This is cooler than the other side of the pillow! Blows CGI out of the water!!
YouTube - Giant Robot FX Test‏
YouTube - Giant Robot FX Test‏
Forced perspective giant robot..
- Thread starter DarkHelmet
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nickytea
Master Member
Yes, this is a very cool use of perspective and models, but the application is fairly limited to static shots with almost no human interaction. (The running gag is about as much as you'll be able to do.)
If a story is better told with a CG robot, then so be it.
(Funnily enough, I think any of those particular robots could be built full scale with an operator, which would obviously be a the first choice if there was any semblance of a budget. Obviously these were produced on the cheap, and they look great.)
If a story is better told with a CG robot, then so be it.
(Funnily enough, I think any of those particular robots could be built full scale with an operator, which would obviously be a the first choice if there was any semblance of a budget. Obviously these were produced on the cheap, and they look great.)
IndyFanChuck
Sr Member
That is awesome! Really looks cool!
pretty easy actually.
There is a false street made and set up right in front of the camera.
There is a false street made and set up right in front of the camera.
Hehe. I think I can explain how this was done...because I made it:
Giant Robots! : Ryan Nagata
I did that video over the course of an afternoon. It was tremendously easy except for having to repaint the false ground every few minutes to match the changing light. I was inspired by an FX guy I met named Rocco Gioffre (Rocco Gioffre - IMDb). He showed me some forced perspective stuff that really blew my minds when I visited his FX house.
He does some of the biggest movies nowadays, but his credits go all the way back to Blade Runner. Rocco's all about using EVERY tool at his disposal, whether it be physical models, 3d models, or 2d matte paintings. He often scoffs at the idea of using 3d models for certain shots when they could have been done 10 times cheaper, better, and faster using more traditional methods. Not that he doesn't use the latest technology when it's the right tool for the job. It's really a case by case thing.
Believe it or not, you're not limited to static shots with forced perspective. There is a technique that I've always wanted to try but never got around to where you can incorporate pans and tilts into forced perspective shots. Basically, you need a tripod mount that will allow you to slide the camera back so that the film plane lies directly over the axis of rotation of the head. When you do that, you eliminate all parallax between the foreground and background. So you can pan the camera and the forced perspective illusion is maintained.
This technique was actually used in the shot that Rocco showed me that really blew my mind. I think it was from the Young Sherlock Holmes series. There was a dolly shot that followed a character down a wall and then panned around as he turned into an alleyway. The alleyway was actually a miniature model that was only a few feet in front of the actor. They didn't have the budget to build a full, period alleyway. So this was essentially built in someone's backyard. But you would NEVER know it. It was totally seamless.
Giant Robots! : Ryan Nagata
I did that video over the course of an afternoon. It was tremendously easy except for having to repaint the false ground every few minutes to match the changing light. I was inspired by an FX guy I met named Rocco Gioffre (Rocco Gioffre - IMDb). He showed me some forced perspective stuff that really blew my minds when I visited his FX house.
He does some of the biggest movies nowadays, but his credits go all the way back to Blade Runner. Rocco's all about using EVERY tool at his disposal, whether it be physical models, 3d models, or 2d matte paintings. He often scoffs at the idea of using 3d models for certain shots when they could have been done 10 times cheaper, better, and faster using more traditional methods. Not that he doesn't use the latest technology when it's the right tool for the job. It's really a case by case thing.
Believe it or not, you're not limited to static shots with forced perspective. There is a technique that I've always wanted to try but never got around to where you can incorporate pans and tilts into forced perspective shots. Basically, you need a tripod mount that will allow you to slide the camera back so that the film plane lies directly over the axis of rotation of the head. When you do that, you eliminate all parallax between the foreground and background. So you can pan the camera and the forced perspective illusion is maintained.
This technique was actually used in the shot that Rocco showed me that really blew my mind. I think it was from the Young Sherlock Holmes series. There was a dolly shot that followed a character down a wall and then panned around as he turned into an alleyway. The alleyway was actually a miniature model that was only a few feet in front of the actor. They didn't have the budget to build a full, period alleyway. So this was essentially built in someone's backyard. But you would NEVER know it. It was totally seamless.
Awesome stuff Ryan! I've loved this stuff since the 70's when I learned how from Cinemagic and Super8 Filmaker magazines.
I was going to post this video of a Super 8 feature by a friend of mine, Scot McPhie. He used foreground miniatures for a plane sequence. You can see the set up at about 3:00
YouTube - Making of In My Image, part four‏
I was going to post this video of a Super 8 feature by a friend of mine, Scot McPhie. He used foreground miniatures for a plane sequence. You can see the set up at about 3:00
YouTube - Making of In My Image, part four‏
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Ryan, what make is that 1:6 scale Jeep?
The 1:6 scale jeep was originally a Hasbro GI Joe jeep. But the toy was modeled after a '41 Willys slat grille. It also looked very toy like. So I stripped all the details off and made it into a '43 Willys MB. I probably spent 6 months modding it, painting it, converting it to RC, adding working head lamps, and adding all the little details like grenade crates, musette bags, fire extinguishers, etc. Then it couldn't have been a month after I finished it that DML released their 1:6 WWII jeep kit, which is pretty dang accurate and really put the Hasbro to shame. All that work for nothing!
What's worse it that after that was done, I completely scratch-built a 1:6 M3 antitank gun and then DML released one of those as well! That's when I stopped building 1:6 WWII models.
What's worse it that after that was done, I completely scratch-built a 1:6 M3 antitank gun and then DML released one of those as well! That's when I stopped building 1:6 WWII models.
Yeah, I just needed a model to put in the foreground that I could build in an hour or so.
If you like that forced perspective stuff and WWII models, take a look at this video I made:
1945A on Vimeo
1945A on Vimeo
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