My miniature model filming started about 25 years ago when I was asked to film a sequence about an avalanche hitting a house - with no budget of course!
The solution was to build a doll’s house room (above) and throw a special type of salt into it. Some sections of the set were also matched at a larger scale. All were filmed at high frame rates. This was combined with real footage shot on location. We were able to convey the impression of what happens when an avalanche hits your house.
Click the picture above to see the sequence.
Since then I have been involved in a number of series for Discovery, National Geographic and Sky Television filming model effects.
3D
The “Sky” television series “Storm City” took the snow theme further and added a whole range of natural disasters that could destroy your home.
Working on that was great fun and involved creating effects in sets at full scale because people had to be involved. To add an extra technical challenge it was a 3D production requiring the cameras to be configured as a 3D pair. The picture above shows the cameras in a room set which was about to have an avalanche come crashing through the window. The two cameras are looking through a mirror rig and suspended on a jib of my own design. This jib can have motors engaged and then act as a motion control rig for repeat moves or for time lapse photography. This rig is important in miniature work to allow very precise moves on small scales.
Another major speciality is "Dry for Wet” underwater effects. The use of fog in the studio simulates the oceanic underwater environment.
Full CV HERE