Rotoscoping is one of the oldest animation techniques that allows producing realistic footages. Traditionally, animators traced over motion picture footage, frame by frame. In the visual effects industry, the process, even though similar, has a different purpose.
Rotoscoping is mostly used today to create a matte or mask for an element, so that it can be extracted and placed on a different background. It may even be masked out to change colours or any other set of reasons. It is widely used than you may realize. Rotoscoping helps filmmakers create scenes that would otherwise be impossible, challenging, expensive, or dangerous to produce in real life.
Read on, to find out about the industries that employ trained, skilled and certified rotoscoping artists for various job roles.
VFX studios
In bigger VFX companies, rotoscoping artists are sometimes attached to a show along with a Compositor or 2D Lead to direct them on the projects. If not on one show, then their services are used on different shows that the company is in charge of. In smaller companies, the roto artists gain experience by being a Junior Compositor and doing their own roto and prep work along with the compositing work.
Film Production Houses
There are more things than you can imagine that goes into the making of a film. Rotoscoping artist are often required at film production houses. Something as simple as tracing hair on an actor’s head is done by them. Even with the availability of advanced digital technologies, the makers of Guardians of the Galaxy used traditional rotoscoping techniques by using footage of a real racoon called Oreo to bring ‘Rocket’ to life.
Animation Companies
It was the legendary filmmaker Max Fleischer who invented the technique of rotoscope back in 1914 when he animated Popeye The Sailor and Betty the Boop. A few years later, when Disney used the footage to get a sense of a character’s movement, instead of tracing over the live-action footage. Many animators have come up with their own style of rotoscoping through over the years. And is still being used to create a variety of animated assets.
Gaming Companies
Game developer Jordan Mechner of Smoking Car Productions invented digital rotoscoping while creating the adventure game The Last Express. He had even used rotoscoping in his previous game projects Karateka and Prince of Persia. Since then, the gaming industry has always been another important sector where rotoscoping artists can build a career in.
As Rotoscoping continues to be a vital process within the animated and live action film production pipeline, there is huge demand for skilled roto artists. By completing a Vfx Film Making career course and getting the right skills, you can get hired by some of the top companies in the above-mentioned industries.
Whether you are an aspiring VFX professional or a superhero movie enthusiast, you are here because you are impressed by the visual effects of the original MCU series, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
The MCU, for more than a decade has been carrying the Torch of legendary CGI epics. But lately they have been trying to shift your attention from heavily CG-ed wars to grounded and realistic TV series like The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. These shows have given us CGI scenes so perfect that none of us could have ever doubted it to not be real. From the aerial chase in the first episode and a few others that we would be exploring shortly. And who other than Weta Digital could have been trusted with such epic sequences amidst the global pandemic!
The show received a total of five award nominations including a nomination for a 2021 Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Special Visual Effects. The VFX team involved was supervised by Charlie Tait who alongside Eric Leven have been part of the Weta digital team for over two decades. You may not have heard his name but we are pretty sure that you would have enjoyed his work, which includes Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool, Alita: Battle Angel, and Game Of Thrones Season 8. K
Meant for theaters, the production had a blockbuster budget with each of the six episodes reportedly costing $25 million and featuring a total of 2,500 visual effects shots.
Here are our top 3 favourite breakdowns of the VFX shots:
Madripoor
Establishing shots of Madripoor were entirely CGed with Hong Kong as the key reference for it. The uniquely shaped sky-scrapers and the dense slum was a mixture of on-set special effects and VFX. It’s amazing how they could show the stark contrast between the slum life and the riches all through CG, since Madipoor was essentially a pirate city.
Credits: (c)Weta Digital and (c)Marvel Studios
Canyon chase sequence
It was the first of the sequence to make us realise the brilliance of MCU’s execution of fight scenes. But what makes it unique from the ones we saw in the movies was the different visual language using the GoPro mount.
Credits: (c)Weta Digital and (c)Marvel Studios
Digital double of Walker
The Walker you saw running and jumping through the window was a CG John Walker. A stunt double enacted the fall through the window on the car but the dents, exploding car windows, and the smashing through the house window was CGed. It might seem simple to create it but calculating the intensity of the smash is challenging.
Some scenes had digital doubles of both Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan. And since they have been in the MCU for a long time, they have become a few of the recognisable faces in the industry. Thus there wasn’t any room for the slightest of the mistakes in creating their CGs.
Credits: (c)Weta Digital and (c)Marvel Studios
Truck battle
The trucks were absolutely stationary! The only thing moving was the CGI-Ed road. The road was moved at the required speed (120km/s) while adding bits of rocks, dirt and dust being kicked up subtly to enhance realism in the scene. In addition to that the sequence was shot in Atlanta (USA) and thus sign boards and surrounding environment was required to be transformed to that of Germany.
Credits: (c)Weta Digital and (c)Marvel Studios via beforesandafters.com
Marvel is stepping up the game for other superhero franchises like The Boys (Prime) and the DCEU. We believe there are much more surprises waiting for us in ‘Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness’.
Unlike the olden days, creativity is now swiftly transitioning itself to digital. And in this era the price of software, hardware, and related camera equipment to capture creativity is relatively inexpensive. So much so that anyone with aptitude can learn VFX by joining a career course with a reputed VFX institute. The VFX industry is gaining traction and is becoming competitive for those who want to make a career in it.
In this article, we will discuss the two major questions that most VFX career aspirants ask, “Is it absolutely necessary for me to join a professional VFX institute to learn visual effects? What skills must I gain to become a VFX professional?”
Should You Join a VFX Institute?
In simple words, yes! Today, most recruiters value skills over qualifications. Even though one can learn VFX and CGI using free open source software like Blender, there are loads of other benefits that an institution provides. To know the intricacies of the field, one has to be involved with others who have mastered the game, and for whom it is not just some hobby. Rarely will you find others with whom you can collaborate at such a high level, for free, for extended periods. VFX training institutions are one of the few places where you can connect with others with similar passions and goals.
Apart from that, when you join an institute, you follow an industry-relevant curriculum, get assistance and advice from experienced faculty, develop social skills, gain hands-on experience through projects, and create your own demo reel. Most reputed institutions offer placement assistance thus boosting your chances of landing a job immediately after the successful completion of your course.
It is true that VFX and design are skill-based industries. Your portfolio and reel speak for you. Companies will look at your past experience, your showreel and will probably talk to people who have worked with you when they are considering you for a job vacancy. Venturing out alone as a VFX artist without any job offers at hand could be overwhelming and exhausting. When you are a part of a training institute, you will get ample guidance during every step of your journey to a VFX career.
What VFX Skills Should You Gain?
As for the skills needed, start with the basics such as digital illustrations, storytelling, and anatomy study. As your course progresses, you will start learning more complex concepts such as character design, audio-video editing, rotoscopy, matchmoving techniques, compositing, pre-visualization, and VFX filmmaking. Consider learning some of the most in-demand software such as Nuke, Blender, Houdini, and Autodesk Maya.
With the right skill sets and hands-on experience, you can start a career in the VFX industry in no time. All the best!
First Official ‘The Boss Baby: Family Business’ Trailer and Images
The wait will soon be over, there’s a new “boss,” baby, and she’s getting the band back together, in the animated comedy, The Boss Baby: Family Business, hitting theatres March 26, 2021.
In the sequel to DreamWorks Animation’s 2017 Oscar – nominated blockbuster comedy, The Boss Baby, the Templeton brothers, Tim and his Boss Baby little bro Ted, have become adults and drifted away from each other. Tim is now a married stay-at-home dad. Ted is a hedge fund CEO. But a new boss baby with a cutting-edge approach and a can-do attitude is about to bring them together again, and inspire a new family business.
The Boss Baby: Family Business is directed by returning film maker Tom McGrath.
YouTube Links:
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS | Offcial Trailer
Source: DreamWorks Animation
Courtesy: www.awn.com
Epic Acquires Hyprsense Technology to Optimise Player’s Immersive Experience
Epic Games is acquiring the technology of Hyprsense, a leading developer of real-time facial animation technology. Animating convincing digital characters allows players and creators to feel truly present in an immersive socially connected experience. With this acquisition, the game company can also further its work to make content production more accessible.
Members of the Hyprsense team will partner closely with Epic’s game development teams and also collaborate with its digital human’s team, led by 3 Lateral and Cubic Motion. This will help accelerate Epic’s journey to build new and better tools and systems for developers and players alike. It will also give Unreal Engine creators the ability to deploy and drive the most advanced character assets, on any platform.
Bombay Rose, the first Indian animation film ever selected to open Venice Critics Week, is coming to Netflix December 4 globally, except for China; the film will be released in 2021 in France. A selection at the Toronto International Film Festival and winner at the Chicago and Mumbai Film Festivals, it was honoured with the ‘India Gold Silver Gateway Award’ and the Manish Acharya Award for “New Voices in Indian Cinema” at the 21st Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.
The 2D hand-painted animated feature tells the story of a young club dancer, escaping from child marriage, living in the streets of Bombay, who must choose between fending for her family and finding love with a boy orphaned by the militancy. Hand-painted frame by frame and woven delicately through music, a red rose brings together three tales of impossible love: love between a Hindu girl and a Muslim boy; love between two women; and love of an entire city for its Bollywood stars. Based on true events, the film, in documentary fashion, explores the ruthlessness of a society where the love and life that reigns on the big screen can crush you in its mean streets.
Bombay Rose was directed and written by Gitanjali Rao.
YouTube Link: Bombay Rose | Gitanjali Rao | Offcial Trailer | Netflix India
શું ધોરણ 12 પછીતમારી કારકિર્દીનો પ્રશ્ન હજી પણ અનિશ્ચિત છે?
આ માંથી શું પસંદ કરવું એની મૂંઝવણ છે?
ENGINEERING
MEDICINE
ARCHITECTURE
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANCY
COMPANY SECRETARY
COM
MBA
BBA
LAW
શું તમારા મનમાં આવા પ્રશ્નો ચાલી રહ્યા છે ?
શું એક જ ડિગ્રી પૂરતી છે?
મારે કોઈ ચોક્કસ કૌશલ્ય ની જરૂર છે?
મને કોઈ કંપની નોકરી પર રાખશે?
મીડિયા અને મનોરંજન ક્ષેત્રે કારકિર્દી બનાવો: જે સતત વિકાસશીલ અને બહુવિધ તકો ધરાવતો ઉદ્યોગ છે.
મીડિયા અને મનોરંજન ઉદ્યોગ વર્ષ 2018-23 દરમિયાન એક સંયોજિત વાર્ષિક વૃદ્ધિદર પ્રમાણે 13.10% વધવાની શક્યતા છે.
સતત વિકસતા અને વિસ્તરતા આ ઉદ્યોગમાંએનિમેશન, વીએફએક્સ, ગેમિંગ, બ્રોડકાસ્ટ,ડિઝાઇન, ડિજિટલ એડ્વર્ટાઇસિંગઅને માર્કેટિંગ, ગ્રાફિક અને વેબ ડિઝાઇન, વર્ચ્યુઅલ રિયાલિટી જેવા ક્ષેત્રોમાં વિવિધ નોકરીની તક આપે છે. અને તે પણ એક એવી જોબ પ્રોફાઈલ સાથે જેની માત્ર માંગજ વધારે નથી, પરંતુ તે વિવિધતા સભર પણ છે.
આંકડા જ બોલે છે –
65 લાખનોકરીઓ, જે મીડિયા અને મનોરંજન ઉદ્યોગ સીધી, પરોક્ષ અને પ્રેરિત રોજગારી આપે છે.
એડવરટાઇસિંગ, પ્રિન્ટ, ટેલિવિઝન, આઉટડોર, ફિલ્મ-મેકિંગ, ગ્રાફિકડિઝાઇન, વેબડિઝાઇન એન્ડ ડેવલપમેન્ટ અને ગેમિંગ વગેરે મીડિયા અને મનોરંજનના ક્ષેત્રોમાં ખુબ તેજી છે.
ભારતમાં બહોળા પ્રમાણમાં મીડિયાનો વપરાશ ખુબ મોટી માત્રમાં કન્ટેન્ટની જરૂરિયાત ઉભી કરે છે અને એટલે વિપુલ પ્રમાણમાં નોકરીની તકો સુનિશ્ચિત કરે છે. કન્ટેન્ટ બનાવવાની પ્રક્રિયામાં અત્યાધુનિક સાધનો અને તકનીકના ઉપયોગે આ ક્ષેત્રમાં વિદ્યાર્થીઓ માટે રોજગારી ના દ્વાર ખોલ્યા છે.
