SANM 560
Collaboration Project
Virtual Production
Week 3 & 4
Duties and Work:
Work with Birdie, develop a storyboard, and visualize the story to better arrive at the final script.
Problems:
The placement of the objects Alexander(MC) was interacting with had to be clearly visualized
like the door, his tarp, the supplies, the bench and the generator.
Adjust the changes in the script by professor Diriwaechter.
Initial Ideas:
Observations:
While the script was still continuously built by Luis, I created this storyboard to help me present my vision for the Outline.
I kept it in reality, not trying to get into the hallucinations too much.
Changes in script:
Professor Diriwaechtor and Tyler met and pointed out concerns that the story needs to be grounded in reality so that we can save time
on post production and VFX. They proposed an outline which seemed much more executable in the short time frame we have for this class.
Discussions:
This was a good skeleton of the storyboard but Nate pointed out that we needed a frame drawn for each shot so he developed a rough
shot list that helped shape the next storyboard.
Changes:
The door would seem really small on camera and could not be built on set so needed to be in unreal and also big, like a garage door.
No kissing on cheeks as Weston (Director) expressed his concerns about having an intimacy coach on set.
Problems:
Me and Birdie divided up the frames and started working on it but while delivering we noticed a huge contrast between our styles.
I ended up making the rest of the frames as well. It is important to keep frames consistent, readable and labelled when working with
external teams to maintain professionalism and clear communication.
Final Storyboard:
Observations:
This storyboard visualized each detail and the placements of the objects. Production design team approved this board and was happy with it.
Even after being 44 frames, the amount of shots to be taken to achieve it still remains under 18 which is a good sign for the feasability of this
project.
Week 5 & 6
Duties and Work:
Helping out Art directors to decide on a back story for the characters.
Set-up perforce with unreal & Collect rubble assets
Model pedestrian walkway
Pre-load testing on XR stage
Task 1:
Art directors Amber and Todd met with the story team to discuss on possible
backstories for Alexander and Rada. We kept the meeting on Zoom.
Task 2:
Setting up perforce was a lillte tricky but Connor, our unreal engine lead helped up out by putting together a start up manual on figma.
Here - https://www.figma.com/design/DcYvfr5RljpLBFVBnu68vi/Perforce-Documentation?node-id=0-1&t=0UeGX1HAIiqq8FOU-1
I imported rubble assets onto the main level.
Production design team shared their inspirations for
the rubble assets that would go around the entire
virtual set and to match the physical rubble that
they will produce.
Task 3:
The unreal team gathered over the weekend to work on the assets that needed to be done. I ended up taking up modelling work for the
walkway. It shows below how the design evolved to become art deco style. Production design team suggested to make the railing more
geometric and lesser glass panels on the bottom.
Problems and Feedback:
The above walkway still felt modern instead of retro and art deco style. The railings needed to be a lot more geometric, and the glass panels
needed to be lesser in number. To give it a more retro look, production design suggested the use of L-beams around rhe structure and gave
inspiration and sketches. I was able to match their expectation.
Below image is the progress so far on the entire master level.
Task 4:
Pre-load day with production design team.
The progress looked amazing and everything come together nicely.
There were a couple feedback on the bridge design about making it
geometric, adding I-beams, and overall giving it a mettalic iron material.
While the unreal team was able to set up everything on the load-test day
the production design team was working hard on the physical set and we
got to see their progress in the studio.
Week 7 & 8
Duties and Work:
Help out on the set on shoot days.
Scan the set and the actors for credit sequence.
Make a credit/title sequence.
Design a Poster.
Task 1:
While the shoot was happening, I helped out with setting up the physical set, helped DOP get the equipment, set the lights up, and bring coffee/snacks for the
team each shoot day.
Task 2: Title Sequence
Inspiration
Problems with point cloud:
For point cloud animation like this to work, there has to be just one texture on all the geometry, as seen in photogrammetry.
Our environment being in unreal, with hundreds of textures and assets, it was almost impossible to export everything as one texture.
Point clouds do not have a grunge look to them and require hours of work to produce. Since our class only has two weeks left, I had to look for alternatives.
Solution: Gaussian Splatting
I looked at gaussian splats and the visuals it generates are very grunge-looking and is much easier to animate inside after effects so no 3D tool
even needed which saves a lot of time.
Approach:
I opened the scene in Unreal and stared screen recording the gameplay. I went over and over around the train to make a video just over a minute.
Then I fed the video footage to this website - https://vid2scene.com/ - it creates gaussian splats from a video and can be exported as a ply file.
Then I downloaded this plugin for after effects that lets us import .ply files - Gaussian Splatting - aescripts.com
Inside After effects, you can play around with multiple parameters like noise, particle size, cropping, camera and animation.
Screen record from unreal
Gaussian Splat (feel free to interact)
Output: Title Sequence Draft 1
Task 3: Poster
Inspirations
Title designs:
Final Poster
Created using photoshop.
Week 2
We had a session with Felix Jorge, he is going to be one of
the mentors for this class. He gave us really helpful insights
and helped us decide the ending of our story.
He weighed on the idea of having the train as completely
digital and let the production design team put the efforts
on the platform where the main character lives and put
pieces on set that can help give a parallax effect.
Duties and Work:
To develop the final script.
Problems:
I was confused if the secondary character should be main character's wife or daughter. The team was inclined towards daughter so
we went ahead with that.
We had a skeleton of the script but it needed more depth like motivations for the main character to pursue his actions and clear
visual storytelling for the hallucination so the audience doesnt get confused with reality and imagination of main the character.
Needed a professional writer's help.
Pressure from the production design team for fast delivery and
Meeting Discussions:
The story team icluding Luis, Shane, Joao, Connor and me met multiple times over the weekend to discuss ideas and align with one
outline.
We decided that based on the discussions, each one of us would write their version of the story and discuss in class.
We discussed our ideas with Katie who is a professional writer and she helped by transforming our rough script into a professional
one.
Delivery:
Observations and Improvement:
The story seemed good but there were not enough clarity on the space that the main character was interacting with. He seemed to be
living in an interior of the train which was a production team concern.
It was hard to visualize it in terms of the XR stage. The main character (Alexander) lived on the platform, found the flower on another
platform and had the hallucinations both inside and outside of the train.
Week 1
We had to pitch an idea for the first class and mine was a love connection story since it was supposed to take place in an indoor
environment. Below is the logline for it -
In a small apartment, a couple who only communicates through texts and lives like strangers is forcedinto silence during a blackout,
where a single spoken word becomes their first step toward reconnection
Selected Pitch -
Teams were allotted and I was on the story and unreal team.
Initial script by me -
We see a close-up of a flower drawn on paper, floating on a puddle of water, lit by godrays.
We see a Man’s hand in the same frame picking it up. Drinks that water like he’s been super thirsty.
He stands up and puts the paper among the other similar papers in his hand, creating a bundle.
He pastes that paper onto the platform wall. Draws the same flower on the next paper in his hand and pastes it
at a little distance from the previously pasted paper. He sees a Missing Woman’s poster right where he is about
to paste the second one.
It strikes him, and he takes steps backwards towards the railway track (about to fall). Camera angle is the POV
of the poster, His mid shot basically.
Enters flashback - a train passes behind his back, and we see a woman running past him, onboarding the train
and waving goodbye.
His POV - He looks at his hands, and all the papers in his hand have turned into a bouquet. Looks straight and
sees the train gates closing.
Rushes towards the train gate but falls onto the tracks, breaking the flashback.
Loses it, papers flying everywhere, and one paper falls onto the same puddle. He hits his head and is unconscious.
The story repeats here. God rays light the paper again.
Log line: Amanloses his mindinsideatrain stationafter theworldends.
Premise: After bombs drop and the world ends, a man seeks shelter deep underground in a subwaytrack.
Despite being alone, he is haunted by someone:his late loved one.He travels deeperunderground, trying to find
somewhere safe from the fallout.As his past catches up with him, heloseshis mind in the tunnels before he can reach safety
Week 9 & 10
Duties:
Updating the credit sequence with all the credits and make a full version.
Challenges:
Controlling the camera inside after effects was really challenging as it gets tricky if you move the camera's center point (point of interest)
Solutions:
Keeping the camera moves simple and slow.
Parenting camera to a null layer and animating the null layer.
Gaussian Splat Frames:
Ideas:
I wanted to tell the story briefly in the credit sequence, testing my storytelling skills. I currently have 3 different frames from the environment
and actors. The storytelling would go like this - Lotos station title -> Alex apprears -> He pours tea -> Rada Appears -> Environment appears
and then shatters -> End
Below is the first draft of me trying to manipulate cameras and get it working.
Feedback from class:
Addind Dean's full title, mentioning go fund me supporters, adding Lisa Ryan(dean of film school) and mentors.
Using the gate scene for the title instead of the random noisy starry splat.
Changing font for readability
Actors should be credited first
Final Credit Sequence: