Advanced Production Exercises
Introduction
Deciding what to design and then build in this Visual Effects sequence was a fairly difficult task as I had a few vague ideas of what I wanted to achieve prior to starting this module. One of my ideas consisted of doing a remake of the opening to Game of Thrones as I was a massive fan of the series and the opening titles. However, with the idea of doing a remake, there would be too many issues in terms of originality which is what I wanted to go for in the module. One concept in filmography I am most interested in is the one-shot style sequences such as 1917 and Boiling Point which were made to make the viewer feel as though they were there in the action which in my opinion, they do flawlessly using this technique. Despite wanting to attempt this in some capacity, I felt it would be too difficult with the timeframe I had to complete my sequence.
Another Idea I had was to create a teaser trailer for a Formula 1 Racing video game which would include all the necessary Visual Effects such as Fire, Smoke, and other particle systems. Despite there being a few trailers and sequences within this concept, I feel like I can design and create an original production piece around this theme. My sequence will mostly include static shots of the formula one car and will show different parts of the car before the final scene where I am planning to demonstrate the car’s aerodynamics by having small particle balls flow through the car
Research
Prior to starting my storyboarding, I decided to take a look at some trailers and sequences that are already out there as inspiration for my camera shots. I mainly looked at the evolution of the games throughout the years and one obvious element that has changed with each game is the improvement of the graphics.
As you can see, the difference between 1984 and today is huge and the aim in more recent games is to make it as real as possible. Therefore, I wanted to make sure I keep with this theme and will be using highly detailed models to show off the graphics as well as close-ups of the car to show this off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1FzoX5URU&ab_channel=Simox87
For my final scene, I aim to demonstrate the car’s aerodynamics by using small particle balls of different colours to represent the airflow over the car as shown in the picture below. I’ll be using these references to demonstrate this on the car and where to direct the balls of particles
The purpose of my sequence will be mostly a teaser trailer to show the player’s the potential of the game and gain some publicity. I will mainly use lighting and Niagara to create an exciting sequence, which will make the players want to play this game. I have done a little research on what makes a good teaser trailer and found an article on Adobe’s website that states that “The key to creating a great teaser video is to provide the right amount of information” and that “most are only 15-60 seconds long”. They also go on to say that the Teaser needs to “give away just enough to pique interest” The main understanding I gained from this article is that not only does the video need to be around or less than 60 seconds (which is perfect for the assignment), but also it needs to give a little away to gain interest but not too much that it reveals too much about the game.
Most of a teaser trailer’s excitement will come from the visuals, but another large part of making a good teaser trailer is to have a good audio track with music and other sound effects. This is most noticeable within the most recent trailer for HBO’s The Last of Us series which creates excitement using the music. Even though this is a full-length trailer, the concept is still the same and creates suspension with the final scene as The Last of Us theme song plays as the title and release date comes onto the screen. Despite the fact that I’m planning on adding audio, at this time I don’t have a certain track I would like to implement into my sequence. However, I will be choosing one based on what will work best with the visuals which I will only be able to add once finishing my animatic so I can match the audio to the visuals.
References
HBO Max (2022) The Last of Us Official trailer [Video] Available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLtkt8BonwM&ab_channel=HBOMax
Adobe (N/A) What is a teaser video? [Article] Available online: https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/video/hub/ideas/what-is-a-teaser-video#:~:text=A%20teaser%20video%20is%20a,without%20giving%20too%20much%20away.
Simox 87 (2022) Evolution of Formula 1 Games 1984-2022 [Video] Available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh1FzoX5URU&ab_channel=Simox87
George R. R. Martin, David Benioff (2011-2019) Game of Thrones [Tv-Series] HBO
Sam Mandes (2020) 1917 [Movie] Dreamworks