In this evaluation, I go over the VFX and techniques that were used for my portal shot for the composition. Here is the video for my VFX portal shot:
Whilst I am happy with how this VFX comp had turned out, I could improve upon this shot to make adjustments for the better.
Because I am a novice when it comes to creating VFX I still have a long ways to go.
On Tuesday (18/05/2021) I will be receiving comments and feedback in regards to my VFX portal shot.
Review:
Based on the feedback the majority of my comments were positive on the VFX portal shot. When I was going to present the shot I noticed that on the very last frame there was a compression issue making the video quality deteriorate on the very last frame.
I had double-checked this issue on the Quicktime media player and there is no compression issue with the VFX portal shot whatsoever.
Due to time constraints, there were comments made about the shot. I will go over the pros and cons of the feedback.
Pros: Tracking - Sam and my classmates, Jess, Sebastian and Jamie mentioned that the tracking was really good and solid. It was also fast given the duration of the clip itself. I rendered this out in 200 frames lasting 8 seconds of the video.
The door - Good image choice. I personally think the realism of the door adds well. Had I used the other door I might've received harsh criticism. Other feedback that was provided about the door was that the color balance of the door's grading has very diffuse lighting and the shadows match of the door (despite the lack of shadow from the ground.) The top of the door is very good although it's rather noticeable at the bottom.
Lighting - as discussed above, the lighting is good overall. According to Jess, "the door shadows match the colour of the door is off putting but it works and stands out. "
Cons:
Time constraints - due to time constraints, I was working on multiple units that I was assigned for in a 2-3 month window. However, it was only a few weeks ago that I started working on the composition itself. I will talk about the changes I would make to make improvements to the VFX portal shot.
Door perspective, according to Jamie he pointed out that "the camera's perspective doesn't match the door. "Sam brought up the focal length and I added that "I had to make assumptions of the focal length itself." If I were to shoot the composition myself for a VFX shot, I would've noted down the shot settings used.
Lack of shadow off ground and reflection of a door in the waters.
Changes I would make to the VFX shot: In-depth colour grading. Adding more depth to the colour grading could suffice the portal asset.
Matching perspective of the door. If the focal length settings were known this would benefit the improvement and change the composition easily.
Adding subtle/light shadows on the ground and reflection from the waters of the door. According to Sam, I could go about adding a distortion node for the water's reflection. As for the shadow, I could cast the shadow by adding a form of node.
Conclusion
Whilst I had received positive feedback, I have a long road ahead of me if I want to become a VFX artist. Theoretically, if I had all the time in the world and I was focusing on one VFX shot, I would make those improvements and changes where possible and see what works well and what doesn't work well.
Feedback also helps out the artist in case they have missed something or they are learning from their mistakes. Feedback is a way to improve upon a piece of media or work that you have done.