2nd Edition
Filming the Fantastic A Guide to Visual Effects Cinematography
By Mark Sawicki
Description:
Don't waste valuable time and budget fixing your footage in post! Shoot the effects you want effectively and creatively the first time. This full-color step-by step guide to visual effects cinematography empowers you to plan out and execute visual effects shots on a budget, without falling into the common pitfall of using high-end computer graphics to "fix it in post," which can be an expensive, drawn out process. Instead, learn how to put your shots together before you start shooting-whether you're working in digital or film. Learn how to effectively photograph and create miniatures, matte paintings, green screen set ups, crowd replication, digital rear projection, and so much more to create elements that will composite together flawlessly.
The main purpose of effects is to promote the story, not just to wow an audience with amazing tricks created digitally. This book describes methods for creating seamless effects that don't call attention to themselves but enhance the scene as a whole. The technical foundations of film and digital capture are given in the introductory chapters of the book, and you are presented with real world scenarios that illustrate these basic concepts in a practical sense. Step-by-step illustrations of photographic element creation empower you to learn how to effectively pre-plan and execute your own visual effects challenges.
Table of Contents:
Forced Perspective; Latent Image Matte Painting; Stop Motion and Dynamation; Film and the Photochemical Process; Motion Picture Formats and the Optical Process; Digital Scanning and Recording/Digital Compositing Methods; Cinema and Shooting Elements; Blue and Green Screen Practical Examples; Motion Control vs. Tracking; Creating and Shooting Miniatures; Miniatures vs. Computer Graphics; Shooting Elements: Fire, Explosions, Snow, Bubbles, etc.; Planning for Fixes; Personalities and the Work Environment; Glossary
Author:
Mark Sawicki is a camera man, artist, and actor. He has had many roles in the world of film, from teaching visual effects for over 15 years at the UCLA extension, authoring video programs on the art of clay animation, and being an independent stop motion animator on several MTV videos. He won an Emmy Certificate for his contribution to the television series, Star Trek while working as a cameraman for Illusion Arts. He won a Clio for his camera work while at Celestial Mechanics Incorporated. Mark is currently a digital colorist and effects camera supervisor at Custom Film Effects. A few of his recent films include Premonition, The Black Dahlia, 40 Year Old Virgin, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Book Reviews:
"This step-by-step guide shows how to create visual effects during shooting rather than using computer graphics after shooting. This second edition reflects recent innovations in technology and equipment. Introductory chapters explain technical fundamentals of film and digital image capture, and later chapters cover specific types of effects such as stop motion, blue and green screen, miniatures and computer graphics, and the Cineon digital film system. Two chapters are devoted to cost cutting measures. Color photos, color screen shots, and photos of equipment illustrate techniques and effects on almost every page of the book."--SciTech Book News
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