by A movie fan who has taken more than 1,600 snapshots of miniature movie sets using household items and figurines has thanked social media users for “spurring” a passion he hopes will become “an art form”. .
Steve Berry, from Sheffield, has been making his pop culture miniatures since 2020 entirely without the use of CGI or green screen backgrounds – he sources materials like tinfoil or rocks from his garden and uses his skills as a graphic designer to create tiny , millimeter. -Long accessories.
The 43-year-old, who goes by the name Robot Wig, has amassed thousands of followers across Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr, where he regularly posts what he is determined to make “an art form” after drawing inspiration from hundreds of famous movies. including Ghostbusters, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.
He has always had a “huge interest” in film and practical effects and dreamed of working at Pinewood Studios.
He uses 6-inch (15cm) and 7-inch (18cm) tall figures from a variety of brands for shots and plays with “perspective”, making miniature trees and buildings appear huge through the lens of the camera.
“Seeing the movie that you’ve seen a million times from a different angle, that’s the kind of thing I’m trying to do,” Berry told the PA news agency.
“I don’t consider it a hobby because I really want to go out there and do something with it.
“I want to turn it into an art form.
“(I) try to make it feel like you’ve been transported to a world you may have seen before.”
Each shot can take Mr. Berry three to four hours.
His work includes shots of serial slasher Ghostface from the horror franchise Scream on a busy subway train, a Jurassic Park dinosaur roaring in the rain and the gates of Argonath from The Lord of the Rings.
Mr. Berry recreated the famous scene in the film adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s novel, depicting three boats rowing on a river between two statues, using rocks from his garden, aluminum foil and a cutting board.
Another of his shots shows a taxi being driven by Ghostbusters skeletons that, according to Berry, even have something written on the tiny name card that hangs below a pine air freshener.
“The nameplate (has) actually got proper names, it’s not just scribbles,” he said.
“And the tree also has a fragrance.
“In those small details, (it increases) the realism a little bit more.”
Berry first began experimenting with Lego during the first COVID-19 lockdown of 2020 and soon elevated his work to sculptures and hyper-realistic film scenes.
Social media users encouraged him to keep going after he discovered that others were getting a lot of comfort from his efforts during the pandemic.
He started posting on Instagram, where he has more than 4,400 followers, and now also shares his work with some 2,000 users on Twitter and more than 12,000 on Tumblr.
“It ended up shooting up a bit…People were encouraging me to keep going. (They) were like, ‘This is brilliant,’” she said.
“I got loads of really nice messages from people saying, ‘You’ve really lifted me up. I know it sounds a bit weird, but my grandpa died and I look forward to your next post because they always cheer me up and it’s kind of goofy.
“It’s been a bit of a journey.”
Berry added that she still enjoys the reaction on social media when she posts a new piece, but admitted that she has considered stopping as the job doesn’t bring her income.
“The response has been incredible,” he said.
“It’s a great feeling when people appreciate what you’re doing and also understand what you’re trying to do.
“There were times when I just wanted to quit, and I just make people say ‘Please don’t give up. Just keep going.’
“I’m really pushing, I’m very passionate about this, so I just want to be the best that I can be, (do) the best work that I can create.”
Mr. Berry admitted that while there’s no bias towards the movies he chooses to recreate, he does have one standout shot: The Lord of the Rings Argonath Gate.
“It came out exactly like the movie,” he said.
“Recovering that atmosphere is key for me.
“You have feelings when you watch movies… It’s what I’m trying to capture: the golden age of cinema.”
