The bigger the better.

Quarter scale would be great but not always possible. In
your example I'd say one quarter or one fifth would be best.
Half scale would be easier to photograph and look even better
on screen.

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The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

quote:

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The bigger the better.

Quarter scale would be great but not always possible. In
your example I'd say one quarter or one fifth would be best.
Half scale would be easier to photograph and look even better
on screen.

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Wouldn't it be quite hard to build a spaceship even in 1/5th of the actual size? That would still be a very large model.

Rob - UK

Yeah - so a quarter scale to film a ship means that, if the ship is 100 feet long, we'll need a model that's 25 feet. That's pretty big.

I'm glad I'm not doing a story about the Death Star.

I just realized something.

I was researching the miniatures for the small screen - TV or Youtube; CI was probably referring to the big screen.

http://www.minimodelfx.blogspot.com/

http://www.starwarz.com/modelshop/tech.htm

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com

quote:

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Originally posted by robmanu7
Wouldn't it be quite hard to build a spaceship even in 1/5th of the actual size? That would still be a very large model.

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Well, he did say...

quote:

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Originally posted by Aspiring mogul
Say, if it was to be as big as a bus, how long should the model be?

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So if the actual ship is as big as a bus then a model one
quarter or one fifth would be about 7 feet. A seven foot
model is quite workable.

The primary model for the "Battlestar Galactica" was over
12 feet. And that was made for TV.

Well, the Galactica would have been more than four times larger than 12 feet. But a model that 7 to 10 feet would be workable, though I would be concerned about storage and, of course, transporting it from the workshop to the studio.

I think the answer is, whatever size you need for the shot. There were "full size" Millenium Falcons and the smallest was about the size of a quarter. If you need a detailed model for closeups, then it likely has to be big. If it doesn't need to have detail and maybe will be blown up, then you might be able to get away with something smaller.

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com

quote:

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Originally posted by bjdzyak

I think the answer is, whatever size you need for the shot. There were "full size" Millenium Falcons and the smallest was about the size of a quarter. If you need a detailed model for closeups, then it likely has to be big. If it doesn't need to have detail and maybe will be blown up, then you might be able to get away with something smaller.

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Definitely.

I'm wondering what the range would be - for a shot of a bus-sized X-fighter landing on a Dagoba, the craft should be, I think 5 to 7 feet to look realistic. To have it compared against an imperial cruiser, it may have to be the size of a quarter.

I'm beginning to think I should just build a bunch of prototypes and experiment. Is there a professional model maker who would be wiling to mentor my team?

quote:

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Originally posted by Aspiring mogul

quote:

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Originally posted by bjdzyak

I think the answer is, whatever size you need for the shot. There were "full size" Millenium Falcons and the smallest was about the size of a quarter. If you need a detailed model for closeups, then it likely has to be big. If it doesn't need to have detail and maybe will be blown up, then you might be able to get away with something smaller.

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Definitely.

I'm wondering what the range would be - for a shot of a bus-sized X-fighter landing on a Dagoba, the craft should be, I think 5 to 7 feet to look realistic. To have it compared against an imperial cruiser, it may have to be the size of a quarter.

I'm beginning to think I should just build a bunch of prototypes and experiment. Is there a professional model maker who would be wiling to mentor my team?

---

Good luck on the mentor. It's not likely you'll find a working professional who frequents this forum or who would take you on as an apprentice like this.

Your best bet is to just jump in and experiment as most of them have done in their earlier years. The only other choice is to move to where models are built (a Visual Effects shop) and try to get work there. You likely would not start out working as a model builder, but you'd be around them and learn that way.

Otherwise, just sketch out the models you want then "kit bash" model kits from hobby stores and make your own. Keep in mind details like interior lighting and adequate cooking mechanisms so the models don't melt from the heat. Also, you'll need to learn about SAFE pyrotechnics if you plan on exploding any models. And of course, proper lighting as well as camera movement and lensing for the most realistic photography. There are a lot of technical and creative disciplines to master when dealing with miniatures.

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com

I visited a couple of hardware stores this weekend, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of the parts could be put together to make very believable spaceships. I started this thread to figure out the size of the ship needed for a shot of it landing on a planet, and I think 5 to 7 feet should be enough. The others can be smaller.

This is a miniature train on the HO scale, which is pretty small in real life, but it looks pretty good on Youtube. The people, of course, don't look real, but they can be removed.

Any opinions as to how real this looks? I'd like some opinions, thanks.

?url? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-CzJ_FHdTc&feature=related?/url?

Looks pretty good. Shot out of focus helped. If they had shot it at a
slightly FPS that would have helped, too.

If you're asking my opinion about using something that small for a
movie where the train was supposed to be real; no way. Not good
enough. Might work for a spaceship, though.

Thanks, CI. What do you mean by, "(s)hot out of focus"? And what's FPS? I'd like to know.