The VES handbook of visual effects : industry standard VFX practices and procedures

1063 Pages·2010·24.1 MB·English

by  Jeffrey A Okun, Susan Zwerman, Visual Effects Society

The VES Handbook
of Visual Effects
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The VES Handbook
of Visual Effects
Industry Standard VFX
Practices and Procedures
Edited By
Jeffrey A. Okun
Susan Zwerman
Co-Editors:
Scott Squires
Toni Pace Carstensen
Kevin Rafferty
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Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this feld are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our 
understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The VES handbook of visual effects: industry standard VFX practices and procedures/edited by Jeffrey A. Okun, Susan 
Zwerman; co-editors, Scott Squires, Toni Pace Carstensen, Kevin Rafferty.
       p. cm.
  Includes bibliographical references and index.
  ISBN 978-0-240-81242-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1.  Cinematography—Special effects—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 
2.  Digital video—Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3.  Digital cinematography—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Okun, Jeffrey A. 
II. Zwerman, Susan. III. Visual Effects Society. IV. Title: Handbook of visual effects. 
  TR858.V47 2010
  778.5’345—dc22
  2010008415
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN:  978-0-240-81242-7
For information on all Focal Press publications 
visit our website at www.elsevierdirect.com
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Printed in China.
Typeset by: diacriTech, Chennai, India
CONTENTS v
CONTENTS
About the VES xxiii
Foreword xxv
Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Visual Effects and Special Effects 1
Visual Effects 2
Special Effects 2
Why Use Visual Effects? 2
The Creation of Visual Effects 3
A Bit of Visual Effects History 4
Optical Printers 7
Electronics for Camera Control 8
The Digital Age 10
Unintended Consequences: Where Does Creativity End? 13
Chapter 2 Pre-Production/Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Overview 17
Breaking Down a Script—Budgeting 18
Ballpark Budget 19
More Detailed Budgets 20
Bidding 20
Plate Photography 21
Temp Screenings 22
Reviewing Bids 22
Contracts 23
Rebidding during Shooting 23
Rebidding in Post 23
Monitoring the Budget and Schedule 23
Keeping the Budget Down 23
Working with the Director and Producer 25
Demo Reel 25
The Meeting 26
Moving Forward 26
Production Departments 28
Production Design 28
Camera 29
Special Effects 30
Stunts 30
vi CONTENTS
Wardrobe 31
Makeup 32
Production 32
Visual Effects 33
Editorial 34
Locations 35
Production Meeting 37
Designing Visual Effects Shots 37
Guidelines for Directors 38
Storyboards 38
Previs 39
Objective of the Shot 40
Concept Art 40
Continuity 40
Photorealism 41
Original Concepts 41
Budget 41
Reality and Magic 42
Camera Angles 42
Framing 42
Scale 43
Detail 43
Speed 43
Scaled Images 44
Depth of Field 44
Sequence of Shots 44
Camera Motion 44
Less Is More 45
Action Pacing 45
CG Characters 45
Creatures and Character Design 46
Powers of 10 Shots 46
Visual Effects Techniques 47
Technique Considerations 47
Additional Suggestions for Determining Techniques 49
What is Previs? 53
Development of Previs Techniques 55
History and Background 55
The Applications of Previs: Who Benefts From it and How? 57
Postvis 62
CONTENTS vii
Cautions and Suggestions for Good Practice 66
The Perils of Previs! 66
Passing the Work On 70
The Role of the VFX Supervisor in Previs 71
The Future of Previs: Advanced Techniques 72
Environment Input 72
Character Input 72
Camera Input 73
Gaming Techniques 74
On-Set Previs 74
Lighting Previs 74
3D Stereo Previs 75
Virtual Production 75
Camera Angle Projection 76
Drawing What the Lens Sees 76
Chapter 3 Acquisition/Shooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Working on Set 79
Common Types of Special Effects 85
What Are Special Effects? 85
A Brief History of Special Effects 85
The Special Effects Supervisor 85
Working with the Visual Effects 86
Visual Effects in Service to SFX 86
Special Effects Design and Planning 86
Storyboards and Previs 86
The Elements: Rain, Wind, and Snow and Ice 87
Smoke, Fire, and Pyrotechnics 88
Mechanical Effects 90
Flying Wire Rigs and Stunts 91
Safety 92
Front and Rear Projection Systems for Visual Effects 93
Rear Projection 94
Front Projection (Blue or Green Screens and Picture Imagery) 94
Rear Projection Equipment 95
Front Projection Equipment 96
Large-Area Emissive Displays (LCD, Plasma, and
Jumbotron Screens) 96
Greenscreen and Bluescreen Photography 96
Function of the Backing—Green, Blue, or Red 97
viii CONTENTS
Fabric and Paint 97
Backing Uniformity and Screen Correction 98
How to Expose a Greenscreen Shot and Why 103
Setting Screen Brightness 105
Floor Shots, Virtual Sets 110
Foreground Lighting 111
Controlling Spill Light 116
Lighting Virtual Sets 117
Tracking Marks on the Screen 118
On-Set Preview 118
Camera for Bluescreen or Greenscreen Photography 119
Negative Scanning and Digital Conversion 122
The Processed Foreground 124
Underwater Photography 124
Working with the Cinematographer 125
The Alpha Channel 125
Compositing Software 125
On-Set Data Acquisition 127
Camera Report 128
Tracking Markers 131
Props for the Actors 133
Cyberscanning 135
Digital Photos 136
Lidar/Laser Scanning 137
Lens Distortion Charts 137
HDRI and Chrome Balls 139
Lidar Scanning and Acquisition 140
On-Set 3D Scanning Systems 145
On-Set Data Acquisition 145
3D Scanning Systems 146
Prepping the Actors for Scanning 147
Scanning Props or Cars 148
Review All That Has Been Scanned 148
3D Scanning Post-Production 149
Lighting Data 150
Gathering Lighting Data 150
Beware of False Savings! 151
Goals 151
Using Conventional Still Cameras 155
Shooting Considerations 156
CONTENTS ix
Clean Plates 158
Shooting the Clean Plate 159
Locked-Off Camera 160
Moving Camera 160
Other Issues 161
Postprocess 162
Alternates without Clean Plates 162
Other Uses for Clean Plates 163
Monster Sticks 163
On-Set Animation Capture: Witness Cam 169
Wireless Nonvideo Motion Capture 169
Factors Affecting Witness Cameras 170
Dealing with the Data in Post-Production 171
Real-Time Matchmoving and Camera-Tracking Data 172
Triangulation as a Method of Recording Camera Data 177
Camera/Subject Positional Information 178
Basics: The Tool Kit 178
Basics: Nodal Point 180
Photographic Reference 195
Shooting Video as a Reference 197
Rules, Setup, and Testing 199
Digital Cinematography 204
The Viewing System 218
The Recording System 219
Filming Live-Action Plates to be Used in VFX 222
Camera Position (Station Point) 223
Angle of View 223
Lighting Considerations 223
Camera Tilt 224
Background Quality 224
Moving Plates 224
Scouting the Camera Positions 225
A Case Study 225
Camera Cars 226
Camera Car Safety Issues 226
Purpose-Built Crane Cars 227
Vibration and Camera Stabilization 227
Road Speed 228
Precautions 228
Panoramic Rigs 229