My Castle VS Harry Potter Castle

Harry Potter images are found here

Hogwarts Castle Model

After looking at the Harry Potter castle, I imagine this would have had some painting added to it. Therefore, I thought I would look into it a little further. I found images on a newspaper article that shows the model of the Harry Potter exterior castle.

Philosophers Stone, CGI 

In the image to the right, this is what the model would look like once it was taken through post production. It would seem that the background, water and actors were added into this scene with the model of the castle

I attempted to do something inspired by this as one of my first attempts. Unfortunately, I lack the skills of making a model castle, therefore, I used stock images. However, this was filmed on Seaton Carew beach and changed later in post production. This was the best I could do on a make do attempt. It would still be effective in an actual film production.

Speed Paint of Digital Matte Paint (After Effects)

This is a speeded up recording of what I produced in After Effects. The final Paint.

1. Colour Correction

The main tools I used in this process are Masking, Colour Correction, 3D Layers and Lighting. I began by colour grading it and making it look a little less dull. In simple terms, I bumped the saturation up and changed the colour balance, masking around certain areas when, for example sand, needed changing separate to the rest.

2. Masking

A lot of this process included the same techniques of masking around individual images, In this video, the first time I begin to mask is on the first image I bring into the compostion. I depict a rock from the image and use the CC Toner in the colour correction selection to adjust the colour to match the rest of the image.

3. 3D Layers

I also spend a lot of time moving the masked images around the composition, as well as changind the size and orientation to manipulate the same image to look different as a fast and effective way of adding to the image. I also did this to all the shadows as well. I also spent a lot of time attempting to create shadows by doing this. To start with I was trying to do it with drop shadows but it wasn't working well so I made my own shadow by using the pen tool to create a shape, adding a directional blur it and turning down the opacity.

4. Lighting

Lighting was a new tool withing after effects that I used in this matte paint. I feel like this really helped to bring all the stock images look as if they are actually there. It was also nice to add in a sunset/rise feel.

Minor Project Matte Painting Attempt 1 Development

What am I doing?

For my Minor project, I am attempting to create at least 2 matte paints using adobe after effects. My goal is to extend on the knowledge I have with visual effects, in after effects, by doing a visual effect that is new to me. This test is made up of clips I have recorded and some free to use stock images from Pexels.

How have I gone about doing it?

The original footage

The first thing I have done is brought in some original footage that was shot on the Black Magic Camera in Seaton Carew. I mainly was looking for a field or some grass to work on. The first thing I did was add a bit more colour and saturation since the original clip looked slightly dull in colour.

Nice weather this afternoon for some scenery shots #scenery #filming #blackmagic pic.twitter.com/H6A5gOToBC

— Chloe Lowe (@chloejlowe1) October 28, 2016

These were just basic skills I already know how to do but have been useful in this process. However, for the idea I had for using this footage only included the grass areas and therefore, I used the masking technique.

I could have possibly used an actor stand on the grass looking out on to the horizon but for this project, I also want to practice green screening since I have never properly used it before. So it was nice to get the movement of the grass in the slight wind so it is more realistic than using it in CGI.

Once I had my basic idea of what I wanted and where, I started looking at stock images of castles that I could add and experimented with them to see what looked best.

Once I chose my castle, I had to do some more masking and I sized it to the same size as the composition frame. This was because I was going to make it a 3D layer and move it in the composition as if it was 3D.

If I decide to use AE cameras later on, I will be able to if I make all the sections of the matte painting in a 3D layer. This also makes it easier later on if I want clouds to move in front and behind the castle in opposite directions.

The same idea occurs through the rest of the matte painting. In the above image, the sky and the sea are also from clips I shot on the Black Magic. One of the things I had to be careful of doing when adding in segments that weren't there is that it all needs to match in colour and tones. So I also played with the colour corrections a little more. Exploring the use of colorama (a new tool for me to try and colour with) and other tools such as curves, levels, hues & saturation.

Research into Matte Painting Effect

Matte Painting has been around since the mid 19th century well before movie cameras were a thing. The technique was used by photographers who were experimenting with double exposure. Matte Paints are mostly used as a background image whilst the actors would be in the foreground.

Thinking of a more traditional piece, matte paints are often a painted glass pane that is more likely to be done in production and used as an actual set piece combined with the actors.

A film in the past to use this technique would be Star Wars,

Time Code: 1.18

This video explains how one of the scenes in Star Wars with Ewoks was painted, leaving black gaps where the live action would be place, and then had 78 photos taken of it so that the shot would be just over 3 seconds. Once they had the 78 images of the matte paint, they would add the live action in using a projector and combining the two together.

In digital Matte Paints, they would usually add in the matte later on in post production once everything is filmed. Often using programs like Adobe After Effects. You can still digitally paint onto the canvas using a graphic tablet and pen but it is also possible to use other stock images. A quicker, yet still effective, way of adding what is not actually there.

A more modern day film that uses digital Matte Painting is Harry Potter,

Time Code: 0.58

This video is a useful for showing the VFX breakdown of how it is added on. Before and after.

This is one of the very first tutorials that I watched to gain an understanding of how some filmmakers will go about attempting to Matte Paint

This is how I plan to attempt to do this. By using stock images and manipulating them in creative ways to attempt to create the illusion of something, more, there.

Creating the Water Fall Matte Paint (with stock images)

The waterfall matte, that I created, was used with completely photos from free stock websites so that I could experiment. This took me a long time primarily because of the fact I cut each image out in Photoshop first and then imported it into After Effects.

AE was where everything was place together and manipulated into a new image. I also spent some time trying to create a waterfall and CGI the water. One of the most difficult parts of this was trying to make it all look as if it is real.


The composition is predominantly made up of layers that have been colour corrects and changed in size.
I spent a lot of time using masking and 3D layers to create a depth of
field.

The final piece had quite a few issues but it helped me to gain an understanding to begin a piece using my own footage.

This video is a tutorial I loosely followed to gain an understanding of creating waterfalls. The main issue was, I was working on a more newer version of AE and this lead me to having to figure out and play with tools that were similar, but a bit different.

Instead of the particles he used, I had to use particle world CC instead and mess around with the different settings within that. However, it used the same basic understanding. It would have been a lot harder if I didn't have some knowledge with AE previously.

Week 2,3 & 4: Developing ideas for minor project

Week 2 (26/09/16)

I have began preparing a pitch for my minor project. This week, I am hoping to get some test footage to help me present my idea and also begin experimenting before creating a final piece. This will include some small green screen experiments to help me pitch an idea. Since I have some visual effects I can do for another student, we will be working in collaboration together. However, if I don't have enough footage from that, then I have been thinking about extending my knowledge to look at animation in film. Therefore, I plan to do some research into that in the next couple of weeks.

Week 3 (03/10/16)

This week I have been mainly researching into some visual effects techniques and trying to develop some ideas. Hopefully by next week, I will be able to put some of my research into practice. However, there hasn't much more progressed in the practical side this week.

Week 4 (10/10/16)

This week I pitched my idea and all went well. However, after pitching, even though all was well with what I proposed to do, the person I was collaborating with changed their idea which has left me to figure something out that will be enough to meet all requirements. In my research, I was looking up on Matte Painting, this way I can still also look into some green screening, to place a person into the scene afterward, and use techniques I have and develop them to create new ones.

MP Research: Sodium Screen Vapor Process

Animation mixed with Live Action 

As part of my research, I will be looking into films that use 2D animation that mixes with live action and then continue to look at how that has developed into modern day movies with 3D animation and live action. In this post, I will be focusing on Sodium Screen Vapor Process.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks & Mary Poppins

This film was produced by Walt Disney Productions in 1971. It is filled with special effects particularly a technique that is known as 'Sodium Screen Vapor Process'. This technique can occasionally also be referred to as 'Yellow Screening'

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/bedknobs-and-broomsticks/images/32846157/title/bedknobs-broomsticks-photo

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/bedknobs-and-broomsticks/images/32846157/title/bedknobs-broomsticks-photo

This technique was used to combine actors, in real life enviroments, to background footage. In this case, it was in a fantasy, cartoon world like in the image below:

http://moviemezzanine.com/bedknobs-and-broomsticks-blu-ray-review/

Sodium Screen Vapour Procress

Filmmaker IQ quote 

'The Sodium vapor process used actors, who were lit normally, standing in front of a white screen which was lit by powerful sodium vapor lights'

 This particular process was done a lot in Hollywood in the 60s and 70s by Disney. Mary Poppins is another example. The process is done using an old three strip technicolor camera and a special prism.

http://filmmakeriq.com/lessons/hollywoods-history-of-faking-it-the-evolution-of-greenscreen-compositing/

Whilst shooting on a yellow screen, a wavelength of sodium vapor (yellow) would split off and make the background white whilst the other wavelengths split off and took the image of the lit actor. This left a black silhouette on the white background, known as a black and white matte. This then left the lit actor without a background so that filmmakers could add to it.

Yellow screening was just a step away from developing into modern day technology, green screening. 

Test Footage from Green Screen Lighting Experiment

I put together some of the edit footage and created a video to show how those experiments in my last post turned out.

Green Screen Lighting Experiments

Minimal Lighting Test 1

Minimal Lighting Test

This test included very little lighting. The idea was to see how bad the quality of the content is when you do not have good lighting. The image is even darker than the original because there is black video behind the image and it is seeking through all the particles in the video, due to bad quality of the lighting. When playing it back, the video has became extremely grainy.

The screen color needs to be as opposite to the persons skin colour and also balanced with light. Otherwise, it isn't going to work. Therefore, the screen needs to be lit so it is a bright green. However, you still need to be careful of over exposing it.

Too Much Lighting/Over Exposure

When taking out the green from the image, you can still see when too much light is hitting the back of the screen. This then becomes difficult to change the screen gain. To make the background you are about to place in look solid, the whole of the background behind the subject should be completely black in the image above. This is becomes a struggles because of the bad lighting.

When I take out more screen gain to reduce the background, the more the subject loses quality.

This is when I would add more screen balance so the subject is not merging into the background. In this image, I am losing too much of the subject and that will create the subject to become slightly transparent causing them to merge into the background.

Surreal Experimentation in After Effects

Experimenting in After Effects with old clips

As part of an experimental process, I have been using Adobe After Effects to manipulate images to look more surreal because this is the type of look I am going for, for my minor project. Basically, what I have done is used a glow to make it look surreal. I want to do further tests and start adding more layers, overlaying other video footage.

Week 1: Minor Project

Monday, 19th September 2016 - Sunday, 25th September 2016

This week I have began putting together my ideas to form a proposal for my minor project. This will be due on the 14th November 2016, As my chosen pathway is editing, I want to develop new skills in visual effects. Experimental ideas so far include:

• ·         Animation into a realistic environment

• ·         Green Screening.

• ·         Split Screening

• ·         Mapping.

I will be researching on how to do some of these VFX and will gather some footage to test some of these before I do a final piece.

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After my session on Friday, I have thought further into what I can do as an experimental piece. As well as partially collaborating alongside another student, I have began thinking about how testing different colour screen when chroma keying a background. Examples: Green, Blue, Orange, Red screens. Then discuss the outcomes and see if it makes any differences. I still also want to add in some cartoon animation into realistic environments. Space Jam is an example of what I could look into.
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My current thought process is now, doing a dream state experimental piece. I want to shoot it from a POV perspective as the character is walking. I can add creepy animated models into the sequence as well as allowing me to experiment with different film effects. Experimenting with overexposure and brightness. I want it to be very dream like.