HOW TO MAKE AN INVISIBLE MAN ‘SEE-THROUGH’ in FCP

[Michael Sacci]

[Adam Coyle Roach] “BASICALLY I WANT TO MAKE A PERSON COMPLETELY SEE THROUGH SO YOU CAN SEE OBJECTS THROUGH HIM, NOT JUST KEYED OUT (to another background…on a different video track.) “
Using all caps is yelling, why are you yelling your question?

You seem to be asking how do I make the actual person invisible.

[Walter Biscardi]

[Adam Coyle Roach] “BASICALLY I WANT TO MAKE A PERSON COMPLETELY SEE THROUGH SO YOU CAN SEE OBJECTS THROUGH HIM, NOT JUST KEYED OUT (to another background…on a different video track.) “

YOU NEED TO START WITH A CLEAN SLATE SO YOU CAN THEN REPLACE ANYTHING THAT GETS KEYED OUT BY YOUR ACTOR.

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
Biscardi Creative Media
HD and SD Production for Broadcast and Independent Productions.

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[Joshua Brown]

You’re going to need a clean slate. Then you’ll most likely have to tween the movement of objects in the scene. My suggestion would be to shoot your slate. Then Simply shoot the objects you want the “invisible” man to interact with. Run a live preview of the objects being filmed overlaid on your slate to watch the interaction. Then film the man with his hat on or whatever. It’s going to be very complex to pull it off.

A slightly alternative method is to shoot the “plate” and the object movement at the same time then rotoscope out the stick or wires you use to move them. Then film the man on green-screen later.

It’ll be tricky. I’d love to see this if/when you are done.

-Josh

[Bill Davis]

Unless I misunderstand you, you’re making this WAY too complicated.

Say you want to do a 10 second “invisible man” walkon shot of him entering and sitting down at the desk.

Just lock down the shot and shoot 15 seconds or so of a static shot of the set. Then have the man walk on and sit down at the desk.

Put those TWO shots on different tracks and set the opacity of the second shot (the one with the guy) at between 40 and 60% depending on how “invisible you want him to be.

If you want him to interact with the visible objects, eg answer the phone. THEN you need to deal with separate keying issues and generating moving mattes to isolate objects in one layer to interace with objects in other layers.

But the basic invisible man stuff is about as simple as my first two paragraphs indicate.

Good luck.

[Adam Coyle roach]

Re: Michael Sacci – I was not aware CAPS meant yelling, or at least I didn’t think it would offend anyone’s sensibilites. i was simply trying to make the summary of my query stand out.

I don’t have a message signature, and I’m comfortable with that.

[Adam Coyle roach]

thanks to Walter and the others,
here’s a still from screentests so we’re all on the same page…

So…am i to understand that I need to film floating items on wires or sticks, like ie. a headband (to be put on the invisbile mans head) and then with 100% accuracy, in Shake, make that floating item track with the actor?

(((((just so I’m clear here’s an example above; i’d like the glasses on the actor’s head to be visible through his head, because they go over the back of his skull.)))))))

I apologize for not explaining this more clearly but i’m not a pro with production/post jargon yet.

Thanks again to all 4 of you who are trying to help thus far.

-Adam

I don’t have a message signature, and I’m comfortable with that.