Photography Technique

[Otto the Otter]

I've seen some videos lately, as well as still photos that place the subject in a very cool looking manner.

The video for "Uprising" by Muse uses this technique to make small scaled items, like trucks and hoses to look real, yet like scale models at the same time. This techniques was also used for the opening credits of the TV show "Dollhouse" and last year by some insurance company.

In the case of the Dollhouse opening and the commercial, the subjects were real cars and houses, yet made to look almost like they were a part of a model railroad set or something along those lines. It is really cool looking. One of the board members recently posted a picture of Monkey Wrench riding a Vespa that almost had this same look to it. Not sure if that's what he was going for or just a happy result of the way he took the shot.

My question is, is this a practical way to take a picture or have the photos/videos been computer manipulated? In the case of the models looking life size, that might come in handy for this hobby, not so much the other way around, unless youere using a real city street as back ground for your shot.

[The BATman]

You're talking about miniature faking (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniature_faking), right ? I recently encountered it too, by following a link from a Lego trains site. As I understand it, the effect can either be done through a special lens, or by computer manipulation (by selective blurring).

In any case, it's all about making real stuff look like a miniature diorama, not the other way around. Though of course, if you know what to do to make a scene look like a diorama, then you also know what to avoid to make a diorama look like an actual scene.

[Otto the Otter]

That is just too freakin' cool. Thanks for the link, that's what I was looking for, I just didn't knwo the name of the technique.

[WildBill]

Way cool