But seriously...

John McCully wrote on 10/15/2004, 9:09 PM
Dear Vegas people:

I’m making this video for my communist friend and his socialist brother here in Mexico, nothing about politics, but about…persuasion…ha ha.

This is what I need: Daniel is sleeping, and in his dreams appears an apparition, Pascual, who whispers (garbage as it happens) in his ear…ethereal, semi-transparent…a simulation…by the way…Derrida past away the other day.

The question: how do I shoot that, then edit in Vegas 5?

Muchas Gracias...

Comments

farss wrote on 10/15/2004, 10:21 PM
Comrade,
doesn't sound too hard, like all good theatre though its what happens in front of the lens that makes the difference. First think about how you can stage it, forget about cameras and editing.
There are a number of visual cues that indicate an unreal (dream) setting, B&W, soft focus, SloMo. Good place to start, think about your last dreams, how did you 'see' them?
Vegas is ideal for this sort of production as it'll also handle the audio very well and in this kind of story that's crucial.
Did I mention storyboards? From what I've seen most projects fail in a zillion different ways but much of that can be traced back to lack of PLANNING! Pencils and paper are cheap, use lots.
Bob.
busterkeaton wrote on 10/15/2004, 11:39 PM
You could use the bezier mask tool to create a thought bubble or other appropriate dream space.

Think of typical dream imagery a la Dali's paintings.

The Big Lebowski had a good scene where the main character was drugged and had some crazy dreams. (But you might be able to afford to hire Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and make some oversized prop scissors).

You could do the dream sequence just with a lighting change on set.

If you are dealing with Communists, I would try to work with Communist imagery. Shoot the dream actor against a red background (or a white background that you color red in post) and do matte of the actor and try to achieve the look of a Che Guavara t-shirt.
John McCully wrote on 10/17/2004, 9:57 AM
Hey Guys, thanks very much for your inputs; most helpful indeed.