Plan for Assessment video
As part of my modules for this semester, we will be required to submit an assessment video as part of our final submission. This video must consist of a voice-over, various visual examples of our references, including the filmmakers and animators that have inspired us, the practices we aim to investigate and utilise for our final projects and the overall subject matter our final film will illustrate. This will be done in conjunction with a final assessment presentation that will set us up for the next semester. My assessment video will essentially lay the groundwork for my final project, "Mr Daedal", and I aim to include some test shots that will illustrate my field practice. I will also need to research tutorials that will give me a realistic idea of how long the post-production process will be and what can/cannot be done in the allocated time.
Even if I don't ultimately go with the processes used in my test shots, they will at least provide my peers with an idea of what my film will consist of.
I will aim to include details of what my final film will investigate, as well as brief adumbrations of what was involved in my previous degree and apprenticeship. These will provide details of my previous studies and how these can influence my master's going forward. I will then investigate what my particular influences are for this task, such as the work of Richard Linklater and how his use of rotoscoping plays into his subject matter and his directorial style. I will also draw reference to Loving Vincent and how the animation fed into the making and style of that film.
Currently, the techniques I aim to use in the film include 2D animation with rotoscoping, 3D modelling and animation, visual effects through After Effects/3D modelling software and live-action principal photography. Whilst this is obviously subject to change, I will include clips of tutorials that show that these aims are feasible. The primary technique I hope to use for placing the animated footage into the live-action footage is a combination of 3D camera tracker and Bezier warp in After Effects which fit the footage to the shape of the objects they will be projected onto, such as a wall that runs from side to side of the screen in a three-dimensional perspective.
Lava VFX technique
These are some tutorials which explain how to create lava in visual effects. After Effects will likely be the option to use when pressed for time because it is easier, but if I go for lava created in 3D modelling, the results will hopefully be more rewarding. This lava will be for the sequence in the film where the protagonist visits Dundee Law, which is constructed atop an extinct volcanic sill, hence the references to lava and the land's original state.
Smoke tutorials
These tutorials illustrate how to create artificial smoke in post-production, and this can be done with a fluid simulation in 3D modelling or with after effects. It is primarily dependant on how the intended look of the filmmaker, and I will need to experiment with different techniques to find one that suits me. I've tried the smoke tutorial successfully in Maya but I need to find a way to export it as a file that can be pasted on top of footage in After Effects and then exported as mp4.
Whale Tutorial
These are some of the tutorials I've found that allow people to make a 3D animated whale in After Effects/Blender using prebuilt whale models or instructions. I will aim to make my own whale model for the sake of originality and to try and add some more credibility to my work, but I do recognise After Effects as the option to go for when pressed for time. I had originally intended to feature the whale rising from the water, but I might have to do that with royalty-free footage considering the amount of work 3D modelling can require.
