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Looking for thoughts on a comp I’m working on
I’d like other AE artists opinions on a particular composition I’m working on. I have a 25 second video clip in which the camera dollies slowly toward a person who is speaking to camera. The camera also begins out of focus and rolls to full focus at around 6 seconds into the move. I need to animate a piece of paper which is intended to appear scotch taped to the TV screen. This graphic is finished, fully transparent and ready to be used. So I only have those two elements. A 25 second shot and the scotch taped paper. The idea is that as the camera moves in and focuses, we pass by the paper and it defocuses, finally going away completely as we pass it by. Obviously I’d like it to look as fluid as possible. I took some good stabs at it today, but without interjecting my methodology, I’d like to know how you’d approach this request. Feel free to ask clarifying questions. Thanks. Todd.
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9 Replies
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Chris,
Do you mean post an mpeg online for you to view or post the comp details of what I’ve done so far in AE?
Thanks,
Todd -
Post a QT for folks to see so they can help you from here or offer alt solutions. Also for me, because I’m as slow minded as a house cactus, to understand completely what you speak of.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
Ok then…
Keep in mind that this is not the final video or final graphic… just test elements. The “video” is in fact just a slow push on a still right now. The final video would be in color. I’d like to make the “taped” element pass by more dramatically, which is one issue I’m having. I’m not trying to withold information, I just didn’t want anyone to try and work around my comp settings, when there might be a far better way to go about it.
https://www.motioninc.com/guestftp/Motion/
Thanks,
Todd -
Okay, I have some questions:
1. Was the footage already shot? Is it definitely doing a dolly push in?
2. Confused on the “Taped to the TV screen thing” if it’s taped to the screen how can we pass by it? I guess I’m confused as to what it’s supposed to be taped to. In your test it is “floating in space” which is a very dramatic effect I think, but not sure if this is what your intention is.If your real camera actually dollied in to the subject, then I think you would need to spend some time trying to match move it to look like it’s locked to the image. If the shot was sone as a lock off, I think it’s a cool effect to bring in the footage into AE 3D space along with your paper/tape offset in Z position and do a AE camera move past the paper to the video image. Then use the DOF blur in AE to rack between the layers when it is appropriate.
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
Chris,
The footage is not yet shot. This is still in the conceptual stage. It is currently being planned as a slow dolly in.
The “taped to the screen thing” is the hairy part of this whole deal. Obviously we could not physically pass it by in reality, but suspension of disbelief can work to. To truly make it look like it’s taped to the TV screen, I think I’ll need to put a layer between the paper and the actor, that makes the viewer fell like there’s glass there and that the paper is stuck to it. I am not attempting to make it look like it’s floating in space, though I realize that’s what I’m getting. I’d like it to looke actually taped onto the viewers screen.
I do realize that matching the dolly move will be tough, but in the test you looked at, I did my best to simulate that. I did a simple scale move on the woman jpeg and then promoted the paper to 3D and tryed to match the move. It’s not great yet.
I like your lock off idea, but how exactly do I do the AE camera move with locked off video? Meaning if it’s locked in at 720×486, how can I move past the taped object and then closer to the actor without distorting the video?
An AE camera question, as I have not used them all that much. How do I create separation between layers. I’m having trouble actually zooming past the paper altogether. In the end the paper and girl are on the same plane it seems, no matter how much I pull them apart on the X, Y and Z plane. Can I really zoom past the paper?
Thanks,
Todd -
If you shot the stuff as a lock off. Bring that layer into AE 3D space. Put the paper layer in 3D space as well. Move the paper forward in Z space.
Now you can’t zoom the camera, you need to move the camera. Huge difference. Actually animate the camera’s position towards the paper, past it then closer to the video layer.
What I am still unclear about: If the paper is attached to the TV, How can the camera go past it? Does it just fade away, or un attach itself?
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com -
I’ll experiment with the camera some more. My concern is image quality. How can I move the camera into the live speaker without degrading the image?
Regarding the taped to the screen thing. Does it have to be that realistic Chris? BTW, I’m asking a question, not being a jerk in any fashion. FWIW, the client, the other client and one of my two bosses are all scratching their heads in much the way you are reacting, so I’m not surprised. That said, my other boss is really pushing for this look and he likes this rough treatment. As he puts it, he wants to start out as if we were looking at the TV screen and then, we the viewer, enter the screen.
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If that is the treatment: You are looking at a Paper stuck to the CRT tube then you transition to the image itself, then it’s not really a move. It’s kind of like one of those shots in The Matrix where you are aware of the TV’s scan lines and frame, then the shot transitions to the clean image.
In that case, I’d take a good digital still of the edges of a real TV to get the frame. Then mask out the inside. Then Shoot a digital still of say an open window from inside a living room. Now lay this over your video using screen transfer mode and drop the opacity so it feels like a reflection off of glass. Then look up in the Cow archives for suggestions for getting the TV scan lines look. One of my favorites is using the Venitian Blind transition in AE set to scan line thickness with feather on. Then put the paper/tape layer on top of all this. Then I guess just dissolve this whole mess into the clean image of the video footage.
If you still want to physically move the camera PAST the paper and towards your person, then you are looking at a 3D matchmove (if you shoot a real dolly move) but then logically having the paper taped to the screen doesn’t work. Or the thing where you push past 2 layers in AE. Too your resolution question, if you see the footage small then the camera moves close enough to make it fill the frame then you don’t lose resolution. If you want the footage to always fill the frame, then you will need to shoot a lock off of the person but smaller in frame than you would normally frame it. Then push into the shot a bit. You will lose resolution. However if your move isn’t too severe, the loss in resolution may not be noticeable. If you want to hold your resolution true than you will need to use a higher res format than your output format (like transfer or shoot HD to output SD).
Chris Smith
https://www.sugarfilmproduction.com
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