Recent content by jdford

I have to both agree and politely disagree with some of the opinions stated in this thread. TL;DR Version: CGI has become quite capable at achieving sufficient photorealism to maintain suspension of disbelief...but only when adequate effort is invested in VFX sequences. Modern CGI is more...

I'm doing research and design on one of these, m'self. Will share anything I come up with. Thinking about clear or translucent acrylic for the sword, and I already have a wonderful old laser tag gun from the 1990s that looks very much like the one in the concept art. Wondering which...

Quick update: looking at the Kessler CineDrive system. ~J. D.

Thanks for the advice, b26354. Will definitely take that into consideration. Picked up a really interesting book online...The Technique of Special Effects Cinematography 4th Ed., by Raymond Fielding (1985). Not expecting to be able to pull a lot of 1:1 instruction out of it, since I won't...

We've been discussing solutions for the reflective gray Lego blocks and panels, in particular...and not just for the blue screen but also our point-source key light as well. One thing that'll help with the chroma key spill is our standoff distance from the independently lit blue screen. Going...

Hey Folks, Wasn't entirely sure where to start this thread, and I may catch some flak for putting it here (hope not, 'cause I don't know where else to put it, and it's not *really* off-topic). [/caveat] I'm putting together a fun little project...I'll be attempting to recreate classic Star...

I'm curious about which OT ship designs might end up making an appearance in VII. The Millennium Falcon, for sure. Possibly Slave I, if they decide to bring Fett back. I'd imagine the Star Destroyers will make an appearance, if only to distinguish them from the *new* Star Destroyers, or...

Yeah, that's what I figured. :( Not to hijack the thread, but can anyone recommend a good book on shooting scale miniatures? I'm checking out the old industry mags, now, but I wonder if anyone's put together a primer, or perhaps something more advanced? Doesn't hurt to dive into homework, even...

That's incredible. I'm a bit surprised they'd take on non-students. Do you have a rough idea of what the internship working hours/schedule are like? I'd love to give it my best shot. A lot will depend on whether I can add it as a second job or not. Can't be unfair to New Deal, in terms of...

I, for one, would love to see a careful mix of practical and CGI. There are going to be shots and sequences that are too difficult to execute with scale models and motion control (or too time consuming, expensive, etc.), but I think there will definitely be a place for legacy...

In addition to man hours (a great question), I'd like to know how much upkeep this model required on set during principle photography. I understand it's very common for scale models to require full-time supervision and repair...especially under hot lights, or if they manage to ram the mo-co...

Absolutely. The only modern production I can think of that got virtual camera movement and digital model maneuvering right was the BSG reboot. They treated the cameras more like actual "gun" cameras, for the most part (even though they had that tendency to punch in with a zoom, which I found a...

Fantastic work! I posted a link to the film's Kickstarter page a few months ago, and it's great to see more detail of the actual filming model. I have a lot of respect for the filmmakers' choice to use practical effects over CGI...especially with so many scaled miniature effects shots. I...

Yeah, it definitely bears a strong likeness. The original designer probably drew heavily from popular science fiction, though it also has that classic anime "heavy caliber" fixation going for it, too. If this gun were real it would break my wrist if I tried to fire it. I saw another thread...

Hey folks, I'm undertaking a little project...my first real attempt at converting existing toys/frames to military SF props. I've never done much beyond simple props, so this is going to be quite the experience. I'm using two existing products as foundations...a Sega Stinger Light Gun for the...