Clip02

For Clip02 I was interested in the idea of using negative space to form the dancers in the animation instead of drawing shapes for them. Using photoshop I imported all the video to frames like before and I used the pen tool to isolate the dancers, then cut of them out of a fill layer. I then filled the gaps of the dancers on 3 different layers with different colours and space them out which is something I saw in my Persona 4 research. For it to work I needed to create a static background however, so I took a frame of the dancers and manipulated it with filters so that it was coloured to match the colour scheme and unrecognisable, then placed it at the bottom of the layer stack. This gave great contrast to the solid colour layers above it and contrast the movement by remaining static.








I then put the frames together in Adobe Premier as video and imported it in to After Effects to add some colour correction filters and overlays to make the contrast and colour pop a bit more.








Here is a low quality preview:

Clip 25

For clip 25 I decided to go for a combination of ideas. I made the rotoscoping look a bit like water colours (but black instead of coloured) and then used some colour schemes and themes from my research in to Persona 4. Using photoshop I made the dancers have a pencil draw/painted look. Not quite perfect, broken and even lines make it look rougher and more hand drawn.








I then took this in to After Effects and edited several things to change the colour scheme, making it more like my persona 4 research. More interesting than white and red. I also animated some vertical lines of varying thickness across the screen across the sequence using solids and keyframes. I believe this adds an extra element of style to the scene as well as smoothing across the transition between camera angles.











Here is a low quality preview:

Clip 18

For Clip 18 I wanted to make something that was more than an outline but not so detailed that it was just the raw video. It is sort of a combination between my neon idea (the outline) and my chalk idea (the slight shading and trails). I imported the video in to Photoshop as layers, then exported the layers out as full quality jpgs. I then used Adobe Bridge to batch rename them to a sensible naming convention (frame followed by 2 digits).

I used combinations of filters and brushing to create a look that was partly looks drawn and partly like a neon sign (which extreme highlights). I recorded some actions to help speed up some of the more mechanical aspects of the editing and then went and edited individual frames. Unfortunately I had to desaturate the image because I was very unhappy with the mess of colours that came as a consequence of some of the effects. I intended to correct this in After Effects. I exported the layers again and imported them in to Adobe Premier as an image sequence, a 15fps video file. The processes I used were not ideal immediately, so I spent time cleaning up the images to be more focused on the dancers. Below is a screen grab of some of the extra detailed that existed before I removed it, and I believe it is better with just the dancers drawn.









I then imported the video in to After Effects and added additional effects. I used adjustment layers, solids and masks to make it more interesting than black and white. I chose orange and blue because they are contrasting colours and creates an interesting look. I then used some overlay effects to add more variation to the colours. Here is the result:















Here is a low quality preview:

Ideas: Research and Brainstorming

I have 3 clips to rotoscope and I have to use 3 different styles so the clips look different. They are at different parts of the video so they should not be designed to relate to each other or transition. I figured what most people will be doing is based on outlines, solid blocks of colour so I want to see if I can do something different in at least one of mine.

One idea I have is to make something that looks a bit like a chalk drawing. Not intricately shaded and coloured to look realistic but a simple style, a bit like a child but not looking bad on purpose. Just to capture the look of the material on black card. Here is an example from a stock photo to illustrate the look:
http://thumb10.shutterstock.com.edgesuite.net/display_pic_with_logo/449803/449803,1250580298,1/stock-photo-white-flower-on-a-blackboard-child-chalk-drawing-stylization-35446042.jpg

I experimented in Photoshop to get an idea of what I could do:








Another idea I have is to create a neon look. Much like neon signs that populate areas with a large night life scene (Las Vegas for example). I like the intense brightness and highlights contrasted against darkness. I don't think I want to recreate the mechanical look of neon signs, so I wouldn't make it look like it was coming from tubes or metal but the visual style I find interesting. Here is a visual example to illustrate what I mean:
http://www.myneonhaven.com/Neon-signs/uploaded_images/outdoor-neon-sign-775483.jpg

Another idea I have is based on a videogame called Persona 4 for the Playstation 2. The title screen uses 2 different styles that are like rotoscoping of the 3D models. The first features characters randomly scattered about the screen coloured in different shades of yellow against an image. The solid colours of the animated characters against the detailed background image creates a good contrast.










The second is a rotoscope of a character running in slow motion. This time everything around the character becomes a solid colour and you see the image behind it through where the character should be. This uses concepts of negative space to create the image of a person running.










I tested my idea:








These ideas are very appealing to me but heavily time consuming as the animation contains several layers which means drawing each frame several times. I will experiment with some ideas.

Importing Video to Photoshop

I intend to use Photoshop primarily to edit the frames, so knowing how to get the video in to photoshop is key. For this I used Adobe Photoshop CS3. From a combination of experimenting and lectures in class I have found an easy way to import video, change the framerate, export layers to files and then batch process them.





File > Import > Video Frames to Layers allows the video frames to be imported on to seperated layers.







Ticking the limit option allowed me to half the framerate, halving the amount of animation I would have to do to a more manageable level. From here I can export the frames as files so I can edit them individually.

Edited Video

Jack was kind enough to create a complete edited piece using the footage and as a class we agree to all use this version instead of deciding between our own edited versions. With the whole sequence together as a video we decided on how it would be divided. Although it would make sense to edit with the cuts in the film there aren't enough for each of us to do several. The video has been split up in to 3 sections for everyone of varying length:

01. Rhys
02. Ali
03. Dan
04. Toby
04b. Guy
05. Jack Wells
06. Matt
06b. Roarke
07. Steve
08. Guy
09. Jack Layfield
10. Kris
11. Roarke
12. Guy
13. Rhys
14. Steve
15. Jack Layfield
16. Roarke
17. Matt
18. Ali
19. Toby
20. Jack Wells
21. Kris
22. Dan
23. Toby
24. Matt
25. Ali
26. Rhys
27. Jack Wells
28. Dan
29. Jack Layfield
30. Kris
31. Steve

We also thought it might be a good idea to have a visual queue for which sections we were editing so Jack also made a video with our names overlaid on our sections.

Named Dance video from jack wells blog on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/10349290

Research: Star Wars

In the Star Wars movies they use rotoscoping to create the effect of the lightsabers, as well as other effects but the most prevalent is the beam of the lightsaber. In this process the beam has been created an animated frame by frame to look like it is coming from the handle prop that the actors are holding.

This isn't especially relevant to my project but it is a good example of adding rotoscoped elements to live video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFEjcvIRMDo

Research: iPod

Apple's iPod ads are contemporary examples of rotoscoping of dancers. The first few sets of adverts featured realistic black figures dancing, as if they were a silhouette juxtaposed against a bright coloured background. The product is rotoscoped separately in white and stands out against the dancer. The contrast is very pleasing and even though it is a realistic look it has a good simplicity.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlHUz99l-eo


These adverts later developed, moving on from the black silhouettes and having coloured figures against differently coloured backgrounds. They art style is more abstract, with shapes and gradients in the background


http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=PKxGfLo7Cqo

Footage Evaluation

Here is an evaluation of the clips we shot from the back of the room, in order to find the best parts.


Camera back 01
- Far left back dancer blocked.
- More blocking.

Camera Back 02
- More blocking
- Better than 01
- Some off frame

Camera Back 03
- Much less blocking
- Small stumble/stagger
- Cut off left edge
- Slightly off timing
- Best circle shot
- Bad jump

Camera Back 04
- More blocking
- In time movement
- Out of time movement
- Good jump
- Start not as good as 03

Camera Back 05
- More blocking
- Bad cutting off sides
- Hesitation

Camera Back 06
- Cutting off sides
- Better spacing
- Hesitation
- Out of time
- Ring cut off

Research: Strictly Come Dancing

To look at how dance sequences are edited on TV to see how I should edit mine.



The editing is quite slow compared to other TV shows, and cuts just before key moments in the dance.

New Project: Dance

For our new project we will be filming and then rotoscoping a modern dance sequence by dance students at the college to be projected on to a wall during the actual dance. Once the sequence has been filmed I will need to edit it together and then chop it up in to small chunks that everyone can edit before piecing them back together again.

Looking up contemporary and modern dance I get these definitions:

Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs systems and methods found in modern dance and postmodern dance, as well as classical ballet. Contemporary dance draws on modern dance techniques as well as newer philosophies of movement that depart from classical dance techniques by altogether omitting structured form and movement.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contemporary_dance

Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_dance

I will continue to read up on these so I have a better idea of what to expect in the project.