Sunday, August 3, 2008

The Dark Knight - The Miniatures

We did a number of things for The Dark Knight at New Deal Studios over the course of a 3 month build and 2 months of setup and shooting. The main sequence we put together was a 1/3 scale miniature/mechanical effect of the Tumbler (Batmobile) colliding with a garbage truck and then turning a 180 degree turn. We built 5 garbage trucks and 2 Tumblers (one cable pulled, one radio-controlled) all at 1/3 scale. Along with the vehicles, we built the entire surrounding environment to match the live action footage shot on Lower Wacker Drive in Chicago. This was a BIG miniature to say the least...

I was the Staff Shop Lead on the film and a model maker...

Anyway, here's a few low-res pics... better ones coming soon...






A scene not used in the final film called for the garbage truck to turn over and come apart with pieces smashing through the surrounding walls/pillars/etc... The truck can be seen on its side in the background of the following picture. The 'compactor' part of the truck was made to 'disengage' as part of the damage.







BEFORE:




AFTER:

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