AE Concept Sketch

This test is useful in testing my final footage and understanding where I will add atmosphere and fog into the shot. After looking at my references, with one having a lot of fog I feel I have overdone the fog/atmosphere in this sketch. The reference (in a previous post) from Scorsese's Hugo shows the use of particular areas of smoke and steam rather than the entire frame.

In the former reference from Jellyfish Pictures I believe they may have been using the smoke and atmosphere effect to detract the eye from the fact that the composited footage was shot at different places and times. The fact that I have a very beautiful shot to work with means I need to pick my areas which I want to add atmosphere into.

This test has helped, and I believe that the smoke should appear first of all from the extractor fan, and I think at the moment from the top left of the frame, with an overall atmosphere of fog applied.

Obviously, the execution of the effect isn't too realistic, if I have to explain it is a sketch and this will be 'perfected' for August.

There are such things as a light in shot which will be masked out with a cleanplate, beer company's names on cardboard boxes to paint out and using my photograph of a GRID in order to calculate lens distortion for these fog and other effects to work on first of all.

Quick Alleyway Comp Test

This is a sketchy concept for the alleyway scene using a location scout reference shot:

It is based on the references in the previous post.

I look forward to the having the final plates to play with and I will spend days and weeks on such a shot, not just an hour or something... ;)

Concept Sketches - Main Project

I have sketched up some of the concept thumbnails a little bigger to illustrate the ideas behind the shots I posted up last week a little clearer.

Here are the pages at the moment:

The notes are on the sketches here, as well as the post from last week, to give you an idea of what we hope to achieve. Time will also develop the techniques we will employ, even though roughly we have an idea at this stage. 

It is a piece totally based on technique - even when writing, it is all about character and pure cinema. But, the main focus for me is storytelling through compositing techniques - creating cinema-based images to tell this interesting and fairly simple story.

I may draw these sketches up in Photoshop to a more sophisticated standard this week, or some time after that/after assessment (as I believe it gives one an idea of the progress). 

Development will continue for some months now, along with test shoots and effects, so keep staring at your computer screens (without changing this tab...)

'The Escapist' - Music Video - Sequence Synopsis

This is the notes for the details for the surreal sequence I am leading for the music video for the song 'The Escapist' with Michal Zagorski.

It is based in VFX and compositing.

Concept image. Going for more of a 'cartoony' bat/style.

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The Escapist

Surreal sequence details

IN VIDEO WE GET TO:

Extreme long shot - car driving at night

Long shot - car stops, lights start to flow out of headlights slightly into sky

Extreme Long shot - lights expanding into sky

Long shot - Kyle gets out of car/opens door, and lights sharply snap back into headlights

Side of door shot - Kyle getting out of car and going to the boot

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After boot shot of bats' eyes and rustling

POV of bats looking at Kyle - Bats fly/swarm out of boot towards Kyle covering him completely but sometimes revealing his eyes (particle system as well as 2-and-a-half-D bats of varying scales)

      Bat size width of Kyle's face/half size of face

      Millions of bats

Long shot - Kyle at boot, bats (lit by both headlights only) fly/swarm towards sky past both headlights to either side of the screen. 

Extreme-extreme long shot - They change direction like swarms of birds in sky

   Bats aim to cover all of sky

   They then hang in sky upside-down, shuffling

   They sync to black

   We see their cartoony eyes blinking, then glowing like stars

   A red moon comes in

   This looks very beautiful

After this - we see the ground as an x-ray - roots, rocks and stones, moles and giant ants building things, skeletons

   Like death and ugliness

Bats then fly off dragging the sun behind

Sky and ground fades out to reveal the original shot.

THEN REST OF VIDEO...

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I am now storyboarding this sequence.

Working with Thomas Hogben on this shot, and possibly others. This continues onto the start of next year/semester 2. Particle tests have already been created, and look promising. A pre-vis is planned to be created by the beginning of this December.