Introduction to Visual Effects

1. Introduction to Visual Effects Lecture Two Pre-Production

2. Review of Lecture One Basic Concepts

3. What’s the difference between Visual Effects and Special Effects? • Special Effects modify the real world • Visual Effects modify the virtual world

4. Special Effectsmodify the real world Action background foreground

5. Visual Effectsmodify the virtual world Camera Post-Production Lens Sensor Processing Image

6. Why create visual effects? • In normal photography we try to reproduce reality • In VFX we want to create something that doesn’t exist at all • …and also, fool people into believing it is real

7. Three scenarios for VFX • What we want to see doesn’t exist • What we want to see is too difficult or dangerous to photograph live • We need to “fix” something we have photographed

8. Format? • Whether VFX are shot on film or video depends on what the effects will be used for • Often effects shots require much higher resolution than the viewing format • The ability to shoot at a variety of speeds is also a determining factor

9. Film Formats • 65/70mm • When used horizontally, it’s called IMAX • 35mm • 16mm (used for television) • 8mm

10. Film Formats

11. Aspect Ratios • Full Aperture = 1.33:1 (Silent) • Academy = 1.37:1 • WideScreen = 1.85:1 • VistaVision = 1.5:1 (Silent) • Cinemascope = 2.35:1 • Television widescreen = 1.78:1 (16x9)

12. Resolution • 35mm = 4K resolution • Most VFX work is done at 2K resolution • Why is this the case? • 4K resolution = 64MB per frame and 1.5GB/s data rate • 2K is less than half the resolution and require less than 250MB/s data rate

13. Why resolution is important • Different resolutions draw the attention of the viewer • The process of creating an effect often degrades resolution over time • Affects the size of your sfx plates

14. Different Resolutions draw our attention • In Spiderman, it was obvious when the image switched between live action and cgi

15. 1920 x 1080 Resolution affects the size of your sfx plate • If the size of your image is the typical film 2K size and you need to pan across a relatively small area, your background plate will need to be substantially larger 5760 x 1450

16. Normal ActionFilm Speeds • 12 fps (Silent movies) • 24 fps (all Hollywood movies) • 25 fps (all European movies) • 30 fps (video)

17. Variable speed • High speed cameras necessary for shooting miniatures • Camera speed at a given scale is found by the formula: • D2 /d2= f

18. Lenses • Every camera has a “normal” lens which shows objects in the same perspective as the human eye would • A wide angle lens is shorter than a normal lens • A telephoto or “long lens” is longer • If your normal is 25mm, then your wide might be 12mm and your long 100mm

19. Wide Angle Lens • Includes a larger area than the normal lens at the same distance– good for cramped quarters where you can’t move the camera back any farther • Subject is smaller in the frame than with the normal lens at the same distance • Exaggerates depth– makes elements appear farther apart than normal • Because of the exaggerated depth movements toward or away from the camera seem faster than normal • Because of the smaller image size, camera jiggles are less noticeable. Good for handholding the camera.

20. Telephoto or “Long” Lens • Includes a smaller area than the normal lens at the same distance– good for distant subjects where you can’t move the camera closer • Subject is larger in the frame than with the normal lens at the same distance • Compresses depth– makes elements appear closer together than normal • Because of the compressed distances, movements toward and away from the camera seem slower than normal • Because of the larger image size, camera jiggles are more noticeable. Best done on the tripod.

21. Lens Uses • Wide angle lenses tend to distort and spread out images, so they are useful when those types of effects are called for • Telephoto lenses flatten out facial features and are often used for glamour photography

22. Wide Telephoto Normal

23. Pre-Production • Planning is the most important aspect of any SFX production • Determine what effects are needed and why they are needed • Determine how the effects can be achieved • Determine who will do the effects • Budget how much the effects will cost • Schedule when the effects will be done

24. Job Descriptions • Visual Effects Producer • Visual Effects Supervisor • Art Director • Director of Photography • Technical Director

25. Visual Effects Producer • Works with the VFX Supervisor • Responsible for budget, scheduling and overall management of crew and facilities • Responsible for procuring crew and facilities • Responsible for delivering the project on time and on budget • Answers to the film’s financiers and producers

26. Visual Effects Supervisor • Overall responsibility for all the effects • Must provide most effective solutions to complete required work within the given budget • Works with entire production team, including director, DP, camera department • Designs, creates and supervises every aspect of the film where a visual effect needs to be created • Includes live action, model, miniature shooting as well as post-production VFX

27. Art Director • Also called “set designer” or “production designer” • Analyzes the visual requirements of the script in regard to the settings • Includes both construction and decoration of sets • Must create visual representations through sketches, drawings and/or miniatures • Plans, budgets and arranges creation of all sets

28. Director of Photography “DP” • Responsible for capturing the director’s creative ideas onto film or video • Must be both artist and engineer • Must understand director’s creative vision and then accomplish it • Responsible for the overall look of the film

29. Technical Director • Manages all material shot by the VFX Supervisor • In charge of the post-production crew • Adds any CGI effects and does the digital compositing • Manages the integration of live action with other effects

30. Budgeting • Choosing the right effects depends not only on what you are trying to convey but also what you can afford to do • Movies are a business and effects need to be practical and cost-effective • Use limited budgets an opportunity for creativity, not a barrier

31. Script Analysis • The process of breaking down the script into elements that deal with potential effects • Done by the VFX Supervisor • Often shots are removed at this stage due to budget constraints

32. Pre-visualization • The visual planning of your effects shots • Pre-Viz is the battle plan for the project • Should never be skipped

33. Previz on The Matrix

34. Pre-Viz Steps • Collect and keep reference material • Create and use storyboards • Focus on the finished composition

35. Reference Material • Books and Magazines • On Location • The Internet • CD Libraries (Stock footage, etc) • Keep a database of your reference materials

36. Storyboards • Shows shot composition • Shows shot to shot continuity • Helps you break down the shots and develop a list of requirements for each effect

37. Focus on the Finished Composition • Pay attention to the details • Consider camera, focal depth, lighting, atmospheric effects • Check your plans and your budgets