Smallgantics Basics

http://bentimagelab.com/work/

The technique is a variation of the Tilt Shift technique in photography transferred onto moving image. This was first done by a company called Bent Image Lab who used it for a music video they were filming at the time. All they did was apply the same principles from the photography technique to the video footage which is achievable through various video editing software.

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The basic principle is to take your shot from a high angle and from quite far away from the main subject of your shot. The high angle is essential to the effect as it makes the audience look down upon the subject as you would a miniature figure. The distance also helps add to the effect as it makes the subjects much smaller making it again more believable. A balance of high and distance is important to ensure the technique can be properly applied.

http://cdn.iphonephotographyschool.com/wp-content/
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In post production the main thing to do is to add the lens blur effect or to create the out of focus parts of the shot. The blur saturates the whole shot minus the chosen subject and a small window around it that should create a blurred foreground and background, the non-blurred part of the shot will become the miniature.
To add to the effect it is also a good idea to saturate the colour of the shot more intensely to simulate a more of a painted look.
For moving image it is also often practiced to remove frames of the footage or film the footage as a time lapse to create and less fluid movement so it looks like anything moving within the frame is stop motion rather than live action.