Vignette vs Diorama

[rookie]

I'm sure this has been asked before,what is the difference if any between the two ??

Or is it a case of "you say potato and I say tomato"

 

[TRM]

Hi Rookie!! LOL....I suppose this one depends on what the judges want it to be!! Ken Knows about that...the third Category......Dio-vignette!! ;D

Typically, my take, Diorama tells a story and would most often have one or more figures.

Vignette is a simple version of this...with or without a figure in a much smaller setting.

This is where the line get blurred sometimes....the diorama was originally created with the meaning "small scale replica of a scene” the essence of this is actually portrayed in both. Dioramas are to depict a scale version of either real or fictitious events, this would of course be with or without figures....now, more often than not, a figure of figures is required by most judging competitions.

A vignette is a snippet if you will of the diorama. A very small, quick look at a scene. It is a bit strange that this term is used as it is widely used in the literary community referring to a scene from a book, movie, play, etc.... With that though,, again, a vignette is an interpreted differently by the judging community.

Blah blah blah....Big scene....little scene, kind of sums it up! Figure can be applied to either, just a Diorama would tell a little bit more of the story or scene, if you will, of your message you are trying to convey!!

Hope this helps a bit.....I am sure there will be a few more enlightening comments to either side of this.

 

[rookie]

Thanks T, if anything I'm glad you seem as confused as I am....
The last show I went to I swear I couldn't tell the difference, except the dioramas were physically larger in size. Sound like this has been the source of much heated debate.
I propose a new category called vinrama or diorette...lol

 

[TRM]

LOL...Ken know all too much about these categories!!

I guess to keep it simple:

1 - Diorama - Figure + scene + story
2 - Diorama - model + Figure + scene + Story
3 - Vignette - Model or Figure + Small Scene
4 - vinrama or diorette - Your guess is as good as mine ;D

Still the first three will always give rise to contestation!!

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Yeah, always been a slippery slope, Dio vs Vignette, and what constitutes it.

You could ask 10 different people and likely get 10 different answers.

I was once told that a Vignette "CAN'T" have any vehicles, because if it did, it would be a diorama.

At our club and show, we categorize a Diorama as "something that tells a story", and a Vignette, "a moment in time"

Good example, I am currently working on a Trumpeter E-100 Jagdpanzer, and I am going to put it on a simple Miniart base, one of their new ones called "Country Road" which is basically just a road with a partial wall on one side.

I plan on putting a commander figure in the commander's hatch....now if I just left it as is, commander riding high as the tank drives by....I would consider it a Vignette, as it is a "moment in time", however is say I added another figure say standing beside the tank, either handing something up to the commander, or just talking to the commander, then to me that would then be a Diorama, as it is now "telling a story" because the 2 figures are interacting together. You could still argue that it is still just a moment in time I suppose, but there is much more dynamic to the scene if the commander is talking to someone on the ground. Could be discussing the weather...if they have seen any allied forces, whatever you want the story to be.

 

[rookie]

Thanks ECH

Your explanation was pretty good, I can just imagine the commander saying to the other figure

"How many times have I told you not to interupt my vignette ! Are you happy ? Now its a diorama!!"
LOL

 

[ScaleModelMadman]

In AMPS judging, Vignette and Diorama are the same category, that's what made it so odd when my judging sheet said; "moved to vignettes".

I always build vignettes IMO. One vehicle, one figure, mounted with groundwork. It's like a portrait in some ways.

To me, that same vehicle, with that same groundwork, with a crew of guys loading ammo/supplies etc. would make it a diorama as now it tells a story versus not just a guy posing for a photo.

I think the main reason there are always going to be such blurred lines is because each person can and will interpret what they are looking at differently. A cowboy standing next to his horse, posing for a photo would easily be a vignette but if you place that horse in a hard gallop, with the cowboy mounted, facing behind him and shooting, it is still only one figure ...but it is clearly telling a story.

I think this is why vignette and diorama are grouped together in AMPS judging, although that one judge didn't get that memo that day.