Top VFX tips for saving time and budget

​​Our studio VFXaddART is interested not only in the great result, but also in efficient spending of the client's budget. From broadcast commercials to indie films, it's often the same easily avoidable mistakes on set that cause big problems for compositors and 3D artists.

​​1. Hire an on-set VFX supervisor

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An experienced VFX artist on set will help you gather the right footage and avoid costly mistakes. The more VFX shots you're filming, the more important it is to have this person there. Even if you're just doing one shot, see if your VFX artist can stop by for a couple hours. You could film that shot first and get it out of the way. You don't need an Academy Award Winning VFX supervisor for your low-budget music video, but you also don't want a student who has never been on set. Your supervisor should have an overall understanding of VFX, experience with compositing and match-moving, and spent at least some time on set. Your friend the 2D animator who recently completed a 3D car modeling tutorial might do great work, but he may not know the first thing about the screen replacement shot you need. Every production will require a different set of VFX capabilities, but the ideal supervisor on-set is probably the person who will be completing the VFX in post. They'll be the most invested and able to offer suggestions that are within their capabilities. They might even surprise you with an idea you hadn’t considered. 
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​​2. Lock it down

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​​ If you can't afford a VFX supervisor - one piece of advice is to lock the camera for any VFX shots. This will eliminate 3D match-moving and a host of other challenges that go with it. Your hand-held monster chase through the woods might look awesome on camera, but it will be a nightmare in post if you haven't planned for it. Find a way to tell your story with lock-down shots if you can. One easy trick is to take a static shot and add a little hand-held shake in post.
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​​3. Use storyboards

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Storyboards are useful for any production, but especially one that requires VFX. Using a 3D previsualization or animatic is great if you can do it. At the very least, sketch out some stick figures or an overhead diagram on a piece of blank paper. Discuss this with the DP and the VFX artist days before the shoot. The communication will expose challenges you might face on set and allow you to make a checklist of the elements needed for each shot.

​​4. Use green on green. Tracking markers

​​It’s a common mistake to stick red or yellow tracking markers on the green screen. It’s true that such colors make the markers more visible, but they also make them impossible to key out like the green screen, which adds more work for the VFX team (and for no good reason). 
​​The best color for tracking markers on a green screen is green (and blue for blue screens). Just make sure the markers are slightly brighter or darker than the screen itself (having a few types of green gaffer tape around is useful). If you can see the markers in the monitor, they are visible enough to be used for tracking.

​​The Wolf of Wall Street

​​The Wolf of Wall Street © Paramount Pictures, Red Granite Pictures, Appian Way, Sikelia Productions, EMJAG Productions. Visual effects by Brainstorm Digital.
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​​5. Use an insert green screen and a clean plate

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​​ The main instance where I do recommend a green screen is when it saves time on rotoscoping. Is there a CG spaceship landing behind your main character? Drop a green insert screen behind your subject! It will minimize rotoscoping, and, if you know how to pull a proper green key, it will be a better looking result. Of course, you'll also need to shoot a clean plate -- also known as a background plate. Clean plates are shot with no action or actors in the frame. They’re usually filmed last, although sometimes you may want to film them first if you're blowing something up or making a giant mess. Clean plates are also useful when you’re not using a green screen. I've spent countless hours rebuilding and repainting a shot because the production team didn't shoot a clean plate. It only takes a minute to clear the frame and roll the camera. If you're not sure if you should shoot a clean plate, that probably means you should shoot a clean plate.
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6. Shoot stills for reference

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​​ If your production requires complex VFX photography like HDRs, 360 panos or chrome ball shots, you’ll want to hire someone with that specific experience. But anyone with an iPhone can easily grab a few still photos of the walls and floor of the scene. For example, if you wanted to remove a dolly track from the floor of a shot, an overhead still photo of the floor (without the dolly track) would be very useful. If you’re doing scene extensions or matte paintings, it’s great to have photos of anything that might be referenced or reused in post--grass, dirt, rocks, concrete, sky, etc. Again, if you're unsure what still photos you need, ask your VFX artist.

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7. Use tracking markers when you need them

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The proper use of tracking markers could make up an entire class taught by an experienced VFX supervisor, so I won’t be able to cover it fully here. However, here are three quick tips:

• ​​If it isn’t moving, you don’t need tracking markers
• ​​If it is moving, you probably need tracking markers, unless there are already naturally occurring tracking points (i.e. the corners of a screen or lines on the ground)
• ​​Take a photo before placing the tracking markers and use it to remove them later

8. Successful crowd tiling can save money on extras

​​When you can’t afford hundreds of extras, crowd tiling is a great alternative. It is also much cheaper (and faster) than CG crowd simulations and digital doubles. But there are a few things to keep in mind: First, this technique does not work well with large sweeping camera moves that produce a lot of parallax and perspective shift. Keep the camera motion minimal. 
​​It’s also important to prevent tiles from intersecting. Always mark the boundary of the group of extras before you move them to the next tiling position, and make sure no one crosses that line. Finally, you need to shuffle around the position of the extras in each tile, and be extra careful with props or costumes that stick out. You don’t want to see that one red umbrella repeated in every tile!

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​​9. Shoot VFX elements at high frame rate

​​Whether you are shooting elements of smoke, fire, debris, blood squibs, dust hits or splashes, it’s almost always better to shoot at a higher frame rate. This allows the VFX team to use the elements at a slower speed and still maintain full quality. Slowing down elements to make them feel bigger is a tried and tested technique. 
​​The only thing that is lost when shooting at high frame rate is some amount of motion blur, but even if the element ends up being used at its original speed, the missing motion blur can be easily added back by the VFX team when the element is retimed.

​​Tracking objects on the foreground and in the background

10.Shoot With a High Enough Shutter Speed to Avoid Motion Blur

​​Tracking is one of the basics to almost every visual effects shot. In order to have an accurate result the software relies on optical recognition of certain areas in the clip. Most motion trackers have a hard time with frames that are entirely blurred by the camera motion. To avoid that you better shoot with a higher shutter speed to avoid frames like the below. Of course the scene may not permit shooting at such a setting, in which case you should mind your camera movement.

​​Write down the camera settings

​​Avoiding blurred frames with higher shutter speed

​​11. Freeze time effect. Shooting process

12. Black screen background

13. How to create 3D model of your product by yourself?

You can use Reality Capture and your mobile phone. What is Reality Capture? Reality Capture is a photogrammetry software solution that helps you create 3D models from photographs or laser scans. Reality Capture vastly improves productivity, accuracy, quality, and safety throughout the project.
Taking pictures for photogrammetry
a. Do not limit the number of images, RealityCapture can handle any.
b. Use the highest resolution possible.
c. Each point in the scene surface should be clearly visible in at least two high quality images. ...
d. Always move when taking photos. ...
e. Do not change view point more than 30 degrees.
https://www.capturingreality.com/

If you still have any questions - contact us and we will help you with pleasure!
vfxaddart@gmail.com