Description
Book SynopsisThis book brings fantasy storytelling to a whole new level by providing an in-depth insight into the tools used for virtual reality, augmented reality, 360 cinema and motion capture in order to repurpose them to create a virtual studio for filmmaking. Gone are the long days and months of post before seeing your final product. Composites and CG characters can now be shot together as fast as a live-action show.
Using off-the-shelf software and tools, authors Mark Sawicki and Juniko Moody document the set-up and production pipelines of the modern virtual/mocap studio. They reveal the procedures and secrets for making movies in virtual sets. The high-end technology that enabled the creation of films such as The Lord of the Rings, Avatar and The Jungle Book is now accessible for smaller, independent production companies. Do you want your actors to perform inside of an Unreal Game Engine set and interact with the environment? Do you want to be able to
Trade Review
"Filming the Fantastic with Virtual Technology is as immersive a book on the history and process of visual effects creation as I’ve seen. Anyone wanting to know about how we got where we are now, what’s next, and how to get it done today, should read this book."
Michael Fink, Chair, Film and Television Production, USC School of Cinematic Arts
"Filming the Fantastic with Virtual Technology provides an excellent historical overview of traditional and digital approaches to lighting, shooting and compositing. In addition, the text delivers highly detailed technical information on these same approaches to get started building virtual worlds."
Elizabeth Leister, Assistant Professor, California State University, Northridge, Cinema and Television Arts Department
"A unique blend of hands-on tutorials, practical on-set production advice, and historical insights into the complex, fascinating, and exciting world of virtual filmmaking and visualization. A recommended read for artists and technicians interested in realizing their stories through cutting edge technologies and processes."
Jeff Spoonhower, Animator, Game Developer, Professor of Film and Digital Media Production at the University of Notre Dame
"Mark Sawicki and Juniko Moody have taken the complex and often baffling world of visual effects technology and presented it in a clear, organized fashion that both the seasoned professional and ambitious journeyman filmmaker can understand. Beyond just a technical essay, Filming the Fantastic is, in itself, a tool that will guide visual effects artists and film and video producers to achieve great results. Mark proves once again that he is, indeed, "the man behind the curtain," and Juniko, who has worked for Warner Digital, Sony Imageworks, Dreamworks and Disney, is our guide through the history of CGI from early engineers at IBM and the movie TRON to the present-day ramifications of virtual reality and its impact on storytelling and entertainment. If you incorporate this book into your workflow you will not only glean a broader overview of the field, but you will arrive at the best and most correct choices-- quicker. And that, in itself, is a fantastic achievement."
Ernest Farino, Two-time Emmy®-winning Visual Effects Designer/Supervisor
"Filming The Fantastic With Virtual Technology is a great book outlining some of the most ambitious evolutions in digital effects in film-making. The best part about the book is its accessibility. It's a great springboard for new independent filmmakers or first or second year film students looking to learn more about the exciting and fast-paced world of CG (computer-generated) effects. I highly recommend this book for those readers!"
Michael Wais, Game Developer for PLUR Studios; Consultant
"Filming the Fantastic with Virtual Technology is as immersive a book on the history and process of visual effects creation as I’ve seen. Anyone wanting to know about how we got where we are now, what’s next, and how to get it done today, should read this book."
Michael Fink, Chair, Film and Television Production, USC School of Cinematic Arts
"Filming the Fantastic with Virtual Technology provides an excellent historical overview of traditional and digital approaches to lighting, shooting and compositing. In addition, the text delivers highly detailed technical information on these same approaches to get started building virtual worlds."
Elizabeth Leister, Assistant Professor, California State University, Northridge, Cinema and Television Arts Department
"A unique blend of hands-on tutorials, practical on-set production advice, and historical insights into the complex, fascinating, and exciting world of virtual filmmaking and visualization. A recommended read for artists and technicians interested in realizing their stories through cutting edge technologies and processes."
Jeff Spoonhower, Animator, Game Developer, Professor of Film and Digital Media Production at the University of Notre Dame
"Mark Sawicki and Juniko Moody have taken the complex and often baffling world of visual effects technology and presented it in a clear, organized fashion that both the seasoned professional and ambitious journeyman filmmaker can understand. Beyond just a technical essay, Filming the Fantastic is, in itself, a tool that will guide visual effects artists and film and video producers to achieve great results. Mark proves once again that he is, indeed, "the man behind the curtain," and Juniko, who has worked for Warner Digital, Sony Imageworks, Dreamworks and Disney, is our guide through the history of CGI from early engineers at IBM and the movie TRON to the present-day ramifications of virtual reality and its impact on storytelling and entertainment. If you incorporate this book into your workflow you will not only glean a broader overview of the field, but you will arrive at the best and most correct choices-- quicker. And that, in itself, is a fantastic achievement."
Ernest Farino, Two-time Emmy®-winning Visual Effects Designer/Supervisor
"Filming The Fantastic With Virtual Technology is a great book outlining some of the most ambitious evolutions in digital effects in film-making. The best part about the book is its accessibility. It's a great springboard for new independent filmmakers or first or second year film students looking to learn more about the exciting and fast-paced world of CG (computer-generated) effects. I highly recommend this book for those readers!"
Michael Wais, Game Developer for PLUR Studios; Consultant
Table of ContentsDedication
Preface - Bill Taylor
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 The First Magicians
Chapter 2 A Brief History of Computer Graphics
Chapter 3 Performance Capture
Chapter 4 Camera Tracking
Chapter 5 Under the Hood of the Reality EngineTM Compositing System
Chapter 6 Making a Storyboard with Unreal ® Engine
Chapter 7 Compositing Fundamentals
Chapter 8 Production Considerations.
Chapter 9 Creating Photo Real Environments
Chapter 10 So You Don’t Have a Million Dollars
Chapter 11 Production Case Study
Chapter 12 Virtual Reality: Indistinguishable from Magic.
About the Authors
Index
