Smashing Magazine has posted a list of Best Tutorials For Cinematic Visual Effects. The post links to 62 techniques ranging from the 007 Intro to Meteor Crashes. So this one post contains all the knowledge you would need to make a tent-pole VFX feature or start your own effects boutique. Right? Seriously, if all this information was available to me when I got started, it would have been much harder to impress people by showing them a chrome sphere on a checkerboard.
(LINK) to the full post
The most common question I’ve been getting around the VFX world lately is “How the hell do I shot and HDR?”. For those of you still doing visual effects on a Commodore 64, that stands for High Dynamic Range, the process of combining multiple camera exposures into a single image. Well, harass me no more VFX brethren! Professor Kirt Witte from SCAD (pictured above) has a great site called HDRI Tips and Tricks FAQ. Here’s a taste…
4 Rules of shooting HDRs
LINK to the HDRLabs FAQ
If your ever been on set and need to survey something really tall you basically have two options.
LINK to the full tutorial on On Set VFX Tips
Just finished this breakdown for the VFX from the “Fringe” pilot. Enjoy!
The pilot for J.J. Abrams new series “Fringe” takes the viewer on a mysterious adventure through the world of fringe science. The idea being, that everything that happens in the show is just outside the realm of what we currently understand to be possible. To create this illusion the show required a series of “invisible” visual effects. Anything that happens in the course of the show has to be convincing because the dramatic source of the effects isn’t magic or some alien world but the logical extension of what we know to be true and possible. VFX Kevin Blank, took this seriously from the beginning of the show mandating to all the creative people involved that realism was the order of the day. To that end innovative workflows and techniques were developed to ensure the seamless marriage of live action and CG elements.
The show begins with a virus that infects unsuspecting airline passengers and later takes down one of the main characters. This concept posed an interesting VFX challenge. The natural methodology for this was a make-up application that created the illusion of dripping skin. However, in the climax of the sequence the writers wanted to take this idea to the very limit; thereby having a co-pilot’s melting face, accelerate to the point that his jaw actually unhinged and fell to the ground.
The bases of the effect was the done in practical make-up, with the added challenge that his particular vfx shot, of the jaw dropping itself was actually conceived after the footage on the plane was shot. Which meant that there were no tracking markers available for the movement of the face. A process dubbed “Performance Capture” was created for this shot which involved taking many 2d tracks from a high contrast version of the plate and transferring the 2d tracks from After Effects to a 3d mesh in Maya. The 3d mesh in this case being a optimized scan of one of the other actors in the show.
Once the camera track and face match move were complete dynamic motion was added to the shot. A simple facial rig was created to drop the jaw. An nCloth simulation was performed in Maya to generate correct motion for the drooping folds of flesh. Maya hair curves were used to create the motion for the sticky strands of mucus that extend from the face to hand. Texturing of jaw and mouth interior began with a projection of the plate photography that was then taken into Photoshop where detail was added. The shot was rendered in passes separating the diffuse, reflection, specular and ambient occlusion passes for reconstitution in composite. Compositing and integration was an enormous challenge for this shot. Not only did the CG elements have to blend seamlessly with the complex make-up work on the face, but the flashes of lightning illuminating the cockpit added an addition level of complexity. Extensive roto also needed to be done on the pilot’s shirt to create previously obscured background when the jaw falls away from the rest of the face. Along with all the render passes supplied by CG, a entirely additional set of renders was needed for this shot. The CG was rendered all the way through with the lightning “on” and again “off”. With two complete renders of each set-up the compositor was able to control the timing and intensity of the lightning without having to send the shot back to CG.
Later in the show, the virus that ravaged the airplane infects an FBI investigator. Luckily, he is taken to high-tech facility where the degrading of his flesh is slowed to keep him alive. As his disease progresses, the character’s skin, bones and organs get more and more transparent to the point where the view can see through his body to reveal his inner workings. Many methodologies were considered before settling on the final approach. The base of the effect was a complex make-up application by Gordon Smith. The first layer of transparence was created practically by the application of 3d tattoos, images of a medically accurate 3d model printed on silicon and glued onto the surface of the actors skin. Then veins were painted on the body followed by a translucent layer of gel to create the look of the top layer of skin. All of the internal body systems were created in 3d and integrated in composite with the actor in makeup.
The 3d effects for these shots started out with a medically accurate model of all system of the human body. This model was purchased from a vendor specializing in medical illustration and broken out into its component parts (skin, skeleton, organs, veins etc.) and re-textured for greater realism. The internal systems then needed to be deformed to conform to the skin of the model derived from the actor that was in the scene. After the model and texture was complete it needed to be matched to the moving photography with a great degree of accuracy. This was accomplished using a combination of 3d and 2d techniques. 3d camera moves were created in syntheses and refinements were made using 2d tracking points to warp the 3d image into place. The model with then lit and reflections were added using extremely high resolution HDRI panoramas of the set and all of its lighting elements. Again the 3d elements were rendered in passes, each body system (complete with animating heart, lungs and blood flow) rendered separately along with its component parts. Areas of detail were lifted from the make-up application in compositing and laid back over the CG to enhance integration and realism.
Another effect in the show that called for an extreme amount of interaction between CG and live action was the mechanical prosthetic arm used by the show’s villain. The script called for the actress to peel back her skin like a glove to reveal the metal and plastic underneath. The skin was a latex appliance that could be peeled off on camera and was color corrected to match the skin tone of the actress. The tracking and match moving on these shots was a particular challenge as the camera was in motion for most shots and movement of the arm needed to exactly match the motion of the actress on set. To help with the match moving, green make-up was applied to the actresses arm and tracking markers were painted onto the skin so they would not interfere with the motion of removing the skin glove.
The CG arm was designed and modeled prior to shooting making sure to reference the current level of robotic technology. The reflective surface of the arm was achieved using on set reference and by once again rendering out the 3d object split out into passes to adjust the level of secularity and reflection on a shot by shot basis.
In the story of Fringe the only way for one of the hero agents to contact her ailing partner is to ender his dreams by was of a sensory deprivation tank. This launched her into a surreal environment populated by her dreams and memories. This dreamscape was completely created in post and all of the performance footage was shot on green screen. In order to create the dreamy feel of the sequence large sweeping techocrane moves were used in combination with the actors on a turntable. This created many complex tracking issues solved mostly by BouJou however hand tracking was also used. The environment themselves were created using a combination of 3d elements and panoramic photography. Foreground and mid-ground elements were modeled and render in Maya while distant imagery was created by mapping 360 degree panoramas onto large CG spheres. The green screen plates and CG elements were color corrected together for the final integration.
It took a lot of planning flawless execution to create the effects seen in the Fringe pilot. With the need for a suspension of disbelief, the science of Fringe had to come off to the viewer as real science just pushed a bit further. Using the advanced techniques available to the VFX industry today the Fringe team took the audience along on a journey that has only just begun.
VFXHack fan and all around great guy Agrapha, has compiled a plethora of VFX links(266 to be exact) on YouTube. There is some fantastic stuff here, how-tos and interviews from projects old and new covering a variety of subject ranging from stop motion and animatronics to compositing and miniatures. You kill a few hours on the Dark Crystal stuff alone! Another highlight is Walt himself walking us through the construction of Pirates Of The Caribbean. Check this video out and please post any ideas you may having explaining the babe with the riding crop.
LINK to Argapha’s VFX library on YouTube
Ever wanted to use a really expensive super-fast modern computer to create a logo design that looks like it was airbrushed on the front of a 70’s T-shirt? Well you’re in luck! Freelance designer Harry J. Frank has posted a nice little tutorial that’s all about the chrome logo and glowing grid that floats in space for no reason (don’t forget the cheesy star filters). All you need is a couple hours of spare time a copy After Effects and an unhealthy nostalgia for electric pink and blue.
LINK to the full tutorial on graymachine.com
Just finished this little write-up for the work that I did for the series finale of Jericho. The whole show was a blast to work on and many talented people poured a lot of hours and hard work into this baby. Hope you enjoy.
Jericho tells story of small town struggling to survive in the landscape of a post apocalyptic America. In the final episode of the show’s second season, the creators wanted to give the fans something special. The VFX team worked with production to give the audience a glimpse at what the rebuilt capitol of drastically altered capital city would look like and a stunning climax that pitted the shows main character, Jake against the might of the Cheyenne air force in a dramatic aerial battle. The challenge to the VFX team was to make these important story points completely realistic. The VFX was not to detract from the story but enhance it by delivering seamless effects.
The reveal of the capitol building under construction in the new Capitol of Cheyenne was not to be your run of the mill matte paining. The story called for a city under drastic expansion and rapid construction. Reference photography of the current city of Cheyenne could be used as a base, but new buildings as well as construction cranes, vehicles, pedestrians and construction workers would have to be added after the fact. The show’s most difficult sequence came in the form of the final aerial battle. Knowing that it would be impossible to tell the story through the use of stock or custom shot aerial photography, the visual effects team settled on a mostly CG approach. The scene called for a variety of different aircraft and many camera angles to cover the action. There was dialog between Jake and the pilots of both the Cheyenne and later the Texas planes, so plates of the actors would need to shot on green screen and combined with the CG planes and backgrounds. At one point in the battle, two of the planes are blown out of the sky by air-to-air missiles. Knowing that a photo-real explosion would be difficult to achieve by using CG alone, it was decided that scale models were to be built based on the CG planes and animatics and blown up using traditional special effects methods. Later these elements would be composited with the CG planes.
Once the methodology was decided upon, the wheels were set in motion to gather all the practical elements that needed to be shot. These fell into several categories. First HDRI 360° photography of the first unit location for the reveal of the Cheyenne Capital. The HDRIs captured on set were used as a basis for the background buildings and were used as a lighting basis for the 3d elements in the matte painting. The raw photos for the panoramas composed of 38 different camera positions with nine exposures for each position.
The final shot was to be from the perspective of a hotel room 12 stories above the street so the HDRIs were taken from atop a 40 foot platform. Many elements were also gathered to create the feeling of activity in the scene. A camera was again placed on a platform to match the high vantage point of the final shot. Many passes of ground activities of civilians, military, construction workers and their vehicles were taken. To create the illusion of more extras costumes were changed multiple times and movement patterns were varied from take to take.
The aerial battle plates consisted of two main parts, the green screen photography of the actors for inside the plane cockpits and the explosion plates of the jets. The green screens were filmed on a high definition video camera with Jake (the main character) sitting inside a cut out portion of a real plane cockpit that was a close match to the model that was shot on first unit.
The glass on the cockpit windows was left in on most shots so any of the actors reflections could be lifted and used in the final composite. The pilots of the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets were also filmed against green with the intention of modeling a digital cockpit for those shots. Pivotal to the success of the green screen shoot was the animatic that was created by the VFX team and cut by Jericho editorial. This animatic was worked on with the creators of the show so that all the major action of the scene was represented in a rough 3d form. This gave the actors an excellent idea of what was happening in the scene and helped them achieve the proper eye-lines and emotional impact rather than just acting against a void.
When it came to shooting the plane explosions, great care was put into the planning and preparation of the shoot. The animatic was again used to determine the detail and placement of the plane models. A VFX shoot team was assembled consisting of a DP and his crew, a pyrotechnics team and few model makers and painters. The plane that was to be destroyed was an F-15 fighter and the fiberglass shell from a remote control plane kit was used as the base model. Four shells with a wingspan of a little over 5 feet were prepped and painted to match the markings and textures of the CG models exactly. On the day of the shoot the model planes were packed with explosive and lifted onto a 30 foot armature. Three cameras were placed at different heights that lined up to several shots in the animatic, a live switcher was used to line up the video feeds from the camera to the animatics. The three cameras rolled simultaneously on each explosion at 120 fps. The higher frame rate was used to compensate for the smaller scale of the models. All together 3 models were blown up for the shoot.
Before any modeling or texturing of the 3d assets was started, an exhausting search for reference was begun. The new Capitol building under construction in Cheyenne began as model from a stock library. Pieces of the substructure and framing of the building were then created using the stock model as a guide. Then pieces of the original model were stripped away to reveal the unfinished skeleton. The construction cranes for the 3d matte painting were modeled using photo reference, along with other street props. The hero buildings were generic models that were placed in the scene with projected textures of the building matte paintings used to enhance the details.
The aerial battle sequence started with the creation of a detailed animatic which served as a master template for animation, camera movement and lighting. After editing, the stand-in planes were replaced with hi-resolution versions. Careful attention was taken to make sure that the planes were authentic. The Cessna Citation that Jake flies in the scene not only had to look real in the CG shots but be a perfect match to an aircraft shot by production taxiing on the runway in the previous scenes. Many photographs were taken of the markings and logos on the plane to make sure the match was seamless. The F-15s and F-16s also had to be extremely detailed as they were seen close-up from nearly every angle. The cockpit and pilot seat of each plane also had to be rendered and textured to accommodate the green screen footage of the pilots. A lot of photographic reference both still and moving was used ensure that the shading and behavior of light across the planes surface was highly realistic. The flags and markings of the new Air Force in the Jericho story line also had to be created and applied to the planes.
Many of the compositing shots in this show made use of the tight integration between the 3d and 2d working environments. For the Cheyenne Capitol shot, a 3d track was created for the scene. 3d elements were rendered with basic lighting using the track data, then the same track data was used in the compositing software. This allowed the compositor to place elements in the scene on 3d cards and have them track perfectly with the rendered elements. It gave the artists the flexibility to paint detail directly onto the parts of the image that needed it without having to request another element to be rendered in 3d. This technique was used to great effect when building the sky environment for the aerial battle scene. The shot began with the camera created during the 3d animation process. A basic sky dome and rough 3d landscape was added to each shot and rendered. The compositors than painted over the rough landscape using stock aerial photography to add detail while maintaining the basic lighting and depth from the 3d render. The 3d camera move was also brought into compositing for the addition of photographic cloud elements placed at different distances from the camera to create the illusion of volume and depth.
To create the photographic look of the planes, a multi-pass pipeline was used. Each component of the 3d render (reflection, color, specularity, etc.) was rendered as a separate element and combined in composite to achieve the final look. Using this method, the compositors had an extreme amount of control in how the subtle lighting effects played across the surface of the ships. Perhaps the most convincing of composite effects done for the show was the explosion of the two F-15s. Since the line-up of the shot footage of the planes exploding from the VFX shoot lined up perfectly, a quick dissolve from the CG plane to model footage was all that was needed. In fact the explosion proved so effective that close-up shots of the explosion from the VFX shoot were added to the edit towards the end of the editing process. The clean-up of the explosions involved removing the rig from each shot and pulling keys from the sky behind the model.
It is rare to get to work on a Visual Effects sequence for a television show that i so pivotal to the storytelling of the episode. In the case of Jericho Episode 207, the story and visual effects were intertwined in such a way that one could not have happened without the other. Because of the tight integration between story and effects, all of the work done on the show had to be seamless. Anything out of place would distract the viewer from the emotional impact of the action. An imaginative combination of techniques both old and new were used to create scenes with an amazing degree of authenticity. The VFX team for this show worked tirelessly to make sure that the fans of the Jericho series would not be disappointed.
The folks over at Max Bumps have put together a little how-to on the new video Ladies Of The World from VFXhack fave Flight of the Concords. It includes a little Q and A as well as some fun clips of the boys from New Zealand’s 4th most popular folk parody band. The VFX crew over a Ghost Town media tracked the Brett and Jermaine’s heads onto stunt skaters on Venice beach to produce a 70’s flashback extravaganza. The result is a nice mix of Xanadu and the Sabatoge video. The clip is fun, especially the sexy hermaphrodite, and the effects are pretty good for music vid schedule and budget. The heavy use of Colorista and Magic Bullet help blend everything together.
LINK the the full article
We’ve all heard the overquoted story from about how it took Thomas Edison 10 million tries to get the lightbulb right or how Dyson went through thousands of prototypes before he settled on the perfect design for a vaccum. But, behind these cliches lies more than a nugget of truth, especially in regards to he world of Visual Effects. I have found that no two shows (or two shots for that matter) are exactly the same. And with the pace of innovation racing ahead so rapidly, what’s state of the art in VFX today won’t hold up tomorrow. Is there anything us work-a-day guys and gals of the VFX community can do to keep pace? Well, I’m happy to tell you that the answer is yes. One of the keys to creating a great visual effects sequence is to fail early and fail often. This is a hard pill to swallow for some of you out there. Getting a ahead in this business means always being the guy or gal with the answers. When a Director asks, “How the heck are we gonna do this?” nobody wants to answer “I don’t know. Lemme think about it”. Humility in the VFX world is in short supply and huge egos tend to be greatly rewarded. The fact is, failure is a big part of the VFX (or any artistic) process. And how you handle failure in a work environment is a far better test of your character than success.
Fear of failure can lead to being overly cautious in shot design or worse indecision and inaction. If you fear failure, you will never learn anything. Sometimes starting a project can feel like standing on the edge of a giant, bottomless pit of sadness and despair. Although your doubts may not be unfounded, at a certain point ya’ gotta just say to your self “Screw it” and jump in head first. Nobody ever got the glory by sitting on the sidelines saying “See I told you it would be too hard”. So climb aboard that failboat and sail on with a smile on your face.
One of the things that defines a successful person is the ability to see things for what they are, not what you want them to be. The only way to make your failures work for you is being honest with yourself about what didn’t turn out right in your shot and how it went off course. Cast a critical eye to the work you’ve done. If you were the client, what would you have said about the work you put forward? Don’t get stuck making excuses or qualifying your work. Specifically, identify how you screwed up and what you are going to do differently the next time around.
To really learn from failure you must do it again and again. Just think of it this way, if every time you fail is opportunity to never step in the same pile of VFX doodoo again. Some of you may be afraid to walk around the office with canine poopy on your shoes. Admitting that you screwed up might feel a bit strange in this alpha dog eat alpha dog world. But look at it this way, artists that set themselves up as perfect run the risk of not knowing when something really bad is staring them right in the face (Jar-Jar Binks anyone?).
It’s probably not a good idea to continuously fail at important stuff like making a delivery or remembering not to fish a burning bagel out the toaster with a metal fork while it’s still on. Try to create a safe failspace for yourself on each project. Animatics or concept sketches have great failure potential. What you need is sandbox where you can try out creative options without sinking the entire project. Starting out a job with many failures can result in the cream rising to the top early. Just make sure that you’re a quick study and turn your mound of crap into a diamond in short order. Otherwise, you won’t be the guy who learned from his failures and became great, you’ll just be a plain old failure.
LINK to some inspiring Fails over at Failblog
I’m always on the lookout for a new way to simultaneously do something productive and keep from getting bored while I’m on set waiting for a VFX shot to come up. My latest arts and crafts project involves creating the ultimate LED tracking marker. Now you may ask “Why LEDs? Why not a triangle inside a circle, or newspaper, or a tennis ball for god’s sake!” Well those methods are still valid but the in the right situation and LED tracking marker can really do the trick. Here are some reasons why you might want to go the LED route.
LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. As the name suggests you don’t need to light them because hey are a tiny light source onto themselves. This is perfect for areas of the frame that don’t have enough exposure for your common variety tracking marker.
LEDs hold up better when they are out of focus. When you shot a greenscreen with a long lens and an open F-stop, the background of your shot is gonna go way out of focus. Regular tracking markers turn to mush in this situation causing more a problem for clean-up than helping with the tracking process. The LED will bloom but tends to hold it’s intensity and not break-up as much.
The are small. LEDs are compact and light. A little bit of snot tape on the back and the can be affixed to anything from a patch of skin to a set wall. Ball up in some strong tape (sticky side out of course) and you can even throw them up on a wall that’s too high to reach. No more asking that grumpy grip if you can borrow his ladder.
Power is not an issue. A single battery can keep an LED running strong for days depending on the temperature. Battery life deteriorates rapidly in the cold so if you are shooting outside in the winter, make sure you grab a few packs of extra batteries for your kit bag.
There some things to watch out for with LEDs though. Their biggest strength (the fact that they emit light) is also their biggest weakness. LEDs can spill unwanted light all over the place if they are to close to (or on) the subject they are shooting. Fortunately, LEDs come in different flavors that include color variations and frosted plastic casings. The frosted casing cast a lot less spill but also need to be aligned to point at the lens for maximum effect. Try and find some samples and try out some color and casing combos before you head out. You never know how things could change on set, so it’s important to carry a bunch of LED options with you in your kit bag.
At this point you may be asking yourself “Wow, LEDs sound great. Where can I buy some?”. Well, the short answer is you can’t. You have to build LED tracking markers yourself. But never fear intrepid VFX explorer! Here’s a step by step on on how to create your very own set of LED tracking markers.
You can get these babies on-line or at your local electronics supply store. The come in different colors and you can also find them with frosted plastic. You can frost clear ones yourself with some dulling spray or spray mount. You can also file off the top of the plastic to expose the diode if you want them to be even brighter.
This is a great trick. Heat shrink tubing is a strip of vinyl that shrinks down to 1/2 it’s original size when exposed to heat. You can get it in all different kinds of colors including green which makes it almost invisible when affixed to green screen.
These are the kinds of batteries that most cameras use. You can buy them from a store but it’s much cheeper to buy them in bulk on-lne.
Cut the tubing so that is just a little bit larger than the battery, then just slip the battery inside the tubing. Apply heat with a heat gun and “Viola!”, the tubing makes a nice tight jacket around the battery. Make sure when you are applying heat that you hold the battery and tubing with a pair of pliers so you don’t burn yourself.
All that’s left to do now is slip the wires of the LED between the battery and jacket and you’ve got yourself a tracking marker. You can stick these to surfaces using double sided tape, stick them to people with a Band-Aid or just rest them on flat surface. Happy shooting!
LINK to a del.icio.us tag with places to buy the stuff you need to make your own.
