BACHELOR THESIS Digital Visual Effects Supervision for Feature

2008:264
BACHELOR THESIS
Digital Visual Effects Supervision
for Feature Films
Fredrik Averpil
Luleå University of Technology
Bachelor thesis
Computer graphics
Department of Skellefteå Campus
Division of Leisure and Entertainment
2008:264 - ISSN: 1402-1773 - ISRN: LTU-CUPP--08/264--SE
Digital Visual Effects Supervision for Feature Films
Bachelor’s Thesis
June 2008
Fredrik Averpil
Computer Graphics,
Luleå University of Technology
Foreword
This study is based on work carried out at Filmgate AB between spring 2006 and summer 2008.
I would like to thank everyone at Filmgate AB as well as my instructor, Håkan Blomdahl, for providing me
the possibility to do my Bachelor’s thesis on this subject.
Abstract
The objective of this Bachelor’s thesis was to write a report on my work as the VFX Supervisor throughout
feature film projects. Throughout pre-production, filming and post production work methods were to be
examined and reflected upon in order to, in the end, be able to achieve optimal quality visual effects.
Several live projects at Filmgate AB were used as a base for this report. The study does not include any
details on the actual projects due to legal reasons.
In this study, it was found that if the VFX Supervisor is involved in all stages of a feature film project, starting with script writing and ending with the post production, the film project will greatly benefit from this.
The visual effects work can then be tailored to the budget and other prerequisite requirements, planned in
detail to ensure optimal results.
Summary in Swedish
Under mina två år på Filmgate AB har jag arbetat med diverse film- och TV-projekt med varierande storlek. Till examensarbetet föll det sig naturligt att skriva en rapport om arbetet och mina erfarenheter som
jag hittills har samlat på mig.
I rapporten har jag skrivit om rollen och arbetet som VFX Supervisor under ett generellt långfilmsprojekt
med start redan på manusnivå. Att gå in såpass tidigt i ett projekt, i egenskap av VFX Supervisor, har visat
sig leda till en av rapportens viktigaste slutsatser; Ju tidigare effektbolaget involveras i ett filmprojekt, desto större är chansen att ramarna för budget bibehålls samt att planering tillåter att det resulterande
grafiska arbetet uppnår optimal kvalitet.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1
The VFX Supervisor
1
Acronyms, abbreviations and industry terms
1
Pre-production
2
Script breakdown, initial list of shots
2
Bringing together the team and the tools
2
Concept phase
2
Pre-visualization
2
Film format and delivery
3
Location scouting
5
Production meetings
5
VFX meeting
5
What’s it like on set?
Hierarchy, time constraints and stress
Meet the people you will be working with
6
6
7
The Director
7
The Director of Photography
7
The Assistant Directors
7
The Producer
7
The Production Coordinator
7
The Production Designer
8
Special Effects (FX)
8
Prepare yourself
9
Work permits and VISA
9
Read up
9
Cover your back
9
What to bring to set
10
Overall equipment
10
Clothing
10
A good book and your iPod
10
Documentation is key
11
Photos
11
Rushes
11
Chrome ball, HDR imagery
11
Diffuse ball, diffuse reference
11
Data sheets
12
Pay special attention to
13
Dolly/crane and generally moving cameras
13
Shaky, handheld footage
13
Zoom, variable lenses
13
Chroma keying, blue screen or green screen
13
Smoke and mist
13
Element shoots
14
“Fix it in post”
14
Back at the post production facility
15
Receiving the initial cut
15
Establishing a list of shots and assigning them to artists
15
Brief your artists
15
Quality assurance and feedback
15
Test print
15
Delivery
15
Conclusions
16
Planning for optimal quality VFX
16
Talent decides what can be achieved
16
Documentation saves time
16
Delivery formats
16
You are the face of your company on set
16
Prepare for anything
16
Think off your feet
16
References
18
Introduction
The VFX Supervisor
As a VFX Supervisor you are responsible for achieving the creative aims of the Director and Producers
through the use of (digital) visual effects. While it is a creative role, it is important for the VFX Supervisor
to possess a strong technical background and to be capable of making decisions on which technique(s) to
use to solve a problem.
The VFX Supervisor can either be employed directly by the film production company or can work for a
VFX company. On bigger projects, there are usually several VFX Supervisors although there could then
also be a senior VFX Supervisor directing their efforts.
This document has been written from the perspective of a general VFX Supervisor working for a VFX
company and is intended as a skim-on-the-surface guide for anyone who is about to take on the role of the
VFX Supervisor for the first time.
Acronyms, abbreviations and industry terms
DPX
Digital Picture Exchange
EDL
Edit Decision List
FPS
Frames per second
LED
Light Emitting Diode
VFX
Visual Effects
1
Pre-production
Script breakdown, initial list of shots
When being approached to work on a project (or when pitching), you will most likely be asked to read the
script in order to determine what can be done digitally, sometimes rather than practically in order to save
money. Maybe the desired effect is impossible to create “in camera” or using practical means. It could also
require both practical elements being shot on camera in combination with digital work. By reading
through the script you will quickly get an idea of the scope of the project and you should be able to put
forward a suggestion to the client what you believe that the approximate costs would be for your company
to achieve the wanted effects.
Not all producers will involve you as early as in the script writing phase. However, if they do you will
stand a stronger chance to be able to influence the type of VFX work to be carried out so that you can utilize your artists individual strengths to the maximum. For example, if your team consists of highly skilled
matte painters, you could try and design the VFX shot based on their skills. By doing this, it might also be
easier to create great looking VFX and staying within budget on low budget productions. It is very important to educate producers about this if they are unaware of it.
What happens next depends very much on what your position is like within your company, but you might
have to put on the negotiating hat and sit down with the presumable client in order to close the deal. I
would recommend that you divide up the roles as much as possible here. Having another person from
your studio doing as much negotiating and money talking as possible, leaving you the creative parts. This
way, you will be the nice and creative person who will always be positive and responsive to the director’s
needs. Remember, you will be the face of your studio on the film set!
Bringing together the team and the tools
Based on the nature of the project, you might find yourself with a team which possesses only part of the
knowledge and experience to pull off all of the desired effects work needed. You must then be able to put
forward suggestions on how your studio will solve this. Maybe you will need to hire new talent or simply
sub-contract another company. This is why it is crucial for a VFX Supervisor to be well-connected with
artists outside of the studio as well as potential partnering companies. You may also be responsible for
deciding what kind of investment (i.e. software and hardware) needs to be done in order to crank out all
effects in time for deadline.
Concept phase
Along the process of going through how the visual effects will be created, it is most of the time crucial that
you plan the individual visual effects shots (VFX shots) in detail. Many times a storyboard can be used as
an appendix in a project’s contract in order to erase the uncertainties of a resulting VFX shot but it will also
communicate to you and your team what needs to be achieved. Concept art and storyboards may be provided to you and your studio but sometimes you will be asked to be part of this phase and you will need
to come up with storyboards, concept drawings and maybe even maquettes.
Pre-visualization
For bigger projects or certain complex VFX shots your studio might also have to perform pre-visualization,
which is usually draft animations in 3D. This work may sometimes start happening even before filming.
In very big projects, whole sequences can be pre-visualized in order to be able to plan the exact camera
angles of certain scenes.
2
When you are working with a project that involves a lot of animation or maybe entire sequences made
completely digitally, you will save time in order to create pre-visualized animations and get those approved before beginning to shade and light anything in 3D.
Film format and delivery
When planning and even budgeting a project, it is
important to know what kind of imagery will be
delivered to you and your studio. In some cases
you will take part in the discussion of what camera or film stock should be used in order to make
sure you will be able to achieve optimal results
during post production. This could mean reading
up on the film stock that the Director of Photography has decided to use for a green screen take.
The imagery could be provided from a film scan-
The Kodak Digital LAD Test Image is a digital image that can be
ning lab or directly from a video camera’s tape (or
used as an aid in setting up digital film recorders to produce
hard drive). For most feature film productions you
properly exposed digital negatives and in obtaining pleasing
would want to receive image sequences scanned
prints from those negatives.
of a film camera’s negative, encoded in 10-bit
logarithmic space, stored in a file format such as
DPX (Digital Picture Exchange, which was originally derived from the Cineon1 file format). This
ensures whatever values originally scanned off the
negative (or positive film) are kept intact.
When working with traditional digital cameras and video, you could expect to receive the imagery on
tape, as a Quicktime file or as an image file sequence. Video is usually encoded as 8-bit or 10-bit and can be
stored in both linear space and logarithmic space. It all depends on which camera and what storage
method has been used. The important part is that you know what you are expecting to receive and why.
It is very important that you examine this material upon delivery to your studio, as you could find yourself having really big issues later on in the production when you realize you cannot deliver what you have
promised (most often specified in the project’s contract) because the delivered material was faulty in some
way. For example, the lab scanning the images from a film camera’s negative could have made a mistake
and delivered 8-bit files using a destructive compression to you. This could make it very difficult for you
and your team to create the desired effects and in worst case make it impossible for you to deliver the files
back to the client in the desired color depth. This is a situation where your studio and most likely you in
person will be held responsible. Regardless of expecting imagery from a lab or not, stay alert as digital
video can of course also be improperly handled before reaching your studio!
Depending on how your studio’s pipeline2 is designed, you may need to be part in revising it in order to
make sure you can manage the received material as well as deliver the desired files to the client without
unintentionally degrading the imagery at any stage.
1Cineon files are assumed to operate as part of a reproduction chain keeping whatever values are originally scanned from a negative or
positive film. This kind of file format is most commonly used to represent the density of each color channel of a scanned negative in a 10bit log format where the gamma of the original camera negative is preserved as taken by a film scanner.
2A
pipeline is the predetermined workflow where image files will be managed, manipulated, converted and shuffled between different
applications and in the end result in the final imagery to be delivered to client.
3
The Red cameras
At the time of writing this paper, the new Red
cameras are creating a lot of buzz in the industry.
Just recently, their first commercial camera, the
Red One, began making appearances on film sets
around the world, doing the job that was usually
carried out by the traditional film cameras. This
camera is recording digital video but precedes all
commercial digital video cameras in many ways,
such as its recording format, Redcode RAW, and
its raw data sensor which allows recording up to
4096x2304 pixels (also referred to as 4K).
The Red One stores its Redcode RAW image files
on a hard drive and allows recording white balance, gamma and other image processing parameters to be set during post production. Adjusting
these settings directly on camera does not impact
the raw data that is actually recorded. Such adjustment only influence live monitoring outputs,
but are attached to the recorded data as metadata.
The Red One camera, offering the Mysterium™ Super 35mm
It is not unlikely that these cameras will create a
cine sized (24.4×13.7mm) sensor, which provides 4K (up to 30
paradigm shift in digital video and will in many
fps), 3K (up to 60 fps) and 2K (up to 120 fps) capture, with wide
cases entirely replace the traditional film camera.
dynamic range and color space in 12 bit native RAW.
In combination with digital cinemas, the Red cameras could in theory completely eliminate the need
of a lab.
4
Lens distortion and grid charts
When the choice of cameras and its lenses have
been made (most often done by the Director of
Photography and the camera crew), it is advisable
to perform a camera test. If you know that the
project involves a lot of match moving (recording
the movement of pixels in such way that you can
Barrel distortion
integrate i.e. 3D rendered objects into live action
Pincushion distortion
material), you should have each camera with
every lens film a couple of frames of a perfect grid.
A lens usually distorts the image a bit, especially if it is a fisheye
Together with your notes from the film set, this
lens (barrel distortion) or a telephoto lens (pincushion distortion). The grid will show exactly how the lens distorts whatever
imagery will help you and your team when per-
is filmed. Using this grid, the match moving artists can correct
forming match moving.
this distortion while working and, if desired, apply it back in the
end.
If you are dealing with variable lenses (zoom lenses), the distortion grid will change when performing a
zoom and you will enter a whole new domain of horror that is zoom lenses. Having a distortion grid reference might help the match moving artist, but there is in most cases only manual labour that will solve a
match move using a zoom lens. Depending on what needs to be done with such filmed material, one approach could be to divide the imagery up into quadrants and perform a match move on each quadrant.
Location scouting
The film crew usually travels out onto locations in order to plan how to set up cameras and other equipment. Depending on the VFX shot, it is a very good idea to join the crew on these field trips. You will get a
feel of shooting conditions and also hear what the Director of Photography is planning on doing as they
might very well go away from the storyboard since the location may not allow shooting as planned.
Production meetings
When actual shooting of the film is closing in, you will need to go onto production meeting(s). On these
meetings you will have a chance to talk to stunt men, prosthetics makers, the Producer(s), the Director of
Photography, Assisting Director’s, the Director himself and others. Most of the time, you will here receive
the shooting schedule with dates and locations of each day throughout the filming phase. Since these
meetings usually involves a high number of participants, it will be very briefly and quickly done. I have
found that if you have any questions during this briefing it’s most efficient to just highlight the fact that
you have questions or thoughts and then write them down and talk to the affected people afterwards, unless you have found a very important issue that needs to be brought up with all of the people in the room.
It is important to remember that there is usually a great hierarchy on a film set and that also applies to the
production meetings.
VFX meeting
Depending on the project and depending on the experience of the camera crew, it could be a good idea to
schedule a VFX meeting together with the Director, the Director of Photography, the 1st Assistant Director
and the producer. Here you can go through how your shots needs to be filmed and what limitations there
might be in terms of equipment, time and money. This way you will make everyone aware of what needs
to be done and if there are any issues that needs to be solved, such as the need of a crane but there won’t
be one on set that day.
5
What’s it like on set?
Hierarchy, time constraints and stress
On a film set there is a very apparent hierarchy. Since so many people are usually involved it would be
difficult to get anything done in time unless everything is tightly organized. Depending on the production,
it is important that you understand where your position is in this hierarchy. If the production is VFX
heavy, you will obviously be a key person, working very close with the Director of Photography and the
Director throughout the whole project. If you are just supervising a few simple retouch shots, you may not
find yourself in the same position, hierarchy-wise.
Sooner or later, you will find yourself standing by just waiting and suddenly realizing that there is an issue
with how one of your shots was originally planned and that you will need it do be carried out in a different way. You will then need the ability to read the situation and make the decision of whom you will need
to talk to in order to solve the issue and how to solve it, without disturbing i.e. the Director when he is in
the middle of trying to nailing down a scene where the acting is key.
When it is time for you to actually perform the supervision of a shot, it is a good idea to be well understood with what the schedule is like what timeframe you have got before the crew needs to move on. If
you feel that your VFX shoot is rushed through because of the time constraints, you might need to approach the Producer and tell them that the resulting work done by you and your artists could be compromised because of this.
Unfortunately, this kind of working environment tends to lead to that people are covering their own backs.
The environment can at times become a little hostile and there seems to always be a time throughout a
production where you will be a little disliked because you are making things complicated or uncomfortable for the film crew. You will most likely also experience general quarrel from the people behind the
camera from time to time. I believe this can be more apparent when working on low budget productions.
The limited budget and the expectations on the result does not often match up. It is important to keep
your head up and try and always be positive. It will make the working experience for everyone so much
more enjoyable.
Although the stressful environment, you are doing a very important job to minimize the damage for your
team of artists back at the studio. All this effort put down into making sure that the result of your work
will make the resulting VFX match or exceed the client’s expectations and make your name appear prominently in the credits.
6
Meet the people you will be working with
The Director
Your job is to visualize the Director’s ideas and make them look great on the silver screen. That is why you
will need to pay very special attention to everything that the Director says and try to really understand
what his/her vision is. I believe that, regardless of the hierarchy on the set, you will need the possibility to
be able to speak directly to the Director. In most cases, you will be asked to go through an Assisting Director in order to get your ideas through to the Director but you will have to be the judge of if that is an effective way of being able to discuss ideas or prevent possible issues.
The Director of Photography
The Director will rely heavily on the Director of Photography to be able to visualize what feel the Director
wants to capture and communicate. They will work very tightly and it is generally a good idea to stay
close to them and just listen to what they are planning. It is also a good idea to approach the Director of
Photography if you feel that a VFX shot needs to filmed in a different way for your studio to be able to
stay within budget, rather than approaching the Director directly. This way you might be able to reach a
conclusion that you both think that the Director would approve with.
The Assistant Directors
Since everyone on set is often very busy, you will most likely be interrupting them if you go up and talk
directly to them. That is why you should talk to one of the also very busy Assistant Directors first about
your concern. In most cases they will know wether to talk directly to i.e. the Director or someone else in
order to solve an issue. A film production usually have several Assistant Directors and they are numbered
such as; 1st Assistant Director, 2nd Assistant Director, 3rd Assistant Director and so on. Make sure which
Assistant Director you should report to; it usually depends on what your inquiry is about.
The Producer
To put it simple, the Producer on set is representing the people financing the film. Their job is to get as
much as possible done with the budget they have on their hands. A really good Producer will strike you
with being very familiar with shooting for VFX. This is the person to go talk to if you feel that you are not
being listened to on the film set and if you feel that a particular VFX shot will become more expensive to
pull of in order to make it look good -- or if a really difficult and unplanned VFX shot just appeared that
has not been discussed earlier. A popular example of this would be when the Director or the Director of
Photography wants to go away from a pre-visualized VFX shot and create something different and possibly much more expensive in terms of time and personnel for your studio.
There is usually more than one producer involved in a film project, but you might not get to meet all of
them. Always remember that the Producer will try and get as much done as possible for the money they
spend. Do not make too many promises!
The Production Coordinator
The Production Coordinator makes sure your flight and accommodation is booked as well as makes sure
you get the call sheets1 before hand any shoot. They are usually not on set but instead at the production
office. Always keep their phone number close in case you find yourself lost!
1A call
sheet holds the schedule of the given day along with contact numbers and any additional info such as driving directions to the set.
7
The Production Designer
The Production Designer will most often be able to provide you with sketches and references based on indepth research or concept development for the VFX you are going to create. They might have created
miniature models or the actual sets where shooting will take place and would be a good resource if you
have any inquires regarding the look of i.e. structures, vehicles, interiors etc.
Special Effects (FX)
The Special Effects team is responsible for any practical effects, such as fire, explosions, smoke, rain, hydraulic contraptions and substances such as fake blood or slime. You will most likely work closely with
them during element shoots (discussed later in the “Pay special attention to” chapter).
8
Prepare yourself
Work permits and VISA
If you are traveling abroad to perform any supervision, make sure that you will have the time and possibility to arrange a proper work permit or a VISA. If you get caught working without a permit, you may be
denied to return to this country and you will most likely be fined. Since this will affect you on a personal
level, it is really up to you to make sure that you have your papers in order before departing.
Read up
Make sure to read up on everything that is possible to read up on. The script, the people you will be working with and any techniques you may have to know more about during supervising a VFX shoot. It’s generally a good idea to make notes or a check list to go through prior to each new project.
Cover your back
Prepare yourself to be placed in situations where everyone looks to you to answer their questions. The
whole production team will rely on your decisions and it is very important to communicate your fear of
issues that may affect your work in a negative way. If you do not do this, you will sooner or later find
yourself in a tight spot where you will be blamed. This will be used against you in order for your studio to
take responsibility and make it good again, which could have a negative effect on the budget. Document
any unexpected changes and revisions to the original plan so that you are clear of what the situation was
like at the time of shooting. It will sometimes be difficult to keep track of this several months later when
issues arise during post production.
9
What to bring to set
Overall equipment
It is good to always bring a standard set of equipment:
• Colored tape and scissors or knife
• Laser/LED lights
• Colored golf balls, tennis balls or ping pong balls
• Chrome ball
• Diffuse ball
• Camera and possibility to dump images onto external storage or laptop
• Tr i p o d
The three first points’ primary function is to be acting as tracker markers. These you can place in different
colors, onto different kind of surfaces and depending of the distance to camera, the size of the tracker
marker might need to be either really small or big in order to be visible. LED lights are good for interior or
night shoots, when tape will not be visible enough because of dim lighting. Laser lights are really good
when you quickly need to place a tracker marker high up where you can not reach.
The chrome ball and the diffuse ball will be explained in the next chapter “Documentation is key” (page
11).
Clothing
If you know you are shooting outdoors, always bring appropriate clothing, prepare for rain and nothing
less than a pair of hiking boots. I tend to wear hiking boots even when shooting in a studio because you
never know what kind of structures you will need to climb. Do not expect to be able to go inside during
the whole day. A really frighting location is on board a ship during a sunny day -- do not forget the sun
lotion!
A good book and your iPod
In many cases you will go to set in the early morning and will be standing by until late evening even if you
only have a total of 10 minutes of work to do that day. That is why it is a good idea to bring something to
make the time fly.
10
Documentation is key
Photos
You can never take too many photos from a shoot. Try to get time during or after each VFX shoot to document what is important as the crew most likely will be eager to pack things up in order to move onto the
next scene. The photos may be used as textures or as reference later on when creating the digital visual
effects.
Rushes
After each day, the film rolls are sent to the lab and are then scanned, usually using a telecine. The telecine
allows for a quick (and dirty) process of getting what was filmed out onto a DVD. The quality you will get
from scanning the film rolls using a telecine is far inferior from when you are using a film scanner such as
the ARRISCAN film scanner or the Northlight film scanner. However, these rushes are good enough to
review after each shoot to make sure you got what you needed. Onto these you can also apply temporary,
early draft-like VFX in order to communicate what is intended to be done to the shot. I have found them
especially good for matte painting development.
Chrome ball, HDR imagery
If you know you are to integrate 3D into a live action plate, you might need to create so called Hight Dynamic Range (HDR) images back at your facility. With this HDR image and the right tools you can recreate the lighting conditions of the environment without having to spend too much time setting it up
manually. To be able to create this HDR image, you can use an extremely wide lens on your system camera
and with this you shoot multiple exposures. This way you can capture details in the shadows but also capture the light sources and determine how bright they actually are. You can also bring a chrome ball, which
you shoot with multiple exposures, instead of using such an extreme wide angle lens, which are usually
very expensive in comparison to the chrome ball.
Diffuse ball, diffuse reference
To be able to match the diffuse lighting of the environment, you can also have the camera operator shoot a
couple of frames of a diffuse ball in frame using the film camera. This ball should have the color of somewhere about 50% gray (it does not matter that much, what matters is that you know exactly what color it
is). When you then lighting your object in 3D back at your facility, you can use this reference frame to
match the diffuse lighting. Since you know which color the diffuse ball has, you can easily just create a 3D
sphere at the same location and set its color to match the diffuse ball’s color.
11
Data sheets
Date (yyyy-mm-dd):
The data sheet is simply a template onto which
Notes by:
you will scribble down all important information
Slate
Roll:
about each VFX shot. Roll, scene and slate are im-
Scene:
Slate:
Take:
portant info, should you have to request the plates
Camera Information
from the editor. You should always fill these out.
Lens (mm):
Speed: (fps)
The focal length is then probably one of the most
important pieces of data to gather. When you are
Setup:
to perform any kind of 3D tracking on the material, you could get a lot of help if you know what
focal length has been used. Also, when creating a
matte painting for a VFX shot, knowing what focal
length was used will help the matte painter to
What is in the frame (16:9 )
create a rough 3D sketch with the correct perspective quickly. In that particular case, the inclination
angle and possibly distance from camera lens to
ground is also interesting data so that the matte
Notes:
painter can place the 3D camera the same way the
real film camera was placed.
Most often, it is advisable to make measurements
of anything that will be either extended or needs
A VFX data sheet, simple template.
to be re-created digitally.
12
Height/Inclination:
Pay special attention to
Dolly/crane and generally moving cameras
When performing a so called “nodal pan”, the camera is mounted on a tripod and the gear head pivotal
point is located exactly where the lens inside the camera resides. This means that we do not get any parallax shift in the frame, when moving the camera, and it should be easy to track the camera movement.
However, if the camera is being moved around the set (performing a “dolly”) you will get a parallax shift
and you will in many cases need to 3D track the camera move. Since you will then need many more trackable features in frame in order to be able to do this, you must be aware of that they exists or you will cause
yourself a lot of manual labour, having to track the camera move manually, which is very time consuming
and tedious.
If you are working with a low budget film, it could be a good idea to try and perform nodal pans instead
of dollys, because they are simply less time consuming and generally easier to complete, hence cheaper.
Shaky, handheld footage
Shaky footage can be much harder to track and are therefore usually more time consuming. In combination with a dolly, you really need to watch out so that you will have a lot of time on your hands to be able
to track the footage manually if needed.
Zoom, variable lenses
As being discussed in the pre-production section of this document (page 6), a zoom using a lens with
heavy distortion can be very difficult to track.
Chroma keying, blue screen or green screen
There are many things to consider before shooting on blue screen or green screen. First you need to figure
out what color is best for you. In most cases this is based on what the foreground object’s colors are like
and you would like to use the color not present in the foreground object. It could also be a good idea to
have a look at which film stock will be used when shooting for chroma keying. For bigger productions,
you should perform a test with the film stock chosen where you actually perform a chroma key on the
filmed material in order to make sure that you will be able to achieve optimal results.
If you are shooting a background plate and later on will shoot a foreground object on blue screen which
you will place into the plate, make sure you scribble down the camera setup so that you can rig the camera
the same way when shooting the blue screen take.
Smoke and mist
Most often, smoke is spread throughout the set in order to make the lighting more dynamic. In some cases
this could make it more difficult to add in i.e. an extension of a building behind the smoke. Carefully decide wether there should be practical smoke in the shot or if you will add that in digitally. The best solution is to shoot one take with smoke and one without. This way you can choose which one works best and
you will have a great reference, should you have to create digital smoke.
13
Element shoots
For some VFX shots, you will need so called elements shot separately. For example, you might
need to shoot an explosion, snow, rain, dust etc in
a studio, later to be put into an action scene digitally. Make sure to keep a list throughout the film
shoot onto which you scribble down all elements
you would like to have done. The element shoots
are usually placed at the end of the filming schedule as actors are not needed for this.
Back lit dust shot as an VFX element, to be composited into a live
action plate.
“Fix it in post”
Very often, unforeseen issues arise on set and you might get the task to clean it up during post production.
For example, the Director might have been very happy with one take but the microphone was visible in
frame and he wants you to “fix it in post” so that they can move on. It could be a good idea to have a strategy on how to deal with these situations already stated in the contract, before going onto set. Maybe these
additional shots should be treated as new shots, outside of the budget or maybe it is something you feel is
easy to fix and you would like to show some good will in order to fix it for free. However, make sure that
this does not happen too frequently without having discussed this before hand with the Producer. The
term “let’s fix it in post” should alert you to watch out for extra work that was not originally planned. It is
in most cases much better to plan a shot carefully in advance and try to not be too creative on set in order
to stick to the original post production schedule and its budget.
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Back at the post production facility
Receiving the initial cut
Depending on the project, you could be sent the initial cut of the film or at least the portion of the film in
which you are to apply the VFX. In some cases, you might receive the EDL1 from the editor and based on
your pipeline you can keep the cut in your studio and easily update it with a new EDL file, always staying
up to date with the latest cut of the film. Then when you slot your VFX shots into the cut, you can easily
see if it matches up in the sequence or if you will need to change anything related to timing, placement etc.
Establishing a list of shots and assigning them to artists
By the end of filming, you have a clear idea of all possible shots you might be having bringing into your
VFX pipeline but it is not until you receive the cut that you know what got cut out or if anything extra
needs to be done. When you have received the cut you can create a list of shots, assemble your team and
assign the shots to either teams of artists or to individual artists. It is crucial to keep track of what the
status of the shots are so that nobody is waiting for a shot that has already been prepared and could be
started right away. There are several tools, such as Filemaker Pro, that you can use to keep track of shot
progress and version updates. However, most studios have custom-built pipelines and the best thing
could be to have a custom-built system for this as well.
Brief your artists
It is important to brief your artists with what you know from being on set. Perhaps the Director has a certain vision that should be communicated with your artists. Also, make sure that your artists understand in
what kind of context the shot will appear.
Quality assurance and feedback
Before showing any final VFX work to the client, it is important that you review the work together with
your artists in order to make sure that quality is maintained. Sometimes this could also involve talking to
the Director and The Director of Photography about the shots. If you are working from a remote site, there
are good tools for reviewing Quicktime clips remotely together over the Internet. Most often a VFX shot
will be approved from being seen on a Quicktime clip. However, it is very important to understand that
the shot will have to go through grading and also be printed onto film before you will actually see what it
will look like on the silver screen.
Test print
When a film has been scanned, edited together and at least partly color graded, you usually perform a test
print to film in order to make sure that nothing has gone wrong at any stage. You need to make sure to get
your VFX shots printed to film as well, to make sure nothing has gone wrong on your side. During really
big productions, nearly all VFX shots are printed to film, but on lower budget films it is advisable to at
least test print a few shots from different lighting conditions in order to make sure your work sits tightly in
the frame and does not pop out.
Delivery
After having all VFX shots approved by the client, you need to deliver all frames back to client with the
VFX work applied to them. This could be done during FTP transfer or most often simply sending hard
drives with the material.
1
An Edit Decision List or EDL is a way of representing a film or video edit. It contains an ordered list of reel and timecode data repre-
senting where each video clip can be obtained in order to conform the final cut.
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Conclusions
Planning for optimal quality VFX
The probably most apparent discovery of having worked on several feature film projects is that the earlier
the VFX Supervisor is involved in a feature film project, the better the planning and execution of the VFX
work will be, making the VFX accompany the storytelling optimally and enhance the film watching experience.
Talent decides what can be achieved
Most often, the film project’s budget in combination with the individual talents of your studio determines
which technique is the most effective and efficient to employ to solve the problem at hand. That is also
why it is, as a VFX Supervisor, very important to keep yourself well connected with freelancers and artists
that you can bring in, either long term or for certain projects.
Documentation saves time
Having one piece of data from a VFX shoot can save one artist hours of trial and error when creating VFX.
That is why it is so important to always make notes and ensure all documentation of a film project is organized, kept in a safe place up and until the actual post production phase and that this information
reaches the artists involved in creating the VFX.
Delivery formats
Being clear on what you are expecting in terms of delivery formats is very important. Equally important is
verifying that everything delivered to your studio is in the kind of quality and format you need. If you, as
the VFX Supervisor, fails to do so, the resulting VFX may suffer from this and you might not be able to
deliver optimal quality VFX.
You are the face of your company on set
Being on set, you will be the main person representing your company. The film industry is a turbulent
working environment made up of a constellation of freelancers who scatters all around other projects at
the end of a film production. Making a good impression along with delivery outstanding VFX work is key
to get recommended to work on another production.
Prepare for anything
Being on set, time will run out, things will get rescheduled. In fact, you might be required to reschedule
your own holiday. Prepare to be able to set everything aside when taking on the VFX supervision of a feature film production and have people on standby to cover for you in case you will not be able to go yourself. A feature film production is rarely affected by bank holidays or bigger national holidays.
Think off your feet
One of the most important abilities a VFX Supervisor will have to learn and develop through time is to
come up with brilliant ideas and alternative solutions to how to make the VFX shot happen and look so
good it will expect anyone’s expectations. Trying to interpret the script and read the Director in terms of
what they want to achieve and come up with simpler and more time effective solutions often results in a
better looking result as you can decide what the VFX shot would be like, taking the know-how of your
studio into consideration.
However, throughout a feature film production, there almost always comes a time where you are going to
be unsure how to solve the problem at hand in the most efficient and effective way. Do not be afraid to
communicate your uncertainties. It is always better to let the Director or the Director of Photography
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know you need to do some research or check with your artists in your studio. You may think this will look
unprofessional, but in my opinion I believe it is much more unprofessional to try and hide the fact that
you are uncertain by making promises you do not know you can keep. This ties into the importance of
planning and being involved early on in a feature film project.
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References
1. “Matchmoving: The invisible Art of Camera Tracking” by Tim Dobbert, Sybex; Pap/Cdr edition (February 11, 2005)
2. Red Digital Cinema, http://www.red.com (24 May 2008)
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