Creating Special Effects for TV and Video, 3rd Edition

Model Landscapes

 

Model landscapes for TV purposes are usually built on a firm baseboard with a hardboard backing on which the sky is painted. For movie productions (where the definition must be greater) miniature landscapes are often far from ‘miniature’, occasionally filling entire studios.

Constructed of materials such as wood, card, plaster, expanded polystyrene and so on, landscapes seldom need to be built with any degree of permanence. Sand heaped on to the base-board and sprinkled with coloured sawdust will resemble rolling hills and is easier to modify than a solid construction of plaster or sculptured polystyrene.

Fields and trees

For conventional terrestrial scenes, trees, bushes and other forms of vegetation can be created from a ...