Evaluation
After reading the brief I was quite worried this project wouldn’t turn out as well as possibly some others as I feel like my skills aren’t as refined. Because none of us had done anything like this before, I was nervous a lot of things could go wrong. I think because I didn’t think of an idea immediately I wasn’t really sure what to film in the green screen room so I was nervous but luckily I came up with something in time that meant I could record a short sequence to edit to. After Kris showed me the video Geraint made when he was hoovering in the green screen room, it made me realise that the concept didn’t have to be too complex to get a decent grade. From the start, I wanted to try and keep it simple so that the green screen could be done well as this is what we will be marked on.
I originally had quite an elaborate idea for the green screen with lots of different camera shots that would make the idea make a little bit more sense. However, I reevaluated and thought back to the brief to consider what I was actually being marked on. This was mainly my quality of green screen editing and so I decided just to make a short sequence. I think this made it a lot easier when I was editing the footage because it meant I didn’t have to key a whole bunch of scenes, just one. This meant I could focus everything on this one scene so I managed my time a lot better.
What I like about my sequence is how much detail I’ve added to it from the spaceship moving accordingly to the little grids on the holographic screens. I think because our deadline was extended due to the snow, it meant that I could use that extra time to refine everything. Although I didn’t manage to include everything I wanted, I still really like the overall look of the piece. I’m glad I added a colour grade over the top also, I think it really adds something bringing it all together.
Compared to green screen in blockbuster films this is nowhere near the same standard. However, it was useful doing this project as it gave me an insight into how much time needs to go into VFX work in industry and how restricted they are as they would have much shorter deadlines.
I’ve learnt quite a lot of skills from this project. One being how to make a holographic screen as I had never done one of them before, I think it turned out well for a first try even though I can still pick up things to improve on. Keying is also of course one of the main skills I’ve picked up as I wouldn’t have known how to do that before and this project has sort of imbedded it in my mind. A few other skills I’ve learnt are mainly using different effects in After Effects to expand my knowledge of the software so it is easier to navigate around it. Some new effects I’ve learnt will be helpful in the future like CC Spheres, Shatter effect, Gaussian Blur, Set Matte etc. I’ve also learnt more ways to use solids in my work which is useful.
There’s a lot I would change about my work but a lot I like as well. One thing I would change is possibly the shots used. I would’ve liked to include more angles in order to build suspense more however I didn’t really have time and it wasn’t a major importance but it would make the piece a lot better I feel. I would also make the 3, 2, 1 countdown look more like a projection by making them more transparent and possibly adding a projection light beam. I would also add sound effects because it is a bit too quiet when the numbers are up and the button is pressed.
I came into a few problems during this process, the main one being the keying problem which I showed earlier in this production folder. Because the footage wasn’t great it made it difficult, however I found that asking for help was really useful as it put my mind at ease.
Overall, I did really enjoy this project in the end despite my worries about filming. I really loved the editing part of the surrounding areas, trying to make them fit in with the background and adding little features. So maybe I’ll go into matte painting in the future, or compositing? I found that once I started editing I found it hard to stop adding things which could be a problem if too much is added. However, I feel like I’ve done a decent job even though I would have loved to add sound effects if I had more time because it would just finish it off. The feedback I’ve received so far has been mainly positive, some saying it’s one of the best pieces I’ve done so far. This has given me confidence for future projects as I’m eager to improve more and more.
