The Filmmaker’s Guide to Visual Effects offers a practical, detailed guide to visual effects for non-VFX specialists working in film and television. In contemporary filmmaking and television production, visual effects are used extensively in a wide variety of genres and formats to contribute to visual storytelling, help deal with production limitations, and reduce budget costs. Yet, for many directors, producers, editors, and cinematographers, visual effects remain an often misunderstood aspect of media production. In this book, award-winning VFX supervisor and instructor Eran Dinur introduces readers to visual effects from the filmmaker’s perspective, providing a comprehensive guide to conceiving, designing, budgeting, planning, shooting, and reviewing VFX, from pre-production through post-production.
The book will help readers:
- Learn what it takes for editors, cinematographers, directors, producers, gaffers, and other filmmakers to work more effectively with the visual effects team during pre-production, on the set, and in post; use visual effects as a narrative aid; reduce production costs; and solve problems on location
- Achieve a deeper understanding of 3D, 2D, and 2.5D workflows; the various VFX crafts from matchmove to compositing; and essential concepts like photorealism, parallax, roto, and extraction; become familiar with traditional VFX workflows as well as virtual production; and learn how to plan effectively for the cost and complexity of VFX shots
- See visual effects concepts brought to life in practical, highly illustrated examples drawn from the real-world experiences of industry professionals and discover how to better integrate visual effects into your own projects
Author(s): Eran Dinur
Edition: 2
Publisher: Routledge/Focal Press
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 213
City: New York
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
CONTENTS
Preface to the 2nd Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Who Is This Book for?
Visual Effects on a Shoestring
About This Book
PART 1: VFX FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1: Core Concepts
Special Effects or Visual Effects?
What Does CGI Really Mean?
2D, 3D, and Stereoscopic 3D
Realism and Photorealism
The Danger of Overindulgence
Animation, Games, and Visual Effects
Digital vs. Film
Film vs. Television
Chapter 2: VFX as a Filmmaking Tool
Common Types of VFX Shots
Fix-it Shots
Screen Inserts
Driving Shots
Rig Removal and Period Cleanup
Set Extensions
Crowd Augmentation/Crowd Simulation
Action Elements
Advanced VFX
Case Study: Changing a Camera Move in Post
Chapter 3: From 2D to 3D: The Quest for the Lost Dimension
Camera Movement and VFX
Parallax
Perspective Shift
2D Workflow
The Missing Dimension
Recreating the Camera
3D Workflow
3D vs. 2D
2.5D: The Hybrid Solution
Case Study: The Opening Shot of
Chapter 4: Separation: Roto, Green Screens, and the Challenges of Extraction
Rotoscoping
Green/Blue Screens
The Challenges of Extraction
Background Matching
Spill
Non-solid Edges
PART 2: THE INSIDE LOOK
Chapter 5: The VFX Workflow: An In-depth Look at the Various Crafts of Visual Effects
Pre-production Crafts
Previs
Concept Art
Camera Tracking
Layout
Modeling
Technical Modeling
Organic Modeling
Procedural Modeling
Cost-saving Alternatives
Texturing and Shading
Shaders
Textures
UV Mapping
Case Study: Uncut Gems-Inside the Opal
Rigging
Animation
Motion Capture
Lighting and Rendering
CG Lighting Essentials
Key and Fill Lights
Sky Light and Image-Based Lighting
Global Illumination (Indirect Light)
Outdoor Lighting vs. Indoor Lighting
Ambient Occlusion
Rendering
Compositing
Matte Painting
FX: Particles and Physical Simulations
Rigid-body Simulations
Cloth Simulations
Fluid Simulations
Liquids
Cost-saving Alternatives
Particle Systems
Crowd Simulation
Remote Work and Cloud-Based VFX Facilities
Chapter 6: Workflow Case Studies
Shot 1: Background Cleanup
Shot 2: The Homestead Strike
Shot 3: Piranha Attack
Asset Work vs. Shot Work
Shot 4: Tsunami Mayhem
PART 3: VFX IN PRODUCTION
Chapter 7: Pre-production
Preliminary VFX Breakdown
The VFX Supervisor and VFX Producer
Model 1: Dedicated Production VFX Supervisor and Producer
Model 2: Company In-house VFX Supervisor and Producer
Preliminary Bidding
Inside the Bidding Process
Storyboarding
Previs and Concept Art
VFX Production Meetings
Tech Scouts
Detailed Budget and Schedule
Case Study: Ellis Island
Chapter 8: On Set
Collaborating with the VFX Supervisor
On-set Data Acquisition
Camera Information
Lens Grids
Color Chart Reference
Chrome Ball and Gray Ball
On-set Reference Photography
Spherical HDRI Light Domes
Lidar 3D Scanning
Photogrammetry
Green/Blue Screens
Action Coverage
Screen Consistency
Dirt and Tears
Folds
Non-green Parts
Cast Shadows
Tracking Markers
Smoke and Atmospherics
Reflections
Lighting Green Screens
Roto or Green Screen?
Shooting VFX Elements
Camera Movement
Camera Angle and Position
Lens Type
Framing
Choosing the Right Background
Frame Rate
Case Study: The Crane Dare
Shooting Driving Plates
Crowd Tiling
Setting up the Camera
Locked-off Camera
Moving Camera
Setting up the Crowd
Moving and Rearranging the Extras
Roto or Green Screen?
Shooting Sprites
Case Study: Multi-camera Crowd Tiles
Screen Inserts Setup
Stunts and Visual Effects
Special Effects and Visual Effects
Chapter 9: Post-production
The Post-production VFX Workflow
VFX Basic Color Workflow
Image Formats in VFX
Bit Depth (Color Depth)
Video Formats
Color Space and ACES
The Spec Sheet and Pipeline Test
VFX and Editorial
The VFX Editor
When to Deliver Shots to the VFX Team
Handles
Edit Refs (Offlines)
Editorial Temps
Budgeting and Scheduling
Budget Updates
Change Orders
Scheduling
The Reviewing Process
Mockups
Style Frames
Animation Versions (aka Playblasts)
Turntables
Comp
Final Approval
Communication
Providing Feedback
Chapter 10: Real-time Rendering and Virtual Production
Real-time Rendering in the Studio
Real-time Previs
Augmented Reality and On-set Previs
Virtual Production
A Little Perspective
Old Technique—New Technologies
Virtual 3D Environments
Understanding the Limitations
The Bottom Line
Chapter 11: The Future
Machine Learning
Technical Assistance
Face Replacement
2D to 3D Conversion
Creative Assistance
Volumetric Capture
Marker-less Motion Capture
Photoreal Intelligent Digi-doubles
On We Go
Index
