Miniatures are still being used, aren't they?

[Aspiring Mogul]

We have been hearing constant complaints about how all special effects are now CGI, which don't look as good as special effects miniature. But even a cursory search on the internet shows many sfx companies are still using miniatures as opposed to pure CGI, notably in the Dark Knight as well as the Lord of the Rings.

So what's the state of the art in this part of the industry? Does anyone know?

 

[ChimpPhobiaFilms]

They are occasionally used, but rarely. Aside from rare exceptions such as Inception, I can't think of any recent ones.

 

[ChimpPhobiaFilms]

double post.

 

[Aspiring Mogul]

They are occasionally used, but rarely. Aside from rare exceptions such as Inception, I can't think of any recent ones.

I'm gonna get the DVD for Inception.

 

[ChimpPhobiaFilms]

I'm gonna get the DVD for Inception.

Have you seen it?

Oh, and the Hallway scene being practical as well made my inner movie watcher squeal with joy.

Oh, and that plane crash from Dark Knight Rises was partially real. No miniatures. They literally let a plane go in mid air to crash to the ground. I still wonder how that was filmed.

 

[Aspiring Mogul]

I haven't seen Inception.

 

[ChimpPhobiaFilms]

I haven't seen Inception.

I recommend seeing it! Great film!

 

[Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC]

End Of Days used both miniatures and greenscreen with cg.

The BTS on the DVD shows the details of how they did it.

 

[Cracker Funk]

I don't think it's as uncommon as we might be imagining. The most recent examples I can think of that definitely used miniatures are Elysium and The Impossible. But I think it's a safe guess that there are others, all released within the last year. Sure, it's less rare than it used to be, but it's still very effective, and sometimes cheaper than CGI.