The VES Handbook of Visual Effects Industry Standard VFX Practices and Procedures

The award-winning VES Handbook of Visual Effects remains the most complete guide to visual effects techniques and best practices available today. This new edition has been updated to include the latest, industry-standard techniques, technologies, and workflows for the ever-evolving fast paced world of visual effects. The Visual Effects Society (VES) tasked the original authors to update their areas of expertise, such as AR/VR Moviemaking, Color Management, Cameras, VFX Editorial, Stereoscopic and the Digital Intermediate, as well as provide detailed chapters on interactive games and full animation. Additionally, 56 contributors share their best methods, tips, tricks, and shortcuts developed through decades of trial and error and real-world, hands-on experience. Thisthird edition has been expanded to feature lessons on 2.5D/3D Compositing; 3D Scanning; Digital Cinematography; Editorial Workflow in Animated and Visual Effects Features; Gaming updates; General Geometry Instancing; Lens Mapping for VFX; Native Stereo; Real-Time VFX and Camera Tracking; Shot/Element Pulls and Delivery to VFX; Techvis; VFX Elements and Stereo; Virtual Production; and VR/AR (Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality). A must-have for anyone working in or aspiring to work in visual effects, The VES Handbook of Visual Effects, Third Edition covers essential techniques and solutions for all VFX artists, producers, and supervisors, from pre-production to digital character creation, compositing of both live-action and CG elements, photorealistic techniques, and much more. With subjects and techniques clearly and definitively presented in beautiful four-color, this handbook is a vital resource for any serious VFX artist.

Coming Soon … Chapter 1: Introduction First, Some Ground Rules Now, the Introduction Why Use Visual Effects Chapter 2: Pre-Production /Preparation Overview Breaking Down a Script – Budgeting Ballpark Budget More Detailed Budgets Bidding Plate Photography Temp Screenings Reviewing Bids Contracts Rebidding during Shooting Rebidding in Post Monitoring the Budget and Schedule Keeping the Budget Down Working with the Director and Producer Demo Reel The Meeting Moving Forward Production Departments Production Design Camera Working with the Cinematographer Special Effects Stunts Wardrobe Makeup Production Visual Effects Editorial Locations Production Meeting Designing Visual Effects Shots Guidelines for Directors Storyboards Previs Objective of the Shot Concept Art Continuity Photorealism Original Concepts Budget Reality and Magic Camera Angles Framing Scale Detail Speed Scaled Images Depth of Field Sequence of Shots Camera Motion Less Is More Action Pacing CG Characters Creatures and Character Design Powers of 10 Shots Visual Effects Techniques Technique Considerations Additional Suggestions for Determining Techniques Development of Previs Techniques History and Background What is Previs and Other Forms of Visualization? What is Previs? Different Types of Visualization and When to Use Them Visualization: The New Essential The Application of Previs: Who Benefits and How? The Benefits of Previs Project Types Post-Visualization What is Post-Visualization? Why Use Postvis? Who Does Postvis? Cautions and Suggestions for Good Practice The Perils of Previs! Passing the Work On The Role of the VFX Supervisor in Previs Previs: Advanced Techniques Visualization Usefulness VR as a Tool Visualization in Engine Render in Engine Visualization in Real Time AR as a Tool Camera Angle Projection Introduction Drawing What the Lens Sees Techvis What Is Techvis? Who is Techvis for? Virtual Production What is Virtual Production? How is Virtual Production Used? Chapter 3: Acquisition / Shooting Working on Set Common Types of Special Effects What are Special Effects? A Brief History of Special Effects The Special Effects Coordinator Working with the Visual Effects Visual Effects in Service to SFX Special Effects Design and Planning Storyboards and Previs The Elements: Rain, Wind, and Snow and Ice Smoke, Fire, and Pyrotechnics Mechanical Effects Flying Wire Rigs and Stunts Safety Greenscreen and Bluescreen Photograph Best Practices and Otherwise Overview Function of the Backing Negative Scanning and Digital Conversion Backing Uniformity and Screen Correction The Alpha Channel The Processed Foreground The Composite Recommended Specifications and Practices How to Expose a Green Screen Shot, and Why Setting Screen Brightness Choosing the Backing Color Floor Shots, Virtual Sets Foreground Lighting Controlling Spill Light Lighting Virtual Sets Tracking Markers On-Set Preview Cameras for Blue Screen or Green Screen Photography Underwater Photography On-Set Data Acquisition Camera Report Tracking Markers Props for the Actors Cyberscanning Digital Photos Lidar/Laser Scanning Lens Distortion Charts HDRI and Chrome Balls Lidar Scanning and Acquisition On-Set 3D Scanning Systems Types of Technology Lidar Photogrammetry Prop Scanners Lighting Data Gathering Lighting Data Beware of False Savings! Using Conventional Still Cameras Reference Shooting Considerations Clean Plates Shooting the Clean Plate Locked-Off Camera Moving Camera Other Issues Post-Process Alternates without Clean Plates Other Uses for Clean Plates Monster Sticks On-Set Animation Capture: Witness Cam (IBMC) Wireless Non-Video Motion Capture Factors Affecting Witness Cameras Dealing with the Data in Post-Production Camera Tracking for Real-Time Visualization Camera Tracking Pre-Production The Camera Department Prior to Shooting Current Tracking Systems in Use Triangulation As a Method of Recording Camera Data Camera/Subject Positional Information Basics: The Toolkit Basics: Nodal Point Photographic Reference How to Proceed Shooting Video as a Reference Rules, Setup, and Testing Do a Complete Test Shot! Why Run Through Example or Test Shots? Digital Cinematography Digital Definitions High Dynamic Range (HDR) Lens Metadata Look Management The Recording System Lens Mapping for VFX VFX Photography The Camera Array Designing an Array Shot Technicians Shoot Day Special Techniques Post The Future Filming Live-Action Plates to be Used in VFX Camera Position (Station Point) Angle of View Lighting Considerations Camera Tilt Background Quality Moving Plates Scouting the Camera Positions A Case Study Camera Cars Camera Car Safety Issues Purpose-Built Crane Cars Vibration and Camera Stabilization Road Speed Precautions Panoramic Rigs On the Water Air to Air Cable Systems Shooting Elements for Compositing What Is an Element? Stock Footage Types of Elements Generic versus Shot-Specific Elements Determining Element Needs Cheating Backgrounds Black Backgrounds Line-Up Camera Format Considerations Assorted Methods for Shooting Elements High-Speed Photography and Filming Elements Cameras Technicians Director of Photography Lighting Application Locking Down the Camera Video Assist Post Supervising Motion Control What is Motion Control? Performance Choreography Multiple-Pass Photography Scaling Import and Export of Camera Move Data The Data Types of Motion Control Systems Motion Control Software Camera Types Sync and Phase Dealing with Production Acquisition of Motion / Still Photographic Textures for Mapping onto CG Panoramic Backgrounds Tiled Stills Motion Tiling and Synchronous Plates Practical Considerations Stills for Textures and Lighting Stop-Motion Evolution of Stop-Motion Photography The Time Required to Shoot in Stop-Motion Preparation before Shooting Setting up a Shooting Space for Stop-Motion Use of Motion Control in Stop-Motion Useful Caveats Evolution of a Shot Use of Stop-Motion in Visual Effects Chapter 4: Performance and Motion Capture What is Motion Capture? Is Motion Capture Right for a Project? The Mocap Look Technical Specifications Entry Point Budget Which Technology is Right for a Project? Gauging a Project’s Needs and Constraints Passive Retroreflective Optical Active Optical Inertial Structured Light Dense Stereo Reconstruction Bend Sensors Preparing for Motion Capture Actors Motion Capture Suits Marker Placement – Body Marker Placement – Face Rigging for Motion Capture Shot List Technology Considerations Hardware The Strobe Markers Lenses Filter Image Sensor Onboard Processor Inputs/Outputs Setup Software Acquisition Calibration Post-Processing Reconstruction Labeling Gap Filling Cleaning Solving Motion Capture Facial Motion Capture Facial Actor Survey Actor Survey – Hardware Reference Data Statistical Data Facial Rigging Facial Acquisition Audio Facial Motion Capture Solving Real-Time Motion Capture Real-Time Uses Real-Time Limitations Alternate Technologies Motion Capture Resources Virtual Production World Building Previsualization On-Set Visualization Virtual Cinematography Chapter 5: Stereoscopic 3D How 3D Works Accommodation and Convergence Interaxial Separation Toe-in Versus Horizontal Image Translation Parallax or Depth Budget Positive and Negative Parallax Floating Windows Fix It in Post Stereoscopic Design The Emerging Grammar of 3D Creative Use of Depth Previsualization Avoiding Painful 3D The Aesthetic of Scale Cutting for 3D Designing for Multiple Release Formats Immersion-Based versus Convergence-Based Stereo Native Stereo Pre-Production On-Set Stereography in the Visual Effects Process Stereography for Finishing HFR as a Solution for Better 3D Movies VFX Elements and Stereo Introduction – How VFX Elements are Used Native Stereo Content Mono Capture – Packaged Script and Element Deliveries Mono Capture – Hybrid Approach for Stereo Delivery Mono Capture – Full CG Approach for Stereo Delivery Creating Depth – Layout and Stereography Stereo Camera – Depth Wedges Stereo Compositing Requesting a Full CG Stereo Re

Jeffrey A. Okun, VES, is an award winning Visual Effects Supervisor, having worked on a large number of feature films, commercials and television shows. He started in the inudstry in 1976,and he is currently a member and Fellowof the VES andThe Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences as well as the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), the Television Academy and the Editors Guild. He was the chair of the VES for 9 years and 1st vice chair for 16 years, and chair of the L.A. Section for 2 years. He created the VES awards along with Tim McGovern and Kim Lavery, VES. Okun created a visual effects tracking and bidding software in 1992 that is still in wide use within the industry today, as well as the revolutionary visual effects techniques dubbed the "PeriWinkle Effect" (an underwater blue screen technique) and the "Pencil Effect" (accurately predicts the final visual effects count and budget). Susan Zwerman, VES has been a member of the VES since 1998. She is a highly respected Visual Effects Producer who has been producing visual effects for more than 25 years. Zwerman is also a well-known seminar leader and author. As Chair of the DGA’s UPM/AD VFX Digital Technology Committee, Susan emphasizes the importance of the visual effects teams to DGA members at visual effects seminars organized under her guidance. In 2013, Susan received the Frank Capra Achievement Award in recognition of career achievement and service to the industry and the Directors Guild of America. She is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Producers Guild of America and a Fellow of the VES.