Design Practice 3: Assignment 1: Work Submission

And that's a wrap! This is my final edit for my Gust Concept advert, this version includes enhanced colour correction treatment to the whole sequence, improved titles, an MediaDobson opening, removal of panning shots and finally better timed VFX on the pot flip. Bring on Fridays final premiere, I aim to impress.

Design Practice 3: Assignment 1: Editing: Part 2

The main addition to this edit is the flashing light transformation on the flipping pot scene, which was generally seen as the scene that needed the most work and attention in post-production. I am satisfied with the effect produced, which is a mixture of particles, lights and key frames transpiring mid-air. More importantly It hides the fact that there's noting actually present in the pot while adding to the adverts visual appeal. I now consider this aspect solved and will be moving onto further problems, tackling colour correction and titles.

Show & Tell #2

I have had the first premiere of my advert to the class (all 7 of them) and it was generally well received, I had a lot of people nodding which is always a good sign. Peoples comments consisted off "Now I don't feel like eating fast food" "It just got the message across perfectly" "Good acting" and "Nice looking location", Not bad as I was doubting whether or not it was too fast paced to depict a message, seems that I underestimated the ability of the audience. On the other hand there was also constructive feedback to take away from this session, The main focus was that of the final climactic scene, where Chef Gusto flips the pot over to slam onto the table. The audience can clearly see there's nothing present in the pot, which in turn results in a less shocking finale and distracts from the realism, there were suggestions on refilming and green-screening, but Instead I have plans to add a special effect to represent a transformation mid- air.
Other points made include:

• Removing the pan on the "let's start cooking scene"
• Removing the "Now you've seen how its made" line on the final scene
• Adding a basscut to the audio
• Work on the brightness levels through out

The scene that needs most work, the empty pan will be hidden and replaced with VFX in After Effects

Design Practice 3: Assignment 1: Editing: Part 1

My initial assembly of clips is done, it has taken some carful observation and altering to fit the required footage into the thirty second time frame. I have had to cut at least 50% from my raw unedited footage, with these adjustment I'm hoping my original message still retains despite the fast nature of the sequence. I have tested the advert on various samples and each one has stated that they understood the message and that the clips flowed nicely together.  I am overall satisfied with how the footage has turned out , It is most likely one of the most professional looking pieces I have produced, not to mention how nice the lighting shows off the location.  I still have text, colour corrections and VFX too work on however.

After Effects CRAZY!

Yep, so After Effects had pretty much been my creative zen this past week, I'm working under the philosophy that It'll be less painful to learn now than a year down the road, when the vast majority of employers and clients are going to want to see evidence of AE competency... film and visual effects are becoming ever more intertwined and I believe it's a necessity to understand both in this modern society. More importantly though I want to gain a greater understanding of how this technology can be incorporated into my projects personally. How can I work out future scenes if I don't realise what AE is capable of?

I'm finding it quite complex at the moment, more so then any other program I've used (bar 3ds MAX), but that's fine as it is in fact widely considered a steep learning curve for most beginner. So all in all I feel that I can gradually build up my knowledge of the program through online tutorials and my project time at University, the plan is that by the end of my course here I will at least be of average standard in AE and be able to confidently incorporate VFX in my work flow.

Design Practice 3: Assignment 1: Development: Part 4

Well the production stage of my political advert has now finished, It has took a lot of organization and scrounging, but in return I have gained one of the most aesthetically pleasing sets in the group, along with a semi-decent message. The main set for all the scenes was located In the countryside of Matlock Derbyshire, a whopping three hours drive away, and as I didn't own a car I had to rely a lot on my crew members (Jordon & Paul) for transport.

Off course petrol money had to be reimbursed for the expense of the long journey, which meant I realistically only had one take as my budget was already overflowing. In total this project racked up around £60 and 10 hours of filming, not to mention many more hours poured into pre-production, It has really put matters into perspective, the pure amount of effort you have to put into film, even for a 30 second project is astounding.

Production Stills:

Untouched

Daniel Bissill alters the focus

The set is dressed for the cooking show

Some big pointers were; to never underestimate the amount of time needed to film even a short piece of footage, that shot lists are crucial, they were literally my lifeline on set, I referenced them more times than I can count. Getting to know the equipment a day (preferable weeks) before a shoot is also important and can save heaps of time. Furthermore always check you have the correct equipment and hire out spares, half our equipment was faulty or missing and finally don't hold out on your crew members, I am so glad I had three members rather than two, the roles demand more attention than one person can provide.

Jordan Brooks as 'Chef Gusto'

Widshot of the cooking show set

Post production has now started and I estimate to complete the project on time, titles, colour correction, VFX and soundmixing all need be completed by 25/11/11. A big thank you to Jordan Brooks (actor), Daniel Bissill (lighting), Pam Fletcher (location) & to Paul Dobson (assistant producer) for making It all possible.

After Effects Puppet Test

Just a really crude test of parenting in Adobe after effects, got the basic grasp of pivot points and their hierarchical structure now, could be useful for special effects, titles and credits in future projects



Justin Bieber robot?

Design Practice 3: Assignment 1: Development: Part 3

 Production Files