Light Tests

This week I have been hard at work on lighting tests. The primary light sources in the scene are the over head windows, and the mobile phone itself. It's important that both sources cast light onto the dummy geometry so that realistic lighting can be added during the final composite.

The mobile phone will be moving throughout the scene, bumping into props and casting a glow on the environment. It's also important to me that as the screen is on, it should have a realistic interface. The idea that someone is calling the phone can only be realised if the screen lights up an image as well emits light. This has been a cause of some head scratching, but after thinking through the idea logically, and acquainting myself with the shader shop in more detail, I seem to have managed to produce a decent effect.

I am also attempting to produce God rays/Cathedral rays to light the scene from above. This is an early test render comped onto the back plate. This is NOT the final grade or composite, I was just interested to see how the lights from the dummy geometry would look with the back plate. I think the effect is working relatively well, perhaps a little fast, and the geometry certainly needs cleaning up a bit. I'm also not liking the rays through the side portholes. Perhaps a simple glow would be more effective here. It'll be interesting to see how the light rays are effected by the movement of the phone through the scene. 

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.

Further Research and Concept Art

Further research has pulled up Green Lake in Styria, which seems almost custom made for this project.

"Green Lake (Grüner See) in Styria, Austria, is an amazing place. For half of the year, it’s an underwater village with fish swimming through the branches of trees, a floor covered in grass, benches and bridges.

For the other half, it is over ground. In the frozen winter months the area is almost completely dry and is a favorite site for hikers. As the temperature begins to rise in spring, the ice and snow on the mountaintops begins to melt and runs down into the basin of land below. The waters are at their highest in June when it becomes a mecca for divers keen to explore the rare phenomenon."

[Source] http://sci-universe.tumblr.com/

I also have taken the opportunity this week to scout out locations. As I had several very loose ideas I've been wandering around Bournemouth and Poole with a camera hunting for inspiration. Mostly I have taken photos of swans. I did however find an underpass, which had interesting lighting, unfortunately it was far too busy for any worth while photographs on that particular day. Another building I found was a nautical themed bar in Poole. The inside of this bar could easily be the inside of a fishing boat, and I am definitely considering sinking the ship.

It was recommended to me that I consider both place and object together. I like the idea of creating a narrative, adding atmosphere to the scene. I'm considering perhaps a mobile phone, ringing giving off a pulsing light. Perhaps, as it gets closer to the camera, you can see the face of someones mother in the Caller ID. This calls in to question, who was on the boat, and is their mother waiting for them unawares that they have met their watery end?

Saturation Test + Lighting Research

Aside from collecting primary (footage from the oceanarium) and secondary (watching copious amounts of sea based movies) references, I have been putting together a saturation test, based on the numbers that I found in my research.

This is obviously very rough, based on a series of photographs taken on my mobile phone. However I feel that the colour saturation, contrast and blur levels are certainly helping to produce a sense of depth. With more work, this will certainly aid me in my task of making a realistic under water scene.

I'm not planning on using a bottle of squash as my digital element however! I have been generating a few ideas. 

Initially I was considering taking a environmental stance, and shooting a rubbish heap as an under water "garbage island." Combined with this I would model a tin can that could drop into shot. However, as a tin can does not emit light, this may not be suitable. Alternatively, I would considering an explosive device being dropped into the scene. These are sometimes used for fishing, emits light and is very destructive to the environment and other species of animals in the area.

Another idea I had, was to shoot inside, and turn a room into an internal shot for a ship wreck. This will be heavily reliant on finding the correct kind of room to shoot in. Some location scouting will certainly be required for this one, but I've had a few suggestions, and I will check them out and take photographs for reference.


Light References

Titanic	Titanic
The Boat That Rocked	The Boat That Rocked

As the project progresses I'll upload more references and images that inspire me. 

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."

Six Weeks and a Good Night Sleep Later

The original intention was to blog as the work progressed, that was my usual pattern whilst studying at Glamorgan University, and I quite enjoy looking back over old posts to see how my former projects developed.  Sadly, I just did not have the time.

Let me get this straight right now for anyone who may be considering applying for next year.

BFX is not a holiday.

You will not spend six weeks getting drunk and partying on the beach. In fact I saw the beach only once whilst in Bournemouth... from a distance.

It is hard work, with late nights and early mornings, and you'll blast through shots at a speed you will have never quite encountered before. Don't let this put you off though. The whole experience is totally worth it. Your skills will develop and improve dramatically, you will gain a much better understanding of the Visual Effects pipeline, and you will get the opportunity to meet people who can teach you so much more than your usual university lecturers. If you love what you do, then you will love the BFX competition. And there is fun to be had, particularly during late night renders.

My BFX experience really began on the Sunday 7th July. My team was all settled in and we popped next door to meet another team for drinks. This really set the tone for the whole event. Everyone was really friendly and genuine, there was no real sense of competition or "winning", we just wanted to do the best we could and were excited to see everyone else's projects develop as much as our own. On the Monday, it was a similar situation, we met the Bournemouth University staff, were allocated machines and then headed down the pub.

After that, the hard work began. Because we were visiting competitors, and not the home team, we needed to be trained on the equipment available, which was significantly different from what we were used to working on at Glamorgan. The green screen studio in particular is really quite different, and as our film was to be shot on green screen this was very important for us. The staff did a great job, one lecturer said that he was cramming a whole terms worth of teaching into one afternoon. We all laughed, but he may well have not been joking. The time flew by and by the time the induction was over, I felt pretty confident stepping into the studio to shoot our short.

There were of course some snags along the way, there were issues using the computer system to book out equipment for example, and a few technical difficulties with equipment itself, but this was cleared up quickly by the staff, who showed an extraordinary amount of patience and good humour. Frankly, I am surprised there were no bigger issues than these. I can not imagine a bigger logistical nightmare than organising an event like BFX, and so I was very pleased at how smoothly everything ran, particularly considering this was the first year of the event.

At first we felt a little like we had put ourselves at a disadvantage by shooting on green screen, not because we weren't capable of compositing the live action footage, (I think the results speak for themselves on this front) but because shoots take time to organise and prepare for, afterwards footage needs to be watched, takes selected and an edit cut. We didn't really begin to get onto post production until late into the second week, which meant we felt like we were playing catch up from the start.

That's not to say we wished we hadn't done it. For one thing, shooting on location brings its own list of problems, particularly when our only suitable location was very far away and without elctricity. Besides, anyone who knows me will know I live for green screen shoots, and I was very excited to get back in the studio after spending a year behind a computer. The facilities at Bournemouth are awesome, (though not quite as awesome as Glamorgan! Well maybe on par... Mostly... Well ours is definitely bigger...) and we were willing to put in the extra hours to get ourselves back on schedule. We got some great footage, the green screen providing us with a really clean and even backdrop for keying and compositing, and only minimal roto was needed to get back some motion blur and a disappearing thumb. On the whole, a very positive experience, even if we did have some hiccups setting up the props.

And then of course came the packing up.



I can't really post an evolution from concept to final product as turn around was so fast that there wasn't much time to work on tests and make rough shots. We pretty much jumped straight onto final composites, with myself and Katt working on keys and matte paintings whilst Jo, Graham and Suvi got straight onto the robot.

I was given early animated block outs around week four, which helped with adding in VFX, which needed to be timed, and final passes for compositing toward the end of week five and beginning of week six. As you can probably tell we all worked flat out right until the last day.

The most important lesson I have learnt from BFX, is that Time Management is everything. I've always been pretty good when it comes to organising myself, but I found that unless everyone in the team is working to the same schedule, things can fall apart pretty quickly. Communication and cooperation are the most important factors in a team project. If there is someone who does not really understand what you do and how long it will realistically take you, pipelines can bottleneck. My advice to anyone taking part next year, is allocate roles for everyone, but also be fluid in what you can do, write a realistic schedule, and keep to it. If people start falling behind, it is imperative that not only is there is someone in the team chasing it up, but also that there is someone in the team able to jump on board and help out. It should never be about appointing blame, but asking "What problem are you having, and what can I do to help?" You are a team after all.


And at last, the final film. Thanks BFX it was awesome. A big thank you to the organisers and the coaches. See you in September for the Festival.



For more information on the BFX Festival, check out their website: http://www.bfxfestival.com/

BFX Competition

This weekend I shall be heading off to Bournemouth for six weeks to start work on an entry for BFX competition. I haven't posted about BFX before, and I really should have done.

Several months ago, a rep from Bournemouth University popped into the Atrium to do a talk promoting a new Festival that celebrates Visual Effects, which was to be held at Bournemouth University. They were incorporating a competition, which involved teams of 4-6 people making short films answering one of a number of briefs on their website. This competition was open to students and recent graduates, however teams were only allowed one recent graduate on each team. Seeing as I fell into the graduate column, and I didn't know many 3rd year students, I went away and didn't think too much more about it.

Not too long after that, my former head of department messaged me on Facebook inviting me to join the Glamorgan University BFX group. It seemed our faculty were trying to get a few teams together to enter the competition. So I joined the group and had a gander, and spotted that a group of CG Artists and Animators that were look for VFX people, so I dropped them a line.

These guys showed me some of their concept art and wow, frankly I had to be on that team. I was willing to beg to work with these guys, they were that good. Imagine how surprised I was when they told me they were second years, because seriously, these guys could hold their own against the third years easily.

Our team became Traditionally Digital, and we worked together to put create a pitch video that was our entry into the competition (though I think our team leader did most of the work...). The pitch went up and we held our breath for two weeks.

The competition you see was open entry, but there were several stages to get through. Anyone could submit a pitch. The idea being you put together previz and concept art and pitch it as if you were pitching to industry. The best ten teams were selected and would be invited to spend six weeks on Bournemouth University campus making the short films with the help of industry mentors. The best of those ten wins the prize, though I believe all ten films will be showed at the festival.

So after much fidgeting and pacing we got the call, and Traditionally Digital made the top ten and was invited to Bournemouth. Yay!

That's when the mad panic began, because honestly I don't think we expected to ever have to make this film, and it is rather ambitious. Nick, our team leader, has been amazing. He's taken control of the art direction, and organised us all with homework. He's anticipated where he thinks we may have problems and encouraged us to do research and work on test shots that will help iron out these issues when it comes to production. For example, my main problem is digital lighting. Nick wants a very specific style and I've been working on different methods to achieve the look we're after. Hopefully, the hard work will pay off and by the time we get to Bournemouth, we shall be working together like a well oiled machine.

So less than a week to go before production starts and I am both excited and terrified. Whatever happens, win or lose, I think we will have a fabulous time, make lots of friends and industry contacts, and gain an experience that will be more than valuable in our future endeavours.

Go Team Traditionally Digital!

Look out for us in 14th August edition of 3D Artist Magazine. We'll be appearing in the Community section talking about the run up to BFX.

Find out more about BFX on their Official Website: http://www.bfxfestival.com/

I plan to keep this blog up to date during the BFX process, so stay tuned for the trials and tribulations ahead.

The Greater Good Teaser Trailer

The tragedy and curse of a family. A climactic duel with a dark and dangerous wizard, second only to Voldemort. This is the moment that changed the fate of Albus, Aberforth, and Arianna Dumbledore forever. 

From the pages of J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"

... THE GREATER GOOD 

Starring Josh Brodis, Chistopher Cramer, Colin Goodridge, and Kari Christopher. 

 Coming soon! 

I'm so excited to be working on this project that I just have to share this, even though my VFX aren't in this teaser trailer. It's going to be a great short and does real justice to the book. I can't wait for it to get out there. In the mean time, enjoy this trailer. You can find more information about the film on the website TheGreaterGoodFilm.com or join up to their Facebook Page.

The Greater Good

Before there was Voldemort…

 …There was Grindlewald. 

 The tragedy and curse of a family. A climactic duel with a dark and dangerous wizard, second only to Voldemort. This is the moment that changed the fate of Albus, Aberforth, and Arianna Dumbledore forever.

From the pages of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” 

THE GREATER GOOD 

 http://www.thegreatergoodfilm.com/ 

 trailer coming soon…

(Just a little something I'm doing some VFX on at the moment.)

A Highly Spoilerific Review of Star Trek into Darkness

The risk with this film, after being so long awaited by fans, and the continuous advertising campaign, was that there was no way it would ever live up to expectations. I've not felt anxiety over a movie quite like this since the original reboot in 2009 after JJ Abrams admitted he wasn't a Star Trek fan. He didn't disappoint us then, and in my opinion, he has not disappointed us now. It's an exciting, fast paced action adventure, but it also contains the moral and ethical issues that was absent from the last movie, and is at the heart of the Star Trek fandom. It's funny and devastating and incredibly beautiful. It was everything I wanted in a Star Trek movie and so much more. Plus, there were tribbles!

It's going to be nigh on impossible to discuss this film without entering into major spoiler territory, so I'm not even going to try. I'm just going to dive straight in, so you have been warned, there are spoilers ahead.

So let's start with the question on the tip of everyones tongue. Just who is Benedict Cumberbatch playing in this movie? Well, the internet was alight with rumours and theories, and much fun has been had debating the possibilities. The number one thought is Khan. After all he is a monumental baddie, and appeared in the second of the original films. We also had Gary Mitchell and Mirror Universe Spock put on the table. In the end Abrams weighed in himself and announced, "He is John Harrison." The fandom gave a huge simultaneous laugh. If there was one thing we did know for certain, it was that Cumberbatch would not be playing John Harrison.

I said going into the the film that I had a feeling it was going to be a Khan movie, and that I would be very disappointed if it was. As it turns out, Cumberbatch is playing Khan, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. The character is introduced in such a way that all questions of his identity are wiped from your mind instantaneously. Harrison can save any persons life by handing over a vial of his blood, and yet he manipulated a grieving father into committing an act of terrorism, rather than become a doctor. Evil you might say, but then he saves Kirks life and grieves for his own crew, the people who are his family. You get a sense that he will do anything for his crew, including lie and cheat and kill. You convince yourself he's a good man driven to do bad things. When he reveals his true identity, it still completely knocks you for six. You've forgotten to ask the question, and you find yourself wondering how you missed the obvious clues. The answer is that the film is so fast paced and alight with humour that you barely pause for a thought.

Cumberbatch is an outstanding actor. He crawls right under your skin and demands that you care for Khan. He has been wronged, and his vengeance is justified. When he betrays Kirk, you'll feel that same horrible sense of betrayal. He fooled you completely. You placed your faith in him and so he betrayed you too. But then Kirk betrayed him first and for a while it's hard to let go.

This isn't the Cumberbatch show however. I did wonder if he would overpower the entire film with his presence, leaving the Enterprise crew to play second fiddle, but that is certainly not the case. Though he owns every scene he is in with an iron fist, he has surprisingly little screen time. This is the story of Captain Kirk and Commander Spock, how one learns to grow up and take responsibility, whilst the other learns to embrace his human side. Khan is just an antagonist, and a catalyst for the events that will take our favourite Star Fleet officers on their own personal journey.

What I loved about this film, is the beautiful symmetry that it had with the original Wrath of Khan movie. Though the story is self contained, and you can enjoy it as a non or casual Star Trek fan, the true impact of the story can only be felt if you have seen the classic movies. And not just because you won't know who Khan is! In a way this film tells much the same story. The scene is set slightly differently due to the altered time line, but events play out similarly. However, Kirk and Spocks roles are reversed, due to their different upbringings from the original time line. In a way they end up trading places, with both hilarious and heart breaking consequences. You won't see it coming, but once again you will ask yourself why not, because hindsight is 20:20.

Over all the film is very well written and directed. The pace never lets up for a moment, and so the experience is exhilarating. So much happens in just two hours. I had to see it again straight away just to allow my brain to catch up. The mood dashes from brilliant tongue and cheek humour, to high adrenaline action to pure devastation so fluidly you barely know whether you are laughing or crying. I did both.

Once again the cast is on top form, I must give a particular shout out for Karl Urban who often seems to be forgotten in reviews, and yet is the ultimate Bones, right down to the mannerisms. He had some cracking one liners, and brilliant chemistry with Zachary Quinto. Spock and Bones always rile each other up in the Original Series, and this time around it was no different. The crew dynamics was spot on all around.

I could lament for hours about the Visual Effects, particularly the new Klingon Bird of Prey design and the exterior shots of space. I love the warp effects, its nice to see the nacelles being stretched out old school style. I must admit the 3D conversion in the trailer had me a little worried but I felt the 3D in the finished film was outstanding. I have seen in it 2D as well though and I can't say I missed the 3D aside from the scene where Kirk and Khan dive through space to reach the other ship. To be honest it's worth the extra fee just to see that sequence.

I have a few niggles about submerging the ship at the beginning, in fact I'm pretty sure Voyager was the only class of ship that could enter the atmosphere, but I'd have to run that through my brother before I angrily rant about the science fail, he is the utmost authority on Star Trek engineering. But still it was a little ridiculous but a necessary plot device and frankly my only complaint.

This review is becoming ridiculously long winded now. There is so much left to say but I'm still finding it hard to process the level of awesome I have just been exposed to. I recommend you see it, obviously. It has so many nods to the fandom that it has thrilled me to the core. Hopefully I'll get to see it a few more times before it leaves the cinema.

Thank you JJ Abrams, you did us proud.

A few extra thoughts:

• Did anyone else think "uh oh" when Kirk gave Chekov a red jumper?
• "I'm a doctor not a torpedo expert" 
• Very sad that the tribble died.
• Anyone recognise the security guard? Yes Cupcake makes a return
• Spock crying was heard breaking. But then...
• "Kaaaaaaaaaaahn!" I laughed so hard.
• Loved the fact that the audience applauded at the grand reveal. The fandom approves.
• Didn't like the new Klingons, but loved the new ship design.
• A little sad that Kahn didn't do "The Speech" but "I'll walk over your cold dead corpses" was a suitable substitute. 
• Cumberbatch likes to jump off really tall objects doesn't he. Shame he wasn't so springy in Sherlock.
• I'm going to see it again tomorrow.

Iron Man Three (light spoilers)

 So i've just returned from the midnight showing of Iron Man Three, its 3:30am so forgive me if this review is a little choppy but I must blog about this right now.

I am going to start with my one true love, Visual Effects. There were so many great companies and artists working on this film, and they really brought their A game. Somehow they managed to bring a certain amount of gritty realism to FX that ordinarily would be over the top even by comic book standards. There's one scene where a large number of Iron Man suits are involved in battle, and start flying around, shooting and blowing up and yet somehow the viewer can totally accept it as real. This, in my opinion  is the art of good Visual Effects. It's not just about putting CG objects in live action footage, it's about putting it there and no one being able to tell. The level of detail that these guys have gone into, right down to the scratches on the paint work, is phenomenal. Hats off to these guys and gals, not just for proving that VFX is an art form, but for being an inspiration. It's not just about blowing stuff up (though that is cool and there is a lot of that) but making things look real, and it reminds me as a recent graduate and freelancer, that I should never stop learning the craft because perhaps one day I'll get to work on projects like this myself.

I'm not going to spoil too much of the story. I'm an avid hater of spoilers and so wouldn't wish to ruin the experience for anyone. Go and see it, it is beyond worth it. It's probably the cleverest plot line for a action film I have seen in a while, and had some particularly good twists and turns. All the clues are there for you if look out for them, but if you miss them, it all ties up in the end. It's got great Tony Stark dialogue, with humour in dollops, oozing with the same cocky swagger RDJ brings to the role. I was told in a very cryptic fashion before I saw this film, that something about the villain will split the fandom in half, and it most certainly will. I personally think it was a very ballsy move on the writers part, and one that brings an old school, cliched, comic book bad guy right up to date. Others will disagree. Watch out for Ty Simpkins, Starks unlikely side kick, who's a great little actor and bounced off RDJ with the talent of a real pro. They say never work with children or animals, well in this case they got the casting spot on.

What I really liked about this film, is the way they dealt with Tony Stark as a character. In the comic books, he got a bit dark towards the end, and yet they managed to work with that in a Disney fashion that shouldn't disturb the younger audience and yet still manages to deal with the a character post a highly traumatic experience (ie. The Avengers Assemble plot line). It also, quite cleverly, deals with the question that the Captain posed in the Avengers movie. Who is Tony Stark without the suit? The answer, well wait and see, but it is finely executed, with tonnes of symbolism as Stark learns more about himself and love and all the things that made Pinocchio a real boy. It's heart warming really,  and exciting, incredibly dramatic with laugh out load humour, high adrenaline action and just plain awesomeness. I couldn't have asked for more from a Marvel film. If you're not sold, just watch the trailer below!

A few things to finish off with.

1. Go see it immediately. I, in fact, will almost certainly be there again tomorrow night. 
2. Wait until after the credits, there's a nice little gift for you Avengers fans at the end.
3. Anyone else REALLY annoyed at how it's Iron Man 3 in all the promotional stuff but the film is in fact Iron Man Three? I don't know, that just annoyed me. It's really the only thing.

An Analytical Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Ok, so it's been a while, and I know I promised an update on my  current project (there have been a few) and an in-depth review of Life of Pi (I saw the preview earlier in the week and I am ruminating on what to write) but right now I have to talk about the Hobbit. Yes, at 11:40am I found myself in Cardiff Cineworld with a bag on popcorn in one hand and a bottle of Vimto in another, ready to go on an Unexpected Journey. There is so much to tell, it is hard to know where to begin, so let us begin at the beginning.

Beware, there will be spoilers.

So, the lights have dimmed, you've sat through an extraordinary amount of advertisements, cried a little at the lack of Star Trek into Darkness trailer and then, darkness. There is an audible click as the projector switches from 24 fps to 48 and then the opening notes of the Hobbit theme tune begins and for a moment you feel as though you are coming home. It's been a very long time waiting for this movie, and I will not deny that I may have shed a tear in pure happiness at the perfection of the music and the rolling landscapes and just the shear feeling of triumph that we have waited and we have been rewarded our patience.

So, I hear you cry, what about the 48fps (or as the slightly cooler amongst you may be calling it HFR)? I am here to speak (or type) the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and therefore it would be wrong of me to praise too highly or criticise too severely.

On the whole, the 48fps works well, It gives a level of realism and clarity that you just don't get from 24fps. However it doesn't always work, the the opening sequence is perhaps one of the best examples of it not working. For a brief moment I must admit I was slightly worried. The camera moves seem to have been emphasised somehow, and so the fast moving aerial shots made me feel motion sick,. Worst are the hand held shots during actions sequences, they gave me a headache and sometimes made it look a bit cheap. For the more subtle camera moves though, which thankfully is most of the film, it is perfection and you can really feel the difference. The 3D is spot on perfect. I have never watched a 3D movie before that hasn't had parts where the 3D turns to double vision or the depth hasn't felt quite right. In the Hobbit it could not have been done better. It is true when they say that Peter Jackson is a master of his craft, he really knew what he was doing on this one and it shows. The experience is truly immersive. It is cliched, but you feel part of the action. You are part of the team, you are on location, and that burning pine cone may actually hit you in the face so DUCK!

So we've seen some great shots of New Zealand/Middle Earth and we're back in the Shire. The Shire theme plays and you are overwhelmed by an feeling of nostalgia. It's beautiful and jolly, and everything the Shire should be. Jackson starts the tale through the eyes of Old Bilbo Baggins, played by Ian Holm, set just before his 111 birthday party which featured at the beginning of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. This is quite important I think, because later in the film it becomes clear that Jackson is trying to tie the two tales together. I'll discuss that a bit more later. The film is told as a flash back, and there are flash backs within that flash back, which may sound confusing, but I must admit that I was impressed that at no point did I get lost in the time lines. This is often a downfall of using flashbacks as a plot device, so kudos to the team for pulling this off so brilliantly.

I'm not going to do a hit by hit, scene by scene breakdown of the film. I'm not a live blogger and already it has become hazy in my mind (a second viewing required I think), but in general terms, I enjoyed this film thoroughly. Yes, it was long, and my bladder definitely felt the strain by the end, but it was fast paced and at no point did I feel bored or fidgety. If anyone has read the book, you will know that the first half of the tale takes the shape of a series of mini adventures that occur on a journey to the Lonely Mountain. This means there are bursts of action throughout with moments of rest in between. Bilbo and co bounce from danger to danger, barely pausing for breath and so at no point do you look at your watch, in fact I barely paused to take a hand of popcorn, I am in fact eating it now.

So a few of my favourite scenes.

The dinner scene. Hilarious. It couldn't have been more perfect. Martin Freeman is hilarious, as are his house guests. Jackson managed to get in the ones from the book which made this fangirl light up with glee. Particularly when they washed the dishes. I shall say no more.

The scene with the trolls is my favourite in the book, and though it is different in the film, it doesn't disappoint. It's very funny, with some really cool VFX and a really nice moment for Bilbo to show his worth as a thinker and tactician.

And of course, Bilbo and Gollum playing riddles. I will talk about this again later, but the acting is superb, as is the set. Hard to believe it was a sound stage.

Let's talk about Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins for a moment. To say he is incredible would be an understatement. His comedy timing is perfection, and many of the laughs in this film come from him and his characters obvious discomfort and hesitation. But that's not to say he is the comic relief of the film. In the book his character depicts the innocence of a child, and provides the eyes from which we view the world; big, scary but also wondrous. Freeman pulls this off to perfection. He's scared and missing the comforts of home and genuinely thinks he may die. He is also very aware that his peers feel he is a burden upon them. You can't help but feel what he feels, and this is thanks to Freeman's expressive eyes and often subtle acting.

To be fair to the entire cast, there is not a weak link amongst them, and so it is a shame that a few of the Dwarves seem to be overlooked a little. You don't get much in the way of character development, but that is to be expected in a film with 15 main characters. I did feel that perhaps Thorin's back story was too fleshed out. At the beginning we hear about the history of his Kingdoms downfall, and so it seems unnecessary to do a second flash back to introduce the Pale Orc. In fact, I don't recall the Pale Orc at all from the book (perhaps it is from the Lord of the Rings Appendices I don't remember) and it seemed a pointless addition to a story that was already action heavy. I can understand that perhaps it was plot device designed to create an element of danger and push the story forward, but in my humble opinion the story has enough steam to propel itself. If removed it may have given a chance to get to know the other Dwarves on a more human level (if you mind the expression.)

So, on to Rivendell, and this is where our story deviates from the Hobbit book most significantly. We've already met Radagast the Brown (played by Sylvester McCoy), and the idea that there is a dark cloud descending over Middle Earth and a very bad man rising elsewhere (I shan't spoil it too much.) has been planted in our minds. Here Gandalf meets with the Elves and Soromon the White to discuss this impending doom. This is my greatest niggle with the film really. The Lord of the Rings was all about epic life and death scenarios, the weight of the world, and everything would be lost if they failed, this is not what the Hobbit is supposed to be about. The Hobbit is a much more fun and whimsical. It's about a bunch of outcasts finding their home, it's about a terrified young Hobbit finding a courage deep inside, and of course fighting dragons and bouncing down rivers in barrels. It's a fun children's book. They're going on an adventure, they are not supposed to be saving the world. The film doesn't need to be epic, nor did it require dark foreshadowing and doom and gloom. To me this ruined the magic of it a little bit. Of course it is not on the same level as Lord of the Rings on this front, it is saved by great humour and brilliant one liners that keep the chuckles coming, but for me I felt this scene should have been saved for another time. Remember this was Bilbo's first time in the company of Elves, there should have been the same wondrous excitement that accompanied Frodo's first time in Rivendell. This is where the film lost the feel or the essence of the book and started to feel a bit too much like Lord of the Rings.

However, as mentioned before, I get the feeling that Jackson is trying to tie the two tales together, and though yes they do go together, it just didn't work for me in this film. It felt out of sorts. This is a minor issue and in fairness other than these points I've made, the film did stay pretty true to the book, to point where at times the dialogue is directly lifted.

I'm a Visual Effects Artist, and so I have to talk about Gollum played by Andy Serkis. First of all, wow. The interaction between Gollum and Bilbo is perfect, and exactly how I wanted it to be, I couldn't be happier with it. Also the interaction between Gollum and Smeagol is perfect. It could have been so easy to get confused as to which alter ego you were watching, but Serkis' acting creates two very different characters, in both voice tones and body language. The game of riddles manages to be funny and yet maintain that undercurrent of fear, after all Gollum might just eat him whole. Motion capture has come a long way in the last few years. Gollum looked like a real thing, perfectly composited into the scene. The skin texture seemed to stretch and role over bones and sinew. The face was so expressive, it was hard to believe that it wasn't a real creature playing the part rather than a man covered in CG makeup. Even the eyes looked realistic, which is often one of the pitfalls of CG models. You could pick out individual hairs on his head and pores in his skin, he really was a beautiful creation. Hats off to the guys at WETA, you guys did a fine job.

As for Smaug, well we don't see a lot of Smaug, just the hint of a tail, the heel of a foot, oh yes and that ruddy scary eye. Just enough to peak your interest, not enough to feed your curiosity. Sorry guys, but I guess that is for the next film. Quite right too.

I could really sit and discuss this film all night. I probably will hit up Tumblr later, but for now I will just say, you are a fool not to go see it. Book your tickets now, there is really no reason to wait. See it in 3D. If you can catch it in 48fps I suggest you do. The technology may not be as awesome as we hoped for, on the whole it will certainly improve your cinema experience. It is probably the best film I have seen all year, and I will be seeing it again. Enjoy.

A Busy Few Months

I must apologise for neglecting this blog over the last few months, it has been a very busy time. First off, I graduated from the University of Glamorgan with a First Class degree in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics. As you can imagine I am very happy about this and hope it will act as a key to gain access to the Visual Effects industry.

Next, I moved house. I'm still based in Cardiff, but it took me a little while to sort out my computer system and internet connection etc.

Since then I have worked on a few independent short film productions. The most noteworthy of them, were Olympic VIP and Down in the Third.

I believe I mentioned Olympic VIP whilst I was working on the pre-production for this project with Chelange Joseph. Well, just to let you know, this short boxing themed musical was entered into Panasonic's competition to celebrate the Olympic games, and we came first! We were very surprised about this, as we had much less time to work on this as our team was the reserve team and had to step in at the last minute. I'm told the finished edit is on youtube somewhere, but I don't actually have a link just yet. I will post it once I find it.

The other project, is a short film written and directed by Michael Brooks called Down in the Third. The film is a boxing/crime thriller and aims to be as visually impressive as classics such as Raging Bull and the Rocky franchise. You can view the trailer on Vimeo here:

The film premieres next week on the 18th October and is being endorsed by Two Times Heavy Weight World Champion Tim Witherspoon. The production team hope to enter this film into a number of film festivals over the next two years, so keep your eyes out for it.

I have been working on this project for the last few months, putting together invisible VFX shots. This largely included RotoPainting and inserting TV content, but also a few Crowd Replication shots and blood splatter shots. I've put together a short VFX Breakdown video of some of the cooler shots I've worked on since starting this project. I hope you like it.

Check out the Official Down in the Third Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DownInTheThird

Hello World Take Two

Wow I have finally returned to the world after 16 weeks working on Project Duplicity. I have barely left my flat and have become as pale as a corpse. The good news is we finished in time for our deadline, despite the few hiccups we hit along the way. This largely involved technical issues with cameras, microphones and unexpectedly exploding hard drives. However with hard work and dedication from everyone on our team we have prevailed. It has been a hard slog, our schedule was intense and we had so little sleep that at times it was difficult to produce a coherent sentence! However we made it and after a good nights sleep I am already raring to go on a new project.

For more information on Project Duplicity, visit the Project Blog http://project-duplicity.tumblr.com/ or follow us on Twitter @PDuplicity

We require a few days to recover and prepare for our Final Year Show, 62 Degrees, before we unveil Project Duplicity online. In the mean time, you can watch the short teaser trailer which is online now!

I would also like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to 62 degrees which will commence on Monday of next week. If you are in the Cardiff area drop in for a chat at the Atrium. 

In other news, I am currently working on a website which will be a central base for my blog, twitter, videos and photographs. It's still under construction but should be online in a few weeks. Bookmark this webpage people it's going to be great :)

CarpenterVFX.com

Time for a well earned rest I think, keep your eyes open for my next project!

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.

Rough Showreel

So I have a rough version of my showreel up and ready for feedback. We have interviews on Thursday so it is imperative that I get it looking good before then. So far feedback is positive, but I kind of feel its not snappy enough. It's almost as if by making it more montagey, I'd loose the information I'm trying to convey. I think I may add some chilled out music to it, and make it feel like it should be slower. It's a shame we haven't got a shot in the bag for Project Duplicity yet, as that would go great in the showreel. I can not wait to start putting those shots together!

Feedback, is as ever, wonderful and incredibly useful. 

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!

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.

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! :)