Steven Spielberg's DUEL film behind the scenes with miniatures. Truck crash climax alternate ending.

0:00 Intro
0:05 Set up the movie set
0:33 Assembling the vehicules on the set
0:55 Ready to shoot
1:19 Final Result

Making of Steven Spielberg's masterpiece: the 1971 DUEL movie, his first film, in 4K !

Alternate ending with 7 new and never seen camera angles of the scene when the truck falls of the cliff after chasing a car for over 1 hour !

Just for fun and to pay tribute to Spielberg's genius, I tried to recreate and remake the final truck crash scene with miniatures.

We built the Duel truck - Peterbilt 281 and tanker trailer - at 1:18 and 1:24 scale models, and the canyon movie set.
We create this SFX crash between the truck and the car with miniatures, no CGI, no VFX, except adding a little smoke !

Slow motion: shot at 240 fps then slowed down to 480 fps when editing

Never forget Carey Loftin, the incredible truck stuntman in the original film who jumped out of the truck just before it fell off the cliff. That's why the door is open !
And Dennis Weaver, that brave car driver ;)

In the Fabelmans movie, the young Steven Spielberg can be seen filming his model train crashing, we do almost the same with this vidéo ;)

Items I used to build it:

[dougpeters]

I think people underestimate the huge amount of talent that goes on behind the scenes to make a great movie.
Its an entire art form in and of itself.
I really enjoyed this thank you for posting.

[HelmetOfHonor]

Working behind the camera is such an underappreciated art.

[EssensOrAccidens]

Fun!
One of the difficulties with miniatures is that they usually don't seem to adequately model the effects of mass on materials. My eye can't help but think that a full tanker wouldn't bounce as much, but would have far greater deformity in both the ground, at impact points (especially the farthest fall) and in the tank itself. Buckling is likely at full scale but you would have to model in tinfoil, almost, to get the same ratio of mass to strength in a mini. Even the tires would feel more realistic if they burst upon impact, when the full weight of the tanker falls on them from several stories in height. But again, modelling in fragile rubber is a tough standard to demand.
Anyway, it looked really good nonetheless!

[isaackibetkorir]

Cameramen are doing a commendable job..imagine taking all their time to make a movie look real and interesting .the dust, fire and sound makes it look real..❤❤❤🎉

[alfonse]

This is an example of the fantastic job the filmmakers and cameramen were doing in the pre-digital effects era. I’ve watched many movies, and DUEL stands out as one of the most unforgettable thriller with the fewest actors. Back in the day, I thought the truck and car falling off the cliff were real…
Thank you for posting this great behind the scenes clip!

[justawitness]

I remember watching "Duel" on TV in the 70's when I was a kid, and I loved it. I obviously had no idea Spielberg's career would skyrocket shortly after.

[uneedrandination]

This is 100 percent how I used to envision scenes playing with my toys back in the day.😅

[dtuk]

Thats really great example of practical effects. No CGI.

[lwmorgan]

The slow motion is what makes it look so realistic. Great movie

[ahmedsuleiman]

This can simply be akin to the art and heart of making a good scene in a movie affordable at its finest and finesse.

Great work from the behind the scene guys.

[marvin]

It seems like the people behind the scenes deserve a separate Award for their creativity & talent ❤🎉

[miniaturecargrandetvtv]

The power of the live action and the camera angles are excellent!

[mikebland]

Incredible how it all looked so real. It's the movie that you can't turn off when you come across it. Great job by Dennis Weaver as well.

[mariecastonguay]

Duel a great classic film that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Awesome job 👏 Mr. Spielberg 😊!!!!

[rushhour]

Very very very much respect for your work.

[theblackstoneproject]

Looks fantastic. One of the qualities that made the original scene so effective is the copious amount of dust shrouding the crash and sound effects.

[mecanizadosgrela]

interesting but the truck does not deform while falling

[GerardoLeonVelasquezVelasquez]

I saw this movie, acting Dennis Weaver in 1973. Really unforgettable.

[anakina]

Amazing what hard work and creativity will get you. No CGI here. Detailed models, slow motion and sound effects. Great job guys!

[paulfromdevon]

Bloody brilliant! In real time it looks like kids chucking their toys down the stairs. Slowed down, it looks stunning. Well done to all!!