How did they film this scene from "The Shining" (1980)?

[Guest myonlyvice]

It's the scene where Jack was inside the hotel looking at the model of the hedge maze and you can see two little people walking through it, his wife and son, which was also actually happening outside for real. I remember the transition in scenes between the model and the actual hedge maze being seamless and I was amazed by this, as well as how well they simulated two little people walking through the model. It has been a while since I've seen this movie so it's possible that if I were to watch it again I would not find the scene as remarkable, or maybe my impressions of it are utterly wrong. Is anybody familiar with this?

[Stinger390X]

I think they used "little people" as stunt doubles??????????????????????????????????Heard they work cheap too...half price!

[Ferris]

It's a composite:

The only shot in the film not achieved in-camera was the slow zoom in on the model of the maze, with the tiny figures of Danny and Wendy walking around at the center. To achieve this shot, a model of the maze was shot from six feet above. Then the small central section of the maze was built to scale next to an apartment complex. Actors Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd then walked about in the central section whilst the camera crew filmed it from the roof of the apartment building. The two shots were then simply composited together.

[Guest myonlyvice]

It's a composite:

Thanks, Ferris. Did you find this on the IMDB? That's some pretty sophisticated camera work. I wonder how long composites have been used?

[Spyder]

Yes, it is a composite. I had originally thought that it was a crane tracking shot of the maze from high above, but the maze, much like all of the interiors of the Overlook Hotel, is not real -- just a very realistic looking set. The shot from above is due to very intricate model work.