HBO Carnivale effect...How the hell you do it

frogmugsy wrote on 2/17/2005, 8:38 PM
Here's the link... http://www.boardsmag.com/screeningroom/commercials/788/

I'm trying to create a 3d effect out of pictures and having a helluva time trying. Something tells me it can be done in Vegas but I just can't seem to get the effect of the "fly thru" camera effect. I started in Photoshop isolating the foreground items and saving them as png transparent files. It looks great when I blur the bakcground but how do I create the fly thru? I'm already thinking I'll have to clone stamp the background. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Having problems uploading the veg file and photos to my ISP.

Victor

Comments

Spot|DSE wrote on 2/17/2005, 8:41 PM
It's a combination of Bezier Masking and 3D track motion. There is a veg on the Vegas 5 download page, there are a few vegs on the VASST site.
Basically, you're using a mask to cut out the image, then using 3D track motion to bring it forward over top of another copy of the image.
So, two tracks, both with the same image on them.
Top track, use Bezier Mask to cut out image.
Top track, use 3D track motion to fly it forward and tilt/angle. If you need a shadow, which helps with the effect sometimes, use a third track parented to the top track, with shadow enabled.
Keep in mind, there is a lot more to the effect than what's described above, they likely used Lightwave or other 3D tool, but you can get fairly close in Vegas.
Skywatcher wrote on 2/17/2005, 8:51 PM
Damn Spot...

Where did you say I can Buy your book??

Skywatcher
Spot|DSE wrote on 2/17/2005, 8:56 PM
I didn't. :-)
Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, most booksellers. FWIW, there are two of them, but for this, you'll want the editing workshop one.
Search the forums for a thread about "Kid Stays in the Picture" and you'll find more info. It's much easier than you'd think. Just time consuming. Cheno built a GORGEOUS project using some of these features, about 48 tracks worth!
Look on the VASST sharing site, you'll find a project called "Fishing" that I just uploaded. It will show a very basic method of doing this. You'll need the "Gone Fishing" project file that is usually found in the Windows XP OS media folder.
Jeff Smith wrote on 2/17/2005, 9:39 PM
While the Carnival version of this effect IMO raised the bar, there are also some very good examples of this in Riding Giants.
filmy wrote on 2/17/2005, 9:57 PM
I think a few key points here - First is this: LA FX shop A52 spent six months blending 2D, 3D, visual effects and stock to create the piece.

And second is take a look at the credits. While Vegas can get you to this point you also have to think how long it would take all of the DIY users to achieve this.

Along the same lines - Interpol music video.
apit34356 wrote on 2/17/2005, 10:33 PM
As Spot point out the figures are bezier masked out of the pictures, but then are morph into 3d animation then moved into\ tracked in 3d space using a program like C4D then back into AE usually for finishing color touchups.
frogmugsy wrote on 2/18/2005, 6:32 AM
I was just going to keep it simple. 10-15 b&w photographs. Looks like I really don't need to use photoshop. I've got a week off to practice with the bezier masking. Thanks everyone for pointing me in the right direction.

Victor
Jessariah67 wrote on 2/18/2005, 8:38 AM
Very much the same look & feel as the opening credits for Showtime's "Huff." (Sorry, I can't find a clip...)
mjroddy wrote on 2/18/2005, 10:11 AM
I've done something "similar" using Boris Red. Not nearly as IN DEPTH as was seen in that awesome Carnivale promo, but the same effect. I put a bunch of "cardboard" cutouts (went to various websites and took full-body shots of various people, cut them out in Corel Photopaint and used 32bit TGAs) in a room-like environment; each one on a different Z, X and Y access (especially the Z). Then I moved the camera around that environ. Putting that into a container, you could then pull out of that and into another container. Huge amounts of work and very processor intensive, but doable.
For the Canivale promo, I'd be tempted to do the whole thing in a 3D prog like Lightwave. Great look, though. I hadn't seen that. Love the atmosphere created by that. Very earie and beautiful at the same time.
Trichome wrote on 2/18/2005, 10:31 AM
http://www.uemedia.net/CPC/videography/article_4790.shtml
This article goes into some additional detail in how they did it....

Gary
filmy wrote on 2/18/2005, 12:20 PM
Great Link and piece Trichome!

Because of the HD finishing requirements, each transparency was scanned by PowerHouse Imaging at extremely high resolution. Each scan was approximately 300 MB.

So here would be the real challange - duplicate using only Vegas! (Well - and Photoshop)
nickle wrote on 2/18/2005, 4:08 PM
If you would like to see a great demo reel of a digital matte painter which also shows how it's done try this.

http://www.dylancolestudio.com/index2.html

It seems to need Internet explorer though because of active x.

Firefox doesn't work on my machine.
Edward wrote on 2/19/2005, 3:44 AM
They did alot of photoshop editing too. prep your pics in PS (photoshop), because you can mask the people out of the pic, but you're still left with them in there. It's almost like you have to re-create the pic backwards, starting with a blank pic of just the background, then each character individually that would be placed on top of the pic. the background would have to be larger than the dimension of it is already. eg. if your pic is 640 x 480, then the background should be 800 x 700... or around that figure.

I'd just prep it in PS, with each individual pic to be zoomed in on, use parent control 3d, and let Vegas do the math of the 3d look. make sure you separate each pic by adjusting the 'z' axis, meaning each pic should be at least a few points apart in the 'z' axis.

possible? yes. difficult? no. time consuming? yep.

i do this effect all the time with vegas. i gotta stop tho, cuz it's a crutch when i should be learning After Effects for this stuff.