Aquascape Update

It's been a very busy couple of weeks, so been remarkably slow on updating the blog.

On the 22nd October, I returned to my location, that had been scouted out the week previously, and took some more photographs. This time I took a tripod to allow myself to take photographs on a much slower shutter speed, thus improving the lighting of the scene. It also allowed me to take multiple exposures for bracketing purposes. I took many pictures, from all angles, I was keen to get into shot the port holes, and the hanging lamps that really sell the place as a boat rather than the inside of a pub.

I've also spent a lot of time researching. I've looked at a lot of general under water images, but for this project to be successful I need references from inside a shipwreck. I found the following image whilst hunting through Google images. I particularly like the colouring of this shot, and the fact that the structure is wooden should significantly help with the final colour grade.


This is the final concept art. I'm intending for the phone to cast light on the foreground elements, and then the light from the window to cast light onto the phone as it passes into the midground.


Once the final backplate was selected, and the concept was complete I could begin work on creating dummy geometry for the scene. This is still a work in progress, though nearing completion, and should hopefully be finished and textured by the end of this week. The dummy geometry creates surfaces for the CG phone to illuminate. These light passes can then be rendered off and composited onto the real scene, creating lighting as the phone passes through the scene. I intend to use area lights to light the scene through the windows, so I can also get a realistic lighting on the phone.


On Saturday 26h October, I spent the day, with a team, in the studio filming practical effects to use in the composition. This largely involved filming bubbles and particles in a water on a black background. The idea is to combine real effects which should add a level of realism and depth, with CG simulation, which will interact with the 3D model.

The 3D model in question is a mobile phone. I have spent much of this week modelling and texturing. This has taken me longer than anticipated because I have never really tried my hand at 3D modelling before, and Houdini is a whole new system for me. However I seem to be learning it quickly and I am quite happy with my efforts so far. The largest issues I've met so far, are; correcting topology issues, which were causing my initial texture attempts to turn out badly; and getting my phone model to realistically emit light. 

Again, this is still a work in progress, but I am hoping that by the end of next week I shall have an iphone that not only emites light, but has an image on the screen. I'd also like to have an some early animation attempts complete as well.

Under Water Environment: Research

The problem of the day, is how to create a realistic under water landscape. I have ten weeks to create an environment that is believable and realistic. There are a number of things to consider when approaching this problem, and so my initial task is the same as starting any project: research and idea development.

First of all I turned to Blue Planet, and spent my evening abusing my Netflix account and gathering as much visual information as I could. There are some great shots in this show, and realism, which can often be exaggerated in film and TV. Of course there is nothing wrong with exaggerating a natural effect to give an image more pizazz but I like to understand the science before moving forwards.

This lead me to researching underwater photography, which gave me an idea of how certain effects occur. For example, the god rays, those streaky rays that look really cool, occur when sunlight shines through calm water near the surface. When oceans are rough, the light diffuses creating a glow. Therefore if I would like to use this effect, I need to consider a composition that is set in calm water, such as a lake.

Understanding colour drop off, contrast and light levels will also be important when colour matching, integrating elements and creating my final colour grade.

The following figures are approximate figures for the percentage drop off in colour saturation over 1 meter.

Colour	approx drop off
Red	40%
Orange	30%
Yellow	10%
Green	5%
Blue	0%
Purple	10%

Similarly, light also drops off faster in water than in air. This is because water is denser than air, and so the inverse square law no longer applies. This varies depending on the depth of the water and the clarity of the water.

Because I want this shot to feel dynamic without a camera move, I need to think long and hard about camera angles and composition. I'm currently considering a low camera angled upwards upon my environment. This should allow me to do some interesting things with silhouetting and vignetting. Any object moving in this environment will therefore also be dropping down from the surface to the floor rather than moving forwards, which I think will feel more natural, particularly if I go for a calm water body. However, this raises a number of issues. I will need to generate the surface of the water body, which could be quite problematic, particularly if I want an object to break the surface. I will also need to produce some sort of bubble effect, if an object comes from the surface, it will undoubtedly bring air with it, producing a bubble trail of sorts. I will need some plates of moving debris/particles, as bodies of water, whether they are fresh water or salt water, are teaming with life and are rarely clear. I am uncertain as to whether or not I should attempt to film this plate or create it using particle simulation. Perhaps a combination of the both would create more depth in the scene.

Tomorrow I'm heading out to the Oceanarium to get some first hand experience of the effects of light in water, as well as take reference photographs for the composition stage. I will also need to scout out a location to become the back plate of this dry to wet conversion and start running tests on the various water effects. This looks to be a busy few weeks.

Seal says "Goodbye."

Showreel

So here is my first ever Showreel! I've already had some great feedback on it, loads to change, but not before my interview tomorrow. Once Project Duplicity is done I shall make a new one with the the feedback I have had. Anyway enjoy!


Showreel 2011-2012 from Amy Carpenter on Vimeo.

Final Edit

I have finally finished my project. I have to hand in a few days early due to personal commitments, so there are still a few tweaks that I would like to work out but I feel I don't have the time. There was also a great idea for a falling shot, to fit between the leap of faith and landing shot.  I opted however to spend my time trying to clean up the flaps in the opening shot, as this is the hero shot of the piece and ultimately the shot I am most proud of. I have also gone back through each shot cleaning up keys and colour grades where possible, and trying to carry out the advice of my tutor and the guys on concept share.

There are a few things that I did not do however. The general consensus seemed to be that lengthening the camera move in the opening shot would have been an improvement, however, without refilming this was incredibly fiddly. After experimenting for a short time in Maya with some static footage and extending the camera move, I decided that there was no way I could do this and make it look good in the time remaining and I preferred to spend my time fixing the shots I already have. I am keen however to return tot his project for my showreel, as the opening few shots would look really great if polished.

I have also added some Assassin Creed style interference/static and echo. Though this film has a more orange and green colour scheme (Heinz Salad Cream colours) as opposed to blues and purples (Assassin Creed colour scheme) I have tried to emulate the feel of the games adverts at every opportunity. Hopefully it works!

Assassins Cream Rough Edit

This is the first complete rough edit of my Assassins Cream commercial. A lot of the fight scene was cut out due to the sheer amount of post production required. It already has 20 shots and I felt I didn't need another 20 of much of the same. I look forward to feedback and will make a list of alterations to work on over the next few days.

Alterations:
Shadows in Shot One.
Roto tunic flaps in Shot One.
New rock texture in Shot One.
Colour matching jumping shots to shot one.
Improve key on struggle shot and last shot.
Colour matching sauce spray shot.
General colour grading.

Something needs to be done with the music. Suggestions are welcome.

I also want to get in there some cool Assassin Creed style static edits, and obviously I need a tag at the end. A lot of work to do in a week, but I'll get there!

I actually thought the the matte painting on the street would be easier to put together than the landscape for the opening shot. I had a clear idea of what I wanted it to look like, and took inspiration from images such as:

I loved the bright colours, and hanging drapes that would cast all sorts of shadows once comped with a sunset. 

However, thought would be aesthetically pleasing, I feel someone being mugged in the fashion that she was would not be carried out in a busy market place, and so I changed my idea so it looked more like a side street. I therefore came up with the following.

This is a first render, and there are some focusing issues. I was trying to make it look like depth of field and the camera focusing on the fight at the end of the street. However it hasn't quite worked and looks a bit blurry. Also After Effects has dropped all the clipped layers I had in place and so there are some colour issues that need to be fixed. 

Pre-Roto Render Shot 1

I haven't updated for a while, this shot has required quite a bit of roto to get the shadows back in the feet area. This is a pre-roto render to see how the shot works with the matte painting. I have had a list of things to alter on this shot which I am working on now. Nearly there now!

The most notable problem is the stone platform. I have produced a better texture for it, but it always seems to pixilate. Still awaiting feedback from my the Maya Lecturer before I push on too much with this aspect, though I intend to upload a new render to Concept Share to see if they have any ideas. I have been experimenting with UV texturing, which has helped but not perfected the problem.

There is still a lot to do on this shot, and many other shots to get working, so I fear if I have not finished with this shot before too long I shall have to leave it and come back to it at the end.

Matte Painting: Rough Version 1

So I've been working on a matte painting for my opening shot. It is a panoramic view of the city below, with our hero crouched on some sort of high up platform or rooftop like in the computer game. This is pretty much how I want the layout, though the comping is still quite rough. Noise and grain are issues due to the quality of some of the images I am working with.

I have also put together a sketch for a market place type setting which I hope to use for the fight sequence on the ground. However more on that later.

Currently I am researching 3D projection and camera moves in After Effects. I feel I have a pretty good grounding on this already due to a very comprehensive lecture series we had last year. However it never hurts to go back over these things, and after watching a few tutorials I feel I've picked up a few handy tips which will help me on my way with this. My one dilemma is tracking the camera move. I am keen to do a camera move in the studio, and track this to a digital camera in After Effects, however I have yet to work out how to pull this off. 

And At Last...

I have finally finished my list of adjustments, and completed my final edit. My project is now complete! I have also put together some shot breakdowns, unfortunately I have run out of space on vimeo and will not be able to upload them until next week (I will hand them in with my project however so no worries there). There is however space for one very low resolution copy of my final edit. Enjoy!

This project is by far the best piece of work I have ever produced, and allowed me to push my skill set to the maximum. Shots have been put together in Photoshop, After Effects and Maya, allowing me to work in both 2D and 3D. 

I'd like to thank everyone who helped out in this project. Particularly Christopher Hansford, my actor, and  Finlay Duncan who was very helpful in the green screen studio and has a great critical eye. The tutors at my university and the guys on CG Coach provided excellent feedback which helped me take my work to a new level.

I'm very pleased that I managed to complete everything on my list a day ahead of schedule, even if I did venture away from initial work schedule due to reshoots, and the detailed feedback from CG Coach. The only two shots which I wish I could work on more are the close up of the face and the magic blast shots. I'm happy with the VFX work, I just wish I would have been able to get a reshoot as the footage was not quite as I wanted it. The expression on the face of my actor in the flying shot is too relaxed, and in the magic blast shot there are a few issues with blurring and grain. Also I felt that because all the other shots around it are moving, a static shot was a jolt to the flow. A reshoot would allow me to perhaps frame it closer and add a camera move. However, this is most likely the best work I have produced to date and so I am very happy with what I have managed to do. Fingers crossed for a good grade. Bring on the next project! :) 

Development: Before and After

With one day left to go, and only a few finishing touches let to make, I thought it would be interesting to look back over my project and really see how far it has come. This is the most elaborate piece of work I have ever attempted and I am really pleased with my development on a technical and artistic level.

Flying Shot Breakdown

This is how the magic is performed!

Rough Edit v01

This is a rough edit of my project as the shots stand at this moment. I have a list of tweaks and changes to make for each shot, some longer than others. I am still looking for feedback so I can perfect each shot as well as the editing. My style of editing has been inspired by the teaser trailer style of editing seen at the end of TV shows such as Doctor Who, Merlin and Misfits. Hopefully this will have an impact as well as portraying the creepy intensity that I am trying to get across.

The feet shot, is being of particularly difficulty to me due to the shadows and grain, and requires rotoscoping. This is quite consuming and as this is not one of the hero shots of the piece may well be dropped if time constraints make it difficult for me to complete on time. My main focus needs to be on the magic blast shot, which at this point stands out amongst the other shots. Though I am quite happy with the VFX, the colour grade, brightness and sharpness are significantly different from the rest of the shoot.

Big Video Update

After a week without any Vimeo space I am finally back and uploading my work. I apologise for the resolution of some of the videos, I am trying to save as much space as possible so I can post tweaks and updates throughout the rest of the week.

This week has been very busy. I have been doing a Final Cut Pro intensive course to get my Apple Accreditation whilst juggling my project with a deadline next week. I've managed to put together a castle matte painting and a 3D corridor in Maya.

This shot is an updated version of the flying shot, with colour grading fixed and a few other minor issues. It is looking much better now.

This shot is to be cut into the wizard creeping down the corridor scene. This is what he is creeping towards, a big ominous door with some sort of beastie behind it. The door was made in Maya and integrated into the corridor matte painting using After Effects. The lighting and colour grade in this needs  some work but this is not bad for an early run through.

The final project a supposed to be a promo, which is why I have added some text to the end of this shot. The font in this is NOT the font I will use in the final project, but I am looking for something a little distorted which I can texture.

This shot is a castle matte painting to go with my establishing shot matte painting. This is the destination of the hero character whilst flying on his broom. This is a first run through for this matte painting so there is still work to be done, but this is the overall look I am going for. Comments and feedback is much appreciated.

Next week will be dedicated to tweaking my existing shots to make them look the best they can, and editing them into a promo trailer and adding music and sound effects. Fingers crossed this turns out awesome!

Flying Shot v03 and Spell Test 06

Currently I am having issues with Vimeo, it won't let me upload any more videos, it seems I have reached my upload limit! However, this doesn't mean I am taking the day off. I have received some feedback on my flying shot, the main issues seem to regard colour grading and warping the shadows. I have been working on this shot this evening, focusing on these issues.

Though I haven't got a video to show you, this still gives you an idea of the alterations to the colour grading. I have also added a slight motion blur to the water near to the camera, made the rain more three dimensional and matched the movement of the clouds to the movement of the water. Hopefully I can upload a video soon!

I have also been working on magic test. This is something I have been working on from the very beginning, (Previous Tests) I have gone through various methods from particles in Maya to fractal noise in After Effects. I am now experimenting with particles and fire footage in After Effects. The overall result it much improved but not there yet.

Just to point out this is still a test and the colour grading and keying on this is still very rough. I added the wall texture to see how all the aspects worked together as a composition. 

Flying Shot

This was perhaps the most difficult shot to pull off. It is very different from my original plan for this sequence, however I think it came out looking ok considering. It still needs a bit of work, perhaps some motion blur on the water and more keying on the brush, but certainly a good start for this scene.

Matte Painting V01

For the establishing shot I need a matte painting introducing the location of the castle where the beastie is lurking. Now originally, I was going to do this in one long sweeping shot, following the wizard on his broom stick as he flies toward his destination. However, I have opted to split this up in shorter shots. The first off being a wide shot of the location, next introducing the characters and then a shot flying towards the castle.

This is my first attempt at the matte painting for the establishing wide shot. Vimeo have compressed the blacks a little too much losing detail in the water. There are still some teething issues with this matte painting, feedback would be incredible.

Wizard Light Spell Shot

I've been working hard on the light spell shot, and managed to get two versions out in 24 hours.

Both have extra atmospherics, lens flares and altered colour grades, though I feel version 4 is the best out of the lot and probably how I will leave this shot for my project. 

For a quick look at how this shot has changed I have screen grabbed the final frame of each version and put them together for easy contrast. It is easy to see without looking at all the videos how this shot has changed over the last week.

Light Spell Reshoot V02

After receiving some feedback on my reshoot, I have made some alterations. I've added atmospherics and falling dust, reduced the light spill on the walls, added a light flicker to make it feel more organic and added a slight camera rotation as he moves up the corridor. It's looking much better now but still room for improvements.

I've already received more feedback and a V03 will be uploaded soon. Watch this space!

Light Spell Reshoot

This weekend I reshot all of the test footage that I had accumulated over the last few weeks to ensure my project is perfect. This is a rough attempt at the spell shot, just to see how the matte painting and footage work together with the VFX. The key is a little rough and I need to rotoscope out the track markers. I'm still not sure about the shadow. There needs to be one, but I think the angle is a little off, feedback on that would be appreciated. Thoughts on the VFX element would also be good.

Research : Matte Painting

One thing that came up in my meeting today, is that my Castle seems to safe. The comments made were that it needed to seem dangerous and away from the norm. I was looking at ways to make it feel more organic, as if the castle was grown rather than built by a person. Lord of the Rings have several beautiful examples of this, with castles and cities built in the side of rock faces and into tree.

Shots of three very different cities, and yet they all seem to be built out of their surroundings. Of particular interest to me in the tower in Mordor, which is dark and dangerous with something evil lurking within, which is definitely the sort of effect I am trying to simulate. Also, Minas Tirith is also of interest, as it is surrounded by incredibly high walls, a fortress that can never be breached. In my recent tests for my matte painting I have been concentrating on these sorts of high walls, and would like to continue with this sort of effect.