I have an idea that it would be cool if we could take apart classic VFX shots from older movies.
The idea is to see what made them work, and how their techniques can be applied to the digital world… and maybe do mini challenges based on what has been discussed…
And…I have the first movie I want to try this with in mind.
and here is a clue
“Welcome to earth”
-R
Independence Day. But that movie is only 10 years old. It was also done with digital technology, so I’m not sure how much would really be that different. I mean, yes, the big ships were miniatures, but the shots were digitially enchanced and compositied.
You got it…
The shots I have in mind were specifically the model shots (since ID4 was one of the bigger model shows ever). The shots I have in mind are the arrival shots in New York and DC.
Back then the clouds effects were done with a cloud tanks and the alien mothership was a model shot.
-R
But you mean the challenge will be recreate that scenes but Digitally?.. for example in the arrival shot use digital clouds instead the cloud tanks, and CG spaceship…
Sounds a challenge, more enviroment Vfx’s, and if the scene is like the one that destroy de White House its more challege.
–<Daniel>–
Yep you got it.
And I would like to go into detail on HOW the shots were done in the first place. (BTW the ship was a huge model)
I believe STRONGLY that vfx is an art form, and we all can learn a lot by dissecting and recreating some classic shots.
-R
I love that part where the wall of fire races through the city and incinerates everything in it’s path, always wanted to give that effect a go in CG (with some improvements, maybe), perhaps this’ll give me the chance 
Ok ill start working on this…
Guys feel free to share any ideas you all might have on this thread.
-R
Maybe we could create a list of Old School Fx movies…
I will start with these ones:
-> Men In Black (1997), there is a shot where a spaceship collide against an espherical sculpture.
-> GhostBusters (1984).
-> The Hunt For Red October (1990), explotion under the sea, I think they use models and a cloud machine to simulate under sea effect.
-> Krull (1983).
-> Mad Max (1982-1985).
-> Terminator I
[Edit]
-> True Lies (1994).
[Edit]
You can find some info of this movies on http://movies.yahoo.com
So much time that I see all this movies that I dont remember all the shots.
ID4 (posted by Roberto) its a good one to.
–<Daniel>–
I would like to see some tron effects updated Light cycles, computer generated explosions(literally) and a few others…
Great ideas so far, please keep em coming.
One thing I want to do is to do is to use the DVd extras for a lot of these classic films as “tutorial intros”…
-R
im thinking something from indiana jones.
The stuff from the destruction of the temple in raiders of the lost ark. The big ball, the bottomless pit, the poison arrows etc.
or maybe something from Last Crusade. The whole destruction of Petra, Jordan. The ground cracking, the invisible path etc.
i like the direction your taking Roberto.
-andy
Thanks for the replies so far…
Sorry for the quietness in the forum, but I had to take some time off for personal reasons.
Anyway…anther thing I want to do next year is to bring more organization to the way we are doing projects.
In the next mini challenge I will ask for storyboards, animatics and maybe even a production plan.
Tasks would be divided in real life production tasks:
Pre-Production
Modeling
Animation
Backgrounds
Compositing
Sound Effects
Music (If desired)
And each task would have specific deliverables.
I strongly believe that these stronger production practices can produce even better shorts/ fx shorts.
Here is a chart of the kind of work organization we could do:
[color=white]>>LINK<<[/color]
-R
If you want a great example of an deceptively simple short done with these great work practices check this site. I encourage all to study each stage on how these artists did this short:
[color=white]http://www.outside-hollywood.com/2006/10/men-o-war/[/color]
-R
Roberto,
I like where you’re going with this but i’d like to add a couple suggestions if i may.
First off, i agree with there being more organization or structure to the challenges. Although, not exactly how its been suggested. I think we need to try and replicate what would be given to the FX artist and what would be expected from him/her and then try and mimic the workflow to completion.
I think that for this to truly be FXWars we need to be learning/generating FX. The superpowers challenge was very close to what, in my opinion, the process should be. We are given story & story boards, background plates and maybe even the camera tracked version of the scene (available in all the major formats) and then we do our best to generate the effect. This in my opinion puts the focus where it should be…the FX.
I think its an amazing idea to go back and pick effects that have been done in past movies…it allows us to have a really strong point of reference as well as level of quality to strive for. It also gives ample information as far as context on how that effect fits into the story/movie. I think that we should pick effects, lots of good ones were suggested, and then replicate their scenes in different, but similar, locations if possible. Maybe not ending up identical but would still look fine if plopped into the movie. Part of this process would be, as you mentioned, to discuss how the effect was accomplished in the original movie. This part would be extremely beneficial when considering how to actually try and replicate the effect.
For me, what i would like to get out of the FXWars is education and enjoyment. I would like to learn how a special effects artist does their job, from their side of things as well as what is provided and asked of them by those recquiring the special effects. This should be where the organization or structure of the challenges comes in. The enjoyment would come from applying the knowledge and creating a shot that could end up being extremely cool for demo purposes or just to show your friends or whatever.
Keep up the good work!
I like the ideas presented so far.
One direction that I was thinking of taking is making the member do FX that are COMPLIMENTARY with the ones from original movies. In other words that they should imagine that they are working on a special edition of the film, and long lost visual effects have been found.
that would mean the fx artist would also have to care about things like esthetics of a shot and its art direction.
-R
I’m just trying to understand how this will work- a team effort to produce one clip, or individuals each working on their own version of the same scene?
I don’t know if this scene is in line with what you’re thinking, but -
2001, when Poole is in the core and removing HAL’s modules?
It would be the same as before.
Of course this sort of experiment lends itself more for individual shots.
You can have either team or indie efforts.
2001 is a perfect movie for this sort of experiment.
Imagine that you have been commissioned to do more exterior shots for the special edition DVD. The shots would be of the space shuttle, the space hotel, the moonbase and the Discovery.
One of the keys of this project is that the new fx shots have to look like they belong in the original movie. Same core lighting scene, design elements, same camera moves and even color grading. That my friends is the hard part.
And about the Poole in the core scene. A team could do that shot, but it would be VERY hard.
They would have to use an actor and fake the weightlessness. (Hell they would probably have to do a body replacement)
Another cool thing of this approach is that real life footage could be also replicated…
For example, look at these NASA shots:
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/162472main_rms10_STS061-105-026_lores.jpg
-R
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![[color=white]>>LINK<<](http://www.outside-hollywood.com/img/shortline.gif){kind=link}
