Introduction to Visual Effects

Lecture 3Preproduction Continued

Review of Lecture Two

Preproduction

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

Job Descriptions

• Visual Effects Producer

• Visual Effects Supervisor

• Art Director

• Director of Photography

• Technical Director

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pre-visualization

• The visual planning of your effects shots

• Pre-Viz is the battle plan for the project

• Should never be skipped

Previz on The Matrix

Pre-Viz Steps

• Collect and keep reference material

• Create and use storyboards

• Focus on the finished composition

Reference Material

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

materials

Storyboards

• Shows shot composition

• Shows shot to shot continuity

• Helps you break down the shots and develop a list of requirements for each effect

Storyboards

Focus on the Finished Composition• Pay attention to the details

• Consider camera, focal depth, lighting, atmospheric effects

• Check your plans and your budgets

Shot Design & Composition

Basic Concepts

Qualities of Good Composition• Rule of Thirds (balance)• Contrast• Depth Cues• Keep it simple• Frame your shots• Use Open Space

Balance

• Refers to the distribution of visual “weight” in the shot

• Divide the frame into thirds, vertically and horizontally

• The intersections have the greatest visual impact

Rule of Thirds

1

2

3

Rule of Thirds

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

Notice where your eyes are drawn to in each shot

Contrast

• Light and dark values

• Sharp and soft focus

• Stillness and motion

• The degree of contrast contributes to the visual weight

Contrast

Depth Cues

• Tricks that make the eye see depth in a two-dimensional space

• Most important to create depth cues when working with models and miniatures

Depth Cues• Linear perspective• Forced Perspective• Relative Size• Light and Shadow• Overlap• Texture Gradients• Aerial Perspective• Relative Motion

Linear Perspective

Forced Perspective

Forced Perspective

Relative Size

Light and ShadowShadow

Overlap

Aerial Perspective

Relative Motion

Texture gradient

Keeping it Simple

• Don’t overcompose your shots

• Sometimes the best solution is the simplest one

• Depth of field is often the easiest way to direct attention

Depth of Field

Framing your Shot

• Create a picture frame within the shot, to direct attention

• Doesn’t have to be an actual frame

• Can be anything within the shot to provide framing

Framing

Using Open Spaces

• Use the visual weight of motion

• … direction

• … the look

Open Spaces

Storyboards

• Illustrated script breakdown

• Primarily for communicating your visual ideas

• Do not need to be perfectly drawn!

Functions of the storyboard• Composition

• Continuity

• Set Design

• Visual Effects

• Equipment Rentals

Types of Storyboards• Drawings

– Thumbnails– Sketches– Renderings

• Photos– Photograph toys– Photograph

people

• Digital Illustration• Photo Collage• Computer

Storyboarding programs

Advantages of the Storyboard• Quick and inexpensive to create

• Easy to change

• Easily copied, distributed and referenced by the crew

• Easily inserted into the script breakdown for continuity

Animatics

• Able to show motion

• Uses pacing and timing cues

• Includes sound (dialogue, music, effects)

• Features animation and visual effects

Videotaping Storyboards

• Easiest and quickest way to create an animatic

• Most animatics are still done this way

• Recreate camera moves in the storyboards (zooms, pans, etc)

Scanning and Animating Storyboards• Use After Effects or Combustion• Create camera effects within the

program• Separate backgrounds from

foregrounds for 3D effects• Do a first pass on the visual effects

Videotaping Toys• Common practice for early Star Wars

animatics• Must use smaller camera to recreate

correct lenses• Use foam core boards to create sets• Can paste up bakgrounds from the

storyboards

Videotaping people

• Comes closest to actual production

• Must be careful not to overdo it

• Good for practicing composites and testing blocking of actors/sets and props

Summary• Planning is essential• Use script breakdown to create

storyboards• Use your Fundamentals of Design

knowledge when creating storyboards• Create animatics from the storyboards• Then you may be ready to begin…