Projected Film Techniques

The film script we have written states that there are interior environments, and one exterior, which are abandoned and derelict in look. This is projected to be created by a live action shoot and compositing photographed wall textures from derelict settings onto cards after tracking, etc, all within Nuke. The photography will be executed along with cinematographer Michal Zagorski. After the tutorial with lecturer Jin Zhi on Friday the 25th of January 2013, the techniques have become more clear - particularly when to apply lens distortion and how to use tracking and roto nodes.
This is for the shots within the living room especially, within the imagination sequence. When he returns to normality the living room will be the original live action plates, simply colour graded.

There is another shot or two where the environment will have to be created fully in CG. This is where I will collaborate with my classmate Lina Ivanova. The character will be shot on green screen to later be composited into the scene. I will be using my practiced techniques I used in Test 1 in semester 1, and I will take my experience from that to hopefully make a better result.
For example, the first things I think of are; moving the camera and setting up tracking markers on the screen to then track and take the camera into the CG environment; keying within Nuke; putting lens distortion onto the CG environment render probably from shooting a grid with the camera, or shooting a structure for lines, or I might be advised to use another technique.

The other main technique will be the shot in which both brothers are seen conjoined in one shot - from behind. This will be achieved likely with a double. The shots before, or even after, this shot will show both brothers in separate shots talking to one another whilst the audience still do not know they are conjoined. It may at this point seem like schizophrenia.

These are my thoughts at this point in time. I look forward to working on all of these techniques and I have a clear idea of the project's schedule, especially now that I have a very clear film script. More on this later.

Fleshed-out Script (Update)

So, the script writing process has had me sat down in lively and productive exchanges with collaborators Jeppe Nielsen, Michal Zagorski and Mark Grossi on a couple of occasions. We were basically letting the noggins re-enter the world of the story and tie up all of the lingering issues or thoughts and get a full narrative together using the fairly complex material we had already. It must be said that after two mornings doing just that, and touching up the document in Celtx afterwards both afternoons, we are pleased with the clarity we have at this stage in the script. It just needs tweaked and tweaked, little by little. Any impracticalities or deeper issues will be ironed out, and the piece needs visualised concretely in terms of cinematic shots, shooting locations, scene transitions, the compositing effects explored and the likes. It works as a story first and foremost. So, the next stage is simultaneous script tweaks and storyboarding. Then getting the cast and crew locked before we shoot in May. 

The script I feel is at a stage to share with peers and such for feedback:

Here is the link to view the script on Google Docs (how very lucky are you?) Go on. Have a 'sneak peak'.

Reflection on practice: The plot has a fair amount of twists and turns, but I still feel it is simple and short. In our meetings I always drum in the idea that I am one guy, and can only produce one guy's amount of compositing effects. I wanted to have say three 'main shots' and a limited number of techniques I will focus on in my masters, using this piece. I feel we have produced a script which supports this study plan.

Although, the storyboarding stage will formalise the techniques required and therefore the test shots which are next in the production line along with storyboarding.

We shoot the plates in May. I will then produce as many of the compositing effects required until the end of the programme. Some shots will require no post effects, other than grading. I will display what I have and update my showreel. The shots will work as complete images which hold story in it's composition. This stands as a piece of academic and visual effects work in itself. If there are still shots left or re-shoots to co-ordinate after that then we can continue on with the project succeeding the end date of my masters degree. That is how we work. 

Considering the collaborations involved, and somewhat additionally my prior experience in the field, the roles of this project are well shared and spread at the moment, for me personally. I believe myself to be simply a compositor with a hands-on attention (okay, a heavy one) to the shots he will be compositing.

After doing too much leg work in my previous student film 'My City' where I dug myself a deep hole and had to study and re-write my way out of it (to improve the film) I believe I have a good idea of the essence of what is important to make a film effective, simple and correct and where detail is needed to be spend developing and working on. This means I don't waste as much time, and ultimately feel I will make a better and more audience-orientated piece (moving on from kind of art animation films.) And, I feel I am collaborating in the correct areas and currently developing a bigger crew so the standard of professional practice in my process is progressing.

'The Escapist' Update

My collaboration with Michal Zagorski and Jeppe Niesen has me, as I have shown before, working on the music video 'The Escapist'.

Here is an update on how it is going. I have included the music and some context of the full music video for this clip:

I am compositing the piece. Thomas Hogben is working on the particle simulations of the bats and headlights (which were shown in the animatic in the December 2012 post), Sean has modelled the bat and Brian Lindsey is set to produce some trees for the headlight simulation.

Reflection on practice: This project is based on my programme of study mainly because it is a compositing job and based in visual storytelling. However, I feel that this is a little off-topic in the sense that I am working in After Effects, which is the best software for the piece. In the course I hope to utilise Nuke more predominantly. Nonetheless, this is definitely a good project, good practice, good for the showreel, good progress and beneficial as part of a 'deal maker' to get my film produced to higher standards with my team over both projects.

The Mill Visit/Going Live

On Thursday 17th of January and Friday the 18th, we had a visit with workshops and lectures from London based visual effects company The Mill. Our course at Duncan of Jordanstone has a good relationship with the company it appears, and this was the third time I met people from The Mill whilst studying here.

There were a lot of very interesting techniques with node set ups for computer generated lighting for visual effects to tweak the lighting using HDR images for image based lighting in the master class. We also discussed our studio work with them individually and as groups which was a good wee chat with likeminded and more competent/experienced people in our fields/industry. So, all round this was a good visit, well worth just blogging, and we will meet up with them again in April in London to have a look at our project we are doing with them.

My Belbin Profile

We got our behaviour within a team results based on our self evaluation questionaire which we answered last week.

My main results were as follows:

Plant - creative, imaginative, unorthodox. Solves difficult problems.
However, ignores incidentals. Too pre-occupied with own thoughts to communicated effectively.

Shaper - Challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure. Has the drive and courage to overcome obstacles.
However, prone to provocation. Liable to offend others.

Resource investigator - extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative. Explores opportunities. Develops contacts.
However, over-optimistic. Can lose interest once initial enthusiasm has passed

Other results were:

Co-ordinator - mature, confident. Clarifies goals. Brings other people together to promote team discussions.
However, can be seen as manipulative. Offloads personal work.

Monitor evaluator - Serious minded, strategic and discerning. Sees all options. Judges accurately.
However, can lack the drive and ability to inspire others.

Completer finisher.
Specialist.

I am not:

Teamworker - co-operative, mild, perceptive and diplomatic. Listens, builds, averts friction. Indecisive in crunch situations
Implementer - Disciplined, reliable, conservative in habits. A capacity for taking practical steps and actions. Somewhat inflexible. Slow to respond to new possibilities.

Nickname: 
'An explorer' (secondarily a 'maverick')

My thoughts:

So, it is clear to me that everyone reading the descriptions for the profiles and roles can relate to them all in some way. It is a bit like cold reading in a sense but at least there are 9 different options and not just one. 

I took a similar test in 2011 with Dundee-based company Insights. They used a different technique in the questionare and were based more on personality defining, and so the profiles I got back were harsher as this apparently can't be changed it is in your DNA and the way you are, but nonetheless, again, true.

I only had two 'least preferred roles' in the profile, so I practically was competent in them all as the other 7 were either preferred or manageable. They say this is behavioural, or not a personal, evaluation so these things can change in the future. So it is likely, I believe, that these 7 roles will fluctuate in competency or preference through time for me. However, it was a good idea and as I say I do relate to the profiles and it does make you think about your behaviour in a team and where you can fit in, improve or where you are allowed not to be so great or as good as others are if you want to take up a particular role. I like the idea this can also adapt. I would agree with the particular roles I least prefer as these do not 'talk to me' like the others do.

Reflection on Practice and Definition of Animation

Last week we had a tutorial with Sharon Campbell.

At one point we discussed the definition of animation. People seemed to make it very complicated by adding 'emotion' and whatnot into the definition. I made it clear that I believe emotion is separate, but can be applied to animation, however the definition of animation is simply along the lines of:

Visual trickery using frame-rates.

Everything else is applied thereafter to make a film provoke a reaction if it is needed for the piece, for example, entertainment, joy, heartfelt sadness, laughter, and so on...

I feel it is important to separate these things to realise them. The combination created is the most powerful thing, and there are many things to combine.

Sound Design Workshop - Semester 2 Begins

SEMESTER 2 began last week, and it started properly with a sound design workshop on Tuesday. I had done similar things before in the 1st year general foundation art and media course 4 years ago as part of a Time Based Art module over 6 days (including shooting and editing footage) and have since used my skills learned occasionally.

Myself, Ross Douglas and Sarah Gillespie took a clip from Megamind and created sounds for a robot stomping through a city, for example. For this we used a gate crashing, dropping a rubber tile thing from a park, standing on cereal, etc, etc, to create the effect along with some changes within ProTools. It worked incredibly well we thought and we completed the first few seconds of the clip with a feeling of achievement.



I will upload the clip once it is on the net.

Reflection on Practice: One thing I feel about sound, from a filmmaking point of view, based on a comment made by the tutor exclaiming that visuals and sound go 50-50, is that it is very minimal and overwhelmed by the wealth of visual storytelling techniques. Some people say it is 50-50, but I don't see how. Filmmaking is visual storytelling. Film is founded on visuals. Initially film was silent. Radio is founded in sound. As in, film is still a film without sound, however a film without visuals is the radio or a podcast and is no longer a film. Even radio and podcasts don't have the ability by themselves to be filmic.

Visual storytelling is vast. Sizes and placements of objects or characters, angles of the camera, movement, balanced shots, cuts - jump, transtions - dissolve, compositing things together which aren't possible to film... The list goes on and on and on, far and beyond this mild attempt. However, after this workshop it appears that in a couple of hours you can fake sounds very roughly which are effective only to add to the visuals which took months to produce meticulously. This is simply because the sound is syncronised with the timing of the visual (and the timing was produced primarily for the visual to work, not the sound). There is no way that sound can demand a 50 per cent importance in the filmmaking process. It is merely another important element in filmmaking, and I am not saying it is not important - every element of filmmaking is important. It is larger than a dissolve or jump cut, but minuscule in comparison to the visuals and the process of producing them.

When sound is used best is when it is designed in the writing process, such as dialogue or a character hearing a sound from off camera, or associating a sound with one part of the story, for example. That is why I believe in filmmaking, every element needs to be considered to make a well-made and thorough picture, and sound is one of those many, many things.