This Is How You Recreate Hollywood on a Table | No Film School

With Hollywood still shut down due to COVID-19, filmmakers are having to get creative and sharpen their set design skills. Miniature set designs are a perfect way to create detailed scenes that bring style and depth to the film without having to pay much out of pocket.

Sebastian Jern, a Swedish filmmaker, recreates sets from major movies to see if it is possible to recreate Hollywood on a table. His high production value on a Hollywood scale made small is created by mostly practical effects and a little bit of post-production magic. Jern shared some tips with Artlist on how to get the most out of your miniature sets.

Check out the video below, then read on for tips.

Making realistic miniatures

There are lots of tips to be taken from this artistry. Here are our key takeaways.

Start with an idea. Study shots from scenes and note what it is that makes the shot feel real. Check to see the particles that are in the foreground and background, the vibe of the scene, and then find out how the large-scale sets were created.

Lighting is crucial. A set can be beautifully designed, but only lighting can create depth and mood within the scene. Understanding shadows and contrast can produce the most beautiful shots. While creating the Avatar-inspired forest shot, Jern used four LED lights to emphasize the silhouettes of the plants and mimic a mystical feeling that comes from the forest and four UV black lights to highlight all of the neon that was painted on each leaf.

Pay attention to the details. The best results are achieved when the visual and the practical work together. Use a matte knife to create slashes or dig out pieces of Styrofoam to create texture in the scene. Study the visual reference to know what can be added to make the shot feel bigger than life. Try to make most of the details in the shot practice, then add layers and layers of dust, fog, snow, or even fireflies to add more depth and realism.

Filming is the fastest part of this process. Building the set will be the longest part of the whole process. The nice thing about this is filming won’t take too long. Use a narrow lens like a small form factor lens to move through the terrain. Moving the camera between objects will make the miniature feel life-size and will sharpen your skills on scale and diagrams.

What do you want to make a miniature of? Let us know below!

Source: Artlist

post production miniatures tips and tricks vfx minatures

28 Years Later iPhone

Why Did Danny Boyle Shoot ‘28 Years Later’ on an iPhone 15?

Here’s everything we know about the reports of the new ‘28 Years Later’ thriller being shot on an iPhone 15.

Move over, Sean Baker and Steven Soderbergh—Danny Boyle is the latest director to make the bold choice to shoot his latest feature film on an iPhone. Why, you ask? Partly, perhaps, because the team knows it will get them some nice headlines like this one. And partly just because they can.

Whether you love or hate the idea of shooting professional video on iPhones, it’s hard to argue that these latest smartphones aren’t capable of high-end video.

The iPhone 15, which is what Boyle and his team reportedly used for the long-awaited follow-up to the original 28 Days Later in 2002 and its 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later, in particular, has proven to be a major step forward for Apple and was very much promoted as a filmmaking-capable camera.

Still, as is always the case with these smartphone-shot feature films, there’s more to the story than just the headline here. So let’s explore how Danny Boyle and his team were able to shoot 28 Years Later on an iPhone.

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