Visual Effects and Special Effects
The Creation of Visual Effects
A Bit of Visual Effects History
Electronics for Camera Control
Unintended Consequences: Where Does Creativity End?
Chapter 2 Pre-Production/Preparation
Breaking Down a Script—Budgeting
Monitoring the Budget and Schedule
Working with the Director and Producer
Designing Visual Effects Shots
Creatures and Character Design
Additional Suggestions for Determining Techniques
Development of Previs Techniques
The Applications of Previs: Who Benefits From it and How?
Cautions and Suggestions for Good Practice
The Role of the VFX Supervisor in Previs
The Future of Previs: Advanced Techniques
Chapter 3 Acquisition/Shooting
Common Types of Special Effects
A Brief History of Special Effects
The Special Effects Supervisor
Working with the Visual Effects
Visual Effects in Service to SFX
Special Effects Design and Planning
The Elements: Rain, Wind, and Snow and Ice
Front and Rear Projection Systems for Visual Effects
Front Projection (Blue or Green Screens and Picture Imagery)
Large-Area Emissive Displays (LCD, Plasma, and Jumbotron Screens)
Greenscreen and Bluescreen Photography
Function of the Backing—Green, Blue, or Red
Backing Uniformity and Screen Correction
How to Expose a Greenscreen Shot and Why
Camera for Bluescreen or Greenscreen Photography
Negative Scanning and Digital Conversion
Working with the Cinematographer
Lidar Scanning and Acquisition
Prepping the Actors for Scanning
Review All That Has Been Scanned
Using Conventional Still Cameras
Alternates without Clean Plates
On-Set Animation Capture: Witness Cam
Wireless Nonvideo Motion Capture
Factors Affecting Witness Cameras
Dealing with the Data in Post-Production
Real-Time Matchmoving and Camera-Tracking Data
Triangulation as a Method of Recording Camera Data
Camera/Subject Positional Information
Filming Live-Action Plates to be Used in VFX
Camera Position (Station Point)
Vibration and Camera Stabilization
Shooting Elements for Compositing
Generic versus Shot-Specific Elements
Assorted Methods for Shooting Elements
High-Speed Photography and Filming Elements
Import and Export of Camera Move Data
Types of Motion Control Systems
Acquisition of Motion/Still Photographic Textures for Mapping onto CG
Motion Tiling and Synchronous Plates
Stills for Textures and Lighting
Evolution of Stop-Motion Photography
The Time Required to Shoot in Stop-Motion
Setting Up a Shooting Space for Stop-Motion
Use of Motion Control in Stop-Motion
Use of Stop-Motion in Visual Effects
What Are Miniatures and Why Are They Used?
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Miniature Effects
Design and Integration within the Film
In-Camera Compositing of Miniatures with Full-Scale Live-Action Actors
The Fabrication of Miniature Effects
Scale and Purpose Requirements of a Miniature
Previsualization and Miniatures
The Incorporation of Mechanical, Practical, and Pyrotechnic Effects with Miniatures
Fire, Explosives, and Collapsing
Shooting Locations and Conditions
Photography of Miniature Effects: Motion Control
What Is Motion Control and What Are Its Benefits to Miniature Photography?
Execution and Technique Using Previs
Photography of Miniature Effects: High-Speed Photography
The Use of Miniatures in the Digital World
Special Effects for Miniatures
Chapter 4 Performance and Motion Capture
Electromechanical-Based Technologies
Is Motion Capture Right for a Project?
Toe-in versus Horizontal Image Translation
Positive and Negative Parallax
Designing for Multiple Release Formats
Immersion-Based versus Convergence-Based Stereo
Pros and Cons of Virtual 3D Photography
Manipulating the Screen Surround
Special Cases for Virtual 3D Photography
Visual Analysis of 2D Depth Cues
Main Artistic Stages of 2D-to-3D Conversion
Major 2D-to-3D Conversion Workflows
Re-Projection Mapping Method Workflow
Pixel Displacement or Pixel Shifting
Minor 2D-to-3D Conversion Workflows
3D Stereoscopic Visual Effects
Prepping for the Third Dimension
Visual Effects in the Third Dimension
Accuracy and Attention to Detail
3D Stereo Digital Intermediate Workflow
Stereoscopic 3D Process Milestones
Projection Screens for 3D Stereoscopic Viewing
3D Stereo RealD Mastering Considerations
Geometry and Correction of Undesirable Binocular Disparity
Placement of the Window in Relation to the 3D Scene
How to Create a Stereoscopic Window
Producing Movies in Three Dimensions
Development—Getting the Greenlight
Production—What to Look Out For
Chapter 6 Post-Production/Image Manipulation
Resolution and Image Format Considerations
Image Compression/File Formats for Post-Production
4k+ Systems Theory Basics for Motion Picture Imaging
Part 1: Resolution and Sharpness
Part 2: Into the Digital Realm
Part 3: Does 4k Look Better Than 2k?
Part 4: Visual Perception Limitations for Large Screens
Digital Color Image Encodings and Digital Cameras
Color Management at the Desktop
Bringing Color Management to Film Workflows
Editing within a Shot: The Art of Pre-Compositing
Modern Day Tracking and Disseminating of Information
Communicating with Artists in Other Departments
The History of Optical Technique
Traveling Matte Technique and the Digital Age
Historical Notes on Blue Screen
Compositing of Live-Action Elements
Capturing the Image to Composite
Extractions and the Magic Bullet
Compositing Screen Elements in Stereoscopic 3D
Digital Painting and Plate Reconstruction
Matte Paintings/Creative Environments
Matte Paintings: Art of the Digital Realm
Matte Painting Pioneers and History
Visualizing the Matte Painting Shot in Pre-Production
On-Set Supervision for Matte Painting Shots
Basic Skills and Tricks of the Trade
Miniatures and Computer-Generated Sets
The Need for Creative Compositing
Chapter 7 Digital Element Creation
Overview: The Importance of Modeling
Modeling for a Production Pipeline
Engineering Aspects for Polygons
The Importance of Texture Painting
Types of Geometry: Their Problems and Benefits
Prepping the Model to Be Painted
Various Other Map-Driven Effects
Texture Painting in Production
Similarities between Hair and Feathers
Differences between Hair and Feathers
When Is Simulation Appropriate?
Software Solutions: A Broad Overview of Current Options
How Rigid-Body Dynamics Are Created
Light in Reality and in Computer Graphics
Case Study of Reality Compared with Simple CG Simulation
Visual Sophistication through Texture Mapping
Physically Derived Shading Models
Goals of Lighting in Visual Effects
Work Flow for Successful Creative Digital Lighting
The Technologies of Lights in Computer Graphics
Direct Lighting: Source to Surface to Camera
Average Light Direction Vectors: Bent Normals
Creating Light Sources from Environment Maps
Crowd Generation and Simulation Techniques
Animation Cycles for Replication
CG Prosthetics and Actor Enhancements
On-Set Tracking and Capture Considerations
3D Products, Systems, and Software
Digital Element Creation Process
Cost of Iterations and Changes during Production
Transmedia Production Design Techniques
What Are Game Engines and How Do They Function?
What Are the Production Steps in Creating a Game?
Game Engine–Rendered NIS Scenes
The Design and Production Process
Full Animation versus Visual Effects
Difference Between Visual Effects and Animation
A Survey and History of Animation Techniques
Considerations for a Full CG-Animated Feature Pipeline
Film Management and Personal Style
Building the Core Creative Team
Writing and Visual Development
The Production Process: An Animator’s Perspective
Working on CG-Animated Content in Live-Action Features
Character and Environment Interaction
Chapter 10 Other Workflow Considerations
Analysis of a Production Workflow
Service Bureau versus In-House Requirements
Design of a Production Workflow
Deploying a Production Workflow
What Is Task and Asset Tracking?
Commercial Task and Asset Tracking Systems
Building Task and Asset Tracking Systems
2D Scene Assembly (Compositing)
Working across Multiple Facilities
Appendix A: Charts and Formulas
Appendix B: Credits/Titles to Be Submitted in Accordance with VES Guidelines