Dinosaur toy forum diorama contest 2015 - poll

[Gwangi]

It's also important to consider our diverse membership, their particular talents, and their financial means. People that live in developed areas may not be able to take a picture in a natural setting. People of limited means may not be able to afford expensive cameras or technology like Photoshop. People that are pressed on time or finances may not be able to handcraft a diorama. Some people are outdoors-men (and women). Some people are tech savy. Some people are skilled with arts and crafts. There is no reason to exclude, we're all united by a love of the prehistoric. Judge the end product, not the process.

[DinoToyForum]

Here's another sneaky look at the way the results are shaping up after 77 voters have had their say. There's still plenty of time and votes to be cast but a third anonymous diorama is now jostling for the top spot and the trio are pulling away from the pack. The graph shows the dioramas arranged by number of votes:

[Kayakasaurus]

I agree with Gwangi and Dr. Admin. The end result is what matters. I voted for the ten I thought looked the best, and that turned out to be very diverse. Personally, my entry included a mix of Diorama, natural, sculpted, not sculpted, and even some photoshop camera tricks, basically all the resources available.

[DinoG]

The matter therefore should be now closed, a diorama is a diorama is a diorama! After all when you go to movies you don't judge the quality by the money invested or the time it took to shoot it...you just want the final product to be amazing. Likewise the diorama final purpose is to bring to life a wild natural scene which has not been seen before, no matter the tricks to achieve this.
As for the dioramas chart I hope I am not on the far right!!!

[Simon]

Here's another sneaky look at the way the results are shaping up after 77 voters have had their say. There's still plenty of time and votes to be cast but a third anonymous diorama is now jostling for the top spot and the trio are pulling away from the pack. The graph shows the dioramas arranged by number of votes:

Oh you're toying with us now Dr. Admin!  Well, this chart is better than nothing to look at for the next month!

[Doug Watson]

The matter therefore should be now closed, a diorama is a diorama is a diorama!

For the purposes of this contest and this forum yes but in the real world of the acknowledged definition of a diorama, no. I will bow to Dr. Admin's wishes because frankly it is his forum and his contest but a photograph is not a diorama. Try and submit one to a diorama contest at a model making convention or for a contract with a museum and see how far it gets. And as for how far people have walked or driven, unless for a miniature diorama you drove for a couple weeks and then walked for a couple more, or in the case of a life-sized diorama drove and walked for 6 months to a year there is no comparison.
Like I said for the purposes of this forum you can call it whatever you want but it is still not a diorama. Sorry that was my profession and I take the definition seriously it is because there is so much skill, work and time involved that it is a dying art in today's museums and I appreciate what has been done here by the people who have put forward the effort in the traditional form. Again I do appreciate the location shots there is one at least that looks like a real photo of real dinosaurs but it is not a diorama outside of this contest, it is just a great photo. Now that's all I have to say about that and I will add a smily face just in case anyone thinks I am mad. 

[DinoG]

Hi Doug I am an Italian chef and often I got burnt by the superficial way my national cuisine is perceived so I totally get your point. Maybe we just need to change the title like Stargatedalek suggested? After all most of us here are amateurs and building a proper diorama would mean many would not be able to take part in the contest.

[A.Garcia]

Right and then there are those of us who bought an Island, cloned our own dinosaurs and then photographed them together .....and I think its weird people think thats less work than just building a diorama .......sheesh. 

That is impressive, to be sure, Amargasaurus, but I also hope people will recognize the effort and risk undertaken by those of us who used scratch-built time machines to deliver an image of wild dinosaurs. 

Gwangi you bring up good points. So do the other comments. I think the "illusion" aspect is at the heart of what most creators are attempting, in both traditional settings and these on-screen images. Seeing the diversity resulting from different perspectives is part of the fun. I still remember the "diorama of a diorama" with Scutosaurus/Inostrancevia from last year.

I think I have several choices but I haven't voted yet... some pictures have an initial impact while others grow on you.

[DinoToyForum]

Hi Doug I am an Italian chef and often I got burnt by the superficial way my national cuisine is perceived so I totally get your point. Maybe we just need to change the title like Stargatedalek suggested? After all most of us here are amateurs and building a proper diorama would mean many would not be able to take part in the contest.

There's no satisfactory word for 'photographs of prehistoric scenes using dinosaur models'.

To call it a 'photography contest' would firstly be a disservice to the traditional dioramas in the contest, and wouldn't account for the way the models in every photograph are arranged into scenes, which is where much of the skill lies.

To call it a 'diorama contest' stretches the word 'diorama' beyond its traditional meaning, but as I say, is still the most accurate word to use.

[jooooo]

How about Scene?

[Silvanusaurus]

I would suggest the most appropriate word rather than diorama might be 'tableau'.

Tableau definition:
1. a picture, as of a scene.
2. a picturesque grouping of persons or objects; a striking scene.
3. a representation of a picture, statue, scene, etc., by one or more persons suitably costumed and posed.

Although as words go its not very easy on the eyes.

[Federreptil]

I like the variety of the efficient ways to get a good illusion for the living of extinct animals. And for me 'diorama' says, it should be a scenery. So I see not pure perfect models on the stand in front. But this year two entries have a complete different angle of view. Is it really necessary to have a perfect balanced name for this contest, if everyone can see, what is intended looking in the archives of the last years?

If I look at my personal way in three contest years: the first scenery (three angry chicks) was an outdoor shot and the second (horrible horn horde) was a classical studio scenery. And both are successful sets. My use of Photoshop is this years entry not so intense as the last years. Light and so on are real settings. So I'm not so rigid in the preferred making tools. I will see, what works: e. g. I think it would be very stressful to bring a herd of sauropods in 1:40 in a studio setting. In an other plan I see the difficulty for satisfying river banks in the near nature surroundings – so i will prefer here a studio set. I would like to have the free choice for future projects. Maybe it's a combination of both – a hand-builded scenery in a natural setting. So I need no changes in the regulations of this contest. I don't think that more categories will solve the problem of different ideas, skills and materials usage. I enjoy more the common ground of similar views and don't want to exile the different visions. And isn't it exciting to see how the whole forum will decide?

If you have the right idea for the perfect shot, it could be easy to catch the right illusion. At the other hand you can have a lot hard work inside same as outside if your vision it depends. My favorites of this year are well mixed. A fantastic eye for the right position in a natural setting, a clever use of digital extension or a tender builded scenery – everyone of this would be a honorable winner.

[DinoG]

Well...the positive thing from this whole debate is that in spite of different opinions we all care about this contest! So Dr Admin please keep on running it, whatever name you wish to give!

[Gwangi]

If we're going to get bent out of shape about the definition of a diorama in this contest then we might as well rename this place the "Prehistoric Animal Toy Forum" since it encompasses more than just dinosaurs. Oh wait, this forum isn't just about toys? Okay then. How about "Extinct Fauna Preserved in the Fossil Record and Reproduced in Miniature Collectible Forum"? Can we just not worry about the semantics here? Diorama is a fine term to describe what's going on in this contest, just like "Dinosaur Toy Forum" is a fine name for this forum even though not everything we collect is a dinosaur or a toy by technical definition.

[Doug Watson]

If we're going to get bent out of shape about the definition of a diorama in this contest then we might as well rename this place the "Prehistoric Animal Toy Forum" since it encompasses more than just dinosaurs. Oh wait, this forum isn't just about toys? Okay then. How about "Extinct Fauna Preserved in the Fossil Record and Reproduced in Miniature Collectible Forum"? Can we just not worry about the semantics here? Diorama is a fine term to describe what's going on in this contest, just like "Dinosaur Toy Forum" is a fine name for this forum even though not everything we collect is a dinosaur or a toy by technical definition.

If you are saying I am bent out of shape please read my whole post, I said the basically the name is at the discretion of the forum owner and I bowed to his wishes and I dropped it. As for the definition of a diorama it is what it is and what it was for 17 years while I was building them.

[laticauda]

I love debates, but I have to admit, reading some of the comments does make me worry on how the each submission are perceived.  Now, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that is not for me to judge.  The thing is, my submission, which I can't talk about, could be perceived as being made with each one of those ideas in mind.  Indoor, outdoor, natural, artificial, photoshop or photosand.  I can't talk about how I made mine, but I can say, a lot of thought and time went into it.  Part of the fun in submitting is seeing people react to your work and part of it is the actual competition, how does my submission stack up to other great artists.  That's were I have a problem with the whole debate. For example, if someone decided to only vote for ones that were made outside, and someone made and submitted one that might look photoshopped, but in reality was done outside, they just lost a vote on somebodies wrong impression. 

I don't want to tell people how to vote, but this is a great event.  Go with your gut on what you like, and remember not to lose sight on what this contest is, which is the sharing of our love for prehistoric times

I still haven't voted yet, as I am still enjoying looking at everyone's work.  I have some favorites, (yes I really, really like mine and I hope everyone else does too    ), but I each time I look at them, I smile, and think to myself, this is so awesome.  So another shout out to Dr. Admin, thank you for your hard work.

[suspsy]

If we're going to get bent out of shape about the definition of a diorama in this contest then we might as well rename this place the "Prehistoric Animal Toy Forum" since it encompasses more than just dinosaurs. Oh wait, this forum isn't just about toys? Okay then. How about "Extinct Fauna Preserved in the Fossil Record and Reproduced in Miniature Collectible Forum"? Can we just not worry about the semantics here? Diorama is a fine term to describe what's going on in this contest, just like "Dinosaur Toy Forum" is a fine name for this forum even though not everything we collect is a dinosaur or a toy by technical definition.

Yeah, I second this. There's neither need nor value for changing the name of the contest.

I also get where Doug is coming from. And I definitely share his lamentation for the demise of museum dioramas. The current bird gallery at the Canadian Museum of Nature may be larger, but it doesn't hold a candle to the old one.

[Takama]

I voted less then what was Suggested. I just go by how realistic a scene looks, and sometimes how artful there diorama is.

I dont care what Models were used in the Dioramas, just if the diorama looks good to me.   I love to comment on one of the ones i picked because it is so unusual for this type of contest, but I cant until the time is right.

[Simon]

Personally, I think that the DTF Dino Diorama Contest is "Just Right". 

Everyone is encouraged to submit their work, and so of course the submissions vary greatly in style, quality, and complexity - there are teenagers and even younger kids, probably, submitting their work, alongside 40 or 50-something artists.  And that is as it should be.  The DTF is open to all, and there is no discrimination here.

I enjoy viewing everyone's submitted work, from the simplest ones, to the most complex pieces that I look at and go "Whoah! That looks REAL".

I think this debate has partly been driven by the anxiety of not having anything to do while we await the results of the ongoing poll. 

To continue my thoughts on this topic, just because a piece is complex and or "CGI-like" doesn't mean that I will automatically vote for it.  My votes went to some of the more complex pieces to be sure, but I also voted for several simple dios that used obvious toys and obvious artificial plants because I liked the composition and the idea behind the piece. And there is at least one potential CGI-like winner that I omitted because, in the end, I liked several of the simpler ideas better, and cast my votes in that direction.

No one's personal tastes should drive the rules - let everyone submit what they want, and let everyone vote for whatever reason they like the submissions.  That's part of the fun.

[Gwangi]

If you are saying I am bent out of shape please read my whole post, I said the basically the name is at the discretion of the forum owner and I bowed to his wishes and I dropped it. As for the definition of a diorama it is what it is and what it was for 17 years while I was building them.

I'm not trying to single you out here Doug which is why I did not quote your posts or address you by name in my last one (notice I said "we're bent out of shape" not "Doug is bent out of shape"). There have been a lot of suggestions for name changes (tableau, scene, photography contest). I'm only putting things in perspective. You made your opinion abundantly clear in your last post and I have no desire to discuss it further with you. I'm trying to put things in perspective for the entire community, not argue with you about something you clearly have your mind made up on.