Research Project: Object Metamorphosis and Transformations
Fani Vassiadi
MA Digital Effects
NCCA, Bournemouth University
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The practice |
Sometimes when we see complex advertisements with multiple effects, we wonder how they were created. When I begin my research I found many videos with morphing and transformation effects, while some others looked as if they used morphing but finally another solution was approached. Therefore, in order to learn specific information and details I contact "key" people who were behind these effects. In this section I present interviews which I took through emails. My main question in all interviews is how the effects were created (step by step if possible). I decided to show the original answers without rephrasing them in my own words, as I couldn't have described things better than those people who created the effects.
Rhinofx Company
This company not only has an amazing portfolio but is also a very friendly and helpful production company. From the beginning of the research I saw at the following link a very interesting advertisement for NorthWestAirlines (http://www.boardsmag.com/
screeningroom/commercials/1242). I send an email on 9/May and a few days later I took a reply from the director of the advertisement. Arman Matin provided me a link to an article and he also send me the treatment he wrote for NWA before starting to work on the project. It very interesting as we can see how a director approaches a project before getting into production.
The article can be found at the following link: http://www.theasc.com/magazine/dec04/short/page1.html
The pictures from the advertisement
Director's Treatment
This is going to be one of those spots that stands out in a class of its own. Using cutting edge visual effects combined with live action photography we plan to create a lyrical ballet of transformations.
Our mood of this spot is relaxed yet elegant. One scene flows into another before us, without any hint of effort or strain. There is a natural yet ever surprising quality to it. A gentle camera move compliments the transformations and guides us to our fully transformed hero seat at the end. Again, elegance and class are what we want to achieve.
Lets talk about the transformations. In a nutshell objects should maintain their physical characteristics throughout. Simple elegant movements are desired. Articulation is preferred over squash and stretch. Its not cartoony, bendy or flexy….its based on physical reality. “Rubiks Cube” was a great example brought up in our conversation. Parts of the furniture disassemble, some of them slide out, things tuck in, others rotate, all happening right in front of our eyes. There is a certain controlled elegance to this style of movement.
Having said that, furniture selection will play an important role in how these transformations happen. However, I believe we should think of our Hero seat as a starting point, and choose the different office chair, lounge chair, dinning seat and bed which will all follow similar styles and complement each other. The accent furniture will naturally be chosen to work with the rest.
These mechanic and physics based movement, although elegant, will benefit from addition of softer transitional elements. Elements like cloth or fabric will add warmth and coziness to the mechanized transitions. A piece of paper blown away from an office table that gently drops down as a blanket on an ottoman in a living room will add more to the transitions. Time lapse inspired moments like flowers growing, wine glass being filled, bed sheets being draped are just a few examples.
All these events flow from one scenario to another. We have moments of rest where we get to appreciate the transformations result, before changing to the next. However, we never feel a stagnant moment, never a feeling of what’s coming next, until we find ourselves in the main cabin. An interesting way to end this journey would be to have the seats be arranged in different positions…some upright…. some in the middle and some laying down. As the scene assembles all the seats from their different position gently come up to their final upright position. Of course our hero seat transforms from upright to lay down position. This way we don’t extinguish the transformation force abruptly, but rather gently transform into reality.
These sets should have gorgeous lighting. Besides embodying the high fashion studio look and feel of lighting, it should speak of sleekness and sophistication. Lighting can also provide interesting transition elements, for example a living room TV that turns into a fireplace for the dinner. …a lamp that turns from an office lamp to a bedroom lamp. These animated light sources will provide very visually interesting moments when they move around and change shape all while being lit and effecting the illumination of the set. All of this, set against a semi reflective glossy black infinite space will define a rich and elegant look.
Visual effects is here as a tool to help create the story but not to overwhelm. It should appear as transparent and natural as possible. I see this spot being a combination of CGI, 35mm Film, HD and still photography.
We start with an extensive previzualization process where we try many different combinations of transformations. Previz is a working 3d blueprint of the spot where we work out timing, lensing, compositing, transformations etc. This serves as an invaluable tool in understanding how the end product will look like and also give clients an opportunity to be part of the process before it is finally done.
Previz continues while we pick our props so that, progressively the previz will represent the final elements and at the same time help us choose the appropriate props.
We plan to photograph and shoot HD of all relevant furniture for measurements, reference of construction, interior parts etc on a turntable. This information will be used to create high resolution detailed models of the props.
A day of 35mm shoot will provide us with the necessary live action elements i.e cloth, blanket etc, and the hero seats. Some of these elements will be shot in High speed about 120-180fps. Due to the size and availability of the real cabin, and its limitations in terms of positioning large Light Blankets, we recommend shooting this in a studio environment. This will give us the flexibility to design gorgeous lighting, which will be consistent throughout the spot. By positioning a pair of seats or even a single one in different positions for multiple takes we can recreate the whole row of seats. The side and top panel will be added in digitally. This way, handheld digital reference shots of the interior will be sufficient to create high detailed models of the interior. I have had some experience creating custom 3d interiors for private jets, and feel that this would be the best way towards achieving a unified look across the whole spot.
On set we plan to create a portion of the floor along with some furniture and setup lights accordingly. This information will be used as a reference for lighting. A custom panoramic camera will capture the lighting information that will be used to illuminate the digital shots. This approach will ensure the best possible results in terms of creating reality. After final models are created and textured, previz is used as a guide to create the final animation. In the end the spot should have no hint of a digital look, but have a “shot on film” look.
In terms of technology, we will employ only the best. We currently use Global Illumination (GI) technology to render our images. This mimics real world illumination model and thus allows us to directly use the lighting setup created for the live action shoot. Combine this with HDRI (High Dynamic Range Image) technology and you have a richness and realism that rivals film. HDR image is basically a format that contains infinite amount of color depth and luminance information. This is used to create the panaroma of the set, so that our GI Renderer can recreate the subtleties of a live action lighting setup.
Specifically for this project I plan to utilize a new technology that is just being used in film and not yet for a commercial. As all the furniture will be styled using the materials used for the hero seat, representing these materials in their most realistic form is very important. Conventional photographed textures will not suffice.
Provided we get access to swatches of the materials i.e pleather, aluminum, molded plastic etc, we can obtain the BRDF ( Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function) of all these materials. In layman terms BRDF represents the most accurate and complete information regarding a materials physical make and reaction to light. When this information is used in a CGI rendering process, the materials look absolutely real. To acquire the BRDF information of the materials used in the seat, we will consult with Surface Optics to utilize their database and their million dollar Reflectometers to create an accurate digital representation of the surfaces. I have provided some link that explain this technology and a link to Surface Optics. This technology is being used to create paint coating for Stealth fighter jets.
http://geography.bu.edu/brdf/brdfexpl.html
http://www.virtualcinematography.org/publications/acrobat/BRDF-s2003.pdf
This process ensures the organic quality and natural texture and feel in digital images without appearing synthetic.
After all is done, this will be a breathtaking spot, employing groundbreaking techniques. I am very excited to be thinking about working together.
Thanks
Arman
RhinoFX