FXWars SuperPower!: Stark Raving Mad (team)

#21

Thanks for the positive feedback on the follow shot. I was really worried about nailing that one. The rig we built helps a lot, but it was still a challenging shot.

#22

Post Production Update
We have cut together a rough cut of the final film; debating shooting a couple pickups to fill in story issues. I’m also leaning toward ADR though my DP is off in the background screaming “No…” for some reason :smiley:

We haven’t hit the heavy duty effects or compositing yet, that will start sometime in the next week.

#23

Wlk I like the fact that you are doing an original mini movie. Any chance we might get to see a rough cut?

-R

#24

Sure thing, I’ll compress a web version down either tonight or tomorrow night. Currently we are working on figuring out how to make visable electricity look believable. Once I have some tests of that finished I’ll post those as well.

#25

As promised here is the rough cut. Obviously there are still cuts that need tightened up. We are currently working on the FX tests, grading, and audio sweeting. Enjoy!

QuickTime 7 / H264 / 16.7 MB
Rough Cut Link

Comments or crits?

#26

not sure what your plan is… I know she is supposed to absorb power from around her, I would add a small effect to show she stops the first guys ipod from playing. otherwise it’s not going to be readable to someone unfamiliar with the project. it might make even more sence if she takes power even from the parking meters and the parked car, just to emphasis her ability.
I’d also cut the last scene tighter, the last guy’s lines are come across like she is gone or already too far away but then you cut to show she is only about 20 feet away. maybe you cut it to be
“i… i didn’t get” cut to her waving over her shoulder “your name” over that shot instead of his face. does that make sence?

on a side note, it’s also kind of funny that she is nice and helpful to the second guy but takes power from the first guy which isn’t nice and is kind of mean.

#27

destruct007, thanks for the advice and critique. Part of of VFX is turning the scene into an evening shot. So we are adding light to the lights and then they are going to flicker on and off as will the bar signs on the left as she walks by them. So you will certainly see the effects of her pulling electricity from the environment in ways other than the iPod.

I agree with your assessment of the last shot, we have actually considered shooting pickups to make that a little tighter; re-cuting those with the VO might work just as well.

As with all super heroes her power has a downside; she can’t control the collection of power, only distributing it. So she isn’t being mean by killing the guy’s iPod, she just can’t help it.

#28

Now I get it, I saw those tests of the day to night and was wondering, since I didn’t read the whole forum before… cool.

Have you considered doing more with this character? I really like the idea, with those powers, I’d imagine there’s no way she had a normal childhood, which would make her a dynamic and troubled character. Powers that you can and can’t control make for some great characters, like Rouge. Quite ingenious to think of that. I’d love to see a short film based on the same character.

On the mean note, just b/c she can’t help it doesn’t really justify it from the 1st guys perspective, only hers. :smiley: I’m only playing devils advocate. I’m totally not serious.

#29

Thanks for your kind words on our character development. We spent a couple days nailing her power down, how it would work and how we could show it in action were very important considerations for us.
Haven’t really thought much about continuing the character. While we didn’t develop an entire back story; we did play with some hypotheticals like what her parent’s electricity bill might have been like :slight_smile:

Isn’t this the problem most super heroes face at one time or another, their powers are misunderstood? Of course the first guy is pissed, though maybe he doesn’t know what/who caused it… :wink:

#30

Finally did some work on the electricity that will be used under her hand in the tight shot.

Quicktime H264, 783kb
Sample Movie Link

#31

really nice look!

will it flicker?

#32

You shouldn’t do your tests on a black background, because transparent effects turn out completely differently when composited onto background plates. You should also use an additive blending method for the layers.

This look cool, but has a 2D animated feel. It’s also moving to slowly.

#33

Mathew, thanks for the critique and the advice. We will definitely be speeding it up and making it more of a 3D orb rather than the flat proxy that it is now. Your absolutely right that it looks too flat, and it still doesn’t have the crawling electricity feel that ultimately I’m looking for.

#34

Hey Velk, this is turning out to be very interesting. I am eagerly watching the development.

#35

Just an FYI:
FXWARS 911 Call: Post here if you are SEEKING/ OFFERING LAST MINUTE help!

-R

#36

This is an FYI to ALL teams.

ROBERTO’S BULLHORN: SUPERPOWERS DATELINE Three Weeks to go!

Also I Just wanted to check how you all are doing, and i there are any issues or questions please post on the thread i just posted.

-R

#37

ROBERTO’S BULLHORN: SUPERPOWERS DATELINE Two Weeks to go! Just an FYI

-R

#38

Update finally
Here is one of the tests that we have been running to refine the lightning. Only a still as we haven’t finished the roto on her hand yet. You can also see the first stages of the color correction.

We are still loosing a bit too much in the skin tones, and overall its too blue for dusk. We will be pushing this right up to the deadline to get everything completed. More updates soon.

#39

Made some changes to Shot 09, did a first roto pass on her hand. Also started refining the color correction. Temporarily removed link as the file wasn’t compressed for the web

This is what the footage looked like at the start.

Here is a quick peek at our Shake node setup for this shot.

#40

Here is the final sequence:

High Bandwidth, 34MB, Sorenson3
High Bandwidth, 21MB, H264
Low Bandwidth, 4MB, H264

More screen shots, and settings/experiences to follow.

Software Used:
Shake
Maya
Motion
Final Cut Pro
Sound Track Pro
Photoshop
Illustrator
InDesign

Time Taken:
The shoot lasted for 3 hours, after that I stopped keeping track of the time things took.

FX
All Shots:
Color correction.

Shot 1:
Follow shot steadied with digital camera stabilization, iPod battery screen animated and added, lighting effects added, sky replaced.

Shot 8:
Replaced sky.

Shot 9:
Rotoscoped in FX lightning under the hand.