the warning a week or so later may have contributed to the students' remembering the misinformation n the movies. The study is interesting and shows us that movies do really help people remember historical events as if they watched it happen in front of their eyes. The problem lies in how accurate the events are depicted in the movies.

One issue that best illustrates this is the argument posed by people concerned about the movies The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, which were based on fictional novels by Dan Brown (refer to video below). There were those who argued that those films may lead people to believe that the things depicted in the movies actually happened in history.

Hint to history teachers: have students dramatize historical events in front of the class, and they'll likely remember what needs to be remembered. Otherwise, use documentary films or slide shows to support classroom discussions. Tangible collectible movie objects based on the that are historical in their presentation can also help.



What's historical and what's fictional in the movie 300 may not be important as long as it's good entertainment both as a film and as a graphic novel. Get this 300 book by graphic novel genius Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. Click here or on the image to purchase.

Reclaiming the Blade Documents History of the Sword Using Cinema

What do you get when you bring together some actors from Lord of the Rings in a documentary movie about the history of the sword? You get a movie called Reclaiming the Blade and it takes you on a ride through time.

Narrated by John Rhys-Davies, this movie is for fans of sword and sorcery movies like Excalibur. It takes you on a fascinating ride showing the facts, fiction, and fascination behind the sword. The movie shows how the sword was once an icon of defense, war, and honor and how it's now used as a symbol of the same in movies like Star Wars, Beowulf, and Lord of the Rings or simply as a prop to inspire those who still believe in it's mystique.

It features prominent swords master and stunt coordinator Bob Anderson (left), who has taught the likes of Errol Flynn and tutored contemporary actors like Viggo Mortensen in swordsmanship.

If there's a real Obi-Wan Kenobi, it's Anderson. He was Darth Vader in some lightsaber fight scenes with Mark Hamill (top).

It's a little secret few people know about. But now you know, and there's more to know about the secrets of the sword in the documentary movie Reclaiming the Blade.

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