bigature

English

Etymology

Blend of big +‎ miniature. Coined by Weta Workshop during the production of the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Noun

bigature (plural bigatures)

1. A very large scale model.
   • 2004, Sean Astin, Joe Layden, There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale, Virgin, →ISBN, page 134:

     Richard brought me in to see the 'bigatures,' the not-so-miniature miniature sets the crew had painstakingly constructed, and they were so beautiful, so perfect, so real, that I wanted to cry.

   • 2011, Alfio Leotta, Touring the Screen: Tourism and New Zealand Film Geographies, Intellect, →ISBN, page 172:

     In the sequence of The Fellowship of the Rings where Frodo and friends paddle through the feet of the Argonaths the camera vertiginously swivels up and beyond the two massive statues disturbing some nesting birds. The statues, of course, do not exist as they are just 'bigatures', neither do the birds, which are digitally created: […]

   • 2015, Sam Gennawey, Universal versus Disney: The Unofficial Guide to American Theme Parks' Greatest Rivalry, Keen Communications, →ISBN, page 38:

     Obscuring the view of the Sweet Charity bridge was a “bigature” of the S.S. Venture from Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005).