See Incredible Miniatures Created For ‘Interstellar’
The word “miniatures” can give the wrong idea when talking about filmmaking. Compared to the “actual” size of the Death Star, for example, the miniature model created forStar Warswas tiny. Compared to a human, it’s still pretty big. Similar miniatures were (ahem) a big part ofInterstellar, and NewDeal Studios createdsomeamazing models for the film.
The company previously made a Batmobile and garbage truck forThe Dark Knight, planes forThe Dark Knight Rises,and a model of the hospital fortress to be destroyed inInception. For Interstellar, New Deal made miniatures of the Endurance, and the Ranger and Lander crafts. Docking shots, a scene featuring an explosion, and the descent into the black hole all used significant miniature effects. Below, see images of the Interstellar miniature models, and get more info on how they were used.FXGuidehas a great feature on the miniature work inInterstellar, and this image of the Endurance, the ship/station seen on the poster above. Check out this beauty. It’s gorgeous.
The ship was built as a miniature, and as CG. For the Ranger and Lander crafts, full 1:1 size models were also built for location work, but the Endurance was big enough that miniatures and digital models had to do. Ian Hunter, the VFX supervisor who worked on the models at New Deal, explains how (spoiler alert!) the model was used with an unconventional camera rig to create the shots in which part of the Endurance explodes.
Christopher Nolan wanted the camera attached to the side of the model to emulate shots that had been done in other formats, and that required some ground-level innovation.
So the crazy expensive camera used for these effects shots was housed inone of these caseswith a hole cut in it for the lens — which is about as basic a rig as you may come up with for a complicated shot.
There’s a lot more atFXGuide, and we’ll leave you with this shot of the great Ranger model, as it is positioned in an upright stance for lighting and shooting. The way Nolan wanted these lit and shot was different from the way miniature effects are often done now; read the full article for much more detailed info.
