P1 Analyze a range of visual effects techniques

Green screening is now used in nearly every film production in film and other media, the reason for this is it has such a wide range of application. Greenscreen is mostly used for set extensions on large scale films as it allows for the green to be keyed out and replaced with any background e.g a city on fire. If done correctly then it can look as if the actors are really standing in the location that the film is set in, which in many cases is practically impossible. This has given filmmakers far more creative ability.

In my production I plan to use green screen to remove the background from my actors, so I can place them in another environment without having to manually remove the background frame by frame.

3D compositing has a vast range of uses in modern film and TV making ranging from creating entire 3D cities to creating huge robots and monsters that would not be possible with traditional practical effects. 3D compositing requires an artist to have an in depth understanding of physics and art e.g understanding how vehicles moves but also knowing how light and perspective work as an important part of 3D compositing is replicating real life conditions to make the final result look as real as possible.

Before the model is inserted it must be modelled either by a professional 3D artist or it can be scanned in, depending on what it is. When on location the director is often assisted by a VFX supervisor, it is their job to ensure that what is being shot is compatible with the VFX that have been planned in advance in order to make the VFX teams job easier.

Affect of this Effect:

By compositing 3D objects into realtime footage filmmakers are able to create scenes that would be otherwise impossible to create with practical effects or with small budgets e.g inserting a giant dragon into a scene. Depending on the quality of the camera track and 3D this effect can be extremely effective and photorealistic and more often is able to trick the audience into thinking it is real and is seen across the entire spectrum of media production but mostly in TV and Film.

Colour grading is used to ensure that all shots in a film match in terms of how they look, this is vitally important as colour means a lot in film in terms of the message/mood the director is trying to get across to the audience. This means colour artists with go through each shot and ensure they are all the same colour.

When colour grading the colourist has to consider a number of factors that will impact the final look of the video these factors include, Brightness, exposure, Colour Levels, Saturation, Hue and Contrast. By adjusting these factors the colourist can introduce an entirely differently look to the footage and have a large impact on the feel of the production e.g in a comedy film the saturation would be increased and the 'temperature' raised (increasing reds and removing blues and greens). Increasing the contrast and levels can be used to add more depth to the footage and increase the footages detail.

In my media production I will use these methods to enhance the quality of my film and further enhance the themes that I am expressing.

Colour Grading Before (Left) and After (Right).

2D composting involves artists mixing 2d footage together to create a better image, VFX artists can do this via rotoscoping footage, adjusting opacity/blending modes and layering images in software such as After Effects, Premiere Pro and Photoshop. In my production I plan to use this method to create my animated sequences that advertise the product, I will use After Effects to create and animate 2D layers and images.

3D and animation in Film and TV has become increasingly popular and advanced over the last 20 years. Many films are now entirely 3D and cost millions to make, this has helped its development.

Like 3D compositing 3D objects are made and animated however in animations everything is 3D meaning there is less focus on the art style being realistic. However in order to get to most accurate movement motion capture suits are often used to capture accurate character movement.