March 30, 2025 • 56 mins
Martin Palm returns and shares his journey in diecast photography, discussing his creative process, collaborations with major brands like Porsche and Lego, and the techniques he employs to create stunning miniature scenes. The discussion also touches on the importance of nostalgia in his work, the challenges of creating realistic landscapes, and practical advice for aspiring photographers. Martin emphasizes the power of lighting and post-production in enhancing the visual appeal of diecast photography, and introduces his innovative overlays designed for photographers looking to elevate their images. In this conversation, Martin Palm shares his insights on creative photography techniques, innovative diorama projects, and his collaboration with Verb Moto to create a digital experience for motocross fans. He discusses the importance of creativity in photography, his journey on YouTube, and the nuances of diecast collecting, emphasizing the details that make models stand out.
Follow Martin here: https://www.instagram.com/martinpalm/
and here: @martinpalm1
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Follow Martin here: https://www.instagram.com/martinpalm/
and here: @martinpalm1
🏁🏎️Help us collect 25,000 cars for kids in need. Learn more at https://www.drivendreams.org/
🚘🎥 Support Diecast Media Network, buy merch, and more!: http://diecastmedianetwork.com/
💰Save 15% on all orders from SK75 Works with code "DMN." https://www.sk75works.co.uk/
🎨 Get some amazing automotive art here: https://fireballtimgarage.art/
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Easy.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
The photos is very easy to take and the project
is very easy compared to other projects I do. Like
I used the treadmill and it's very It's a fun
way to actually get motion in the in the die cast,
but turned out in a in.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
A very cool way.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Okay, all right, awesome, we will see dive in here.
Let's see. You gotta pull up my list of patrons
because there's new ones. Great, let's talk about car photography.
It's a lot of fun. All right, Well that was scary,
all right, all right?
Speaker 4 (00:42):
In three two, you're watching Diecast Breakdown with Chuck Ellis,
David Johns, and Mark McCarty. So sit back, scrap in.
Speaker 5 (01:05):
And hangold.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
The Breakdown scuards.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
No, well, hey they're folks.
Speaker 6 (01:13):
Chuck here and welcome to Diecast Breakdown. I'm so glad
you're here, and I am especially glad that we are
doing this show with the collaboration of our executive producer
level patrons. That would be First and sixty Worth Customs,
Stean Self Driven roast Or Elevation, Diecast Tracing, Jason J.
Speaker 5 (01:27):
Goldenberg, Lewis Biglow.
Speaker 6 (01:29):
Tanahara, mad Vision's reviews through and Netherlands twice Diecast that
get David and Video Geek Productions. There's a lot of
people giving us twenty bucks a month just to do
this silly show. Aren't those awesome people? Go thank them
in the comments, say thank you, Jake Goldenburg. And we
also want to give a shout out to some other
new patrons that have come on board at the production
assistant level. That would be Larry's Model Shop, the Scuffed
(01:51):
Nerd and Paul David Schwalk Schwoke.
Speaker 7 (01:55):
Paul Schwalk, the die Cast Guy, Paul.
Speaker 6 (01:57):
Schwalk, the die Cast Guy. Thank you, David, I know
he who Paul was about. All right, Well, those are
some awesome people and you're seeing other people on the
screen that support the show. If you want to know
how you can join their ranks, you can visit diecast
Breakdown dot com, or you can find links to all
our irrelevant stuff, including Patreon and our merch store. You
can deck yourself out in the latest die Cast Breakdown
(02:19):
and Diecast Media Network merch and you can visit Drivendreams
dot org where we're raising twenty five thousand cars for
kids in need all over the world.
Speaker 5 (02:27):
So check that out.
Speaker 6 (02:28):
It's a really cool project that Mark is doing. Mark
will be on location doing some really cool stuff that
we can't show you tonight, but I am joined to
buy my co host, colleague and friend and mister David
John's David, how the heck are you today?
Speaker 7 (02:41):
I'm good, I'm ready. We're gonna get caught up with
one of our favorite guests of all time, and we're
doing it. So through the marvel of technology, we get
you and us here in the States, and Martin all
across the rest of the world.
Speaker 6 (02:55):
Yep, through a series of tubes. We are talking to
someone on the other side of the planet right now.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Martin.
Speaker 6 (03:00):
You know him from his amazing Instagram shoots, his photography
making little tiny cars look really big and really epic.
He's been on the show before, but we're thrilled to
heaven back.
Speaker 5 (03:10):
Martin. Thank you so much for being on the show
with us today.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah, thank you for coming back. It's fun.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
It's about a year ago we was here, so it's
fun to talk to talk about the last year.
Speaker 7 (03:25):
Plenty to catch up on.
Speaker 6 (03:26):
Yeah, I heard you have had quite the busy years.
So for those of us who have seen the interview
before and are eager to know what's next, what's been
happening in your world of photography.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, it's been a wild ride. Last time we talked
about the collaboration with Peshore, which took my breath away
since it was my first brand deal back then.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Then after actually after.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
The the show last time, I released my project with
Cars Yes Yes to. I'll to say it my own project,
not a paid collaboration, but that was something else.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
So when when I released that and.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I started started actually to see how wild those projects
can be when it comes to numbers, right right, I
think that's a big topic to talk about when it
comes to my projects. I also in last September got
(04:26):
my my work with Porsche and Lego, two big brands
that I that knows very well.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
So yeah, that's that's been a yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (04:39):
So let's start with the Cars thing, because you've got
this this really cool series of photos that has one
hundred and thirteen thousand likes on your Instagram as of
right now, and this is from almost a year ago,
and it's a series of photos we got like Lightning
McQueen racing through radiator springs at night in the beginning
of Cars one, and you see the sheriff catches up
(05:01):
to him and he's got his fire fire firing out
of his exhaust pipe and the lights are flashing, and
there's a really cool behind the scenes video of you
with some strobe lights going. Walk us through that photo shoot,
tell us what's going on there.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
I was to start it all this was I have
been been shooting normal cars or die costs for about
three years, and I was, how can I twist this
still be a bit of cars vehicles, but add a
new dimension to it. And we all have grown up
(05:37):
with the cars movies and that famous willis But I
think it's called I was, I need to do this,
but I was unsure since it's it's.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Very very many.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Shapes that I never have been doing before, so it's
least like I saw it in my head, but it
was so not there yet, and I was I was like,
if is it childish or is it something that is engaging?
Or it was I was out of my comfort zone
(06:17):
when I has the idea, since there is many thoughts
that's coming in to actually see you, should I do this?
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Is it good for my brand or it's good for
my page?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
But I did it, and I think I had I
had It's my first viral carousel post that reached actually.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
One million views.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
I carousel that's never never done before, and that's what's
overwhelming to see the growth from from that. Actually one
post with three photos.
Speaker 7 (06:54):
So, Martin, are these are you when you're making these?
Are these actual scenes from the movie or is this
just you in the moment you think this is how
I want to place these cars? What's your process there?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Now?
Speaker 2 (07:08):
This is full recreations of the movie scenes. I think
that's the point of the whole engagement that people can
actually relate to in a very very close way. Since
all the comments has been that I recreated their childhood,
(07:29):
so I think it's it's turned out really well. The
video reached about one million likes, and the total project
overall now when I posted on cross platform it has
reached over fifty million views.
Speaker 7 (07:47):
It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
So yeah, the process of it all is has It
was just how could I twist my my type of
photography into.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
A new world or a new place like I did?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
As I said, a lot of commercial look likes, but
that's hard to relate to onngage with rather than this
or topics like.
Speaker 6 (08:16):
This, did you digitally modify the faces on the cars too,
or are those cars they already.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Come looking like that I made them?
Speaker 5 (08:25):
Okay, well that's very clever, so give.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
I gave them new facials though, but I think it's
very really funny.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Back with more die Cast Breakdown after this word from
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Speaker 8 (08:56):
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(09:19):
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Speaker 4 (09:24):
And nail back to Diecast Breakdown Now.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
It's very well done. So give an idea to the
viewers that are watching this that they've probably already seen
the pictures and they just had no idea that it
was all recreated physically in a studio. How long does
it take to make Radiator Springs?
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I don't think it's took too much. About a week
to do the scene. Actually, it was pretty fast.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
That shoot was Actually the editing was the most since
I have to deal with the faces and even the
lightning on the cars. Since McQueen is very very shiny,
it has a lot of reflections and all the graphics
on his body should be good looking in all ways,
(10:14):
so the die cast is not that good. So it's
a lot of retouching for.
Speaker 7 (10:20):
The Yeah, I see. Yeah, it's a lot of a
lot of post post work.
Speaker 6 (10:25):
Now, describe the lens that you have on the camera,
because it looks like you've got this lens that is
like this long and it's.
Speaker 5 (10:32):
Like that big a round. So is that some special
kind of macro lens?
Speaker 1 (10:36):
What's going on with that? Yeah, it's a macro lens.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
But the thing with that lens is it has a
wide perspective in macro mode. A normal macro lens is
about one hundred millimeters and the perspective is very very straight.
And this opened ups a new possibility to actually come
closer to the subject with a wide angle, so it
(10:59):
helps to create the car from small to big. I
don't know how it builds inside, but it's due to Yob.
Speaker 5 (11:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
No, it does the job fantastically. It's just it's a
very interesting lens. I've ever seen a lens like that.
I mean, I'm sure it's a very specialty type thing
that would be used for people who are like photographing bugs.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Or I think I think it's made for that since
it has a front light in the lens built in.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
It's got a light in the lens.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Interesting, So I think when you're shooting insects and stuff
like that, it's helped to.
Speaker 7 (11:35):
So have you getten any feedback anybody from Pixar or
Disney or anybody. Yeah, that's how cool is that?
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:42):
That's really cool? Pixar comment on one post. So I
hope the car's flour is coming, don't. I think we
all do.
Speaker 6 (11:53):
I think as long as they're going to be able
to keep selling the cars toys, they'll keep making the
movies because they keep coming up with all these uh
new characters and new castings, and I just I don't
know how they come up with so many of them.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
But that is so cool.
Speaker 6 (12:09):
What a what a treat to have the actual company
comment on your on your work for that. But yeah,
they're they're fantastic. I love the series with the sheriff
chasing McQueen. It just that that nighttime seem looks so good.
And you did a great job on ear Springs. Now,
I know you said in your last interview a lot
(12:30):
of times when you're done with these sets and stuff,
you just throw them away. Was did you keep Radiator
Springs or is that gone?
Speaker 1 (12:36):
I have the pillar in the middle.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, I save that one, but the road on the
desert I actually threw it away.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, there's only so much room. It's about that. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (12:51):
Well, guys, Pixar is not the only one that's noticed
your work. Martin. You had an amazing opportunity to have
an another collaboration. Can you share a little bit about
maybe the work that you did for the fiftieth anniversary
of a major automaker.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Yeah, that was a funny story.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Actually when it started, I was I was home and
I should go to my office, and I said to
my wife, I really hope a new deal coming soon.
As a miniature since I hadn't won, I had to
pature all lost before that, when I went to the office,
I saw I had an email. While I'm driving, I
saw it on the car and when I come from
(13:35):
I arrived to the office and opened the email, it
was from Porsche.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
This is yeah, this is not happening.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
And so I texted texted her directly and said, oh my,
this just happened. So like I have recreated ads for
Porsche and Mercedes and.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
All of that.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
So the big dream was actually too at the vision
and from the very beginning was actually to to shoot
for brands like.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
This like Porsche and I did.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
It was a high goal that I never thought I
should reach. Actually to combine both Lego and Porsche was
super cool.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
And we had a first.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Meeting where we where we talked about how we could
get this to celebrate the fifth the Stuttgart The Stutegart
Heart of Porsche was very very hot topic.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
When we had this meeting, and it was much.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Talking about architecture since Stuttgart has a lot of architecture
and but we finally came on board with the idea
to recreate the dark forest. And I never done a
forest or trees by myself, So I was pretty nervous.
How should I even get this happening in a scale
(14:59):
of one to twelve that the legal car is, and
how should I make about sixty trees that looks good?
That was my biggest challenge of the whole process. That
I could create good pictures. I knew that, but to
actually work through the whole process with creating this idea.
(15:22):
I said, yes, yes, yes, of course I can do it.
Speaker 7 (15:27):
So let let's just kind of clarify what the project was.
This was the fiftieth anniversary of the Porsche nine to eleven,
which came out in nineteen seventy four. If you go
to the Porsche dot com website and Martin has a
link on his website, Martin's photography with lego models of
(15:49):
the Porsche nine to eleven is in there, and it's
got that diorama that you just talked about, the dark forest,
and it looks it's crazy Martin, that you made it
and looks so real.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Yeah, I was so yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
I don't know how to describe it, but I was
so happy that it actually was hard to work with
it since I wanted to make it so good in
a good.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Way to actually have.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
The time is always hunting me when it comes to
these ideas, and I can't work too much with it,
but I really wanted to make it good, so I
think I spent a week just thinking about how I
could make the trees. So I went up with buying
(16:38):
so many different materials to see if I could could
make it, and it ended up with a laser cutted
star that I put it on on a wood rod.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
This is called that like a template.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
And then I went to Ikea and both the cheapest
pills and just put them on the stars to make
the trees look pretty. And yeah, it's it was our
journey to to actually see that was actually the hardest
part of whatever what I have done so far.
Speaker 7 (17:15):
So but do you mind me asking one more question?
Did did you know that at the beginning of the project?
Did they tell you, hey, we would like we're coming
to you because of you know, we've seen your work
with diecast, but we would like for you to use
Lego in this. Was that part of the process from
the very beginning.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Yeah, okay, it was. I don't know why actually, but
they have I don't know.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
If the car is actually a limited edition or what,
but I have seen the creators work with the same
type of visual of the car. It's yeah, I don't know.
I don't know why I should work with a legal
car actually.
Speaker 7 (17:53):
But yeah, that's that's what the what the client wanted.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Yeah, so but I'm happy that it turned out in
that way. And I could never imagine to actually working
with playing my studio with Lego and Lego, I built
two cars in one day. It's it's three thousand pieces.
So are you satisfied with that answer? Should we clarifying
(18:21):
that in other way?
Speaker 3 (18:22):
No?
Speaker 7 (18:23):
I was just waiting for Chuck to chime in, and
I know he's got stuff I can reddling around.
Speaker 6 (18:28):
I had a question about there's another another photo that
you have with a it looks like some kind of
coffee in the middle of the mountains, and there's a
car that looks like it's the size of my fingernail.
What's what's the story there, What's what's going on with
this teeny tiny little car.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
I was out of ideas, so I always have Landscape
is pretty easy to make when it comes to two dioramas,
and especially in this scale. The topic of this of
that work was how I could face a landscape in
a scale of one to five hundred. Wow, I just
(19:07):
actually put together some some styrofoam and some grass, and yeah,
I asked to mix the freestyle. I think I did
it in one day landscape. But the car is when
I play, if you look at it very very closely
or in detail, it's very very bad. But when you
place it in the dagama and photograph it like a
(19:29):
like a drone, it just blends in and look.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Very very cool.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
Yeah, I mean, I mean, like like I said, the
car is incredibly tiny, like it looks like it could
rest on my fingernail. Yeah, it's it's you know, probably
when you get up close to it, a little more
than just like a little contour of something resembling a
car and a little bit of paint here and there.
But but you know, like you said, from from an
aerial distance and just I love the roadway and that
(19:59):
you made a whole little little scene for it. And
in the finished product, you know, you added light effects.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Yeah, that that is always the thing with my pictures,
when you add those little lights on the cars. For example,
you actually did you transformed the toy car or in
this case, this fingernailed car to our real looking detail.
So just this little red light from then to break lights.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
It is doing its jo absolutely, So yeah, yeah, that was.
Speaker 6 (20:33):
Great, and you know, as I'm just moving through because
you know, and folks, you really have to go check
out his instagram if you haven't already, and I don't
know why you wouldn't have, but it just you know,
each one of these, and I love that you incorporate
your behind the scenes in these carousels as well, so
you can kind of see the effects. And you've got
(20:53):
one that's kind of like you got like a Need
for Speed Universe type shoot where you've done like a
simulated arrow kind of like in the video game where
it shows where to go and you got your your
hand and the car is like going to drive through
your hand. So you know what was what was the
story with that? With that photography?
Speaker 1 (21:11):
There need for space.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
It's like cars for us with in the nineties and
or eighties.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
So it's a big topic too.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
And I was so into Need for Speed when I
was younger, and I just I thought about that Bayview
starting position when you drive away from from the MMM
that is also when it comes to builds and all
these ideas I actually made a YouTube video exactly how
(21:42):
I created this scene a full from started finish, and
when I talked to this video, it's like the nostalgia
is on the level like cars for even for me.
So to create this airport was a bit struggling.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
I had less of references.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
I guessked what you can see in the in the
game is just a straight uh yeah, you're driving through it,
so you have not so much perspective of this building.
So I had to actually search around for a clear
view and I just maked it from what I saw,
like I draw it in illustrator, every little piece of
(22:27):
that building. I was drawing it in illustrator and laser
cut the whole building and make it a puzzle.
Speaker 7 (22:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
So uh, it was struggling to actually get it so
perfect that I.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Could remade it.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
But everything is going back to engagement and what people
want to see. And we have a trend now that
we are going back in time and see what we
are missing or what we had when we were younger.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
So that's truly going back to a good time.
Speaker 6 (23:07):
Sure, sure, I love to those games as well, and yeah,
you got just so many cool things. I love these
Winter scenes. Tell me about the winter scenes that you
create like this one that you did with the delivery
van and how do you create that snow effect?
Speaker 5 (23:22):
It looks fantastic.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Yeah, it's a client of my Marco at Franciscini I
have made. It's actually made for one Christmas card and
those imagencies is a Christmas card for that company, which
is very creative in that type of niche. And but
he loves what I do with the cards and he said, yeah,
(23:46):
it creates something very very season based on Christmas and
everything with architecture and combining details like like the mistles
is called that missiles around there. It makes so much
sense when it comes to how how we can actually
(24:06):
transform a little die cast that this is a scale
of one to eighty seven, so it's very very tiny,
so each each.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Little brick is chin.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
It's so important to make it, but it's so small
that you probably can't see it. I I love working
with plaster. I think it's I think no one else
since it's it's so much like I can't find that
(24:38):
type of material in the Diorama stores online. It's I
don't know what it's called. The other one it's like
paper and water and something else. Paper mache almost, but
it's mixed in a very very tiny filler. It's not plaster.
But I go to the to the collar store and
(24:59):
buy regular wall plaster and make make the snow of plaster.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Mm hmm. And I have I have.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
A technique that I love. It's using a sponge with
water on plaster and it just makes it so beautiful.
And all the snow on the scene with the trucks,
it's actually made from plaster.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
Don't touch the dial. Die Cast Breakdown will be right
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Speaker 5 (25:40):
Hey, this is Larry Wood.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
This is Derek from Honest Dick.
Speaker 7 (25:43):
Here it is a chattering from Brown two.
Speaker 6 (25:44):
And this is Mike from Gas Last, s R t
JO Vita shows.
Speaker 5 (25:51):
You're watching die Cast Breakdown.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
And now the Thrilling Can inclusion of this week's episode
of die Cast Breakdown.
Speaker 7 (26:03):
It's amazing how much companies want to really take professional
photos of their products because of all the social media now.
Number one first question for you, Martin, are you open
to die Cast brands contacting you to do shots of
their new products. Would that be something that they could
reach out to you and do.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Yeah, I think that should be a new type of
photography for me, or if they want to make.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
My type of style. Absolutely, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
I'm not so much into the die Cast brands how
they actually marketing the cars. It's a toy. It's a toy,
but not a toy. So I think it's a new
type of photography. If they don't want my type of photography.
Speaker 7 (26:56):
Sure, well, well let's talk about your type of photography
because it cuts someone attention. There are some really amazing
photos of one of our favorite brands, many GT and
some James Bond one sixty four scale cars from the movies.
So talk about whatever you can tell us on how
you got those cars to get such amazing photos that
(27:19):
we can see on your instagra.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
I will start with I'm not a Bond fan to
start with, but I thought if we go back to
the to the theme of engagement, since I work with
this idea or this mindset all the time, you see
if that is it relatable or could people recognize it
(27:41):
in that in that way? And I got minities attention
in some way. I don't know really how, but I
think we chat on Instagram for a bit and suddenly
I of course I sent my my address and everything,
but I didn't expect that they should send me cars
(28:02):
just like that. So I got a FedEx email that
sent it's a two kilo package from a China based company,
and they reached out, we have sent this list to you, Okay,
but you don't have to mention.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Us in any way. Just do something cool.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
So that is a good way to approach the die
Casts company. Actually, even if I don't get paid, which
I have bills to actually pay and everything like that,
but it's create content for me and I'm super happy
to have them on the shelf.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
It's super cool.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
So I just thought about before Christmas, I was lack
of content and I had this new batch coming right
before Christmas, and I went home. I had a threadmill
I haven't used for a year. It's just was dust
on everything, right yep.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
Yeah, mine too, but I took it.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
I took it from a shelf and I just I
need to see if I could create something more easy
than I normally do. And my my general projects take
about two three weeks to create always. So I took
it and I had a piece from my Porsche scene
(29:28):
that I haven't thrown away yet, so I cut it
off and I placed it in.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Front of the car like a foreground.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
And I think, well, I will make this moving in
a very very easy way and photograph the background and
replace it and make it look real. So yeah, I
took a fish line, tape it on the treadmill and
push it under the car and it started to moving.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Yes, this is gonna work. Yeah, And I.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
Had a foreground from the scene and I just moved
it when I had the slow shatter speed and directly
in camera. If I just had a real background, it
should be it should look real directly. Sorry, I need
to post it. And I remade it with with another
Porsche car that I took a little piece of a
(30:22):
Christmas tree and made it like a miniature tree Christmas tree,
and and glew it on the on the roof I
saw actually a Porsche Porsche post exactly the same car
with a three on top of the roof in a
winter landscape.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
So I think that this is this is really really good.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
So I made it and it's got a lot of
likes and engagement on on that one, and I think
the Poorsche car reached about forty million views A six
A six second.
Speaker 7 (30:53):
Yeah, yeah, so.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
It was it was a good, good one.
Speaker 7 (31:00):
We call that lightning in a bottle. You caught lightning
in a bottle Martin.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Yeah, so I sent them to sent the numbers to them,
and oh my god.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
So I'm happy to help.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Them in a way, even even if I don't tag them,
since I know it's it's settled down the post in
some ways.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
Yeah, but it's a mean GT.
Speaker 7 (31:24):
Yeah, super cool, super cool all right.
Speaker 6 (31:26):
Well yeah again, just amazing seeing all of this stuff
come together and you know, these brands taking notice of you.
Do you do you have any advice for anybody who
would want to do something like this and is trying
to get their foot in the door as far as
starting to do more miniature photography.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
I mean, we talked about this a little the last time,
but for the people.
Speaker 6 (31:48):
Who missed that last interview, what are some are there
some good ways to get started if you maybe don't
have the budget for the fancy lens for bugs or
you know things like that, Like because I know you
had to start somewhere. Yeah, what would you use recommend
I think you.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Actually can start with the iPhone since iPhone has as
a camera with wide angle and macro at the same time,
so you can actually use an iPhone to photograph die casts.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
I have actually.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
Recorded miniature landscapes. That was the landscape I wanted to
have in the background. I filmed everything on the iPhone.
So it's a very very powerful tool if you want
to get started with any kind of photography. Actually, and
(32:41):
when it comes to die casts, since I work really
really hard on the post production, that makes the edge
I think, so if you want to start, it's it's
how you can light the car and actually get through
the normal look of a die cast. Since it's very
common that people are not going into the lightning when
(33:04):
they shoot.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
The cars, especially die casts, it's good if.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
You scroll around on die casts and that are shooting
die casts, it's hard to actually find those ones that
are spending a little time to actually light them. So
that's a really powerful tool if you if you want
to enhance the look of the die.
Speaker 7 (33:28):
Casts, take take some extra time and make sure the
lighting is good.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (33:33):
So Martin, along with the automotive brands and some of
these other projects. The die cast Rancy we're going to
worked directly with this little company called Adobe, and you've
got some new overlays that you've got available. So tell
me for those who don't know, tell the audience what
an overlay is and why people could buy these and
use them on their own photography.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Overlays.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Yeah, thankf mentioned it for the first It's uh, the
overlays comes very handy to those photographers that are looking
for a realistic effect in post production. It's I actually
created these overlays since I used a lot of a
lot of them myself before I created them, so I
(34:18):
started to actually see what I worked with the most
and recreated a batch of each overlay that I needed.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
It can be like if you I did.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
A lot of commercial photography when I used the sun
as a as a main source, and when I photographed
a subject with a lightly, for example, it never came
out in a.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Very good way like the overlay could produce.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
So in post I took a fake light or a
lightly that I made in the studio with black background
and applied to my photo that created some sparkle or
just a more interesting lens.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Flare or whatever it can be to make it more interesting.
Speaker 7 (35:07):
MH.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
And Adobe's attention came to one of my overlay packs
that was Misty Window I think they called it.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
I had a window.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
I made it for a particular shoot of a cafe
when someone was actually behind that window, to create more interesting.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
View of it.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
And it's hard to actually get so much control of
the window and what's in front of the face, like,
so I had a workflow that had these raindrops and
fog on the window that I could actually control one
hundred percent of the blurriness and everything like that. There
(35:59):
was very interesting thing in that.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Package. So I think that's just the main one.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Yeah, So but overlays to to to just tell what
what this actually is.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
It's it's a.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Very controlled retouching tool to create a little more effect
on your photos so it gets more interesting here again,
all right.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
I hope that that is a good that's helpful.
Speaker 6 (36:23):
So yeah, So basically it's it's you know, and you've
got several you got like fire and you've got like
some really cool tape for some more like punk inspired
type things like if you want to have a masking
tape frame and smoke and fireworks and all kinds of
cool stuff. So you know a lot of this stuff, folks,
is handled in you know, post production, a lot of
(36:44):
effects and stuff, so you know, you can add these things,
have them, uh you know, adjust the transparency and really
add a lot of depth and texture to the image.
And so I dabble and photoshop a little bit myself.
So I'll have to keep these in mind if I
ever decide to, you know, put down my work tools
and pick up a camera and start doing some serious
(37:04):
photography of my stuff, which I should do because I'm
sure my stuff would look really good with some decent,
you know photography. And again, I love that at the
top of this image is this really cool Volvo photo
that you did with cardboard packaging, like the spacing and packaging,
and you made it look like rocks and stuff, and
it's got, you know, again the power of your imagination,
the power of lighting. That you took this thing and
(37:26):
it looks like a layer from a James Bond villain's place,
and it was just like the kind of pressed cardboard
yeah yeah, packaging that you'd find in like a piece
of electronics or something.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
And so yeah, exactly, I bought a youth machine, and
I thought, I thought this, this is really really cool.
Everyone knows that creativity is a is a muscle, and
when it comes to working with this type of photography,
you need to actually be very creative. And that is
(37:57):
not coming directly. It's coming by time and doing and
start thinking of type of of of ways to achieve
different things.
Speaker 7 (38:07):
So it's I've just had my reality shattered, Chuck and Martin.
You you photographers like you guys aren't out there waiting
for it to start raining to get photos with with
rain drops on windows, Like it's just kind of blew
my mind. But I love the idea you don't have.
You don't have to deal with the glare, you don't
have to deal with with the reflection of me and
(38:29):
my holding my phone in the window. Like it's it's
an amazing that misty windows is just really cool to
get the effect without having to deal with all of
that other extra stuff that you have to worry about.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
Yeah, I applied is on a commercial shoot for a
watch brand two I think, and I had I had, yeah,
a model just sitting in the studio with that background,
and I apply the overlay on top of that and
it's created that total new image. So it's very controlling
(39:03):
and very easy way to just transform a regular studio shoes.
Speaker 7 (39:07):
For example, Martin, you weren't kidding when you said that
it's been a busy year, but I can't imagine that
you're done. So tell us what you have coming up
in the future. You were mentioning something you were excited about,
and I'd love to share that with the other viewers
and listeners.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
I have been actually since the New year. I was
pitching a brand in the US which called verb Moto.
I don't know if you recognize them in some way.
They are one of the biggest brands in the motocross
that are documenting and are serving the community with information
(39:44):
and content.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
For the motocross industry.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
And they reached out to me and said, we need
to work, but I don't know what to do. So
I had I actually have I had idea for a
long time that no one had execute on, and I
pitched them about an idea to actually go through different realities.
They are into a real motocross action. I'm doing miniature
(40:14):
and I want to go digital to serve the community
in experience of gaming, which is very, very big in
the motocross fans, so I pitched them to actually do
a miniature motocross track that I never had done before.
So they saw my other viral supercross tracks that I
(40:35):
make in twenty twenty three, and we had we had
some meetings and we came up came up with the
idea to.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Marketing their.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Motocross events that are now in April twenty twenty five,
and we should do a full replica of.
Speaker 1 (40:59):
The act they are racing on.
Speaker 2 (41:01):
And we are converting that miniature track into a digital
experience to make it raceable online.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Yeah, it's it's really super cool and that's super exciting
to be part of. And I started actually directly off
the New year to build my biggest diorama jet. I
think I'm never.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
Going to create a bigger one.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
It's a three point five meter I don't know how
how long that is in feats, it's three point five
times eight point eight meters, so it's it's.
Speaker 7 (41:38):
So twenty five square meters. That's that's that is wild. Yeah, well,
we'll have to put a little disclaimer right here that
shows that in feet for the Americans. But it's it's
really big.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Yeah, And I have calculated the scale to one to
one hundred and fifty.
Speaker 1 (41:59):
Oh gosh, so the course is about this big. Oh.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
I had never done this before, but I'm super excited
and I've actually made it.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
It's downstairs and that's fantastic.
Speaker 7 (42:18):
So so does that take up the entire room downstairs?
Speaker 1 (42:23):
It does?
Speaker 2 (42:23):
So I don't have a plan yet how to actually
save it, but we maybe will send it to the
facility and have it as an art piece standing there.
Speaker 7 (42:36):
Yeah, I hope so.
Speaker 1 (42:37):
Yeah, me too.
Speaker 7 (42:38):
That seems like when you need to keep in the archives.
Speaker 1 (42:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:42):
Really, so that is a very interesting product that we
I never thought could be I think when I started.
But it's really really cool to involve real experience, digital
and miniature to marketing a real event.
Speaker 7 (42:58):
Tell us the name of the company one more time,
vert verb moto Okay, yeah, I see a dirt bike
website v U RB m oto. Yeah, I fotun need
to check it out. That looks really it looks like
a really cool site. And we do have a lot
of motocross fans that cross over. A lot of die
(43:19):
cast collectors also collect bikes as.
Speaker 2 (43:21):
Well, So I think I think we will post a
teaser now in the first April first, so I really
want you to have a view on on my page
or verbs page to actually see it since we have
worked so hard this absolutely it's really really fun and
(43:44):
we will Actually I have started our YouTube channel, so
we are actually going to to make three episodes of
full build of this product.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
That's also very interesting to see.
Speaker 7 (43:57):
Now that sounds like that is going to be very
popul if I hope. So, I think. I think you
guys are going to come right out of the gate
pretty strong with that. So tell everybody real quick with
the name of your YouTube how they can find it.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
I think I named Martin Palm on YouTube. If you
just so searching on Martin Palm, you will probably find me.
So yeah, I post everything I do in short but
I also started to make longer videos. I think I
have three three long formats and I would keep them posting,
(44:32):
but it takes so much time.
Speaker 7 (44:34):
It does sure does, no doubt about that.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
No, so I will.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
But it's it's very fun to see that my work
is engaging in that type of way, and it's fun
for myself to actually see the full process of what
I'm doing afterwards, since I'm so in it.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
When I build it and to get.
Speaker 7 (44:54):
Some overview feedback. Yeah, yeah, no, it's great, and yeah.
Speaker 6 (44:59):
You're Martin Palm one on YouTube. But if you google
Martin Palm or YouTube Martin Palm your.
Speaker 5 (45:06):
First thing that comes up.
Speaker 6 (45:07):
So folks go check that out because he's got some
really cool behind the scenes stuff.
Speaker 5 (45:12):
Going on there.
Speaker 6 (45:12):
I know, as a diarrama builder myself, I'm going to
be checking those out and getting some some of Martin's
secrets in there. But I don't think he has to
worry about me gunning for his job anytime soon. But
it's really cool that you're putting that stuff out there
and sharing it with people, because I think that encourages
creativity that fosters, you know, more innovation, and you can
(45:34):
use the inspiration that people use from that to create
their own thing, and then they can inspire you in
the in the cycles as everyone continues to learn and
try new things. So I think it's a great thing
that you're doing and it's it's really exciting. So again,
folks check that out, and of course check out Martin
Palm on Instagram, where you can find all sorts of
(45:55):
really awesome things. I'd highly recommend checking out the cars
photos as well as the mini GTS stuff. It's cool
to see you doing more stuff at one sixty four scale,
so you.
Speaker 5 (46:04):
Know, that's exciting.
Speaker 6 (46:05):
And again I don't think I've ever really seen a
one five hundred scale car before, so that is is
absolutely worth checking out as well.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
Are you guys most into one to sixty four? Yes?
Speaker 6 (46:16):
Mostly we talk about one sixty four scale on this show,
but we've talked to people that do one forty third
scale and some of the people that do bigger stuff.
But you know, one sixty four scale is where we
where we most frequently find our discussions.
Speaker 2 (46:28):
But you know, if you as a pro, I'm not
a collector in any way, but when it comes to
one to sixty four I've seen it's very popular when
it comes to what are you looking for?
Speaker 1 (46:41):
When it comes to these particular cars.
Speaker 5 (46:48):
That you are collecting, what we're looking for is the
car itself or as like a photography subject.
Speaker 1 (46:55):
Just like no no collecting from collecting.
Speaker 6 (46:59):
Yeah, I think a lot of us get our start
with you know, hot wheels cars and the match box.
Speaker 5 (47:03):
The little cars you find for a dollar or i
don't know a.
Speaker 6 (47:07):
Euro or two whatever. They would be over where you're at,
you know, the toy cars that are about that scale,
the hot Wheels and match Box. But you know, I,
you know, David has led a lot of us down
the path of premium die cast and so brands like
Mini GT is a good upper level, higher quality, very
accurate true one sixty four scale. So a lot of cars,
(47:28):
a lot of people think, oh, well, you know.
Speaker 5 (47:30):
One sixty four scale is one sixty four scale. It
really isn't.
Speaker 6 (47:33):
There's you know a lot of a lot of car
companies make their cars bigger or smaller than one sixty
four so they fit the packaging. So true one to
sixty four scale is actually pretty rare in this field.
But there are companies like Mini GT and Auto World
that do true one sixty four scale. But when it
comes to like the premium stuff, you know, Tamika Limited
a vintage is kind of like one of the standards
(47:55):
of brands when it comes to premium die casts. And
but Mini GT has really come a long way. Tarmac
Works is really good. Pop Raise is a new one
that's been making some really big waves with really high
quality stuff. David, you get you know, all the real
out there ones.
Speaker 7 (48:13):
The real I tell you I tell you, Martin what
I look for certain features. I want rubber tires, I
want realistic wheels. I don't want a cookie cutter wheel
on the same car. Want plastic inserted lenses for the
headlamps and the tail lamps. And I don't want any
opening parts. A lot of people like that. I think
(48:34):
it makes it look unrealistic.
Speaker 1 (48:37):
You know, when you have a door the gas Yeah yeah, yeah,
so that's something I retouched.
Speaker 7 (48:44):
Yeah yeah, I'm glad you do, because when you take
a photo of it, all of a sudden, it looks
really weird when you're trying to incorporate it into a
real image or realistic image.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (48:58):
Really, So those are the three things I like to
look at I have I have.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
Been struggling with with good models.
Speaker 2 (49:05):
I bought one from Matrix I think I think it's
called Matrix a Ferrari Get two fifty.
Speaker 7 (49:13):
I think it was fer There's a few companies.
Speaker 1 (49:17):
That was one of the models that I it was one.
Speaker 2 (49:22):
To for the free though, But okay, the wheels and
everything was so great, and the gaps I was super
happy to see.
Speaker 1 (49:30):
The gaps was just a scratch.
Speaker 7 (49:33):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
Other brands are actually just bold and destroys the shape.
So I needed I don't need it to to retuch
anything of that. And when it comes to Mini g T,
they are very good at that, and they can apply
so much small detail like nets and everything that are
so beautiful to look at, and even the rims and
(49:56):
the brake discs are shining through.
Speaker 7 (49:59):
The president that company is a gentleman named Glynn, and
he told us on an interview that I want my
cars to be an exact miniature version of the real car,
and so that is his standard for Mini GT. And
I wish that was the same for every die cast maker,
but it's not. So I do appreciate Mini GT for that.
Speaker 1 (50:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (50:23):
Really, I have a bunch of new cars that I
even have opened it, but every time I open the box,
it doesn't look so good on the box, But when
you took it out and opened the plastic and you
feel it, it's heavy and all the details are there.
So it's super cool to see those small, tiny cars.
Speaker 7 (50:44):
Are you Are you sure you're not a collector?
Speaker 1 (50:48):
Not yet? Not yet? I think we got you. We're
really yeah.
Speaker 2 (50:52):
Yeah, But it's when it comes to those die casts,
it's very I'm looking for good details, and that makes
sense when we when we talk about good brands, So
it's very important for me to find those.
Speaker 1 (51:05):
I found a brand like BBR. It's for the Ferrau makers,
with leather discs underneath and everything. But they are super expensive.
Speaker 7 (51:16):
Yep, yeah, you'll you'll pay for the for the really
good brands, you'll pay for it for sure.
Speaker 1 (51:22):
But are they are? They are the details on that
car really really really good? Have you seen it in
real life? For the for the b BR car now
the BBR Are.
Speaker 7 (51:33):
You talking about the one sixty four scale?
Speaker 1 (51:35):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (51:37):
I think they are. Are they Resin? I think they
might be Resin? Think, yeah, yeah, they're They're amazing. Resin
is in a whole different category of detail versus die castin.
You can't do much smaller, finer details if you start
looking for and die cast is two different. Correct.
Speaker 6 (51:59):
Yes, resident is very is like a plastic, so it's
much lighter, it's much more brittle, and they're usually much
more expensive because they have to be entirely hand assembled
because they're so delicate. But you can get things like
the really small A pillars on the windshield, like the
on the old cars where they had very thin metal
between the windshield and the doors and stuff, because they
(52:21):
didn't have like air bags and stuff in the front
of the car. They just had pieces of metal, so
you know, everything looks much more refined and realistic. But
they're usually five or six times as expensive as a
premium die cast car. Okay, and usually they don't have
rolling wheels either, because they're you know, display, so you
(52:42):
definitely don't want them rolling.
Speaker 5 (52:43):
You don't want them rolling.
Speaker 1 (52:44):
Off the shelf.
Speaker 6 (52:45):
So anyway, but yeah, I think the I think David
nailed it. You know, we're looking for cars that have
actual lenses for headlamps, not opening door panels. You know,
something that looks like that. The tires aren't too wide,
like the tires are true one sixty four scale, so
and those are the things that you find in the
(53:05):
more higher end type stuff.
Speaker 1 (53:07):
I think you're gonna see.
Speaker 7 (53:09):
And you know, some of those, Martin, like some even
like the tires on the on the expensive ones, they're
rounded like they're inflated versus a real chunky flat wall.
Speaker 1 (53:19):
All right, Okay, yep, so they're haven't they noticed that
on on on Minia GT. But have they curved wheels?
Speaker 7 (53:30):
I'm not sure. I don't know offhand.
Speaker 1 (53:32):
I almost need to.
Speaker 5 (53:33):
Look Yeah they got yeah, they got some curve on them,
because I mean, yeah, there's a.
Speaker 7 (53:38):
Yeah they are Yeah, yep, that's what we're That's what
you look for, is those little details they are. Alrighty,
that's a beautiful Martin.
Speaker 5 (53:48):
Thank you so much for being on the show with us.
We were thrilled to have you back.
Speaker 6 (53:52):
We definitely want to have you back on and get
an update as you continue to dive more into this
world and find more cool things. It's so cool, you know,
know that this wasn't how you initially started out in photography,
but you found this really cool little space on Instagram
and it's worked really well for you. And you know,
keep those up, keep those miniatures coming. It's it's awesome stuff.
Speaker 2 (54:13):
Thank you, so I will, I will do my best,
all right, awesome next time we were st Collector in
my forehead too, that's right, yeah, all right.
Speaker 5 (54:21):
It will happen.
Speaker 1 (54:21):
We will.
Speaker 5 (54:22):
We will officially dub the Collector.
Speaker 1 (54:24):
Yeah all right.
Speaker 6 (54:25):
Well, thank you Martin, and thank you watchers listeners wherever
you are for making it to the end of another
episode of Die Cast Breakdown again. Check out Driven Dreams
dot org, where we are raising twenty five thousand cars
for kids in need all over the world. You don't
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(54:46):
it gets added to the pile. And we're trying to
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Speaker 7 (54:51):
Now.
Speaker 6 (54:51):
You can find out more about that at drivendreams dot org.
And well, you're clicking around on the worldwide Web, you
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Speaker 4 (55:42):
Thanks for listening to die Cast Breakdown. If you enjoy
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Diecast Breakdown is a presentation of Flying Valiant and the
(56:05):
Diecast Media Network.
Easy.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
The photos is very easy to take and the project
is very easy compared to other projects I do. Like
I used the treadmill and it's very It's a fun
way to actually get motion in the in the die cast,
but turned out in a in.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
A very cool way.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Okay, all right, awesome, we will see dive in here.
Let's see. You gotta pull up my list of patrons
because there's new ones. Great, let's talk about car photography.
It's a lot of fun. All right, Well that was scary,
all right, all right?
Speaker 4 (00:42):
In three two, you're watching Diecast Breakdown with Chuck Ellis,
David Johns, and Mark McCarty. So sit back, scrap in.
Speaker 5 (01:05):
And hangold.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
The Breakdown scuards.
Speaker 5 (01:11):
No, well, hey they're folks.
Speaker 6 (01:13):
Chuck here and welcome to Diecast Breakdown. I'm so glad
you're here, and I am especially glad that we are
doing this show with the collaboration of our executive producer
level patrons. That would be First and sixty Worth Customs,
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Speaker 5 (01:27):
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Nerd and Paul David Schwalk Schwoke.
Speaker 7 (01:55):
Paul Schwalk, the die Cast Guy, Paul.
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Schwalk, the die Cast Guy. Thank you, David, I know
he who Paul was about. All right, Well, those are
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and Diecast Media Network merch and you can visit Drivendreams
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Speaker 5 (02:27):
So check that out.
Speaker 6 (02:28):
It's a really cool project that Mark is doing. Mark
will be on location doing some really cool stuff that
we can't show you tonight, but I am joined to
buy my co host, colleague and friend and mister David
John's David, how the heck are you today?
Speaker 7 (02:41):
I'm good, I'm ready. We're gonna get caught up with
one of our favorite guests of all time, and we're
doing it. So through the marvel of technology, we get
you and us here in the States, and Martin all
across the rest of the world.
Speaker 6 (02:55):
Yep, through a series of tubes. We are talking to
someone on the other side of the planet right now.
Speaker 5 (02:59):
Martin.
Speaker 6 (03:00):
You know him from his amazing Instagram shoots, his photography
making little tiny cars look really big and really epic.
He's been on the show before, but we're thrilled to
heaven back.
Speaker 5 (03:10):
Martin. Thank you so much for being on the show
with us today.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah, thank you for coming back. It's fun.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
It's about a year ago we was here, so it's
fun to talk to talk about the last year.
Speaker 7 (03:25):
Plenty to catch up on.
Speaker 6 (03:26):
Yeah, I heard you have had quite the busy years.
So for those of us who have seen the interview
before and are eager to know what's next, what's been
happening in your world of photography.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Yeah, it's been a wild ride. Last time we talked
about the collaboration with Peshore, which took my breath away
since it was my first brand deal back then.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Then after actually after.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
The the show last time, I released my project with
Cars Yes Yes to. I'll to say it my own project,
not a paid collaboration, but that was something else.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
So when when I released that and.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
I started started actually to see how wild those projects
can be when it comes to numbers, right right, I
think that's a big topic to talk about when it
comes to my projects. I also in last September got
(04:26):
my my work with Porsche and Lego, two big brands
that I that knows very well.
Speaker 1 (04:34):
So yeah, that's that's been a yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (04:39):
So let's start with the Cars thing, because you've got
this this really cool series of photos that has one
hundred and thirteen thousand likes on your Instagram as of
right now, and this is from almost a year ago,
and it's a series of photos we got like Lightning
McQueen racing through radiator springs at night in the beginning
of Cars one, and you see the sheriff catches up
(05:01):
to him and he's got his fire fire firing out
of his exhaust pipe and the lights are flashing, and
there's a really cool behind the scenes video of you
with some strobe lights going. Walk us through that photo shoot,
tell us what's going on there.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
I was to start it all this was I have
been been shooting normal cars or die costs for about
three years, and I was, how can I twist this
still be a bit of cars vehicles, but add a
new dimension to it. And we all have grown up
(05:37):
with the cars movies and that famous willis But I
think it's called I was, I need to do this,
but I was unsure since it's it's.
Speaker 1 (05:51):
Very very many.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Shapes that I never have been doing before, so it's
least like I saw it in my head, but it
was so not there yet, and I was I was like,
if is it childish or is it something that is engaging?
Or it was I was out of my comfort zone
(06:17):
when I has the idea, since there is many thoughts
that's coming in to actually see you, should I do this?
Speaker 1 (06:25):
Is it good for my brand or it's good for
my page?
Speaker 2 (06:28):
But I did it, and I think I had I
had It's my first viral carousel post that reached actually.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
One million views.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
I carousel that's never never done before, and that's what's
overwhelming to see the growth from from that. Actually one
post with three photos.
Speaker 7 (06:54):
So, Martin, are these are you when you're making these?
Are these actual scenes from the movie or is this
just you in the moment you think this is how
I want to place these cars? What's your process there?
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Now?
Speaker 2 (07:08):
This is full recreations of the movie scenes. I think
that's the point of the whole engagement that people can
actually relate to in a very very close way. Since
all the comments has been that I recreated their childhood,
(07:29):
so I think it's it's turned out really well. The
video reached about one million likes, and the total project
overall now when I posted on cross platform it has
reached over fifty million views.
Speaker 7 (07:47):
It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
Yeah, it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
So yeah, the process of it all is has It
was just how could I twist my my type of
photography into.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
A new world or a new place like I did?
Speaker 2 (08:05):
As I said, a lot of commercial look likes, but
that's hard to relate to onngage with rather than this
or topics like.
Speaker 6 (08:16):
This, did you digitally modify the faces on the cars too,
or are those cars they already.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
Come looking like that I made them?
Speaker 5 (08:25):
Okay, well that's very clever, so give.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
I gave them new facials though, but I think it's
very really funny.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Back with more die Cast Breakdown after this word from
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Speaker 8 (08:56):
Cast Heads Magazine is a digital publication dedicated to enhancing
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Speaker 4 (09:24):
And nail back to Diecast Breakdown Now.
Speaker 7 (09:26):
It's very well done. So give an idea to the
viewers that are watching this that they've probably already seen
the pictures and they just had no idea that it
was all recreated physically in a studio. How long does
it take to make Radiator Springs?
Speaker 1 (09:44):
I don't think it's took too much. About a week
to do the scene. Actually, it was pretty fast.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
That shoot was Actually the editing was the most since
I have to deal with the faces and even the
lightning on the cars. Since McQueen is very very shiny,
it has a lot of reflections and all the graphics
on his body should be good looking in all ways,
(10:14):
so the die cast is not that good. So it's
a lot of retouching for.
Speaker 7 (10:20):
The Yeah, I see. Yeah, it's a lot of a
lot of post post work.
Speaker 6 (10:25):
Now, describe the lens that you have on the camera,
because it looks like you've got this lens that is
like this long and it's.
Speaker 5 (10:32):
Like that big a round. So is that some special
kind of macro lens?
Speaker 1 (10:36):
What's going on with that? Yeah, it's a macro lens.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
But the thing with that lens is it has a
wide perspective in macro mode. A normal macro lens is
about one hundred millimeters and the perspective is very very straight.
And this opened ups a new possibility to actually come
closer to the subject with a wide angle, so it
(10:59):
helps to create the car from small to big. I
don't know how it builds inside, but it's due to Yob.
Speaker 5 (11:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (11:08):
No, it does the job fantastically. It's just it's a
very interesting lens. I've ever seen a lens like that.
I mean, I'm sure it's a very specialty type thing
that would be used for people who are like photographing bugs.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Or I think I think it's made for that since
it has a front light in the lens built in.
Speaker 5 (11:27):
It's got a light in the lens.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
Interesting, So I think when you're shooting insects and stuff
like that, it's helped to.
Speaker 7 (11:35):
So have you getten any feedback anybody from Pixar or
Disney or anybody. Yeah, that's how cool is that?
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (11:42):
That's really cool? Pixar comment on one post. So I
hope the car's flour is coming, don't. I think we
all do.
Speaker 6 (11:53):
I think as long as they're going to be able
to keep selling the cars toys, they'll keep making the
movies because they keep coming up with all these uh
new characters and new castings, and I just I don't
know how they come up with so many of them.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
But that is so cool.
Speaker 6 (12:09):
What a what a treat to have the actual company
comment on your on your work for that. But yeah,
they're they're fantastic. I love the series with the sheriff
chasing McQueen. It just that that nighttime seem looks so good.
And you did a great job on ear Springs. Now,
I know you said in your last interview a lot
(12:30):
of times when you're done with these sets and stuff,
you just throw them away. Was did you keep Radiator
Springs or is that gone?
Speaker 1 (12:36):
I have the pillar in the middle.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Yeah, I save that one, but the road on the
desert I actually threw it away.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yeah, there's only so much room. It's about that. Yeah.
Speaker 7 (12:51):
Well, guys, Pixar is not the only one that's noticed
your work. Martin. You had an amazing opportunity to have
an another collaboration. Can you share a little bit about
maybe the work that you did for the fiftieth anniversary
of a major automaker.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Yeah, that was a funny story.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
Actually when it started, I was I was home and
I should go to my office, and I said to
my wife, I really hope a new deal coming soon.
As a miniature since I hadn't won, I had to
pature all lost before that, when I went to the office,
I saw I had an email. While I'm driving, I
saw it on the car and when I come from
(13:35):
I arrived to the office and opened the email, it
was from Porsche.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
This is yeah, this is not happening.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
And so I texted texted her directly and said, oh my,
this just happened. So like I have recreated ads for
Porsche and Mercedes and.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
All of that.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
So the big dream was actually too at the vision
and from the very beginning was actually to to shoot
for brands like.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
This like Porsche and I did.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
It was a high goal that I never thought I
should reach. Actually to combine both Lego and Porsche was
super cool.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
And we had a first.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Meeting where we where we talked about how we could
get this to celebrate the fifth the Stuttgart The Stutegart
Heart of Porsche was very very hot topic.
Speaker 1 (14:34):
When we had this meeting, and it was much.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Talking about architecture since Stuttgart has a lot of architecture
and but we finally came on board with the idea
to recreate the dark forest. And I never done a
forest or trees by myself, So I was pretty nervous.
How should I even get this happening in a scale
(14:59):
of one to twelve that the legal car is, and
how should I make about sixty trees that looks good?
That was my biggest challenge of the whole process. That
I could create good pictures. I knew that, but to
actually work through the whole process with creating this idea.
(15:22):
I said, yes, yes, yes, of course I can do it.
Speaker 7 (15:27):
So let let's just kind of clarify what the project was.
This was the fiftieth anniversary of the Porsche nine to eleven,
which came out in nineteen seventy four. If you go
to the Porsche dot com website and Martin has a
link on his website, Martin's photography with lego models of
(15:49):
the Porsche nine to eleven is in there, and it's
got that diorama that you just talked about, the dark forest,
and it looks it's crazy Martin, that you made it
and looks so real.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
Yeah, I was so yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
I don't know how to describe it, but I was
so happy that it actually was hard to work with
it since I wanted to make it so good in
a good.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Way to actually have.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
The time is always hunting me when it comes to
these ideas, and I can't work too much with it,
but I really wanted to make it good, so I
think I spent a week just thinking about how I
could make the trees. So I went up with buying
(16:38):
so many different materials to see if I could could
make it, and it ended up with a laser cutted
star that I put it on on a wood rod.
Speaker 1 (16:51):
This is called that like a template.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
And then I went to Ikea and both the cheapest
pills and just put them on the stars to make
the trees look pretty. And yeah, it's it was our
journey to to actually see that was actually the hardest
part of whatever what I have done so far.
Speaker 7 (17:15):
So but do you mind me asking one more question?
Did did you know that at the beginning of the project?
Did they tell you, hey, we would like we're coming
to you because of you know, we've seen your work
with diecast, but we would like for you to use
Lego in this. Was that part of the process from
the very beginning.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
Yeah, okay, it was. I don't know why actually, but
they have I don't know.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
If the car is actually a limited edition or what,
but I have seen the creators work with the same
type of visual of the car. It's yeah, I don't know.
I don't know why I should work with a legal
car actually.
Speaker 7 (17:53):
But yeah, that's that's what the what the client wanted.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Yeah, so but I'm happy that it turned out in
that way. And I could never imagine to actually working
with playing my studio with Lego and Lego, I built
two cars in one day. It's it's three thousand pieces.
So are you satisfied with that answer? Should we clarifying
(18:21):
that in other way?
Speaker 3 (18:22):
No?
Speaker 7 (18:23):
I was just waiting for Chuck to chime in, and
I know he's got stuff I can reddling around.
Speaker 6 (18:28):
I had a question about there's another another photo that
you have with a it looks like some kind of
coffee in the middle of the mountains, and there's a
car that looks like it's the size of my fingernail.
What's what's the story there, What's what's going on with
this teeny tiny little car.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
I was out of ideas, so I always have Landscape
is pretty easy to make when it comes to two dioramas,
and especially in this scale. The topic of this of
that work was how I could face a landscape in
a scale of one to five hundred. Wow, I just
(19:07):
actually put together some some styrofoam and some grass, and yeah,
I asked to mix the freestyle. I think I did
it in one day landscape. But the car is when
I play, if you look at it very very closely
or in detail, it's very very bad. But when you
place it in the dagama and photograph it like a
(19:29):
like a drone, it just blends in and look.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Very very cool.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
Yeah, I mean, I mean, like like I said, the
car is incredibly tiny, like it looks like it could
rest on my fingernail. Yeah, it's it's you know, probably
when you get up close to it, a little more
than just like a little contour of something resembling a
car and a little bit of paint here and there.
But but you know, like you said, from from an
aerial distance and just I love the roadway and that
(19:59):
you made a whole little little scene for it. And
in the finished product, you know, you added light effects.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Yeah, that that is always the thing with my pictures,
when you add those little lights on the cars. For example,
you actually did you transformed the toy car or in
this case, this fingernailed car to our real looking detail.
So just this little red light from then to break lights.
Speaker 1 (20:30):
It is doing its jo absolutely, So yeah, yeah, that was.
Speaker 6 (20:33):
Great, and you know, as I'm just moving through because
you know, and folks, you really have to go check
out his instagram if you haven't already, and I don't
know why you wouldn't have, but it just you know,
each one of these, and I love that you incorporate
your behind the scenes in these carousels as well, so
you can kind of see the effects. And you've got
(20:53):
one that's kind of like you got like a Need
for Speed Universe type shoot where you've done like a
simulated arrow kind of like in the video game where
it shows where to go and you got your your
hand and the car is like going to drive through
your hand. So you know what was what was the
story with that? With that photography?
Speaker 1 (21:11):
There need for space.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
It's like cars for us with in the nineties and
or eighties.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
So it's a big topic too.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
And I was so into Need for Speed when I
was younger, and I just I thought about that Bayview
starting position when you drive away from from the MMM
that is also when it comes to builds and all
these ideas I actually made a YouTube video exactly how
(21:42):
I created this scene a full from started finish, and
when I talked to this video, it's like the nostalgia
is on the level like cars for even for me.
So to create this airport was a bit struggling.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
I had less of references.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
I guessked what you can see in the in the
game is just a straight uh yeah, you're driving through it,
so you have not so much perspective of this building.
So I had to actually search around for a clear
view and I just maked it from what I saw,
like I draw it in illustrator, every little piece of
(22:27):
that building. I was drawing it in illustrator and laser
cut the whole building and make it a puzzle.
Speaker 7 (22:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:35):
So uh, it was struggling to actually get it so
perfect that I.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
Could remade it.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
But everything is going back to engagement and what people
want to see. And we have a trend now that
we are going back in time and see what we
are missing or what we had when we were younger.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
So that's truly going back to a good time.
Speaker 6 (23:07):
Sure, sure, I love to those games as well, and yeah,
you got just so many cool things. I love these
Winter scenes. Tell me about the winter scenes that you
create like this one that you did with the delivery
van and how do you create that snow effect?
Speaker 5 (23:22):
It looks fantastic.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Yeah, it's a client of my Marco at Franciscini I
have made. It's actually made for one Christmas card and
those imagencies is a Christmas card for that company, which
is very creative in that type of niche. And but
he loves what I do with the cards and he said, yeah,
(23:46):
it creates something very very season based on Christmas and
everything with architecture and combining details like like the mistles
is called that missiles around there. It makes so much
sense when it comes to how how we can actually
(24:06):
transform a little die cast that this is a scale
of one to eighty seven, so it's very very tiny,
so each each.
Speaker 1 (24:14):
Little brick is chin.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
It's so important to make it, but it's so small
that you probably can't see it. I I love working
with plaster. I think it's I think no one else
since it's it's so much like I can't find that
(24:38):
type of material in the Diorama stores online. It's I
don't know what it's called. The other one it's like
paper and water and something else. Paper mache almost, but
it's mixed in a very very tiny filler. It's not plaster.
But I go to the to the collar store and
(24:59):
buy regular wall plaster and make make the snow of plaster.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Mm hmm. And I have I have.
Speaker 2 (25:06):
A technique that I love. It's using a sponge with
water on plaster and it just makes it so beautiful.
And all the snow on the scene with the trucks,
it's actually made from plaster.
Speaker 4 (25:22):
Don't touch the dial. Die Cast Breakdown will be right
back after these messages. Die Cast Breakdown is produced in
partnership with twice die Cast and Driven Dreams. Or go
on YouTube check out their channels in the video description,
and subscribe for more epic die cast content.
Speaker 5 (25:40):
Hey, this is Larry Wood.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
This is Derek from Honest Dick.
Speaker 7 (25:43):
Here it is a chattering from Brown two.
Speaker 6 (25:44):
And this is Mike from Gas Last, s R t
JO Vita shows.
Speaker 5 (25:51):
You're watching die Cast Breakdown.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
And now the Thrilling Can inclusion of this week's episode
of die Cast Breakdown.
Speaker 7 (26:03):
It's amazing how much companies want to really take professional
photos of their products because of all the social media now.
Number one first question for you, Martin, are you open
to die Cast brands contacting you to do shots of
their new products. Would that be something that they could
reach out to you and do.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
Yeah, I think that should be a new type of
photography for me, or if they want to make.
Speaker 1 (26:31):
My type of style. Absolutely, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
I'm not so much into the die Cast brands how
they actually marketing the cars. It's a toy. It's a toy,
but not a toy. So I think it's a new
type of photography. If they don't want my type of photography.
Speaker 7 (26:56):
Sure, well, well let's talk about your type of photography
because it cuts someone attention. There are some really amazing
photos of one of our favorite brands, many GT and
some James Bond one sixty four scale cars from the movies.
So talk about whatever you can tell us on how
you got those cars to get such amazing photos that
(27:19):
we can see on your instagra.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
I will start with I'm not a Bond fan to
start with, but I thought if we go back to
the to the theme of engagement, since I work with
this idea or this mindset all the time, you see
if that is it relatable or could people recognize it
(27:41):
in that in that way? And I got minities attention
in some way. I don't know really how, but I
think we chat on Instagram for a bit and suddenly
I of course I sent my my address and everything,
but I didn't expect that they should send me cars
(28:02):
just like that. So I got a FedEx email that
sent it's a two kilo package from a China based company,
and they reached out, we have sent this list to you, Okay,
but you don't have to mention.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
Us in any way. Just do something cool.
Speaker 2 (28:22):
So that is a good way to approach the die
Casts company. Actually, even if I don't get paid, which
I have bills to actually pay and everything like that,
but it's create content for me and I'm super happy
to have them on the shelf.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
It's super cool.
Speaker 2 (28:42):
So I just thought about before Christmas, I was lack
of content and I had this new batch coming right
before Christmas, and I went home. I had a threadmill
I haven't used for a year. It's just was dust
on everything, right yep.
Speaker 1 (29:05):
Yeah, mine too, but I took it.
Speaker 2 (29:07):
I took it from a shelf and I just I
need to see if I could create something more easy
than I normally do. And my my general projects take
about two three weeks to create always. So I took
it and I had a piece from my Porsche scene
(29:28):
that I haven't thrown away yet, so I cut it
off and I placed it in.
Speaker 1 (29:32):
Front of the car like a foreground.
Speaker 2 (29:36):
And I think, well, I will make this moving in
a very very easy way and photograph the background and
replace it and make it look real. So yeah, I
took a fish line, tape it on the treadmill and
push it under the car and it started to moving.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Yes, this is gonna work. Yeah, And I.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
Had a foreground from the scene and I just moved
it when I had the slow shatter speed and directly
in camera. If I just had a real background, it
should be it should look real directly. Sorry, I need
to post it. And I remade it with with another
Porsche car that I took a little piece of a
(30:22):
Christmas tree and made it like a miniature tree Christmas tree,
and and glew it on the on the roof I
saw actually a Porsche Porsche post exactly the same car
with a three on top of the roof in a
winter landscape.
Speaker 1 (30:36):
So I think that this is this is really really good.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
So I made it and it's got a lot of
likes and engagement on on that one, and I think
the Poorsche car reached about forty million views A six
A six second.
Speaker 7 (30:53):
Yeah, yeah, so.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
It was it was a good, good one.
Speaker 7 (31:00):
We call that lightning in a bottle. You caught lightning
in a bottle Martin.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Yeah, so I sent them to sent the numbers to them,
and oh my god.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
So I'm happy to help.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Them in a way, even even if I don't tag them,
since I know it's it's settled down the post in
some ways.
Speaker 1 (31:21):
Yeah, but it's a mean GT.
Speaker 7 (31:24):
Yeah, super cool, super cool all right.
Speaker 6 (31:26):
Well yeah again, just amazing seeing all of this stuff
come together and you know, these brands taking notice of you.
Do you do you have any advice for anybody who
would want to do something like this and is trying
to get their foot in the door as far as
starting to do more miniature photography.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
I mean, we talked about this a little the last time,
but for the people.
Speaker 6 (31:48):
Who missed that last interview, what are some are there
some good ways to get started if you maybe don't
have the budget for the fancy lens for bugs or
you know things like that, Like because I know you
had to start somewhere. Yeah, what would you use recommend
I think you.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Actually can start with the iPhone since iPhone has as
a camera with wide angle and macro at the same time,
so you can actually use an iPhone to photograph die casts.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
I have actually.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
Recorded miniature landscapes. That was the landscape I wanted to
have in the background. I filmed everything on the iPhone.
So it's a very very powerful tool if you want
to get started with any kind of photography. Actually, and
(32:41):
when it comes to die casts, since I work really
really hard on the post production, that makes the edge
I think, so if you want to start, it's it's
how you can light the car and actually get through
the normal look of a die cast. Since it's very
common that people are not going into the lightning when
(33:04):
they shoot.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
The cars, especially die casts, it's good if.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
You scroll around on die casts and that are shooting
die casts, it's hard to actually find those ones that
are spending a little time to actually light them. So
that's a really powerful tool if you if you want
to enhance the look of the die.
Speaker 7 (33:28):
Casts, take take some extra time and make sure the
lighting is good.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (33:33):
So Martin, along with the automotive brands and some of
these other projects. The die cast Rancy we're going to
worked directly with this little company called Adobe, and you've
got some new overlays that you've got available. So tell
me for those who don't know, tell the audience what
an overlay is and why people could buy these and
use them on their own photography.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
Overlays.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Yeah, thankf mentioned it for the first It's uh, the
overlays comes very handy to those photographers that are looking
for a realistic effect in post production. It's I actually
created these overlays since I used a lot of a
lot of them myself before I created them, so I
(34:18):
started to actually see what I worked with the most
and recreated a batch of each overlay that I needed.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
It can be like if you I did.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
A lot of commercial photography when I used the sun
as a as a main source, and when I photographed
a subject with a lightly, for example, it never came
out in a.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Very good way like the overlay could produce.
Speaker 2 (34:47):
So in post I took a fake light or a
lightly that I made in the studio with black background
and applied to my photo that created some sparkle or
just a more interesting lens.
Speaker 1 (35:02):
Flare or whatever it can be to make it more interesting.
Speaker 7 (35:07):
MH.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
And Adobe's attention came to one of my overlay packs
that was Misty Window I think they called it.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
I had a window.
Speaker 2 (35:24):
I made it for a particular shoot of a cafe
when someone was actually behind that window, to create more interesting.
Speaker 1 (35:33):
View of it.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
And it's hard to actually get so much control of
the window and what's in front of the face, like,
so I had a workflow that had these raindrops and
fog on the window that I could actually control one
hundred percent of the blurriness and everything like that. There
(35:59):
was very interesting thing in that.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Package. So I think that's just the main one.
Speaker 2 (36:06):
Yeah, So but overlays to to to just tell what
what this actually is.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
It's it's a.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Very controlled retouching tool to create a little more effect
on your photos so it gets more interesting here again,
all right.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
I hope that that is a good that's helpful.
Speaker 6 (36:23):
So yeah, So basically it's it's you know, and you've
got several you got like fire and you've got like
some really cool tape for some more like punk inspired
type things like if you want to have a masking
tape frame and smoke and fireworks and all kinds of
cool stuff. So you know a lot of this stuff, folks,
is handled in you know, post production, a lot of
(36:44):
effects and stuff, so you know, you can add these things,
have them, uh you know, adjust the transparency and really
add a lot of depth and texture to the image.
And so I dabble and photoshop a little bit myself.
So I'll have to keep these in mind if I
ever decide to, you know, put down my work tools
and pick up a camera and start doing some serious
(37:04):
photography of my stuff, which I should do because I'm
sure my stuff would look really good with some decent,
you know photography. And again, I love that at the
top of this image is this really cool Volvo photo
that you did with cardboard packaging, like the spacing and packaging,
and you made it look like rocks and stuff, and
it's got, you know, again the power of your imagination,
the power of lighting. That you took this thing and
(37:26):
it looks like a layer from a James Bond villain's place,
and it was just like the kind of pressed cardboard
yeah yeah, packaging that you'd find in like a piece
of electronics or something.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
And so yeah, exactly, I bought a youth machine, and
I thought, I thought this, this is really really cool.
Everyone knows that creativity is a is a muscle, and
when it comes to working with this type of photography,
you need to actually be very creative. And that is
(37:57):
not coming directly. It's coming by time and doing and
start thinking of type of of of ways to achieve
different things.
Speaker 7 (38:07):
So it's I've just had my reality shattered, Chuck and Martin.
You you photographers like you guys aren't out there waiting
for it to start raining to get photos with with
rain drops on windows, Like it's just kind of blew
my mind. But I love the idea you don't have.
You don't have to deal with the glare, you don't
have to deal with with the reflection of me and
(38:29):
my holding my phone in the window. Like it's it's
an amazing that misty windows is just really cool to
get the effect without having to deal with all of
that other extra stuff that you have to worry about.
Speaker 2 (38:42):
Yeah, I applied is on a commercial shoot for a
watch brand two I think, and I had I had, yeah,
a model just sitting in the studio with that background,
and I apply the overlay on top of that and
it's created that total new image. So it's very controlling
(39:03):
and very easy way to just transform a regular studio shoes.
Speaker 7 (39:07):
For example, Martin, you weren't kidding when you said that
it's been a busy year, but I can't imagine that
you're done. So tell us what you have coming up
in the future. You were mentioning something you were excited about,
and I'd love to share that with the other viewers
and listeners.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
I have been actually since the New year. I was
pitching a brand in the US which called verb Moto.
I don't know if you recognize them in some way.
They are one of the biggest brands in the motocross
that are documenting and are serving the community with information
(39:44):
and content.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
For the motocross industry.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
And they reached out to me and said, we need
to work, but I don't know what to do. So
I had I actually have I had idea for a
long time that no one had execute on, and I
pitched them about an idea to actually go through different realities.
They are into a real motocross action. I'm doing miniature
(40:14):
and I want to go digital to serve the community
in experience of gaming, which is very, very big in
the motocross fans, so I pitched them to actually do
a miniature motocross track that I never had done before.
So they saw my other viral supercross tracks that I
(40:35):
make in twenty twenty three, and we had we had
some meetings and we came up came up with the
idea to.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Marketing their.
Speaker 2 (40:48):
Motocross events that are now in April twenty twenty five,
and we should do a full replica of.
Speaker 1 (40:59):
The act they are racing on.
Speaker 2 (41:01):
And we are converting that miniature track into a digital
experience to make it raceable online.
Speaker 1 (41:09):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (41:10):
Yeah, it's it's really super cool and that's super exciting
to be part of. And I started actually directly off
the New year to build my biggest diorama jet. I
think I'm never.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
Going to create a bigger one.
Speaker 2 (41:27):
It's a three point five meter I don't know how
how long that is in feats, it's three point five
times eight point eight meters, so it's it's.
Speaker 7 (41:38):
So twenty five square meters. That's that's that is wild. Yeah, well,
we'll have to put a little disclaimer right here that
shows that in feet for the Americans. But it's it's
really big.
Speaker 2 (41:51):
Yeah, And I have calculated the scale to one to
one hundred and fifty.
Speaker 1 (41:59):
Oh gosh, so the course is about this big. Oh.
Speaker 2 (42:07):
I had never done this before, but I'm super excited
and I've actually made it.
Speaker 1 (42:14):
It's downstairs and that's fantastic.
Speaker 7 (42:18):
So so does that take up the entire room downstairs?
Speaker 1 (42:23):
It does?
Speaker 2 (42:23):
So I don't have a plan yet how to actually
save it, but we maybe will send it to the
facility and have it as an art piece standing there.
Speaker 7 (42:36):
Yeah, I hope so.
Speaker 1 (42:37):
Yeah, me too.
Speaker 7 (42:38):
That seems like when you need to keep in the archives.
Speaker 1 (42:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (42:42):
Really, so that is a very interesting product that we
I never thought could be I think when I started.
But it's really really cool to involve real experience, digital
and miniature to marketing a real event.
Speaker 7 (42:58):
Tell us the name of the company one more time,
vert verb moto Okay, yeah, I see a dirt bike
website v U RB m oto. Yeah, I fotun need
to check it out. That looks really it looks like
a really cool site. And we do have a lot
of motocross fans that cross over. A lot of die
(43:19):
cast collectors also collect bikes as.
Speaker 2 (43:21):
Well, So I think I think we will post a
teaser now in the first April first, so I really
want you to have a view on on my page
or verbs page to actually see it since we have
worked so hard this absolutely it's really really fun and
(43:44):
we will Actually I have started our YouTube channel, so
we are actually going to to make three episodes of
full build of this product.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
That's also very interesting to see.
Speaker 7 (43:57):
Now that sounds like that is going to be very
popul if I hope. So, I think. I think you
guys are going to come right out of the gate
pretty strong with that. So tell everybody real quick with
the name of your YouTube how they can find it.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
I think I named Martin Palm on YouTube. If you
just so searching on Martin Palm, you will probably find me.
So yeah, I post everything I do in short but
I also started to make longer videos. I think I
have three three long formats and I would keep them posting,
(44:32):
but it takes so much time.
Speaker 7 (44:34):
It does sure does, no doubt about that.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
No, so I will.
Speaker 2 (44:38):
But it's it's very fun to see that my work
is engaging in that type of way, and it's fun
for myself to actually see the full process of what
I'm doing afterwards, since I'm so in it.
Speaker 1 (44:52):
When I build it and to get.
Speaker 7 (44:54):
Some overview feedback. Yeah, yeah, no, it's great, and yeah.
Speaker 6 (44:59):
You're Martin Palm one on YouTube. But if you google
Martin Palm or YouTube Martin Palm your.
Speaker 5 (45:06):
First thing that comes up.
Speaker 6 (45:07):
So folks go check that out because he's got some
really cool behind the scenes stuff.
Speaker 5 (45:12):
Going on there.
Speaker 6 (45:12):
I know, as a diarrama builder myself, I'm going to
be checking those out and getting some some of Martin's
secrets in there. But I don't think he has to
worry about me gunning for his job anytime soon. But
it's really cool that you're putting that stuff out there
and sharing it with people, because I think that encourages
creativity that fosters, you know, more innovation, and you can
(45:34):
use the inspiration that people use from that to create
their own thing, and then they can inspire you in
the in the cycles as everyone continues to learn and
try new things. So I think it's a great thing
that you're doing and it's it's really exciting. So again,
folks check that out, and of course check out Martin
Palm on Instagram, where you can find all sorts of
(45:55):
really awesome things. I'd highly recommend checking out the cars
photos as well as the mini GTS stuff. It's cool
to see you doing more stuff at one sixty four scale,
so you.
Speaker 5 (46:04):
Know, that's exciting.
Speaker 6 (46:05):
And again I don't think I've ever really seen a
one five hundred scale car before, so that is is
absolutely worth checking out as well.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
Are you guys most into one to sixty four? Yes?
Speaker 6 (46:16):
Mostly we talk about one sixty four scale on this show,
but we've talked to people that do one forty third
scale and some of the people that do bigger stuff.
But you know, one sixty four scale is where we
where we most frequently find our discussions.
Speaker 2 (46:28):
But you know, if you as a pro, I'm not
a collector in any way, but when it comes to
one to sixty four I've seen it's very popular when
it comes to what are you looking for?
Speaker 1 (46:41):
When it comes to these particular cars.
Speaker 5 (46:48):
That you are collecting, what we're looking for is the
car itself or as like a photography subject.
Speaker 1 (46:55):
Just like no no collecting from collecting.
Speaker 6 (46:59):
Yeah, I think a lot of us get our start
with you know, hot wheels cars and the match box.
Speaker 5 (47:03):
The little cars you find for a dollar or i
don't know a.
Speaker 6 (47:07):
Euro or two whatever. They would be over where you're at,
you know, the toy cars that are about that scale,
the hot Wheels and match Box. But you know, I,
you know, David has led a lot of us down
the path of premium die cast and so brands like
Mini GT is a good upper level, higher quality, very
accurate true one sixty four scale. So a lot of cars,
(47:28):
a lot of people think, oh, well, you know.
Speaker 5 (47:30):
One sixty four scale is one sixty four scale. It
really isn't.
Speaker 6 (47:33):
There's you know a lot of a lot of car
companies make their cars bigger or smaller than one sixty
four so they fit the packaging. So true one to
sixty four scale is actually pretty rare in this field.
But there are companies like Mini GT and Auto World
that do true one sixty four scale. But when it
comes to like the premium stuff, you know, Tamika Limited
a vintage is kind of like one of the standards
(47:55):
of brands when it comes to premium die casts. And
but Mini GT has really come a long way. Tarmac
Works is really good. Pop Raise is a new one
that's been making some really big waves with really high
quality stuff. David, you get you know, all the real
out there ones.
Speaker 7 (48:13):
The real I tell you I tell you, Martin what
I look for certain features. I want rubber tires, I
want realistic wheels. I don't want a cookie cutter wheel
on the same car. Want plastic inserted lenses for the
headlamps and the tail lamps. And I don't want any
opening parts. A lot of people like that. I think
(48:34):
it makes it look unrealistic.
Speaker 1 (48:37):
You know, when you have a door the gas Yeah yeah, yeah,
so that's something I retouched.
Speaker 7 (48:44):
Yeah yeah, I'm glad you do, because when you take
a photo of it, all of a sudden, it looks
really weird when you're trying to incorporate it into a
real image or realistic image.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (48:58):
Really, So those are the three things I like to
look at I have I have.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
Been struggling with with good models.
Speaker 2 (49:05):
I bought one from Matrix I think I think it's
called Matrix a Ferrari Get two fifty.
Speaker 7 (49:13):
I think it was fer There's a few companies.
Speaker 1 (49:17):
That was one of the models that I it was one.
Speaker 2 (49:22):
To for the free though, But okay, the wheels and
everything was so great, and the gaps I was super
happy to see.
Speaker 1 (49:30):
The gaps was just a scratch.
Speaker 7 (49:33):
Yeah yeah.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
Other brands are actually just bold and destroys the shape.
So I needed I don't need it to to retuch
anything of that. And when it comes to Mini g T,
they are very good at that, and they can apply
so much small detail like nets and everything that are
so beautiful to look at, and even the rims and
(49:56):
the brake discs are shining through.
Speaker 7 (49:59):
The president that company is a gentleman named Glynn, and
he told us on an interview that I want my
cars to be an exact miniature version of the real car,
and so that is his standard for Mini GT. And
I wish that was the same for every die cast maker,
but it's not. So I do appreciate Mini GT for that.
Speaker 1 (50:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (50:23):
Really, I have a bunch of new cars that I
even have opened it, but every time I open the box,
it doesn't look so good on the box, But when
you took it out and opened the plastic and you
feel it, it's heavy and all the details are there.
So it's super cool to see those small, tiny cars.
Speaker 7 (50:44):
Are you Are you sure you're not a collector?
Speaker 1 (50:48):
Not yet? Not yet? I think we got you. We're
really yeah.
Speaker 2 (50:52):
Yeah, But it's when it comes to those die casts,
it's very I'm looking for good details, and that makes
sense when we when we talk about good brands, So
it's very important for me to find those.
Speaker 1 (51:05):
I found a brand like BBR. It's for the Ferrau makers,
with leather discs underneath and everything. But they are super expensive.
Speaker 7 (51:16):
Yep, yeah, you'll you'll pay for the for the really
good brands, you'll pay for it for sure.
Speaker 1 (51:22):
But are they are? They are the details on that
car really really really good? Have you seen it in
real life? For the for the b BR car now
the BBR Are.
Speaker 7 (51:33):
You talking about the one sixty four scale?
Speaker 1 (51:35):
Yeah?
Speaker 7 (51:37):
I think they are. Are they Resin? I think they
might be Resin? Think, yeah, yeah, they're They're amazing. Resin
is in a whole different category of detail versus die castin.
You can't do much smaller, finer details if you start
looking for and die cast is two different. Correct.
Speaker 6 (51:59):
Yes, resident is very is like a plastic, so it's
much lighter, it's much more brittle, and they're usually much
more expensive because they have to be entirely hand assembled
because they're so delicate. But you can get things like
the really small A pillars on the windshield, like the
on the old cars where they had very thin metal
between the windshield and the doors and stuff, because they
(52:21):
didn't have like air bags and stuff in the front
of the car. They just had pieces of metal, so
you know, everything looks much more refined and realistic. But
they're usually five or six times as expensive as a
premium die cast car. Okay, and usually they don't have
rolling wheels either, because they're you know, display, so you
(52:42):
definitely don't want them rolling.
Speaker 5 (52:43):
You don't want them rolling.
Speaker 1 (52:44):
Off the shelf.
Speaker 6 (52:45):
So anyway, but yeah, I think the I think David
nailed it. You know, we're looking for cars that have
actual lenses for headlamps, not opening door panels. You know,
something that looks like that. The tires aren't too wide,
like the tires are true one sixty four scale, so
and those are the things that you find in the
(53:05):
more higher end type stuff.
Speaker 1 (53:07):
I think you're gonna see.
Speaker 7 (53:09):
And you know, some of those, Martin, like some even
like the tires on the on the expensive ones, they're
rounded like they're inflated versus a real chunky flat wall.
Speaker 1 (53:19):
All right, Okay, yep, so they're haven't they noticed that
on on on Minia GT. But have they curved wheels?
Speaker 7 (53:30):
I'm not sure. I don't know offhand.
Speaker 1 (53:32):
I almost need to.
Speaker 5 (53:33):
Look Yeah they got yeah, they got some curve on them,
because I mean, yeah, there's a.
Speaker 7 (53:38):
Yeah they are Yeah, yep, that's what we're That's what
you look for, is those little details they are. Alrighty,
that's a beautiful Martin.
Speaker 5 (53:48):
Thank you so much for being on the show with us.
We were thrilled to have you back.
Speaker 6 (53:52):
We definitely want to have you back on and get
an update as you continue to dive more into this
world and find more cool things. It's so cool, you know,
know that this wasn't how you initially started out in photography,
but you found this really cool little space on Instagram
and it's worked really well for you. And you know,
keep those up, keep those miniatures coming. It's it's awesome stuff.
Speaker 2 (54:13):
Thank you, so I will, I will do my best,
all right, awesome next time we were st Collector in
my forehead too, that's right, yeah, all right.
Speaker 5 (54:21):
It will happen.
Speaker 1 (54:21):
We will.
Speaker 5 (54:22):
We will officially dub the Collector.
Speaker 1 (54:24):
Yeah all right.
Speaker 6 (54:25):
Well, thank you Martin, and thank you watchers listeners wherever
you are for making it to the end of another
episode of Die Cast Breakdown again. Check out Driven Dreams
dot org, where we are raising twenty five thousand cars
for kids in need all over the world. You don't
need to lick a stamp, you don't need to mail
a check. You just need to find some cars in
their packaging and find somewhere locally that you can donate
them and then tell us how you did it and
(54:46):
it gets added to the pile. And we're trying to
get twenty five thousand cars up between now and October.
Speaker 7 (54:51):
Now.
Speaker 6 (54:51):
You can find out more about that at drivendreams dot org.
And well, you're clicking around on the worldwide Web, you
should have visit diecast breakdown dot com where you can
find out how to support this project and check out
our merch.
Speaker 5 (55:01):
Our other channels.
Speaker 6 (55:02):
A Jeremy Jus dot org is linked there again and
our socials and all that good stuff. And you can
also click down at the little join button if you're
feeling like kicking us a few bucks, like so many
wonderful people have.
Speaker 5 (55:12):
And while you're down there, hit that subscribe like and
if you liked this episode, make sure you share it
with a friend. That's how we grow this show.
Speaker 6 (55:18):
We just hit over six thousand subscribers on the YouTube
feed and that's really exciting, so thank you.
Speaker 5 (55:23):
Everyone who helped us to get there.
Speaker 6 (55:24):
And the audio feed is really taking off, so we're
really excited about that. And we got a whole bunch
of really great guests coming up real soon, so make
sure you hit that belt notification so you know when
those episodes come out.
Speaker 5 (55:36):
And as always, we want to thank you for coming
along with us for the ride.
Speaker 6 (55:39):
So until next time, stay fresh, cheese bags.
Speaker 4 (55:42):
Thanks for listening to die Cast Breakdown. If you enjoy
today's show, please rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts
and tell a friend to listen in. Find Diecast Breakdown
on your favorite social media platforms, or visit diecastmedianetwork dot
com to learn more about this and our other projects.
Diecast Breakdown is a presentation of Flying Valiant and the
(56:05):
Diecast Media Network.
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