Secret Agent Entry: Dariusz Sebastian Burdon

#1

Dariusz Sebastian Burdon is entered in the “Secret Agent” update: View Challenge Page

Latest Update: Finished Video: FInal video

#2

Hi,
I decided to participate in Individual Video category.
I will be creating a movie trailer.
Working name for the movie is “Agent Kowalski”.
Idea for plot:

People take electricity for granted. Its in every home, every socket, everywhere around us. An evil genius decided to send the world back to steam age (previous CG Challenge) by firing an electric Impulse that will deactivate all electrical power on the planet. He has built two satellite navigated “electric impulse pylons”. Pylons are located on 2 different parts of the world. One in London UK, another one in Chicago USA.
There is only one man that can stop his evil plan - polish secret agent Kowalski.

I will be posting more info on character design, locations etc.
Good Luck to all participants.

#3

As you can see I am working on storyboard.
Yes, I know… my drawings are very crude, but that’s the way it is at the creative stage.
I am still working on it therefore it can go through huge makeover.
I am arranging it, and rearranging it… Adding more and more ideas.
At the moment there are some ideas of agent being briefed, entering skyscraper through the window, car chase, all can do briefcase, shoot up, explosions etc.
Most of this will be sorted out while working on animatic. Then I will know exactly how many shot I can put in.

There is a MI6 HQ building in London, close to where I work so I might use that in the trailer.
I have more and more story ideas every day. Not sure if I will have time to pull it off.

Technically speaking I have decided to include some live action. All actors will be shot on green screen.
I am building a green screen studio at work. I will be posting updates of what I bought etc.
There will be a lot of keying, camera tracking and matchmoving. All of which I have never done, therefore I am treating this competition as a great opportunity to learn new stuff.

I have decided on the budget which is 200 GBP at the moment.
So far I have bought some green cloth, green tape, and green spray paint.
I have ordered 48 ping pong, some markers, 1 lamp with barn doors, 1 fluorescent lamp and some white nylon to create soft box and 8 Red Bulls :slight_smile:

Also I have ordered video game for my wife too keep her busy at least a little while I am spending hundreds of hours on the trailer.

I will be working on the trailer only after work and at the weekends therefore I need to start fast.
Hopefully I will be able to render at work.

At the moment I am looking for someone with HD camcorder that I could borrow.
Also lights… I need good lights for green screen.

#4

Second part of my crude storyboard.

#5

I went for a walk around London to look for some inspirations and references. First with my brother than with my wife.
We have take bunch of pictures that shoudl be usefull for modeling and perhaps some camrea projection.

#6

I can see alot of work going into this already! Looking forward to seeing the progress!

#7

Hey.
The next two images show some of the bits I have for shooting green screen.
Whant you can see in the first one is the place where green screen will be and objects listed in my previous post.
Today I have ordered 2 pistol replicas that I will use for shooting. Replicas are blue, but I will paint them black.

Second image shows huge roll for boubble foil that I managed to get for free form instalation company. I will need that to do the stunt :slight_smile: which will be a somersault when agent crashes thorugh a window to enter a building on high floor.
I have started working on animatic :smiley:


#8

Good news.
I got hold of green screen stands (tripods) :slight_smile:
I will be able to hang that green muslin cloth properly and have less wrinkles while shooting.
I still need more lights and softbox perhaps.

Also I am looking for someone that I could borrow HD camcorder from.

#9

Cool I’m doing live action too. Remember that lighting is what will separate the good from the bad. Take the time to figure out how to make each shot light well. and be careful with that stunt, lol, that thin pop packing stuff isn’t a crash pad. Looking forward to seeing the footage! good luck shooting.

#10

I wish I can take a walk around London for some inspirations and references :slight_smile:

Looks interesting :slight_smile:

Good luck!!!

#11

The green screen cloth that I bought on ebay has finally arived. It is a bit wrinkeled, so It needs ironing or steam ironing.
The work is in progress… :slight_smile:
Tripods are borrowed form the company I work for.

Meanwhile I have asked my friend with very nice diction,if she could do a bit of voiceover for my trailer. She hasn’t confirmed it yet so I am keeping fingers crossed for that.

I am still looking for camcorder.
Two of my freinds have HD camcorders. I haven’t spoken to them yet. I will do that once I have finished animatic.

Good stuff, good stuff…

#12

nice :slight_smile:

niezle przygotowania

GL

#13

tip on green screen. Try to stay as far away from the green screen as possible for shooting, and try to light the screen with as much light as you can w/o it spilling too much on the actor.
That green isn’t the right green, meaning it won’t be as easy to key and it won’t be light very well. The green you see in green screens is trying to be as close to video green (0, 1, 0) as possible. So think about the colors that the actor will have on, and try to get as far away from the bg green as possible. (if the story alows it)
If you want to do a quick test, take a picture of that green screen with the actor into photoshop and try to magic wand select the green. See what else it will select, and that will be similar to what will happen in comp.

Another tip, if you can have the actor wear a hat, you’ll be able to fudge a lot more, since the hair details won’t need to be kept (the hardest part of green screening)

good luck! I’m watching and waiting :smiley:

#14

Thanks Staszek and destruct007

In reality that green cloth is greener and less blue… It think that my camera captrued it incorectly… I know it because my shirt is also greener in reality.

Green screen was one of the reasons why I decided to wear a hat :). Lets make life a little bit easier. My actor (who would be myself) will be dressed prominently in black to avoid color spill. Also light is easier to mach on the black cloths because shadows are less apparent.

I need to sort out lights… that will be difficult becauce my 200 GBP budget is almost gone.

Most of the shots in my trailer will be night shots so hopefully it will be easier to light.

Oh man… than there will be keying, tracking, matchmoving … all that on top of 3D scenes.
Sometimes I think… What have I got myself into??.. :slight_smile:

#15

hahaha man I know it! Good thinking about the black no spill. I hadn’t thought of that as a spill suppressor before.

#16

a lot of work!

#17

If you are planning to do some camera mapping you could use some yellow stickers on the screen, when keying it out with the green channel the stickers shouldn’t be seen, and for tracking use the red channel… you should see a black background with bright white spots (Red + Green = Yellow)

#18

Thanks Isk. That is a good point. I have bought various colors of stickers. I will have some for foreground and some for backgroud to get good paralax. I also bouht green tape which is on one of the pictures above. Hopefuly that will work. :slight_smile:

#19

I have contacted company that sells bb guns, and asked if they have any broken ones and they send me those two blue replicas (broken and with no magazines).
The reason why they are blue is that in UK by law all bb guns on sale need to have bright colors.
I have bought a black matt spray paint and painted them over.

I will use them in one or two scenes.

#20

Ah-brings back memories!