VFX / 3D Integration
This project was the culmination of everything I learned during the second semester of Rich Media. We had to use live-action footage combined with some visual effect to create a short narrative. The visual effect should be integrated in a somewhat realistic or believable way.
The VFX / 3D Integration Video assignment was the final assignment given to us in Rich Media Communications II, and it was the culmination of everything we learned that semester. Specifically, we were to use live-action footage combined with some visual effects (3d or 2d animation, using a green screen and masking) to create a short narrative of around 1-2 minutes. The visible result should be integrated realistically or believably.
For my take on the assignment, I made a video about dealing with an out-of-control ice ball. It starts with me reading a book in my living room when an iceball bursts through my door and out the window. It bounces all over my front lawn, freezing areas it hit before flying off into the distance after bouncing off my car. It eventually lands near a playground before rolling into the streets near it.
A portal opens behind the iceball, and turning around, it sees me entering the area to teach the iceball a lesson by creating a fireball. The iceball panics and tries to escape, but I fire the pistol, and it hits him, causing an explosion and snow. Seeing how my work was done, I opened another portal and returned home.
When I was given this assignment, I wasn’t thinking of a specific narrative for this video, namely, just ideas that would check off the main requirements for this project, integrating special effects with live action. This decision-making is why the narrative is a bit random and nonsensical, as I just went with the first idea that ran through my head of me having to deal with an out-of-control ball. I thought it would be funny and clever if I turned it into an iceball.
When I was given this assignment, I wasn’t thinking of a specific narrative for this video, namely, just ideas that would check off the main requirements for this project, integrating special effects with live action. This decision-making is why the narrative is a bit random and nonsensical, as I just went with the first idea that ran through my head of me having to deal with an out-of-control ball. I thought it would be funny and clever if I turned it into an iceball.
Speaking of the iceball, I created it using Cinema 4D, a 3d program we’ve been using all semester, similar to Blender and Maya. I created a sphere, colored it blue, and gave it an ice texture. Animating it was achieved mainly by moving the ball around wherever I needed it to go with a green screen behind it so I could use key lighting to remove the background. When I was given this assignment, I wasn’t thinking of a specific narrative for this video, namely, just ideas that would check off the main requirements for this project, integrating special effects with live action. This decision-making is why the narrative is a bit random and nonsensical, as I just went with the first idea that ran through my head of me having to deal with an out-of-control ball. I thought it would be funny and clever if I turned it into an iceball.
I used Adobe After effects, including the ice effects, window smashing, portal, fireball, and snow effects. Many of these effects required me to go up on youtube to see how to achieve this effect as I wasn’t very familiar with these styles and needed to learn how to do it properly.
This project required a lot of camera tracking as I didn’t have a tripod for most of these scenes, and the footage I did get was awfully shaky. I needed some things to look like there were still, like the broken window and the ice effects. This camera tracking method was also because I needed the iceball to move naturally like it was real and caught on camera, as simply floating down smoothly in a shaky camera wasn’t natural.
It wasn’t an easy process as particular objects, like the iceball, needed to move in a specific direction, meaning I had to adjust to movements to ensure it all seemed natural. In the scene with the playground, for example, I eventually had to take a still image of the area as I couldn’t get the iceball movements when falling down in line with the shaky camera.
The portal scene was achieved by using the sling ring effects from the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies from a video I found online and filming all those scenes in my living room. Masking and rotoscoping were done to make it look like I was outside.
Certain areas in my video needed specific weather to fit the mood, like when I was conjuring the fireball and storm clouds or the aftermath of the video where it was not snowing. Again, it was all done in after effects. For the former, I used masking to help darken the sky, and the latter was achieved through this online tutorial I found that can change grassy, sunny areas into winter-like areas.
Overall, I really like how this project turned out as I had found, and I would love to do more videos like this.