The best way I could think of to describe why I've been involved with production and post-production for the past nine years is by breaking down the areas that I've focused my career on to date. This isn't an exhaustive list by any means, but these are some of the key areas that I have strengths in when it comes to production:
- Visual Effects - This is, perhaps, my most favorite pipeline of all. The journey from concept to completion is one that is full of twists and turns that require quick communication, close collaboration and the technical and interpersonal skills to keep the production moving smoothly. My proficiency with Shake has allowed me to work closely with compositors because I can understand issues that arise during complex compositing and matte creation work. As a former Shake instructor of three years, I personally reviewed 60 unique Shake projects per month and oversaw each student's individual scripts from their beginning stages all the way to their final renders. Each project presented production challenges in that they all required me to stay on top of where each student was with their shot and provide the type of assistance they needed on a timely basis. My experience with the entire pipeline allowed me to go back and review modeling, lighting, shading or animation issues that may have needed to be addressed before the final desired look could be pulled off.
- Video Games - Within the past five years I've started to see the lines blur between traditional visual effects production and game production. Many of the same tools and techniques are used to create assets for both pipelines. One element that certainly stands out for games is the interaction with game designers and programmers as well as the desire to provide an interactive experience to the end-user. My experience has afforded me the opportunity to work with game designers and developers to understand the unique pressures of the game environment and how a production routine needs to be established to meet critical milestones. It is no secret that a significant amount of time needs to be spent on testing to ensure that the delivered direction of the game is meeting with customer satisfaction. For this type of production, my ability to accurately track the balance of time and resources as they relate to both creative and technical staff proves very useful.
- Simulation - My time meeting with representatives from some of the top simulation companies on the east coast has provided me with great insight into this unique world. As the development tools for visual effects have slowly leaked into the video game development industry, so too have game development tools been introduced into the simulation world. A great deal of the success of a simulation project rests on the goal of the simulation and what engine it's being developed with - whether it be a proprietary engine or a licensed game engine. Personally I've seen some fantastic simulations that use licensed game engines, such as an IED training tool developed for the U.S. military using the Crytek engine. From a production standpoint, model creation, animation and world design are very similar to the video game pipeline, however every step of the production must be grounded in reality. The introduction of complex controls, such as cockpits or steering wheels, must also be accounted for and designed accordingly. From attending trade shows such as I/ITSEC, I find that the simulation community is generally as approachable as any other community, but it must be said that production of a simulation is more than likely under a stricter NDA than any other type of project, and a production must be smooth and efficient in order to satisfy the type of client that this industry attracts.
In all cases, one of the most important lessons I've learned is that in order to succeed in whatever project I am placed in, I need to rely on my experience, adaptability, and dependability to fit cohesively into the project's team. It is so vital to me that the team I work with receives my utmost respect and attention - after all, we're all working in the industry that we love! After that, it's all about hard work, dedication and some late nights in order to produce incredible work. Production work is a wild ride, but I love every second of it!
Case Study: Creative Writing Bumper
A LOOK INTO MY PRODUCTION PROCESS FOR AN EDUCATIONAL BUMPER
The scenario: Before the start of every degree program at Full Sail Online, a short bumper video is shown to engage the viewer and give them insight into what their program is all about. Mike Cardwell and I were tasked with creating a 30 second bumper for the Creative Writing MFA (CWMFA) degree program at Full Sail Online.
Oh, and we had less than a month to do it.
That may sound like a lot of time, but we all know how production works, right? Aside from coming up with an idea in the first place, we had managers, program directors and a Vice President to report to - all of whom needed to approve of every decision that was made. That's a lot of agreement needed to keep such a subjective production moving along. I knew pretty quick we were going to have to set this one up the right way, so I kicked into production coordinator mode and got to work.
The goal: No matter how many meetings you have, if you don't establish a clear goal from the outset there's going to be confusion when you finally reach the end (or you think you've reached the end...). Bumper creation at FSO can run as long as months at a time if ideas are continuously rejected and bogged down. Mike and I knew that since the CWMFA program was brand new to Full Sail, it needed a good bumper without delay.
After listening to the audio recording of the meeting where the main goal was discussed, Mike and I set to work on brainstorming ideas. We landed on one we liked the most: a writer is typing on a laptop and as they type, the world outside their window changes to match what they're typing at that moment in time. The message was simply that you have the ability to create the world around you. Inspiring, right? We thought so, too.
If there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I absolutely love managing a production pipeline. I love setting tasks up and elaborating on every facet and nuance of a project. Watching the tasks as they are completed and milestones being reached is one of the best feelings in the world. To make sure that everyone was on the same page with the idea, I created a few production documents and a calendar to keep everyone in the loop.
- The Project Outline: After the initial idea was approved, I created this project outline and distributed it to all supervisors and to Mike, to make sure that we stayed on the same page.
- The Project Calendar: Maybe the single most useful document I created - this schedule was the end all be all. There were no excuses. This calendar was the law.
Photos were taken to give us an idea of what type of shots we might like to achieve for the bumper.
A rough Photoshop comp was drawn up to sell the idea. Sadly the tropical island didn't make the final cut, but at least everyone knew where Mike and I wished we were sent to film the assets.
- Look Development: The goal of this document was to make sure everyone was on the same page with how the final product was going to look. Reference shots were used and other details, like animation and typefaces were noted so that the production would stay on track.
- Storyboard: The storyboard was created nearly simultaneously with the Look Dev so that it also featured some of what the Look Dev had specified. We opted to use concept photos for the storyboard to save time, and a through a series of music reviews later we added timing to each scene that could be slightly tweaked if necessary.
The Result: In the end, we hit Approval Day right on the nose, even after a curveball was delivered late in the game which forced us to add unexpected content and change timing. Our clear production pipeline helped us to accomodate that request.
Later that day word came down that the bumper had been unanimously approved. We would not have to use any of our revision days. This was a clear success and proved that there are key things that every production should have:
- A clear understanding of the goal.
- A schedule that must be enforced.
- Adaptability to handle problems or unexpected changes.
- Clear communication at all times between all parties involved in the creative production.
The Final Result: We're very happy with the final result. Most of the beginning section of the bumper, with the city background and then the blog at the end were my responsibility in After Effects, Photoshop and Illustrator, and Mike handled the animated bear segments with After Effects and Illustrator. I did final compositing, assembly, and editing with Final Cut Pro and After Effects. Bonus fact: the nightime city scene's lights in scene 2 weren't actually from a night image. That was actually a few hours of painstaking 1 pixel brush strokes painted over the color graded city from scene 1 to create the appearance of city lights at night.
Feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions.
The final CWMFA Bumper:
Download Link - CWMFA Bumper