Ok, quiet on the set! (muffle, shuffle shuffle shuffle..)
'And.....ACTION!'
You may noticed I started this post as if a movie was being filmed. I have this corner of the diorama table set up with the lights clamped to the edge of the dollhouse ledge shining down. Great part of this is that light and others can be moved about so I don't have to hold them while I take the photos...More and more as I experiment with this scale, I realize the scope of how you can take 1:6 scale to the level of miniature set buildings for movies, film, and videos.
I have a new board on Pinterest called Miniature Set Building and I encourage you to go to the link pages of the pics on this board-- very fascinating and extremely interesting how they do this. Another link is to Ray Harry Hausen
the creator of special effects in the original sci-fi Godzilla movies of the 40s and 50's. He has passed away but his work is amazing. This type of miniature artistry is generally thought of as Concept Art. We never think of all of the animation needed for those movies such as Trolls, Frozen, and more, but they take miniature creation to a whole new art form. (Personally myself, I would rather work and create with the artists who make it happen than watch the actual movie!!)
Another artist who inspired me on this journey was Caroline McFarlane-Watts, mainly a 1:12 scale artist. She owns Pixie Dust Miniatures, HummingBird Miniatures and has been featured in American Miniaturist, Dollhouse Miniature Magazine, Dolls House World, and Miniature Collector, too I believe. Her work on her own stop motion movie has been exciting and I encourage you to browse her blog Tall Tales Scroll back all the way to the beginning, the artistry of her work in building a set for her movie is amazing and useful, because building sets is not about 'one' scale, it is the use of several scales to create depth, life and realism.
Onto the dollhouse. I did some cleaning and tidying in the bedroom and the salon of Maison de la Royale (the Manor) and I switched out fireplaces in the bedroom. I placed the Jim Coates fireplace and screen and it created more room than the Bespaq one. That is going on the drawing board table to be altered for another diorama. One thing I like about the dollhouse is the ability where I can switch the furniture in the salon and dining room and have a library, kitchen, or ballroom if needed. I want to give the illusion of a huge mansion in the French provinces without having permanent dioramas.
Here is the bedroom-
I used a long light and it really made the difference in the photos over natural light, which has way too much shading for my liking. But these photos of the cats and the dog, create the lighting when people wake up, the cat stretches on the bed or carpet and also life. Both Natalias are getting up or still sleeping. Both are IT direct lottery dolls. I made the loungerie they are both wearing as well as the bedding and pillows on the bed.
The Salon-
First, I have a shot of the entire dollhouse. The dining room on the ground floor is not done yet, as that means I have to get on the floor and then get up. That doesn't happen easily and I am going to be working on that room without distractions but the Salon did come off nicely after all the junk and excess dolls were out of it. I want to create the illusion of a large mansion so I will definitely need more dolls in maid and cook and houseman uniforms. I have even thought of having footmen in old fashioned breeches and wigged. That may come later. Right now I have one maid and one butler. The great Oz makes a great butler and That Girl Barbie is the maid. I have long wanted to do a scene with Agnes getting out of the car and the household staff is lined up to greet her like Downtown Abbey's opening scenes. So I will need housemen, or footmen, maids, cook, and housekeeper....
Note- Please check the blogs to the side that I follow, I have added some new ones that I think everyone will enjoy, as well as the links resource box has been revamped as well. More to come, and happy Sunday!~Lisa
'And.....ACTION!'
You may noticed I started this post as if a movie was being filmed. I have this corner of the diorama table set up with the lights clamped to the edge of the dollhouse ledge shining down. Great part of this is that light and others can be moved about so I don't have to hold them while I take the photos...More and more as I experiment with this scale, I realize the scope of how you can take 1:6 scale to the level of miniature set buildings for movies, film, and videos.
I have a new board on Pinterest called Miniature Set Building and I encourage you to go to the link pages of the pics on this board-- very fascinating and extremely interesting how they do this. Another link is to Ray Harry Hausen
the creator of special effects in the original sci-fi Godzilla movies of the 40s and 50's. He has passed away but his work is amazing. This type of miniature artistry is generally thought of as Concept Art. We never think of all of the animation needed for those movies such as Trolls, Frozen, and more, but they take miniature creation to a whole new art form. (Personally myself, I would rather work and create with the artists who make it happen than watch the actual movie!!)
Another artist who inspired me on this journey was Caroline McFarlane-Watts, mainly a 1:12 scale artist. She owns Pixie Dust Miniatures, HummingBird Miniatures and has been featured in American Miniaturist, Dollhouse Miniature Magazine, Dolls House World, and Miniature Collector, too I believe. Her work on her own stop motion movie has been exciting and I encourage you to browse her blog Tall Tales Scroll back all the way to the beginning, the artistry of her work in building a set for her movie is amazing and useful, because building sets is not about 'one' scale, it is the use of several scales to create depth, life and realism.
Onto the dollhouse. I did some cleaning and tidying in the bedroom and the salon of Maison de la Royale (the Manor) and I switched out fireplaces in the bedroom. I placed the Jim Coates fireplace and screen and it created more room than the Bespaq one. That is going on the drawing board table to be altered for another diorama. One thing I like about the dollhouse is the ability where I can switch the furniture in the salon and dining room and have a library, kitchen, or ballroom if needed. I want to give the illusion of a huge mansion in the French provinces without having permanent dioramas.
Here is the bedroom-
The Salon-
Note- Please check the blogs to the side that I follow, I have added some new ones that I think everyone will enjoy, as well as the links resource box has been revamped as well. More to come, and happy Sunday!~Lisa
4 comments:
Great post and photographs! Thanks for the links, it's very interesting to see how such things are done. All the details in your rooms are great, that little doll on the bedside table is lovely :-). I look forward to pictures of the household personnel in their uniforms. Is that Giles from Buffy I see sitting in the chair?
This post is near and dear to my heart. When I was a kid I wanted to be a set designer and Ray Harryhausen was one of my all time favorite artists. The things he was able to achieve astounded me. Thanks for the links!
Your set is impressive!
Brilliant - I especially like the "sleeping" doll wrapped up in the covers! Clearly she's even less of a morning person than I am.
Where did you find that lamp? I build my dollhouses on a large work table, and a task lamp I can clamp to the table top would be great for taking detailed pictures.
Night Owl, thank you. I linked both of your blogs I hope, to the blog roll so others can see them. Yes that is Giles from the Sideshow buffy series. I have a few of those I still need to collect- love my vamps and Buffy! I only wish, how I wish, they would make a Buffy with real hair who had a nice body, like a FR.
Muff- glad you liked it! In my miniature journey and how I fell into business and working with this scale, I wanted to know how to use this art form in a different way- other than just dioramas/dollhouses. The barbie videos mattel puts out made me do a little digging and I thought, hey this is cool- set designing! Also the other miniaturist- Caroline McFarlane Watts works in the movie industry for her 'day' job and her blog is really interesting- it is my favorite. I have wanted to use this scale to do a children's story book with the actual pictures, and using a set that I build. That is still in the thought process rattling about in my head, as I would need more room, lol
Anna- I had the doll facing the camera but she looked like= Really? picture time when I'm sleeping?? lol..
the lamp I purchased from home depot or lowe's- I have more of them. I intend to get more lights and may have to do a rig with a light standing in the middle of the room aimed at the table. This room is very small. I like the lights that I can clamp on the table edges and they are out of the way of the camera.
So glad everyone was interested in the links- especially you muff! I will be working on the blog and might do another link roll for miniature set building links, like I did for the 1:6 scale Victorian dollhouse links. I want my blog to be sort of a 'resource' page for those that are looking for certain, hard to find things in our playscale worlds. So am updating alot of my blogrolls too. Thanks everyone!
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