L5 Post Production and Visual Effects Technical Report

This Project was a massive learning experience for me. Not only was it the first time I used Nuke X, but made me realise just how easy it is to underestimate the amount of work you will be doing. Below I have supplied my Gantt Chart and Storyboards.

The first three weeks was spent preparing for the pitch presentation which included miniatures I would be using (one of which made it into the final piece, the Ember Shrine), the storyboard (below) and showing what inspirations I had for the project (also below).

I began researching digital matte painting using Digital Tutors videos.

When I started to look at Houdini, I required more tutorials, using Youtube (there were only a few useful to me, personally) and Digital Tutors once again. Houdini was used in Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, which was one of my inspirations for one of the sequences I wanted to make, but was one of the sequences that was ultimately too much for me to do.

The couple weeks for worst case scenarios came in handy. I was having a couple issues working on three projects, and around the week 5/6 mark was when other presentations were needing finalised. Plus, trying to book the Blue Screen room around two work schedules and other room pre-bookings was tricky. I eventually got the footage shot in about Week 7/8.

Compositing the footage together was tricky, for a multitude of reasons. I had recorded the footage in PAL and the footage was Interlaced, resulting in poor quality final footage. The Blue Screen was poorly set meaning lots of folds were tough to key out. I used markers for props, so we knew where to look/focus and where to place hands and where to stand, which led to LOTS of Rotoscoping.

I managed to get the footage put together, then do the breakdown video showing how bits were made.

THEN THE WORST OF WORST CASE SCENARIOS HAPPENED. As mentioned in a previous post, I lost 90% of footage, WHILST BACKING IT UP TO MY LAPTOP!!! This was a major set back, made slightly less worse by me having already backed up the final video and breakdown video, plus uploading to the blog and Youtube. Small victories!

These links are also found in my Blog, 

 http://chrismcewananimation.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/a-couple-pieces-to-keep-in-mind-for-vis.html

The last two frames of this storyboard had been shot, but were ultimately not used. The sequences would have been too advanced for my skills and the time I had available to composite.

This board shows the "Scott Pilgrim" sequence. Inspired by the Roxy Richter fight scene, http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=h7PHXCLjel8#t=72

But instead of the disco ball glass showing the reaction shots, it was the bullet in the magazine as it spun through the air, showing Chris, Mike and a Zombie before the magazine was loaded and the zombie shot.

If the full storyboard had been composited, the video would run for about 2 minutes. I'm going to keep a hold of the storyboard, as I may just animate it during some downtime, like Christmas or Summer.

Node Pipeline in Nuke

Following a spectacular meltdown in the HDD department, I had to recreate scenes to get the node pipeline.
Two of the scenes I managed to recreate are the opening and ending scenes (quite fitting, really).

Intro Scene.

This shows the blue screen footage being reformatted and transformed, so as to match up markers that I used as door props. The keylight knocks the blue screen out, the light wrap and Edge Blur makes the actor fit the scene better. Merged with them are Roto nodes, which were used to remove markers. Also merged are the background images which have transform nodes, so I could move them to fit. Ending with a Write Node to render, and a Viewer to show the scene in frame.

Final Scene.

Set the same as the opening scene, Roto nodes are once again used to knock out Markers, but also used to cover the doors for the door kick. The background is an animated background. Two of the nodes (appearing black) are keyed assets from Action Essentials - Video CoPilot, muzzle flashes for the firing guns which close out the scene.

Sod's Law

You know when they tell you to back your files up?
I do that! But did you know that when transferring files from a Portable HDD and the power goes off, cutting it's connection, there's a chance of corrupting your files, or even ruining your HDD.

Well, my 2TB HDD is RUINED. Whilst in the process of preparing the final stages of my VFX project, having taken snapshots of my Node Pipeline and everything... GONE.

I managed to save a couple files, images, a few videos, a couple shots which were backed up from a previous session, but the rest. Gone. I'm having to redo the Pipeline images with the footage I have managed to save.

Thankfully, I had already backed up the final video and breakdown video, plus uploaded them to Youtube and my blog (PHEW!)

To make matters worse, I thought my Desktop PC's motherboard was fried and needing replaced.
It was a matter of taking out and replacing (I.E. putting them back, not buying new ones) the RAM. I had tried to put the portable HDD into my PC as a mounted Storage device to reclaim my files, but that didn't work. I went to Maplin, Leeds Central (big thanks, guys! You helped me out to no end!) to get a SATA/IDE HDD Adapter, to turn any HDD into a USB read portable HDD, but sadly that didn't work.
I tested 4 HDDs out to make sure the cables were fine. The C: from my Desktop, that worked. The D: (a 2TB HDD for storage in my Desktop) and that worked. An old 2.5" 40GB HDD from my PS3 before upgrading the drive, that worked too! But the original portable HDD was dead.
Looks like I have some new Necromunda terrain ;)

Visual Effects images

Using photographs, I was creating background images for the visual effects piece.
Some were used, others weren't.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF VISUAL EFFECTS

The making of my visual effects piece included lots of Blue Screen work. When recording, we shot a few takes of each sequence so I could pick the best ones to use. I've also included the animated door kick section. c

Visual Effects Project Finals

Level 5 Post Production and Visual Effects.

This is the Breakdown video of how I made the final piece. It shows a couple sequences being put together and one of the images used and how it is changed from the original photo.

The final piece. Starring Chris McEwan and Mike Arnold, music by Synthadel. Composited with Nuke X.

Walkway Completed

The walkway I was making is complete. Using Rust Effect, hairspray and a stiff bristled brush, I made the paint look worn and the rust as though it's bubbling through paintwork. The black patches are Magnetic strips.

Miniature development.

Terrain pieces, which will be used (not only for tabletop wargaming) as part of Matte Painting and compositing.

Based from the Necromunda terrain pieces from the 90s, I am making them from Foamcore. Basing in black, then a base layer coat in grey, detail can be added with Plasticard and other pieces (straws for pipes, piping for vent tubes, cables for... cables...)
Once ready, they will be shot on Green Screen, then keyed out (like how I will be making the Ember Shrine in the film)

Showing scale for 28mm models. The car repair mesh used on the walkway supports the model well. It is sandwiched between a layer of Foamcore and Plasticard.

A couple pieces to keep in mind for Vis Effects project.

http://www.sidefx.com/index.php?task=view&id=1822&Itemid=68

Scott Pilgrim - Houdini sections (Mr. X and Double Negative used Houdini at various sections)

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1645800/scott-pilgrim-inside-creation-six-fights.jhtml

Interview/breakdown with Frazer Churchill, Visual Effects Supervisor on Scott Pilgrim

http://www.fxguide.com/featured/Scott_Pilgrim_and_VFX_Against_the_World/

Gives a breakdown of the effects used in the fight scenes

Biped Vs Cat Rig

It's getting close to final piece hand in time now, so the heat is on to get this done!
For my final video sections, I did tests to see what model I would use, CAT or Biped?
Here are two tests!

This is the Biped test. It is unfinished as I realized two things. One, the animation was running at 30FPS and the images used were exported at 24FPS. Animating with the Biped rigs are a bit tricky in some respects, features on them are smaller, like the hands (Where as the CAT rigs have larger squares), which made some of the animation tweak out and flip around slightly.

The CAT rig test for reloading. This is just a quick bash at using the CAT rig. For the final animations, it shall be smoother and feature secondary actions and what not. The image you see in the background was made using Tabletop terrain I use for Necromunda (Games Workshop). If you would like it, www.worldworksgames.com allows you to buy the .pdf and you mount it yourself. This particular one is Outpost 105, with Abandonned Building in the back, on the left. 

Like above, I used images rendered from a video at 24FPS, but had 3Ds running at 24, also. Like I said, things will be altered in the final piece, secondary animation, and possibly a prop of a weapon and magazine (as this clip shows reloading).

From these tests, I found that CAT rigs are easier to work with, and I shall be using these for my final piece.

Assignment Things!

For the second design of the APC, I came up with this! Showing how I want the legs to function, design drawings of them, where they're hinged and what not, a design for a Pilot/Driver (with helmet), a little detail about the APC and a little guy to the side to show scale. I realised it would be moving more like a crab that a spider, however.

I watched how ED-209 from Robocop walked for a design idea I had for the "Walker Class" droid, the Type 4.

This drawing shows different types of the battle droids. Type 4 "Walker Class" Battle Droid (as seen in a walk research piece above) and the Type 5 "Walker Class" Assault Droid. The Assault Droid has 3 "bones" to it's leg, where as the the Battle Droid has 2. My idea for this would be the Assault Droid would want to be fast moving and the 3 bones would allow for a sort of shock absorption as it moves fast.

I also went into alternate weapon designs for the Battle Droid. As it is more slow moving, heavy weapons would be stable enough to use, and as a Battle Droid would be used as mobile artillery, a lot like modern tanks, it would fight against other vehicles as well as troops. As such, I designed a Rail Gun (high energy), Las Cannon (Mid energy), Rocket Pods (with KRAK rounds) and the (as it seems for my designs) standard Vulcan Cannon.

Whilst researching my initial design for the APC, I studied Spiders, how they moved, their main features and what not.

 

I drew half of a spider (in this case, a tarantula) and made the other half a mechanoid/APC. This shows how I changed it's features into what I wanted, the Chelicera became Vulcan cannons, the Pedipalp became stabilizing legs and the Abdomen became the troop carrier.

I drew a rough sketch of the Tyne Bridge (Newcastle) and thought, how would it look in the Year 2076 if corporations took over the world? Keeping with the Cyberpunk feel, I looked towards Tron: Legacy art, which inspired the neon light sections, and the straight edges of the bridge. I wanted to keep the iconic Arch look, but take it into the future. It became a kind of pyramid, an indirect reference to the Illuminati, a symbol of power and knowledge.

Scanner issues.

Getting a bit grief from my scanner, so I'll be uploading some images at a later date, (Most likely next week), but to give you a heads up of what to expect, there will be some Life Drawing! Also, some designs for my final project, where I am focusing on Spiders for an APC, also some environments (one I have is digital, drawn on Flash which will appear on this message)

But first, a test animation of moving an immovable object! Dee returns to confront his arch nemesis, The Duck. It's giving him tremendous resistance, so Dee has taken to roping it and pulling the sucker!

It's a test piece which I am working on improving and will show you once it's done!

New Hessen, Europe.

An inner city area of former North East England. Ran by Van Laaq and under attack from Chigusa-Kamome (Former Japan, East Asia)

The roads are no longer Tarmac, instead they are a vented metal allowing for surface work to be performed more efficiently and quickly. A tram system runs left side of the screen, above the roadways. A mid city area of commerce where people gather to work and socialise.