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Cameras and Computers, part 2
Wednesday October 27th, 2010
Yesterday we showed you some of the photographic work that went into a CGI image by John Early. Today, we have a look at the computer end of the equation, with Shaun Pettigrew.
Shaun did a shoot for Caltex, in cooperation with the CGI artist Mirage Works. He explains the process:
The Caltex shot was a mixture of CGI and talent composites. The client wanted a clean liquid crystal effect for the van showing all the right detail inside the van’s structure to give the created van a real sense of depth —all on a white background! The van’s CGI element was fairly straight forward but the tonal shading was a challenge. Presets on the software did not work so I shot a plate from a location building shot which we used in the tonal rendering process. Final touch-ups and grade with photoshop. We then shoe horned the talent’s position into the van’s size and spent a large amount of the post time creating glass distortion to suit the petrol tank’s position behind the rear of van. A composite like this against a dark background would have been easier. The shape of the van helped too; some of the other layouts, such as the one with crane, did not work out as well as the van. Overall, CGI was crucial here to solve the brief.
Take a look at this step-by-step breakdown.
What’s really interesting here is the process of collaboration between CGI artist and photographer, and the way that the image really is constructed through an exchange between shooting and digital imaging. Obviously, this is far beyond retouching; it’s hard to pin the photo down to one medium.
-Asad
