How to Film Realistic Looking Miniature Cars

This is our first ever CHRISTMAS EPISODE and also part TWO of our miniature filming process. We had a real blast with this one! We filmed in the middle of the holiday season and were constantly battling the cold. Some of the miniatures were poorly built, which caused problems during filming. This resulted in some of the model builders being fired, which was awkward considering I was the only model builder on the project. Then, we had problems with our gear which almost drove this whole project to the brink of failure. All in all, this is probably our favorite episode to date, especially because the uplifting Christmas music wonderfully juxtaposes the overall misery on set. Enjoy! 😂

00:00 PRESIDENTIAL ARRIVAL SHOT
1:48 PARKING SHOT 1
2:58 PARKING SHOT 2
4:29 PREPARING THE GUARD HOUSE SHOT
7:48 FILMING THE GUARD HOUSE SHOT
10:00 DR SEUSS'S "HOW THE GEAR BROKE ON CHRISTMAS" STORY
12:02 THE ROAD SHOTS
13:52 MAGIC HOUR SHOT
15:28 LAST SHOT

[cg_spiritedensemble]

I find it fascinating how when you're a kid watching whatever you love (in this case, miniature models) you grow attached to the look & want to follow in their footsteps. Fast forward to that day & it's a grueling process to get the right shot every single time from start to finish, testing both patience & faith, & in the process, potentially losing love with the process you fell in love with. A very interesting phenomenon amongst all types of filmmakers. Work be work I guess.

[HyperspeedMedia]

"My ego was hurt because of the grass" THE MOST FUNNIEST LINES IN HISTORY !!!

[welchworks]

The fact that you guys make these superbly done BTS videos as a bonus to the MASTERPIECES you're creating cannot be overlooked.

[Jim.Foster]

I LOVE it when creativity surpasses the equipment. This is how geniuses work.

[deastman]

A static grass applicator is the way to go to get a realistic effect. Model railroad builders use that technique all the time.

[TestPilotWally]

It looks so easy until you see how much work goes on behind the scenes. What you managed to accomplish with a few miniatures, green screens, and lots of clever compositing is so amazing! I love your work! Thanks for giving us a glimpse.

[fryoung]

I think you hit the nail on the head, when you said 'its a part of the charm of these techniques'. I was always fascinated with miniatures, and knowing that a miniature is used just ignites my imagination to create.

[MauricioJara]

That section with the setbacks was so relatable for me. Sometimes, everything just starts going wrong out of nowhere while filming. 😭

[onscreenonlineproductions]

Loved the Wilhelm scream...lol. great touch.

[fredoster]

Après deux jours de visionnage de toutes vos vidéos, j'attendais avec impatience la nouvelle. Et aujourd'hui je suis comblé. Merci pour ces petits moments de joie, de bonne humeur et d'humour. Toujours aussi admiratif de votre travail. Vivement le prochain numéro. Encore merci.

[stevemuzak]

Compositing real life people to dioramas makes things instant lifelike. Just like they did in on Titanic movie or on The Lord of The Rings. Fantastic work!

[ElDarren]

That was so cool! I love all of the attention to detail you guys put into this. Bravo!

[Jack_Wolfe]

The trick is to make rigs that do it right the first time. A lot of trainset makers will modularise overlapping parts, using things the correct colour for your film was seldom useful, since it was gonna be greyscale, next time it might be easier to make grass from sand, and just spray the top with coloured water mist on set, that was you just have to place the props. To clear roads you use a damp paint roller or a tiny broom.
One trick with cars is to have a magnet rig under the road and use a tape measure to pull the rig and the car. The magnets should pull the car to the road.

Some old tricks involved actual fishing rods for pulling cars etc

[stephenpep.mp]

Just wanted to say that I saw the video you did on miniatures and absolutely loved it! So I went back and I’m now watching all of the behind the scenes for Splashback in order.

The style of these behind the scenes videos is fantastic! It reminds me a lot of the behind these scenes for the Star Wars Prequels. Your personalities shine through and I love seeing how you guys work on the film.

I can’t wait to watch the final film and the rest of the BTS videos. Keep it up guys!

[DafterThings]

Excellent stuff. Love the detail and the compositing.

[Sean-nvzk]

"Holiday spirit running high." Lol, you mean high hopes of not catching hypothermia? Thank you again for the BTS of your process. Very insightful!

[JRRobeck]

You guys are so much fun! Love your humor and love seeing all this behind the scenes content. Inspirational!

[SANFRANCISCOERS_PYRO]

I love the fact that you guys give up your trix to make my movies and videos so much better. Thank you. 🎥🎬📽🎞🎥🎬📽

[goawayinternet]

I only recently discovered this channel. Love these miniature behind the scenes videos. I'm a 3D artist and gamedev and while the craft here is different I can really appreciate how you're sharing each step of your process and there's a lot of relatable overlap. Ingenuity, passion + hard work! Love what you guys are doing.

[SebastianCastro]

I understand funds can be limiting. Whenever you have the opportunity to budget for equipment, I'd recommend looking into a lens like the Laowa 24mm f/14-40. It's supposed to be ideal for shooting miniatures because it comes in a very skinny design that allows you to get close to your subject while also maintaining that wide angle. Just an option. I don't know if the lens mount would pair with any of your current camera equipment.