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DANIEL RISER

@riserdirects

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🎥 When I grow up I’m gonna be a movie director 🎬

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Stunts, miniatures, practical effects — all for one purpose: to give Indy fans something truly special.

What started as a single “let’s recreate the Indy truck windshield shot” idea grew into a 4-day passion project with a team of insanely talented friends who gave everything they had. As we built it, more ideas kept popping up — and we couldn’t resist chasing them until this little film became a full-on mini-epic. ❤️‍🔥

Normally I make videos alone in my living room… but this one was different. This one was special. Every shot, every setup, every effect came from people I’m proud to call collaborators and friends. Their creativity is what made this what it is.

If you loved it, help it escape the Indy bubble. Share it directly with someone who loves filmmaking, stunts, or fan films. Let them see what a tiny crew pulled off. 🙏✨

I hope you enjoy this as much as we loved making it. 🏆🔥

Couldn’t have done it without these amazing people:

@directorlawrence
@skunkysweet
@thebeardedtron
@erich__edward
@ericcrepeau.wav
@patrickouziel
@agills_photography
@bryanknguyen
@cosplay.fitness
@petec3p0
@lostdeltaoutpost

#indianajones #indycosplay #indygear #harrisonford #stevenspielberg #fanfilm #fanfilms by @riserdirects

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a year ago

We built a desert… on a fold-out table.

What you’re seeing is a fully practical, in-camera miniature shot — created in just one day by three people.

We started with a 2008 Hasbro Raiders truck toy, repainted and weathered until it looked like it had survived real dunes. Then we crumbled long sheets of craft paper into ultra-fine texture — the smaller the crumble, the more convincing the scale.

Our base was a 1.5-inch foam sheet from Home Depot, giving the truck a perfectly smooth runway. Because the truck is so light, even the smallest bump would cause unrealistic bouncing, so the road had to be flawless.

Next, we built a mountain range by duct-taping cardboard cutouts into peaks and valleys, then draping craft paper over them. The paper naturally formed flowing terrain lines — instant depth.

To sell the scale, we placed plastic palm trees of varying sizes throughout the foreground, midground, and background. Biggest trees up front, smallest in back — tricking the brain into reading vast distance even though the entire “desert” was only a few feet wide.

We added movie dust and moss sprinkles for texture, and as the truck moved, someone blasted additional dust with a hair dryer to give the shot that gritty, sun-baked energy.

For movement, we tied the thinnest fishing line we could find to the top of the truck and hung the other end over a C-stand with a weighted bucket. Angling the line upward helps it disappear from frame much faster.

Miniature rule: never shoot at standard frame rate. There’s a mathematical formula to match scale and motion — if you know it, share it in the comments for everyone.

Lighting: an Aputure 1200d for harsh desert sun, and a 150c flagged to lift exposure on the blue cloth backdrop we used as our sky.

All of this… for one miniature truck sequence. And absolutely worth it.

👉 Follow for more Indy Filmmaking breakdowns, practical effects, and Raiders-style behind-the-scenes builds. 
👇 What part of this miniature setup surprised you the most?
#Filmmaking #BehindTheScenes #PracticalEffects #Miniatures #IndyFilmmaking #Raiders #MovieMagic #OnSet #CinematographyLovers #BTSReel #DIYFilmmaking #ActionAdventure by @riserdirects

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10 months ago

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10 months ago

Throwback over ten years ago when I directed a micro-budget feature about a young man searching for his kidnapped little brother. Making the film was a wild ride. by @riserdirects

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5 years ago