Travelling Mattes
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Shadow Matting and Compositing
Shadow Matting and Compositing Yung-Yu Chuang1 Dan B Goldman1,3 Brian Curless1 David H. Salesin1,2 Richard Szeliski2 1University of Washington 2Microsoft Research 3Industrial Light and Magic (a) Foreground scene (b) Background scene (c) Blue screen composite (d) Our method (e) Reference photograph Figure 1 Sample result from our matting and compositing algorithm for shadows. Given a foreground element photographed against a natural background (a), we seek to matte the element and its shadow and then composite it over another background (b). Using a blue screen (not shown) to extract the shadow, followed by conventional matting and compositing, we obtain a result (c) with double darkening of the existing shadow and without proper warping of the cast shadow. The results of our new shadow matting and compositing method (d) compare favorably with an actual photograph (e). Note the correct dimming of the specular highlight, the convincing geometric deformation, and the seamless matte edges where the foreground and background shadows meet. Abstract Traditional approaches to matting include blue-screen mat- In this paper, we describe a method for extracting shadows from ting [Smith and Blinn 1996] and rotoscoping [Wright 2001]. The one natural scene and inserting them into another. We develop former requires filming in front of an expensive blue screen un- physically-based shadow matting and compositing equations and der carefully controlled lighting, and the latter requires talent and use these to pull a shadow matte from a source scene in which the intensive user interaction. Recently developed matting algorithms shadow is cast onto an arbitrary planar background. We then acquire [Ruzon and Tomasi 2000; Chuang et al. -
Technical Notes on Narcissus (1983)
Technical Notes on Narcissus (1983) In the first two parts of the film, where Narcissus encounters first the girl and then the boy, no special optical effects were used. The original shooting was done mainly in slow motion, with the camera running at 48 frames per second; some shots were also taken at 24 fps, and 36 fps. In the final editing these speeds were freely intercut, depending upon the nature of the dancing. In the third part of the film, Narcissus encounters himself, first as a reflection in a pool, then as a live person, who has come out of the pool to confront himself. Since we could not find identical twin dancers, Narcissus had to perform two roles in succession – his real self (N1) and his reflected other self (N2). In order to combine his two performances within any given shot, we had to use an optical printer; this would have been necessary anyway, since we intended to employ a number of special optical effects. As is the normal procedure in optical work, interpositives were made; these were loaded on the projector heads of the optical printer, and the special effect were created while shooting onto an optical negative Here is a description and explanation of the various effects and techniques, as they appear chronologically in the film. The Initial Full-figure Self Encounter Sequence Only in this one particular shot was a large mirror used. To have Narcissus 1 move out of step with his mirrored reflection Narcissus 2, we made two passes in the optical printer; in the first, we masked off N2 and shot N1’s action normally; in the second pass we masked off N1, and by skip-framing, freeze-framing or double-framing, we advanced, retarded and resynchronized N2’s action relative to N1’s. -
Alpha and the History of Digital Compositing
Alpha and the History of Digital Compositing Technical Memo 7 Alvy Ray Smith August 15, 1995 Abstract The history of digital image compositing—other than simple digital imple- mentation of known film art—is essentially the history of the alpha channel. Dis- tinctions are drawn between digital printing and digital compositing, between matte creation and matte usage, and between (binary) masking and (subtle) mat- ting. The history of the integral alpha channel and premultiplied alpha ideas are pre- sented and their importance in the development of digital compositing in its cur- rent modern form is made clear. Basic Definitions Digital compositing is often confused with several related technologies. Here we distinguish compositing from printing and matte creation—eg, blue-screen matting. Printing v Compositing Digital film printing is the transfer, under digital computer control, of an im- age stored in digital form to standard chemical, analog movie film. It requires a sophisticated understanding of film characteristics, light source characteristics, precision film movements, film sizes, filter characteristics, precision scanning de- vices, and digital computer control. We had to solve all these for the Lucasfilm laser-based digital film printer—that happened to be a digital film input scanner too. My colleague David DiFrancesco was honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences last year with a technical award for his achievement on the scanning side at Lucasfilm (along with Gary Starkweather). Also honored was Gary Demos for his CRT-based digital film scanner (along with Dan Cam- eron). Digital printing is the generalization of this technology to other media, such as video and paper. -
Chapter 1: Mattes and Compositing Defined Chapter 2: Digital Matting
Chapter 1: Mattes and Compositing Defined Chapter 2: Digital Matting Methods and Tools Chapter 3: Basic Shooting Setups Chapter 4: Basic Compositing Techniques Chapter 5: Simple Setups on a Budget Chapter 6: Green Screens in Live Broadcasts Chapter 7: How the Pros Do It one PART 521076c01.indd 20 1/28/10 8:50:04 PM Exploring the Matting Process Before you can understand how to shoot and composite green screen, you first need to learn why you’re doing it. This may seem obvious: you have a certain effect you’re trying to achieve or a series of shots that can’t be done on location or at the same time. But to achieve good results from your project and save yourself time, money, and frustration, you need to understand what all your options are before you dive into a project. When you have an understanding of how green screen is done on all levels you’ll have the ability to make the right decision for just about any project you hope to take on. 521076c01.indd 1 1/28/10 8:50:06 PM one CHAPTER 521076c01.indd 2 1/28/10 8:50:09 PM Mattes and Compositing Defined Since the beginning of motion pictures, filmmakers have strived to create a world of fantasy by combining live action and visual effects of some kind. Whether it was Walt Disney creating the early Alice Comedies with cartoons inked over film footage in the 1920s or Ray Harryhausen combining stop-motion miniatures with live footage for King Kong in 1933, the quest to bring the worlds of reality and fantasy together continues to evolve. -
Brief History of Special/Visual Effects in Film
Brief History of Special/Visual Effects in Film Early years, 1890s. • Birth of cinema -- 1895, Paris, Lumiere brothers. Cinematographe. • Earlier, 1890, W.K.L .Dickson, assistant to Edison, developed Kinetograph. • One of these films included the world’s first known special effect shot, The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, by Alfred Clarke, 1895. Georges Melies • Father of Special Effects • Son of boot-maker, purchased Theatre Robert-Houdin in Paris, produced stage illusions and such as Magic Lantern shows. • Witnessed one of first Lumiere shows, and within three months purchased a device for use with Edison’s Kinetoscope, and developed his own prototype camera. • Produced one-shot films, moving versions of earlier shows, accidentally discovering “stop-action” for himself. • Soon using stop-action, double exposure, fast and slow motion, dissolves, and perspective tricks. Georges Melies • Cinderella, 1899, stop-action turns pumpkin into stage coach and rags into a gown. • Indian Rubber Head, 1902, uses split- screen by masking areas of film and exposing again, “exploding” his own head. • A Trip to the Moon, 1902, based on Verne and Wells -- 21 minute epic, trompe l’oeil, perspective shifts, and other tricks to tell story of Victorian explorers visiting the moon. • Ten-year run as best-known filmmaker, but surpassed by others such as D.W. Griffith and bankrupted by WW I. Other Effects Pioneers, early 1900s. • Robert W. Paul -- copied Edison’s projector and built his own camera and projection system to sell in England. Produced films to sell systems, such as The Haunted Curiosity Shop (1901) and The ? Motorist (1906). -
You Can't Always
Ira Tiffen Ira Tiffen category are a number of key optical effects for providing themselves sufficiently control near-IR), as needed. However, control of contrast, highlight and shadow detail. these aren’t a solution for all situations. Interference filters will Another important consideration: there is a hard-to-define, change colour with incident angle. Sometimes, as with short You can’t always but eminently desirable, quality to certain optical effects focal-length lenses, the angle of view is sufficient for these when compared to their digital counterparts to which some filters to cause faint colour tinting around the apply the term ‘organic’. Filter effects that are often deemed image edge. For these and other situations where favourably more organic include those used for creating a combination IR and visible light attenuator are diffusion of fine detail, for inducing highlight flare and for desirable, IRND filters, such as the Platinum IRND, star and streak effects. A perennially popular example: the will function best. Employing IR-absorptive dyes, use of fine mesh nets, one of the original diffusion techniques they do not exhibit the incident angle issue, and With optical dating back to the 1920s, is still quite prevalent. they can further reduce visible light as well, all filters you are in one filter. Can you shed some light on recent developments still working As with film and sensors, each filter manu- in filters with the advent of digital cinematography facturer imprints its own preference on the design within the fix it in (the IR problem) and where you think the industry specifications. -
Early Connections Between Film and Emerging Media As Evidenced in the Animated Worlds of Adam Beckett Pamela Turner Virginia Commonwealth University, [email protected]
Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass Kinetic Imaging Publications and Presentations Dept. of Kinetic Imaging 2007 Early Connections Between Film and Emerging Media as Evidenced in the Animated Worlds of Adam Beckett Pamela Turner Virginia Commonwealth University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/kine_pubs Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons © Pamela Taylor Turner. The iotaCenter holds copyright to the films and images and has granted permission for use in the publication of this paper.This paper was presented at “Animation Universe”, the 2007 Society for Animation Studies annual conference, on July 1, 2007 and subsequently published in Animation Studies, vol. 2, 2007. Downloaded from http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/kine_pubs/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Dept. of Kinetic Imaging at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Kinetic Imaging Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Animation Studies – Vol.2, 2007 Pamela Turner Early Connections Between Film and Emerging Media as Evidenced in the Animated Worlds of Adam Beckett Making a “film” today rarely involves a journey to the lab as images are more often recorded digitally and not on celluloid. Even video’s electromagnetic record is transformed to bits and bytes. There is no frame to splice. The visual material exists as a virtual reference only. As McLuhan points out, new media doesn’t replace the old, existing media, but changes it. -
Filmic Experimentation in the Flying Dutchman
Shot with an American Camera- Filmic Experimentation in The Flying Dutchman_The Flying Dutchman 25.11.13 20:07 Seite 1 Shot with an American Camera: Filmic Experimentation in The Flying Dutchman y A conversation with Ralf Forster, Director of the Film Technology Collection at the Film Museum Potsdam r a r b Film Museum, conducted by Hiltrud Schulz, DEFA Film Library, in October 2013. i L m l i F A The film team consciously chose to use two cinematic formats in The Flying Dutchman to present reality F E D and fantasy, the two levels of the story’s narrative. It almost looks as if the film were shot in two different e h t 35mm aspect ratios. What was the exact technical process for filming the transitions between the different y b e formats? s a e l I recently spoke with Erich Gusko, the director of cinematography for this film. He remembered shooting the e R D film in detail and shared some very intesting technical aspects of what they did. At the time, Gusko chose V D not to use Peter Sbrzesny’s KinoVario process in his film. This process was developed at about the same A • time as The Flying Dutchman was made, but was mainly used in a few image and promo films, which also n a m used split screen techniques. Gusko told me that he was the one to come up with idea of alternating bet - h c t 1 u ween Totalvision (for dream sequences) and Academy ratio (Senta’s reality). -
Ronn Brown Representation: Ellen Ann Mersereau, Esq
Ronn Brown www.ronnbrown.com Representation: Ellen Ann Mersereau, Esq. [email protected] (323) 461-3316 Seeking freelance: VFX Consulting, Art Direction, Matte Painting, & Matte Painting Supervision QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY Film and Television Production: • 25+ years experience in the Film Industry working on films, television and special projects • In-depth knowledge how to conceive projects from inception to completion • Visual Effects and Animation features experience, both in staff and freelance capacities • Calm, focused and collaborative guiding artist to a common goal • Uphold studios standards, working relationships and other objectives • Art Director for Feature Film, Television and Virtual Reality projects Administration and Communication: • Supervised both large and small crews for 10+ years • Bid, prioritize and organized workloads to meet strict deadlines • Trained and supported staff and kept teams on target • and maintained strong working relationships with all levels of stakeholders • Lead reviews for director and supervisor notes !1 of !4 Technical Proficiencies: • Thorough knowledge of how 3D programs, Card and geometry projections and animated Cameras work to creative dynamic shots • 26+ years Adobe Photoshop experience • Other software: Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D, Foundry Nuke, proprietary software at different studios • Proprietary production tracking programs and have used Shotgun for a project recently • Current focus on conceptual design and color theory for a feature project I’m currently leading Strengths -
Brief History of Special Effects in Film Early Years, 1890S
Digital Special Effects 475/492 Fall 2006 Brief History of Special Effects in Film Early years, 1890s. • Birth of cinema -- 1895, Paris, Lumiere brothers. Cinematographe. • Earlier, 1890, W.K.L .Dickson, assistant to Edison, developed Kinetograph. • One of these films included the world’s first known special effect shot, The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, by Alfred Clarke, 1895. Georges Melies • Father of Special Effects • Son of boot-maker, purchased Theatre Robert-Houdin in Paris, produced stage illusions and such as Magic Lantern shows. • Witnessed one of first Lumiere shows, and within three months purchased a device for use with Edison’s Kinetoscope, and developed his own prototype camera. • Produced one-shot films, moving versions of earlier shows, accidentally discovering “stop-action” for himself. • Soon using stop-action, double exposure, fast and slow motion, dissolves, and perspective tricks. Georges Melies • Cinderella, 1899, stop-action turns pumpkin into stage coach and rags into a gown. • Indian Rubber Head, 1902, uses split-screen by masking areas of film and exposing again, “exploding” his own head. • A Trip to the Moon, 1902, based on Verne and Wells -- 21 minute epic, trompe l’oeil, perspective shifts, and other tricks to tell story of Victorian explorers visiting the moon. • Ten-year run as best-known filmmaker, but surpassed by others such as D.W. Griffith and bankrupted by WW I. Other Effects Pioneers, early 1900s. • Robert W. Paul -- copied Edison’s projector and built his own camera and projection system to sell in England. Produced films to sell systems, such as The Haunted Curiosity Shop (1901) and The ? Motorist (1906). -
The Essential Reference Guide for Filmmakers
THE ESSENTIAL REFERENCE GUIDE FOR FILMMAKERS IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGY IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGY AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSENTIAL REFERENCE GUIDE FOR FILMMAKERS Good films—those that e1ectively communicate the desired message—are the result of an almost magical blend of ideas and technological ingredients. And with an understanding of the tools and techniques available to the filmmaker, you can truly realize your vision. The “idea” ingredient is well documented, for beginner and professional alike. Books covering virtually all aspects of the aesthetics and mechanics of filmmaking abound—how to choose an appropriate film style, the importance of sound, how to write an e1ective film script, the basic elements of visual continuity, etc. Although equally important, becoming fluent with the technological aspects of filmmaking can be intimidating. With that in mind, we have produced this book, The Essential Reference Guide for Filmmakers. In it you will find technical information—about light meters, cameras, light, film selection, postproduction, and workflows—in an easy-to-read- and-apply format. Ours is a business that’s more than 100 years old, and from the beginning, Kodak has recognized that cinema is a form of artistic expression. Today’s cinematographers have at their disposal a variety of tools to assist them in manipulating and fine-tuning their images. And with all the changes taking place in film, digital, and hybrid technologies, you are involved with the entertainment industry at one of its most dynamic times. As you enter the exciting world of cinematography, remember that Kodak is an absolute treasure trove of information, and we are here to assist you in your journey. -