Advice needed – HD camera for action shots

Hello friends,

I need some advice on which camera you would recommend for shooting action scenes.
We´ll be shooting a medieval related short film that will have some battle shots.

We are going to use a Canon 5D for principal photography, but are reluctant to use it for action shots it due to the rolling shutter thing, as some VFX will be involved.

Any advice on this ?

thanks

Green screen & silhouettes

Hey guys,

I’m shooting a 10-minute short film which will be performed by dancers in silhouette. These silhouettes will then be superimposed against an animated background in post. In theory, I suppose it would be possible to shoot the dancers in silhouette against a white backdrop and use luminance values to control the visibility of the silhouette layer, but in real life, I’m never going to get a 100% perfect black silhouette and any slightly brighter/greyer areas in the image are going to cause holes and other variations in the transparency of the silhouette layer. I don’t fancy having to tweak all this in post, so I’ve decided it’s probably a safer option to shoot the dancers against a green screen and to harvest their silhouettes from the resulting matte.

We’ll be shooting in a local theatre, with the green screen attached to the fixed cyc at the rear of the stage. There’s a bank of 18 x 500W floods fixed on the cyc, so the green screen should be nice and bright and evenly lit. What I’m wondering is as I’m only after the dancer’s outlines, will it be better to shoot them as close to silhouette as possible or should I light them as I would on any other green screen shoot?

Thanks,

James

2009, 2007 reels

Demo reels 2009, 2007

Demo reels 2009, 2007

Hi from Ukraine, we are little animation studio, and this our Reels i hope u like it.

Demo reel of CherdakStudio 2009
Demo reel of CherdakStudio 2007

Demo reels 2009, 2007 of CherdakStudio

Demo reels 2009, 2007 of CherdakStudio

Hi from Ukraine, we are little animation studio, and this our Reels i hope u like it.

Demo reel of CherdakStudio 2009
Demo reel of CherdakStudio 2007

Transform node / inverse function

Hallo guys,

trying to improve my skills in nuke, i am just wondering if there is something like inverse function in transform node. (?) I want to do my transformations, make some adjustments or something, and than copy/clone my original transform node to put it all back by the same numbers. Or should i do the math by my self ? Or am i just stupid and can’t see it in manual… :/ I was used to do this kind of stuff in shake, so, sorry for my "bad habits" 😉

Thanks for any reaction,

Klasmen 😉

Rhythm & Hues Studio – Administrative Assistant, International Digital Production

Two time Academy Award winner for Achievement in Visual Effects and three time recipient of the Scientific and Technical Achievement award, Rhythm & Hues is uniquely poised for the demands of the highly competitive visual effects and character animation industry.

At the heart of Rhythm & Hues’ success is its more than 20 year commitment to creating quality entertainment in a quality work environment.

A few current and upcoming feature projects include amongst others, "Hop", "X-Men: First Class" and "Life of Pi".

Position: Administrative Assistant, International Digital Production

Department: International Digital Production

Position Summary:

The Administrative Assistant, International Digital Production performs administrative tasks for the International Production Management department of Rhythm & Hues Studios-Los Angeles. The Administrative Assistant reports to the Managers, International Digital Production. The Administrative Assistant will also be expected to act as “ambassador” between the US and International facilities, helping to bridge gaps in communication. This is a freelance position, working a swing shift with the average workday beginning at 2:00 p.m.

Responsibilities:

  • Schedule and maintain weekly on-line video conference schedule, fielding requests from Los Angeles, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kuala Lumpur studio locations.
  • Assist video conference users in equipment training, trouble shooting and scheduling.
  • Assist with travel coordination between the U.S. and International facilities.
  • Diligent email monitoring and follow-up.
  • Schedule International-specific meetings, take and distribute notes when necessary.
  • Facilitate requests between International Production Management and the International studios.
  • General office and administrative coordination.
  • Organize and maintain confidential documentations and files.
  • Assist with special projects as needed.

Desired Skills:

  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Be able to maintain a high level of confidentiality.
  • Ability to work independently on assigned projects as well as part of a team.
  • Strong attention to detail.
  • MS Word, Excel. Database experience.
  • College experience preferred.

Submission Requirements:

Please email a cover letter and resume to recruitment@rhythm.com with the subject line: "re: IPM Administrative Assistant"

pixelate / mosaic-like effect in Nuke

Hey guys,

Trying to emulate a mosaic effect, or a pixelate effect in Nuke, similar to AEs effects. Basically trying to make anti-aliased fonts look aliased.

I’ve tried a convolve, erode, etc, nothing seems to be working quite the same.

Any tips?

VISUAL EFFECTS IN NEW ORLEANS IN TIME FOR MARDI GRAS

VISUAL EFFECTS IN NEW ORLEANS IN TIME FOR MARDI GRAS
Multiple Positions.

If you have to be away from home, this is the place to be!


Factory VFX, located in the heart of New Orleans is now accepting resumes for the following positions:

3D-Stereo Compositors
Primary responsibilities and skill-sets:

  • Perform all tasks associated with the compositing process: incorporating roto, matte extraction, layering of elements, color correction, 2D and 3D tracking.
  • Integrate cg elements and matte paintings into live action or CG Animated plates.
  • Take creative direction from leads and/or stereographer.
  • Present work clearly in dailies and respond to supervisors in a timely fashion.
  • Work with other 3D Artists to convert 2D media into high quality Stereoscopic 3D in a timely manner.
  • Must have thorough knowledge and ability to use After Effects or node based compositing system, as well as Photoshop.
  • Familiar with Rotoscoping, particularly Silhouette and Mocha Pro.
  • Excellent understanding of stereography.
  • Ability to understand and interpret the creative requirements in order to create an accurate representation of stereoscopy.
  • Ability to take direction and structure working practice so that design changes can be efficiently made.
  • Desire to learn from others and to take on increasingly challenging shots.
  • Must have excellent communication skills.
  • Must be able to accurately view 3D images.
  • 2-4+ years of previous experience in VFX compositing, 6+ months of stereo conversion experience.

Compositors
Primary responsibilities and skill-sets:

  • Able to composite shots effectively.
  • Good understanding of color, photography, film, and light.
  • Experience with digital film pipelines.
  • Ability to take direction and implement needed design changes.
  • Desire to learn from and teach others to expand skill-sets.
  • Previous rotoscoping/painting experience a plus.
  • Able to composite shots effectively.
  • Node based or After Effects compositing ideal.
  • Stereoscopic expertise a plus.
  • 2-4 years of previous experience in feature film compositing required.

Rotoscope/Paint Artist
Primary responsibilities and skill-sets:

  • Frame by frame rotoscoping to live-action plate elements.
  • The ability to create photo-real clean plates and track them onto live action plates.
  • Ability to effectively hand-paint on live action plates when needed.
  • An understanding of HD and Film grain and how to replicate it on clean plates.
  • Solid tracking skills in a 3D or 2D tracking package. Knowledge how to export and use this data in a compositing package.
  • A creative and proactive attitude to the task at hand.
  • To organize their time, collaborate, and effectively communicate with their supervisors and colleagues.
  • To stay positive and creative in the chaos of the production environment.
  • An understanding of movement essential.
  • Must have some technical understanding of a 3d software package.
  • Must have a great eye for detail.
  • Experience in Silhouette Fx critical, After Effects, and node based compositing, a plus.
  • Stereoscopic expertise a plus.

Senior Match-Movers
Primary responsibilities and skill-sets:

  • Must be able to reproduce exact camera moves within a computer environment.
  • Understanding of photography and the effects of different lenses on perspectives.
  • Artist, animator or camera operator experience is a plus.
  • Advanced knowledge of Maya.
  • Must have the ability to work under tight deadlines, and possess excellent problem solving skills.
  • Good written and oral communication skills including strong interpersonal skills.
  • Experience in gathering information on location for Match movers.
  • Maintains an expert level of knowledge about current developments in match-move tools for computer graphics, especially in areas that relate to the film industry.
  • Must have a willingness to improve skills, be detail-oriented and to work efficiently within a production environment.
  • Stereoscopic expertise a plus.

Please contact Liz Crawford @ lizc@factoryvfx.com with your resume and a link to your online demo reel.

Thank you. Factory VFX is an E.O.E.

configure wacom tablet settings in linux?

i grew up on a mac interface but lately many studios are putting me on centOS linux machines. my biggest issue in adjusting has been the wacom tablet on these machines.

i work primarily in nuke and very very rarely use the mouse or keyboard. i normally like to set the tablet pen buttons to (alt + click) and (right click). on the linux box i can set my right click but have yet to discover a way to move around the screen without holding down the alt key.

i know it sounds petty but unlearning 10 years of muscle memory is something that isn’t so easy to do… so has anyone found a way to get the pen to work correctly on linux?