Shutter Speed, F-Stops and ISO Settings

I have experimented with the dSLR considerably over the last two projects trying to find the middle ground between depth of field and grain. Sadly I have yet to find the perfect settings for a green screen shoot. As discussed in the previous project the issue with the F-Stop and ISO settings are that you are stuck between blurry lines or grainy footage, neither of which are particularly suitable for keying and compositing.

This project three in another aspect which created more problems. Shutter speed. When working in slow motion it is important it is important to increase the shutter speed to prevent motion blur, allowing for a clean crisp image at the point of standstill. However, this also reduces the amount of light entering the camera making the problem of depth of field vs grain worse. At the end of my film shoot I walked away with perfect for slow motion footage... But pretty much impossible to key without stepping and thick grey lines around the edges.

I consider everything I have done up to this point as practise for my final major project, and walked away learning an important lesson. The dSLRs produce gorgeous footage for on location shooting, but in the green screen they are less reliable. However the Z7 produces much more usable footage and this is the avenue I will go down for green screen shoots in the future.


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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!

More Slow Motion tests

Today I've been working on my pitch and slow motion tests. After the results of the previous test being too blurry due to the motion blur, I refilmed with a faster shutter speed to lower the motion blur. This proved to be a good idea, and significantly reduced the blurring at the point of the frozen moment.

I have also been researching fight scenes using this sort of editing. As much of my idea revolves around a fight sequence, I think it important to look at how this method fits into such scenes, and also how they are edited together and framed in camera. I have choreographed fight sequences before, but not for camera. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6y2r_uZNXA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmmXO8-P9N0

After some research I put together a quick test to see if I could pull off similar effects. Looking ok for a first fight sequence test.

My next course of action is to storyboard the sequence, particularly the fight sequence, paying attention to composition and editing. I also need to put together a schedule. The green screen studio is so full even after Christmas, so it will be difficult to get the time in. Once the studio is booked everything will have to be organised around it.

Slow Motion Tests

With the pitch days away, I have been working on some tests. Though I have yet to complete storyboards for this project, I know that I want some slow motion action, and so I thought it necessary to work out how to do this before I moved forward. If this proves too time costuming and problematic, it might be worth rethinking the idea completely.

So after some stress I managed to book out the green screen studio for two evenings to work on some footage for the tests. A small team of us went in to do some jumping shots, which I could then take into After Effects and work on doing a frozen moment at the peak of the jump.

Using the following method on Twixtor, I produced a reasonable slow motion shot.

Obviously, this is not the costume for the real shoot, it will be creams and browns, however I wanted to see how Twixtor dealt with the flowing cape. There are a few issues with this however, most notably the motion blur which means the point of stand still is slightly blurred. My only option it seemed, was to go back into the studio and film with a faster shutter speed to see if I got a sharper image. I shall keep update you on my findings later today.

We also took the opportunity to audition some actors. For this project I require a peasant woman/girl to be saved by our hero. So we met Nicola, one of the actors to answer our advertisements and do some work with her on the green screen.

She was very easy to work with, a great actress and I think would work well as a "damsel in distress"type character. We had some male actors also coming in to audition the following day for the male positions, however due to the strike transport was difficult for most of them and we called it off.

Watch this space for more project updates.

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! :) 

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.

Canon 550D: Grain vs Depth of Field

So, as I had invested in a Canon 550D last year, I thought I would take advantage of it for my film project. I've been experimenting with the film settings on it since I purchased it, but this was the first time I had the opportunity to test it in the green screen studio. All my footage this term so far has been filmed on my 550D, and each time I have run into issues.

First off, for green screen work, particularly when tracking, it is important to have a crisp image with high depth of field. One MUST have the subject and the track markers in focus or tracking becomes a nightmare. After some reading, I discovered increasing the F-Stop (reducing the aperture) lengthens the depth of field.

Perfect, you would think, but no.

Though this did do as promised, it also meant that the image was far too dark. There are two ways to deal with this:
1. To dramatically increase the lighting.
2. Increase the ISO number.

Now as we were in a studio we were able to increase the lighting to an extent, however, it was also necessary to increase the ISO. This brought its own problems. Grain.

Grain is a nightmare, it makes keying difficult and the footage looks awful. Noise reduction plugins are available, but often make the image look out of focus.

The answer?

There isn't one, you have to compromise.

Lower the F-stop, so the green screen is less in focus, but using bright orange track markers makes tracking easier.

Reduce the ISO reduces grain, with the lower F-stop the image isn't as dark.

Increase the lighting to allow for the highest F-stop and lowest ISO possible.

In the end the footage looked ok. I used a neutral flat setting so the footage on it's own looks rubbish, but once taken into post the keying is easier and the noise easily removed. In hindsight it would probably have been much easier to use the Z7 for studio work, as it has a much higher depth field so these issues are irrelevant.

Flickr

I have recently set up a Flickr page to showcase some of my better photographs. As a beginner with a dSLR I am still learning and hope that the internet will provide me with constructive criticism that will help me improve and evolve. I hope you enjoy.

AWOL

I have been a little bit AWOL for the last few months, this is mostly due to my Final Major Project which is now complete. I do however have 3 months of movie reviews to write and some work to post (my previously mentioned FMP). In the meantime I shall post some lovely photos I took on my last trip to Bute Park.

St Fagans 2011

On Saturday 26th February, it was decided that St Fagans was the perfect location for this amateur photographer to break in her new dSLR. Blessed with good company and great weather, (or should that be great company and good weather?) off we jolly trot.

The scenic beauty that awaited us was like nothing one would expect in the modern world, let alone ten minutes from the city of Cardiff. It was like stepping back in time. We were greeted by little wooden houses, complete with smoky chimneys and thatched roofs, a friendly farmyard cat and the history of the Welsh people at our fingertips. An authentic old fashioned sweet shop, seemed to be at the center of a bizarre village, with houses that stepped through time. You could travel from the Victorian period, through the wars and up to modern day in the space of one street.

My favourite place of all was the castle, or more particularly the perfectly kept castle gardens. This provided many photo opportunities, especially around the duck pond.

My task for the day was to take all my photos on manual settings, or at least using the macros, staying away from the automatic switch. Armed with nothing but my Canon 550D, a friends telescopic lens, and just wits about me, I set about completing my task. I thought I'd share a few of my photos here. These are my favourites.

The Castles across the river

This little fellow followed us around

The duck pond

experimenting with shutter speeds

slow shutter speed

 

Otto the dog

All in all it was a fabulous day. The walk is long but well worth it. Certainly a great day out in the fresh air, something the whole family can enjoy.

If you would like to see more of my photos from the day, check out my Facebook photo album.

Canon EOS 550D SLR Camera

Well, maybe I am foolish, but I ordered one of these dSLR camera's off Amazon two days ago. The current price is £617, around £200 cheaper than the current RRP. It has arrived and it is beautiful. What I first noticed is that the body is much the same as the 1000D, except it has a rubber grip for that extra comfortable feel. It comes with an instruction manual (or 5 in different languages) that gives you a quick start guide to taking your first photo, and then a much more detailed guide on all the different settings. So far I am enjoying the Full Automatic mode, but by the end of the week I imagine I shall be investigating the depth of field, shutter speeds and exposure settings. I can not wait.

So what do you get for your money?
In short, everything a beginner needs. You get the camera body; an 18-55mm lens, which is ideal for general photography. For hard core zoom work I'd recommend purchasing a larger lens; a thick camera strap; battery; battery charger; and all the required cables for hooking it up to your computer and to a TV.

What you don't get, is an SD card. However you can purchase class 10 SD cards of a decent size for quite a decent price now. I bought a Class 10 16G SD for £16. Not bad. They also don't provide any kind of case. For me this was a bit of a downer as I didn't feel comfortable moving it out of my flat without one. However, as luck would have it, Camera Land in Morgan Arcade, Cardiff had a half price sale on a lot of their cases. Picked up a lovely one for £25. Now I'm all ready to climb through bushes and hike up mountains to take photographs :)

Photographic Experminentation

 A little experimentation with the dSLR around the flat. Not too bad for a complete novice. :)

Product placement

Tidiness is the sign of a boring mind. 

The chaos that is breakfast time.

digital SLR photography

As a student interested in creating digital art, I felt that taking up a hobby in photography would be both beneficial to improving my sense of composition and useful to creating a paper portfolio. I've always been snap happy with the camera on my mobile phone, but I feel that it's about time I owned an SLR camera.

First photo I have ever taken on a dSLR

Today I booked one out of the Media Loans department at my university. It's a Canon 1000D. It's not top of the range, but it has been good fun experimenting with the settings and practicing. Tomorrow I'll be taking it out around Cardiff at the crack of dawn to get some city photos without being bothered or bothering the public.

Meanwhile, I'll drool over a Canon 550D on Amazon which has a HD 1080p movie capturing mode. It's safe to say I want it!