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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Online Marketing Makes Movies Virtually Real: Viral Marketing for 2012 Movie Criticized by NASA Scientist

Remember the movie Blair Witch Project? It was hyped as something that actually happened and a lot of people actually bought it even when in the back of their mind, they knew that what they were watching in the movie theater wasn't really real. That movie kind of was part of the reality show trend that began some years back. Well, Hollywood took note of how some movies can be marketed this way and marketers have made good use of the Internet to advertise movies.

If you haven't noticed, the marketing machine of Hollywood has turned to social networks, blogs, and other sites that are normally used by people to talk about things. One example is the way marketers of Journey to the Center of the Earth made it appear that an institution and even a scientist character in the movie actually existed. A website and even a blog was put up just to explore the "veracity" of Vernian lore (already removed and replaced by a post-theatrical-release marketing site).

It's interesting how the posts were written and how a reader can actually be taken for a ride. Basically, that's what Journey to the Center of the Earth is about in the first place. It's an adventure ride in which you suspend belief for just short of two hours.

Another example of a movie in which Hollywood marketing that makes the most of people's tendency to suspend belief, and even spread the idea used in a movie as factual, is 2012. Now that's a scary movie and is one based on actual beliefs that the world will end in December of that year. This is what many believe will happen and it's just because the ancient Mayan calendar ends in that year. If you make a search for 2012, a lot of sites will pop up. Some of these actually deal with the Mayan calendar while some are about the events that will supposedly happen when the time comes. However, some of these sites are really marketing tools for the 2012 movie. Here's one in Facebook: 2012 Movie.

The marketers of 2012 have actually constructed a network of social sites and blogs that creates a kind of reality behind the movie. It's a viral campaign that rides on an existing one which involves people who are actually following up on events that will lead to a culmination of sorts in 2012, when the world will end supposedly. Well, some people think that movie producers have gone a bit far in their marketing. It's like the hoax about the boy stuck in the balloon which was made to appear as real. It caused a lot of trouble for authorities, not to mention the expenses for a rescue that wasn't needed.

As for the 2012 movie, well, it's obviously fiction, but people are still scared by the idea that the world will soon end and experts say that with the way Hollywood is marketing it, the movie may cause unnecessary panic. NASA scientist, David Morrison says this through Discovery News, "I don't have anything against the movie. It's the way it's been marketed and the way it exploits people's fears." Morrison's online column for NASA, Ask an Astrobiologist, got more than a thousand questions about the end of the world. His answer: The world isn't going to end in 2012.

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.



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Horror Movie Orphan Stirs Issues about Adoption

Movies, as long as they're not labeled as documentary or dramatization, are always supposed to be recognized as fictional, never mind if they are based on a true story.

Generally, people do not find any harm in a movie that depicts characters and situations that can be scary in real life - especially in the horror genre. But sometimes, people do make a fuss and raise issues that are normally nonexistent or weren't taken up in similar movies.

Take for instance the issue concerning the movie Orphan. It's supposed to be a fictional film about a psychotic killer orphan adopted by a family, yet some people say it may make people fearful of adopting children in the fears that they are out to kill their new family. The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute in the United States is saying the film will have the unintended effect of skewing public opinion against children awaiting families both in the United States and abroad. It adds that it could feed into the unconscious fears of families opting for adoption that orphaned children are psychotic.

The fears raised about Orphan has raised eyebrows and debate on whether adults, specifically adoptive families, are gullible enough to think that the movie is an actual reflection of reality. While it's true that kids up for adoption may have been abused or have psychological issues, it is not always the case and any information about a child's past would surely be studied and considered during the adoption process.

It's a strange issue, but the concern of the adoption coalition is but a natural reaction to movie that does not present a positive image of orphans and the establishments that give them a home and a chance at having a family to care for them. Still, the real question that should be asked, perhaps, is if it's a real or nonsense concern. It kind of reminds us of the Chucky movies. Is that lovable collectible doll on the store shelf really possessed by a murderous criminal out to kill you? There's only one way to find out!



This is Chucky, the doll that's possessed by an evil spirit. He usually controls kids and kills people in his movies, but we all know that's totally not true! So buy this terrifyingly-detailed 12-inch speaking Chucky doll and you're guaranteed to have lots of fun, especially during Halloween! Click here or on the image to place your order.

WARNING: Chucky dolls are not intended to be used to scare kids! (Yeah, like that's going to stop some of you.)

Strange visual effect observed with backlit Orphan horror movie posters.

Food Plays Prominent Role in Kung Fu Movies

Classic or classic-style kung fu movies are exiting because of the martial arts and action. But apart from those and the infusion of drama and comedy that we can usually expect from Chinese movies that we have loved to watch over and over again, there's also something else that makes them so appealing to watch. In a way, it plays a role that pretty much makes the film worth watching as it gives more realism to the Chinese nature of the production and the setting. What is it? The answer is food!

You may or may not have noticed it, but food in Chinese kung fu movies, particularly the classic ones, have a role that can sometimes rival those of the astors. In fact they are like supporting actors that add to the ambience of the situation. Somehow, it also makes the scene all the more oriental and exotic, especially if traditional Chinese food like noodles, dumplings, rice, and soups are used together with porcelain tableware.

From comedic fight scenes of a young Jackie Chan with Samo Hung in Drunken Master (scene shown at left), to the social nuances displayed in later movies like Iron Monkey and Ip Man (starring Donnie Yen and model-actress Xiong Dai Ling), we see and experience how food is used in many cinematic ways - from humor, to drama, to action. If there's no food in a classic-feel kung fu movie, you can't help but feel that something's missing. So, if you plan on making your own kung fu movie, don't forget the scene with the hot noodles.



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2012 Title Animation Has Partly-Hidden Message of Doom

If you've watched the trailer of the movie 2012, you may or may not have noticed that there are words written on the first number "2" of the 2012 title in the movie ID animation sequence at the end. The animation is too fast for you to read it in full, but it is just enough for your mind to take in the word "apocalypse" together with other words like "into a place."

While you can surmise as to where director Roland Emmerich (left) and writer Harold Kloser got the phrase, it's likely used to give viewers a sense of dread as the year 2012 nears. It does have some Biblical echoes and you'd likely find something similar if you look in the Book of Revelation. But let's not get too deep, it's just a movie after all - one that's banking on the people's fear of the end of the world - for it to become a blockbuster. It has lots of special visual imagery, but it has one or two graphical special effects that should have been redone to fix mistakes.

Discover what's wrong with the eclipse effect in the 2012 trailer.

Hear is a news video about a doomsday cult in Russia. This is about real people waiting for the end of the world.

4K HD Technology Used in My Bloody Valentine 3D Movie

We all thought that high definition movies are just that- high definition. But apparently, there are different levels of high definition. They typical is 2000 pixels. But the remake of the 1981 horror flick, My Bloody Valentine, uses 4000 pixels.

This means the new My Bloody Valentine is very, very sharp and with more detail captured. Such a level of definition is ideal for 3D and indeed, this version of My Bloody Valentine is in 3D. You'll get to see every small detail of faces of stars like Jensen Ackles and Jamie King.

“Lionsgate’s doing a great job of being involved with these films that are really taking it to the next level, so I’m really excited about that,” says King, who adds that it's (My Bloody Valentine 3D) not the typical gore, horror film because it's character-oriented.

Trailer of My Bloody Valentine 3D

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