Considerations for VFX

So I think I've been struggling to try and think of things to film and make for creating some sort of visual effects because I know there is a lot to consider when actually filming if there are supposed to be effects in the scene.  If a director has a script, for example, there is likely to be a lot of information for every department to consider such as production design, lighting, even costumes and effects.

This is why I need to stop worrying about who and what is being made and just start making some little tests to see what effects I will be able to learn.

But the point I was making above is that it could be so easy to mess up the production schedule if there isn't a solid working process (okay okay, pipeline, if you insist) where they can plan ahead with all of the aspects of the end results in mind.
It must be a nightmare to plan for all CG scenes involving an actor..... then again maybe not....?

In an example from digital tutors James Whiffin, a freelance compositor and motion designer, talked through planning an idea out from start to finish starting from a simple concept to the complete effect; in this case a ghosting time warp effect.

It's by no means comprehensive but it was good to see the consideration of the things I have been concerned about, and it has given me some basic (and obvious) questions to ask myself and a little bit more structure to considering anything in the future.

I'd note that he said in the video that he shot the footage 4 times before achieving the camera angle he liked and that brought out the best in the effect, experimenting with focal length along the way.  He also put a hat on his actor to save him time when it came to rotoscoping.

Whilst I know very little about camera lenses and focal length etc, he comments that a reasonable shutter speed to help with roto and matchmoving (not something like 25... ).

Note camera details (filmback and focal length).  Any distortion that the lens may have.

All things to try and understand....

source: http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/1819-Creating-a-3D-Time-Warp-Effect-in-Maya-and-After-Effects#play-44762

Presentation 1

I delivered a presentation on the progress of the project to the class and it went fairly well.

The meeting with Lynn certainly helped to get to the bottom of some things and I think this came across.

The hardest thing for me, as I've stated before, was simply trying to articulate for myself and others why it is I want to investigate VFX as a topic.

To summarise my presentation: 

• I find the use of VFX in TV and Film makes the experience that more believable to the audience
• James Cameron described it as "The seduction of reality"
• Stephen Prince talks about this in his book (subtitled the same name) - describing VFX as more integral to the core narrative of film than people may think
• To look at the extension of reality - expanding real life locations.
• Compositing into images/video objects and items.
• Historical dramas etc are good for reference in how they alter real locations into different time periods
• Final piece will probably take the form of an environmental piece.

To sum up the feedback given, Brian talked about the presentation and the different levels: how I talked through philosophically about the parts of making things more believable before going on to talk about the genre interests I like and adding to real life.  To him, the key now was to think about what it is I might want to be saying and trying to communicate that/make people believe that.

Lynn described the idea of trying to iron out the pipeline while carrying out practise

Inspiration...

I've been thinking this week about why it is I want to do this as a project, about why it is I want to get into VFX.

We've grown up with a burgeoning TV and Film industry where Visual Effects have been used in ever increasing amounts to enhance characters, story and generally do things that would have been impossible (or incredibly expensive) to do in the past or simply in reality at all.

Typically, in the past, only big Hollywood blockbusters would have had the budgets to achieve vast landscapes or produce more than simple effects, but TV has enjoyed a surge in popularity, increasing the scale of investment and attracting the creative minds of big Hollywood producers.

TV shows like Lost, created by J.J. Abrams, and Band of Brothers, produced by Steven Spielberg, have led the way along with the likes of The Wire, Madmen and The Sopranos in increasing the quality of storytelling on offer and the validity of TV as a tool for creatives to explore.

Modern examples like HBO's Game of Thrones have completely destroyed any ideas of TV as a limited medium in terms of scale and have seen huge investment pay off.

Lost and Game of Thrones both have made extensive use of digital effects to create their worlds.  Much of the mysteries found on the island in Lost are created with VFX and Game of Thrones has entire landscapes built digitally that would have been nigh on impossible to create believably without.

I grew up watching all sorts of TV shows that have utilised VFX to realise the worlds within.

Xena/Hercules inhabit a world filled with gods and monsters and VFX helps sell this aspect to the viewer.  These were TV shows that managed to create interesting worlds with obviously limited budgets. Poseidon, god of the sea, created entirely with VFX is made of water