Create miniature effects
Overview
This Standard is about your ability to create miniature effects. It will require an understanding of camera equipment, including lenses, formats and mounts, and close liaison with the Director of Photography to understand how miniatures will be filmed. It will also require you to understand construction, digital manipulation and visual effects. It assumes you have an understanding of pyrotechnics and are able to work closely with members of the pyrotechnics team to deliver the effect safely and efficiently. It will require you to liaise with the appropriate manufacturers and in some instances use Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) or 3D printers to produce required models. This Standard is for you if you create miniature special effects.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
create miniature effects in line with production script breakdown,
production requests. constraints and budget
- consult with appropriate heads of department to confirm
completed miniature effects meet requirements
- liaise with relevant production personnel and enforcing authorities
to ensure effects are safe and legally compliant
- provide documentation to relevant people in appropriate formats
detailing how miniature effects will be designed and achieved
- ensure that miniatures are manufactured and scaled to meet
the production requirements
- ensure that any necessary documentation is created and kept in
accordance with regulations
source materials appropriate for the miniatures being produced
maintain the health and safety of cast and crew at all times
collaborate with pyrotechnic technicians to create pyrotechnic
effects that meet production and safety requirements
- liaise with CAD, CAM or 3D printing technicians to produce any
required models in line with production requirements
- document all aspects of risk assessment and management in
required formats,
- provide alternative solutions within budget and schedule if effects
cannot be produced to original designs or budget
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
script breakdown, budget, constraints and schedule for the
physical special effects
- health and safety legislation and industry standards for creating
miniature effects
film speeds, frame formats and ratios
the differences between television and film cameras and their
advantages and disadvantages
how to use cameras and their auxiliary equipment
lens angles and the basic principles associated with these
camera mounts and how they differ
the importance of scale and perspective and how these are used
to achieve different effects
- how to read computer generated images, digital manipulation and
technical drawings
- suitable materials and how to source them, for use on miniature
effects
- how digital prop models can be created and output to the
manufacturing process, whether in-house or external
- pyrotechnics, water and fire and how they are scaled for use in
miniatures
- what can be achieved by post production and visual effects