FMP: What have changed from the script in the Edit?

Edit Vs Script

The script for Break Free is very detailed and is extremely imaginative. One of the hardest challenges to have to face when creating Break Free is to get the writers imagination to play out on the screen. The issue was some of it was not able to work. Especially with the limitations that the Lego stop motion can have.We tried to do the best we could with it but because a lot of it didn't make any sense with the animation, I had to cut out a lot of the script going along and try to make sense from what I had. I think considering the time I had and what I had to do in that time, that being sync all the animations, finish off a couple of parts with the green screen live action, I create my own fire in after effects and working on another project, I have had to make some tricky decisions on what to cut out and keep it for it to make sense.

After I cut out the entire 3D animation, because I was left with very little time to work with it, I added in some of the clips of the narrator arriving home whilst the children were being chased. I thought it might work as a 'meanwhile' type of cut. The glows could have been done better, but it was to show that the portal had opened up from the book. we didn't get time to have them jump through a portal since that part of the green screen didn't get finished due to actor availability. So that was the best way around it that I had found.

FMP: Title Sequence for Mercy

This is just a test sample to see the idea of what I was going to do for the degree show. If I had more time, I would have created this fully for the deadline. However, since I have not got that time, I had exported a short clip to show how I am going to do each character introduction.

Using after effects and some free to use ink splats, I used an inverted matte to make the images bleed out, slightly symbolising blood splat. Along with the name animatedly moving, using 3D Layers and roatation, so it didn't look too static and boring.

The colours were decided by both myself and the director. It look gritty and dirty, that we wanted. I just need to continue this with each character and maybe experiment with a few other effects and splatters.

FMP Issues with Wobbly Footage

In this video I was playing around with the wobbly footage that I had to see if I didn't have to use a still image. I have managed to use some tracking before, so I know I can do it. I had to use it for the green screened reporter scenes. Since the camera on set moves, I had to make the actor move with the camera. Therefore, I know it is do-able and within my abilities. For some reason, my guess is to do with the luma matte I had used, it did not want to track. I did ask for still footage but I was given it too late and had to get on with the main edit along with the other project I am working on.

Creating Pine Edge City (Matte Paint)

This post is to explain how I have done this, issues I have had, how I went around them and my thoughts on the final look. I attempted to record the screen to show the progress but since it kept crashing, I only have so much footage.

How did I create it?

I decided to use Adobe After Effects because it was professional and I was most comfortable with the program since I have used it previously. This city matte took my skills to the next level because I had to add buildings behind an existing building and make them look in place using colouring effects and getting the right perspective. John, the director and producer, of this project created the buildings in 3DS Max to add in.

(Will Insert Images Later)

To do this, I created the entire image black and white, using levels and curves, so that I could luma key out the background from the foreground. The main part of the image that we wanted to keep, is what is originally a fire station that we turn into the police station. Once I had created a luma matte and took out the background, I was able to create a fake sky that was key framed to move.

Issue That Came Along

In the beginning, I only had very wobbly footage that was followed up with 'can you just stabilise it?' creating more work for me. It needed to be still or very smooth movement that I was able to the track. I did try to make it stable but the program would crash with the amount of work and effects getting added. I ended up having to take a still and animating parts to move.

I was given new footage later after I had done a lot of work on the still image. However, the footage's framing was gaining too much thin tree branches to cut out/around.It was also extremely time consuming to keep having to restart a new matte paint when I had multiple edits to work on.

Existing After Effects City Matte Paints (Research)

After Effects us a useful tool to add in what is not there. In my minor, I learned this as a skill to use for my major so I didn't need so many tutorial but more influence and ideas. The image I am creating with Mercy is a gritty theme. I thought that I would look at different styles since it still could give myself some influence.

This video showed a breakdown of changes within a scene done with computer visual effects. I like the fact the minimal amounts of changes can make a big difference to what you are looking at. By adding some lights and futuristic video, it has changed the scene.

Instead of looking at something futuristic, I looked at something more fantasy make belief theme. This effects is done more for the background. To make the surrounding area look bigger than it is. This is what I will be applying to my own work. I want to give the illusion that there is more to what you see to create a fake city.

Mercy: City Landscape Research for Matte Painting

Before I get on with the Matte Paint, I have done some research into some city skylines in order to look at sizing and perspective. The overall look that the Director, John, has asked for, is for it to look gritty. John will be creating any of the buildings needed using 3DS Max professional modelling software.

Whilst looking at examples on the internet, I have taken note to the colour scheme and similarities within the photos. It has a lot of broken down gritty looks. The thoughts that came to mind were prominently some of the buildings that you see in the video game, Grand Theft Auto 5.

Although when I create this city, I will be mainly just adding some buildings into a background of a real building that is physically there. This is so that the location looks bigger and that we are actually in a large town/city. With them being in the background, I hope for them to look more realistic and less video game models. However, John will be creating those.

Creating the Portal for Break Free

This is not the final design but this is the basic idea of how I came to create the portal for break free.

In the video, you can see a speeded up presentation of using after effects to create a moving portal. I began by creating a solid and adding fractal noise to it. By holding the CTRL button and clicking on the stop watch for the fractal positioning, I can use the (time*NUMBER) to animate movement. Then I use a circular mask and feather the edges. From this point I use a lot off effects like 'twist. ripple and vector displacement'. This just helps to create the shape and movement of the portal. However, this is not the final design. The portal changes constantly.

FMP: Green Screen Tests (Break Free)

Green Screen Tests for Break Free

Photographed by  Chloe Lowe

These tests were to have a bit of fun and practice with the lighting. The difference between these tests and other that I have done before, is that we have used a green flooring as well, to allow more movement and create a wide shot that can be green screened. This really helps when you want your actor to be walking in a completely make belief world. I was watching a tutorial on YouTube about Matte Painting with people within a scene and gave it ago myself.

I have not posted the final outcome on here and posted them into the hand in folder instead. This was because I used a real claims number at the time but it was not made to be shown further than tests. Therefore, I would rather not post it on this post to be safe.

However, I can explain what I did to get to that stage. I have lost some of the tests I had done with the catwalk but I have placed the original footage in here anyway. I had done this for multiple tests, including the one with an actor jumping through a portal.

Firstly, I masked around the area where the actor moved so their whole body was always in the shot but the lights and other studio surroundings had been cut out.

I then used the key light as I usually do, and played with the setting so that the background was completely gone. Usually to get the best result, I change my view screen to matte black and white. Then I make the whole of the foreground white and background black to separate the image much more clearly.

Then I add in the background and any extra lighting where I think it works best. Followed by any graphics I want to add on.

Here are a couple of original clips. They do contain swearing. However, they did turn on well in the edit suite.

This portal test was done using the same green screen set up as above.

Professional Studies: How Does IMDb Work?

As part of my professional studies research, I have researched into how IMDB works and how to be credited for your own work for an online presence.

Firstly, IMDB stands for, Internet Movie Data Base, giving you the vague idea of what can be found within the website.You are able to find any creditable movie and much information about the movie you are looking for. As for non-commercial use, the website is free to use. To sign up a paid membership, you can use the IMDb Pro Website for a monthly price of $20 or if you pay annually, $12.50 ($149.99 a year). A registration in order to rate movies and write reviews is completely free.

Although any member is able to change and add information, similar to wikipedia, the website has consistent checks to ensure it has as accurate information as possible. If you add information to the website, it doesn't become public until staff has processed and checked the information given.The IMDb site claims that their source of information includes on screen credits, press kits, official bios, autobiographies, and interviews. 

Gods Among Us: Green Screening Research and Experiments (FMP)

Throughout my Minor Project, I began by researching further into the background of green-screening. Then also experimented with some green-screening. Since 'Gods Among Us' has some heavy CGI, I will be able to use the knowledge of green screening and key framing/animating movement as well as editing the main story.

Minimal Lighting Test with Green Screen

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.

Applying this to 'Gods Among Us' (Now Mercy)

Green screen was going to be needed for Gods Among Us to create an Egyptian setting.

Post Credits Animated Background

In my research, I have spent some time looking into particle effects. For a test, I decided to create a background that could be used for the credits on the children's project we are doing, currently by the name of 'Break Free' and toying with the name 'Beyond the Story'.

This is a creation using the particle effects in After Effects. By adjusting the psychics and producer, I was able to make the stars look like they were coming towards the screen, before adding in a camera that created a more 3D feel as if we are moving through the stars.

The colours were chosen to be pale, so they were not in your face but also they are very child like to suit the genre of the film.

I think it would be good if we are able to get a small animation of the unicorn, Taffy, from the film and play it within the credits.

Gods Among Us: Blue Screen Experiment Issues

I have been given some footage from the rest of my crew to test some blue screens. It was recorded on the black magic in the university film studio. In my experimentation, these are my main issues:

• Too much shadow casted on the actor as they move. Depends on what the background is like and where the light source is coming from but I wasn't given backgrounds to work with. I just found something from google images for test purposes only. 

Image 1

Image 2

• The actors arms have a lot of shadows but I am unsure if this is meant to be deliberate to work with the background. However, no backgrounds have been given, just foregrounds. With this being recorded from the Black Magic, I have enhanced a lot of colour. The photo shown above is just a before image. The blue was enhanced reasonably well without effecting the actor.

• As opposed to the above, another clip I tried to work with had better lighting on the actor than it did on the blue screen. This meant that it was really difficult to key out the background from the foreground. The blue wasn't bright enough and when enhanced, it also had an affect on the actor.

Image 3

• In image 3 shows the clip mentioned in the above point. The background is far too dark. Image 4 shows when I attempted to enhance the colour.

Image 4

• The colour on the actors face and body is changed a lot. I intend to experiment some more with the colour balance but it might help/take less time up if the lighting in the background was lit a little bit more.