Honours Project

This will be the honours blog charting the progress of my research for my honours project and dissertation.

In researching this project I would like to explore the realms of Visual Effects, particularly within film production, as it's something I've never given myself the chance to get to grips with and it's probably the main reason I wanted to get into this industry in the first place.

I did a small animation project last year wherein I integrated a 3D modelled character into a real world environment but I barely touched on the ins and outs of the process and would really like to become more familiar with it.  This was my first attempt at compositing and was generally successful as a test piece but lacked any technical finesse or sense of being a part of a bigger world.

The other thing I would like to investigate as part of this is digital special effects used in film as well, where film-makers decide to use digital special effects rather than physical ones such as explosives or weather effects etc, as well as effects that can only be produced digitally such as magic etc.

Obviously there is a lot of scope within this field and a lot of software options that can help deliver the results so a bit of research will be necessary to see how each is put to use out there in the world.
For the compositing aspect I'm thinking of exploring Nuke, as I encountered that last year as an option for motion tracking before opting for Matchmover.

As for what form the final outcome could take, I'll have to give it some thought.  I discussed some things with Brian and Lynn (module tutors) in our first class.
Brian suggested something like physically altering a street, such as its time period, or looking at adverts because the viewer is more likely to accept odd situations in adverts that they may not in other pieces of film.  That might be an interesting avenue to explore.
Lynn suggested considering what it was I would like to use visual effects for, such as conveying atmosphere.  This is a tricky thing to answer.  Films and TV shows typically are formed by genre and subsequently the script, thus all considerations for the required effects are contained within these parameters (That isn't to say that there aren't the occasionally blurred lines, but generally you are unlikely to find wizards in sci-fi, for instance).
Initially the point was to get better at simply producing these things.  However I realise this does not a dissertation make, so that might simply be a place to start.

Both lecturers were keen that I should just give a few things a try at first such as filming a couple of everyday places and seeing how I can adapt them as well as developing an understanding of the software available.  I will see what I can acquire to set about doing that.