Current Trends Of VFX
WEEK 1 -Introduction to the Module
Some Current Trends of VFX
Photorealism
Green screening - Putting actors in different locations/set - extension
Unreal Engine/Virtual Filmmaking - comes from virtual environment of games
What do think Dr James Fox means by his phrase 'The Age of the Image'
Dr James Fox made a series called 'The age of the image' he explained how the power of images has transformed the modern world. In h
WEEK 2 - The Photographic Truth Claim: Can we believe what we see?
What you think is meant by the theory: The Photographic Truth-Claim?
Photography has changed our vision of the planet so astronomically that it provided more access to more images drawn from more places and times within the world than ever before, but it is now easier to manipulate images through digital software's. However, the truth claim of photographs has received much criticism in recent years, for example digitalization of photos as well as the innovations made in photo editing techniques have undermined the truth claim of photography. Tom gunning was the inventor of the photographic theory, he claims that traditional methods of photography are more truthful, that they are more honest and a better reflection of reality than modern methods. He appears to believe that light affecting chemicals on paper is somehow less hospitable manipulation than digital data about light. Gunning also talks about a couple of photographic indexicality and the way how closely a photograph resembles the person or object that it represents.
WEEK 3 - Faking Photographs: Image manipulation and computer collage
Definition of VFX Compositing. What is it and how does it work?
VFX compositing represents the final stages of VFX techniques that are used to effectively layer images or designs together to provide the ultimate final footage. All the elements such as live action footage, CG elements and matte painting need to go to the compositor so that they combine these elements and build the final shot. To grant an example of compositing: someone shoots a video that contains a detailed building and the background of the building is found. The Animator has decided to animate a missile, and the effects Artist has added smoke effects and an explosion with building destruction. Once everything is rendered out the compositor’s job is to layer the missile, smoke, explosion and building destruction into the shot, using colour correction and z-depth to bring it all into one picture. Compositing was first founded by Oscar Rejlander, his first compositing work was a "special effects" image by combining different sections of 32 negatives into one image, making a montage. Compositing is now at such a high level of believe that it makes people question if VFXs are real or not.
WEEK 4 - Defining Trends of Photorealism
Logan
Ghost Rider
Write A Post About Photorealism.
Photorealism in 3D render is the action of acquiring an image of a model using a computer program, this makes pictures look the same to those captured with a camera, nowadays it's so hard to distinguish from what is real photography. This effect is achievable by adding specific rendering techniques while working with certain engines, such as Nuke or Maya. In VFX to get a photorealistic and perfect 3D image, VFX artists need to contemplate and complete some editing processes, including a combination of lighting and texturing. The use of photorealism has been used in many movies, an example would be 'The lion king' from 2019. This live-action movie was compacted with photorealistic CGI, including the environment, animals and more, it was so accurate that it made it seem lifelike. Although the animals were so lifelike it made the viewers look at it as uncanny due to the fact that the photorealistic animals hardly forced any face expressions when either singing or making any kind of emotions. Photorealism began in 1960, Richard Estes, Chuck Close, and Ralph Goings were one of the first to ever attempt replication of photographic imagery.
WEEK 5 - Bringing truth into VFX via the Capture of Movement
Write a post comparing Motion Capture to Key Frame Animation
Motion capture works by wearing a suit which has tracking points on it, the points are then recorded by cameras so the operator's movements can be recorded onto a 3D skeleton within a 3D environment, this can be used to create a character, and key frame animation works by animating a character and moving an object and key framing it frame by frame. Even though motion capture is an advanced technology, there are still problems. The 'uncanny valley' is where a viewer does not recognise a face as human, the problem is often solved by having the character be inhuman, such as larger ears or large/small eyes, to solve it key frame animation is required to fill fix any inconsistencies immediate problems in the mocap sessions. An example to this could be the film 'The Polar Express', it struggled to define the real-life emotions and facial expressions of a human, the final results and animation exaggeration of the film had viewers describe it as creepy, hilarious and lifeless. Despite the fact that both techniques have some advantages and disadvantages they focus to come up with identical stories.
WEEK 6 - Reality Capture (LIDAR) and VFX
Write a Case Study post on Reality Capture
Reality capture is the process of scanning an object, building, or site and producing a digital model. This is now commonly used for fields such as cultural heritage, full body scanning, gaming, surveying, mapping, visual effects and virtual reality. The two reality captures that I will be explaining are Photogrammetry and laser scanning (LIDAR). Photogrammetry is a process of getting a three dimensional model or object from photography. It works by having an object and taking pictures from different positions and then having a computer check in at every single pixel of each image, this then makes a database of features.
Laser scanning (also known as LIDAR) stands for 'light detection and ranging. This is a laser based technology which determines ranges by targeting an object with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It works by it shooting a laser out up to a million times a second and it creates a point cloud, this incredibly photorealistic cloud of points then goes into a computer and can start converting raw data to solid models.
These tools are important nowadays because it creates new and efficient workflows, it also increases productivity, and reduces time and manual effort that's required.
Stop-Motion Animation
Stop-motion (also known as stop-frame) is an animation technique that's existed for over 100 years, film makers realised that they could create amazing illusions just by stopping and starting their cameras. Many objects and humans can be animated, how stop-motion works is extremely simple, there are different images creating an illusion that the photographs are moving, stop-motion animation is captured frame by frame, after playing back a series of images rapidly it creates the illusion of movement. Stop-motion is found in numerous places such as music videos, commercials, films and shows. The earliest film to ever to use the stop-motion technique and give the illusion of inanimate objects was 'The Humpty Dumpty Circus (USA, 1897) and it was created by James Stuart and Albert E.Smith. They used a toy circus and flourished in animating the acrobats and animals by filming them in hardly changed positions frame by frame. The first ever person to create a stop-motion pupped animation film was a Russian animator notable that goes by the name of Ladislaw Starevich. Starevich also built realistic armature so he could animate real insects, his first film was 'The Camera Man's Revenge'. Stop-motion is so popular nowadays that mostly everyone around the world uses this technique, as most people have smart phones they don't need computer programs to create a film, they can use a stop-motion app on their phone.