There is always a plan in every project I work on. I strongly believe that is the only way to deliver results on time. Despite the given time constraints, there has not been a compromise of creativity and quality because the productions were always well-planned.
First, understand the scale of the project and then plan an appropriate schedule for it. Scheduled milestones keeps everyone aware of the progress of the project.
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Ideas are churned out during brainstorm sessions where thumbnails and rough storyboards and continuously generated.
These are then used for reference and communication during the pitching process. All these ideas are filtered into the final concept, and then it is refined and made into the final layouts for production.
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With a strong understanding of the pitch and the concept, the layouts are transformed into the final images using a combination of 3D Softwares, Live action filming and Photography.
Research and development in this aspect is an important and continuous process as I seek to perfect this integration.
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Final preparations, such as colour grading, for the final product to be published for broadcast, the Internet or print.
read more...He who fails to plan...
...plans to fail
I plan so that everybody involved in the production will have a clear idea of the demands of the production and will resolve a lot of uncertainties between the client and me.
In this example of my "Demo reel 2009 opening shot", I had a very tight schedule because I was preparing for my graduation show at the same time. Planning helped me to foresee and avoid many unnecessary steps, saving a lot of time.
After all the scheduling was complete, I moved on to the next creative phase - pre-production and creative direction.
Having the initial idea or brief at hand, I would brainstorm and produce thumbnails. The thumbnails and final idea will be evaluated until it is finalised and sent to produce the layout.
This is the most important amongst the creative process hence it requires most participation and feedback. Visuals produced at this stage does not have to be pretty but they need be churned out quickly and need to convey the key points effectively.
In context with this example, I sketched thumbnails to brainstorm my ideas and seeked opinions from my friends. The thumbnails led to a final design and layout for production.
Once the layout is prepared, video footage may be required. The shoot has to be planned, taking into consideration of the set, prop, talent, equipment and studio rental.
Footages acquired on my own will grant me full creative freedom and tackle visual effects concerns during the shoot. For example, very often, tracking points and green screen has to be set up for the shoot. Existing footages provided by clients may be used but will have to be accessed for sufficient video quality.
For this opening shot, I wanted a Singapore neighbourhood and homely setting. I scouted and shot several locations and chose the one with evident angular geometric structures to perform software-based camera tracking.
Post production involves compositing the CGI elements into the live footage such that the output is appealing and believable. Followed by color and mood correction, matching film grain, adding supers, sound design and editing.
This is the step where everything shot is completed and being put together so that they look like from one set, regardless motion or print.
For this demo reel opening, the different render layers where composited to match the lighting of the live footage, then colour corrected to achieve a warm temperature. A broken TV special effect was added to end the opening shot to transit to the following shots. The shot was complete at this point and ready to be handed over to the demo reel production.