Miniature Scale, Epic Proportions

Hello, hope you are all doing very well indeed. Today I come at you with something truly epic; something that will make your miniature passions get all giddy and perhaps gooey in all of the right ways. A short while ago, I was fortunate enough to come across a little snapshot of an utterly amazing piece of miniature work; an action shot in the middle of an epic battle. These sort of close up shots are my favourite element of seeing a bunch of painted miniatures together, making you feel like you are right there on the battlefield. If you've been to the exhibition hall at Warhammer World, you'll truly be able to appreciate everything that's going on here.

But rather than stopping there with one small snapshot, the man responsible, Daniel Koller, spent painstaking hours taking pictures, filming and editing, to create something worthy of a short film award. He has now released the video he has been working on for some time, and I've never felt such importance in sharing something with you all. So without further ado, get your little eyeballs stuck into this bad boy.

Wow, just wow. Tell me that didn't just overwhelm you from miniature greatness on an epic scale. Let alone the unfathomable amount of time taken to build, paint and arrange all of the wonderful paintjobs, buildings and terrain; the sheer amount of effort taken to create a story through the editing, the music, the sound effects, truly blows my mind. Rather graciously, Daniel has agreed to share his story and how this came to be with us all, so let's hear from the magician himself.

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There, away, and back again - My Warhammer Story by Daniel Koller

Back then, shortly after the millennium in 2001, I started playing Warhammer through a close colleague. I didn’t know the game at the time, but I found it exciting to create a chess-like game with entire armies on a battlefield, similar to a model railway. I wasn’t aware of how complex the rules would be, which initially put me off. However, over time, it became increasingly fun. I also liked that we never played in tournaments and instead came up with our own stories. I still remember going to our local shop with my friend, feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of options. I knew there were many different factions, but I had no idea about their strengths and weaknesses. It was explained to me briefly, but eventually, I had to interrupt and just ask: “Which army has the best artillery?” The answer came promptly: the dwarves. I immediately felt drawn to them. They also reminded me of my homeland, Switzerland. We are a small country located in the Alps, with many deep valleys and high mountains. Additionally, we Swiss are known for being somewhat reserved toward others, and visitors often see us as grumpy or sometimes unfriendly. This fit the dwarves perfectly! We also pride ourselves on our expertise in technology and gold... I mean, money. We also have great beer!

I enjoyed the camaraderie and battles very much, but I was never an enthusiastic painter. Even today, it’s not my favourite activity. I improved my skills but opted for speed painting for simplicity’s sake. I know a few great painters who paint my favourite miniatures for me. Over the years, my friend and I bought other armies from various platforms, already painted and ready to play.

After a break of several years, I got back together with the guys, and we unpacked all the miniatures again. Then came COVID. We had to stay at home, and I was desperate from boredom. I got the idea to put the figures in a display case, but I quickly found that boring. So, I started building small and simple dioramas that fit in the available space. At some point, I found that too simple as well, but I became completely engrossed in building landscapes. For days and weeks, I worked on the dwarven fortress using the simplest materials like tree bark and styrofoam. When we could meet up again during COVID, I met up with a friend, and that's when the infamous Bugman’s Brewery was created. Since then, more and more landscapes have emerged, and it still brings me the most joy.

Eventually, my hobby room was filled with landscapes and miniatures. Huge posters that fit the fantasy world hung on the walls. After a massive battle with my friend and the arrival of two of his eBay purchases, I ended up with three of his large armies at my place. I knew it wouldn’t be like this again, so I decided on the spur of the moment to start a new video, setting up his three and my four armies to create a gigantic battle. At that time, I had no idea what this would entail.

I began by setting up the miniatures, and I had a rough idea of what the story behind it could be. Only later did I realise that some things wouldn’t work out, and I had to get creative during post-production. Thanks, Photoshop! The time for the photos was limited, as my friend wanted his miniatures back, and I wanted my game room back to normal. Setting up and photographing alone took 4-6 weeks, as I didn’t want to give up my work as a teacher and artist. The next step was sorting through the 800 photos and deleting the bad ones. That also took a long time. The nice thing was that I started forming a clearer vision of the final product, which naturally motivated me more. The next step was the sound, the voiceovers, and the music. I drew inspiration from one of my favourite games, Total War: Warhammer. I quickly realised it would fit perfectly to use the sounds and dialogue from the trailers. That’s when the story and the sequence of the photos took shape in my mind. Every time a moment like that came, where the plans in my head came together, my motivation was back to full force.

The biggest part of the work was putting the pictures together, adding sound effects, and editing certain photos. In some photos, the unsightly bases were so distracting that I removed them with Photoshop. What might now seem like a good idea turned out to be a bottomless pit (In Switzerland we call it a barrel without a floor. Fits the lore with the Bugman’s beer). After editing certain photos, the fact that not everything looked the same bothered me, so I thought I’d remove ALL the bases. What a bad idea. That alone took several months. Even the close-up shots took a lot of time, not to mention the pictures with many regiments. I regretted the decision at some point and went unmotivated for several weeks. Then, I had to grit my teeth and set myself the goal of finishing three pictures a day. That went on for several weeks.

Then there were the effects. I used various GIFs and other simple moving images that I found on Google or YouTube and implemented them. I also cut individual pictures of clouds and fire into small pieces like in cartoons to simulate moving images. It was all new to me. I had never worked with After Effects or similar 3D programs for effects, thinking it would be too big of a learning curve and effort. Just before I finished, I thought I’d check out how it would work, and I realised that with Adobe Premiere, it’s very simple to remove the background (green or black) from moving images, allowing for great effects. I thought: “Wait a minute... Should I scrap all the effects and redo everything?” Yes, because I had already invested so much time, I wanted it to be perfect.

So, I searched for the effects on YouTube, implemented them into the video, and I am absolutely happy with it. In the end, it took weeks, even months of fine-tuning. After watching the 15-minute video 100 times, I noticed certain mistakes and had to work on them. The intro and outro also took time, to show viewers what the effort of removing the bases meant. Now, I am super happy with the final product and wouldn’t change a thing. It’s never perfect, but there are many beautiful moments in the video and certain scenes in the clip. My favourite part is the moment when the Bretonnians join, with the epic appearance of the airship and the Holy Guard. I also put together the speeches and music myself, and I think it fits epically. By the way, the music is from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, composed by Michael Kamen. Simply epic!

The creative aspect always fulfils me in the world of Warhammer, whether it’s designing figures, landscapes, or videos. The main thing is self-creation. Even with figures, you can take completely unique paths and create things that aren’t available for purchase, telling your own story. The final step and my biggest wish was to share my story with as many people as possible through the video. Not for validation or praise, but more for motivation. I then started a small campaign on Reddit for the first time, where Jamie also contacted me to create this article. The feedback on Reddit and the comments on YouTube were extraordinarily positive! I never imagined it like that. There were only words of praise and amazement for the video and the images, which definitely motivated me to do more. One of the nicest comments was that someone was inspired to start painting again. For me,

the goal was never to make money from it. The videos aren’t monetised anyway, as the music is copyrighted. Unfortunately, the video only reaches a few people because I’m not well-known, and the algorithm doesn’t help me there. So, keep spreading the word and sharing it. May the battle motivate and excite others as well! Warhammer is and will remain my favourite hobby, and I never want to turn a hobby into my profession. Fun comes first, and fun should remain!

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I want you all to join me in giving the biggest applause you can currently give to Daniel and his utterly incredible work, from amassing and arranging everything, to editing and producing that short film. His work is so immersive and inspiring, and I reckon Warhammer World should get in touch with him to start arranging some of their displays.

Please make sure you go and check out Daniel's page to see some more stills of his amazing work, and maybe get in touch to let him know he's changed your life forever. You can find him either on Instagram @karazabasilea or on Reddit HERE.

If there's anything you can do to better your day today and every day, it's by checking out his video. Please share it around some of your friends, acquaintances, enemies and hey, maybe even your estranged father whom you'd like to finally rebuild your relationship with after all these years.

In case you don't want to scroll all the way back up, or would like to watch it again, here it is below. Thank you for reading and checking out Daniel's work, words and video, and a massive thanks to Daniel for his time in preparing his piece for us all to enjoy.