Storyteller With a Miniature Twist
// Projects //
Here's a "Closer Look" at some of the miniatures + true crime projects I've produced for BuzzFeed Unsolved Network.
H.H. Holmes was my 2nd miniature and true crime build. It was a big, ambitious build that didn't get fully finished, but I plan on completing it someday when I have some down time.
Biggest challenge for the Yogurt Shop build was the miniature metal mesh rack. I searched for what felt like forever for a UV glue that I needed to adhere the pieces together. I made the rack out of small wooden dowels and aluminum.
The Lizzie Borden House is one of my personal favorite builds. I created the floors and wallpaper by using a digital reference of what was in the actual still-standing house at the time of my build. I took screenshots from reference videos of the clearest sections and created 'wallpaper' by scaling it down in photoshop to fit my recreation.
Oh, Mona Lisa...this one...this one was an experience, lol. I managed to lose my mini Mona reference on multiple occasions during the entire build and every time I went to cut out a new one, bam...it reappeared...oyeeeee...and don't get me started on my time with Big Mona...she was quite the experience, too, haha!
This build needed lots of bricks and I spent a nice chunk of time etching them into the walls, painting and aging them. This was also the first time I used some kind of practical atmospheric effect in a miniature shoot and it turned out super neat.
Through this project I learned a whole lot more about this case, but the real lesson came in identifying all the flags in the President's office. The Oval Office had its challenges, and the garage turned out much smaller than I meant to make it, lol!
Getting 'The Dating Game' sign right was a little bit of a challenge. I freehanded the font before transferring it onto XPS foam. From there, I cut the individual letters with a foam wire cutter and sliced them into multiple pieces so I'd have 2 sets -- one for each wall.
A collection of some of more recent miniature creations.
When I shot this video, we were enduring that awful heatwave and boy, was I HOT under those lights, haha!
I know my energy level seemed low and that's because it was -- like, it was scorching and I was trying not to let my face turn red from the heat, and had to keep cutting to cool down between lines. It was such a miserable time, lol!!!
Anyway, needless to say, I got through it and my favorite part about this build was, well...a lot! From the piano, to the mini retro-inspired bedroom movie set to the facade -- I truly enjoyed this build because it was also my last with BuzzFeed. 'Twas bittersweet.
That said, this is by far my last miniatures and true crime video. I'm continuing my storytelling + miniature venture on my own now and will have more videos covering broader topics in a similar format on my personal YouTube channel: @carolkras -- be sure to check it out!
You'll not only find newer videos like this, but also tutorials on how I made certain things and/or built an entire project. A full-on behind-the-scenes look into my process and much, much more! Don't miss out! :)