Make a Model out of a Grandstand
Sometimes, you need to create a massive scene with tons of people in a place that no longer exists (or never existed in the first place). Model makers can make a 3D stand of almost anything, imagined or real. You see all those ‘people’ in the stands in the next picture? It’s a full house. Michael Lynch, the model maker on set, cut over 450,000 Q-tips and painted them to look like people. Fans were used to make it look like the crowd was moving.
Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace (1999)
Doesn’t the Camera Have Zoom?
Most people would think that the video camera used to make the film would have a zoom feature. They probably do. However, sometimes, bigger is better. As you can see in the photo below, this ring wouldn’t fit anyone, especially a Hobbit. No, it was designed to be used in close-up shots of the prop. You can see that it doesn’t have the intricate carvings around it, but that’s okay.
The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (from 2001)
