This document entails pre-visualisation methods and plans on how the portal VFX object will look on the composition.
The VFX used in this shot will be a camera tracking shot with a 2D or 3D object. The door object is presented as the portal.
GANTT chart:
Storyboard:
The storyboard helps pre-visualise how the shot will play out. The VFX will come in to play around frames 50-350. Furthermore, the frame highlights for the portal helps pre-visualise the idea of how the VFX could turn out.
Frame highlights for portal placement:
The red highlights and arrows represent the portal’s placement.
The red highlights are not the estimated size of the portal but will be within the area where the portal is placed.
Having the portal near the centre of the shot is intentional. I want the viewers to focus to shaft their focus on the portal once they notice the door. On the 2 seconds and 14 seconds of the video. There are 25 frames per second of the video itself. 2 seconds hit the 50-frame mark and 14 seconds hit the 350-frame mark. This is a perfect frame range to establish the shot and add the portal VFX inside of the composition itself.
In my camera tracking blog: I decided to go with 150-350 to narrow it down.
The communication intentions behind this are to create a sense of mystery and cause xenophobia (fear of the unknown). What is behind that door? Where does the door lead to? Why on earth is there a door in the middle of the river? Is it locked or closed?
The intended audience for this movie is thriller fans, dark tower fans, people who love suspense. The way the shot is set up is to build suspense and mystery for the portal. As said in the communication intentions, it all comes down to where the door leads to and what's behind it.
If I was a thriller fan or someone who loves suspense my question for that door would be: "Considering the title of the series, does this door lead to the tower?"
Movies and TV series that use similar shots.
Horror movies can use suspenseful door scenes to build mystery and suspense. What's behind the door and what awaits us?
For example, in Stephen King's IT Chapter One, you have a scene where there are 3 doors in the haunted house. 2 people of the losers club have to pick one of the 3 doors. This draws in suspense as to what awaits them. In the VR game IT, you can go through one of the three doors.
Another example is Stephen King's The Shining. In one scene, there is a hotel door that creates suspense with the use of music and atmosphere. There is a sense of danger and mystery surrounding the scene itself.
Objective:
The overall objective of the VFX shot is to implement the portal (door) onto the composition itself. From there, I want to make sure the portal is realistic so that it blends into the composition.
Using VFX shots and assets to communicate with the audience.