How to make a tunnel look longer

K

Kugar13

Well-known member
I'd like to shoot a scene where my camera is going down the lenght of trench/tunnel, but I'd like for the trench/tunnel to be much longer than what I'll have available. It will be a model trench/tunnel. To give you a good visual que think the Death Star Trench from Star Wars A New Hope. I was wondering if there was a way to make the model trench/tunnel appear longer than what it is.

If I were to put a green screen at the end of the trench/tunnel, track my camera down the length, then remove the background (green screen) in post and loop the image would it appear the camera was running down a longer trench/tunnel, or would this not work?

I'm unable to test this theory until I can buy a green screen and make the trench/tunnel. Any advice on this would be greatly apprecated.

Thanks guys!
 
Also...

Also...

Also, any ideas of how best move the camera down the trench is a smooth fashion? I don't own a dolly that would suspend my camera over the model, and move it in a smooth fashion.

Would it be best to move the model, not the camera? Maybe in a stopmotion fashion?

I'm trying to figure out a way to rig my camera on a beam with a motor that would move it at a consistant pace for a smooth track.

I own a DVX100A

Thanks guys!
 
One method I can think of is zooming out while pushing forward. This would make the tunnel seem longer, I guess.
 
Look into specialty lenses for miniatures. NOT MACRO/MICRO lenses.

The small snorkel/probe lenses and other perspective lenses are great because you can get one inside a miniature, and it seems like the miniature is the size of a real building... huge!

It works fantastic but you need lots of light!
 
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Zooming out while moving forward will most often create the "vertigo" effect and while it can make a tunnel look longer, it looks like its stretching, so it wont look natural.

I agree with ryan you can rent a probe lens for the DVX100.
The guys over at Innovision:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/your-money/mortgages/05housingprimer.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&emhttp://www.innovision-optics.com/prod/dvprobe.shtml
rent/sell probe lenses for the DVX100. I think their DV Probe only looses 1 stop or 1/2 stop of light? so that might be worth looking into.
 
evsdan said:
Zooming out while moving forward will most often create the "vertigo" effect and while it can make a tunnel look longer, it looks like its stretching, so it wont look natural.
Click to expand...

Good Idea but in my personal opinion that has been killed by indie movies. I would recomend shooting with wide angles for everything even close ups. I would also try not to shoot head on with the talent and tunnel ending. I would shoot either slightly low or slightly high. Don't worry you will figure something out.
 
Scale Model

Scale Model

Hey guys! Thanks for all the great advice.

It's going to be a chase scene on a scale model, again kinda like the Trench run in Star Wars, so the camera will be directly behind the 'talent' (vehicles) as they traverse the trench/tunnel for a considerable distance. The talent and trench will be shot separate on green screen so I can combine them in post, controlling each element separately. I'm hoping looping footage of the camera moving down the trench, or the trench moving towards the camera, will work.

I guess the best thing to do is do some test shots with a cardboard mock-up of the model.

Thanks again guys!
 
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