Major Project TERM III - Stitching, rotoscoping and tracking (Learning editing techniques)
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While I know the basic of editing softwares very well, and simple colour grading is also not anything new for me, I never learned any bit more advanced editing tools, like tracing or rotoscoping.
In my research below, partially based on the youtube tutorials cited at the end of the post, I looked into different methods which will be necessary to complete my film.
In my script I have three scenes which are in need of those techniques. Below you can view the entire process of editing the test versions of the final shots. After the editing process there is the final result shown in each video.
I. Title Sequence
In the script I wrote that I want the title of the film to appear behind the protagonist as he walks. In order to do that I needed to learn how to track and rotoscope.
Here you can view the speed up editing process with my commentary in forms of captions.
In the test footage I had a backpack which I did not track, because the automatic tracking is having a tough time of recognizing two different shades of the same colour (black backpack on black background), however it works really well on the yellow jacket. For the final shot I will not be wearing my backpack so the rotoscoping should look seamless.
II. Mike and Mike 2
There are at least two scenes in the script in which we are supposed to see Mike and Mike 2 at the same time. While achieving that moving camera would be very difficult, with static image it is simpler however as you will be able to see in the footage below it can be tricky as well.
As you can see the stitch in this test was not perfect, it is because I touched the bed sheets when I was sitting on it so they were not in the same position. The frame of the bed also has reflective surface so there are differences between takes in what is reflecting in them. On location there will be no problems like in this footage since in both supermarket and skatepark there are no many reflective areas or surfaces that would be easily deformed.
III. The fall
The final shot that would require this type of editing is a shot in which Mike stands up after his fall, and in the background we can see Mike 2 waiting for him. While seemingly similar to the first shot this one is more complicated since the footage on top of the stack is not the same as the one behind him.
As you can see this transition works fine except for the very beginning of it. The tracking software is having hard time tracking things that are going out of frame, so in the about first two frames we can see a mask in the area that does not require it. I am not sure yet how to overcome this problem however I feel like for a shot this tight I might be able to shot the first part on a green background, key it out and colour match so it would look as a part of the background shot. It would be easier for both me and the software since I am not sure how can I track things that are not in frame.
I might however shoot it a bit wider and crop it in post, there are a few options, I think I will shoot all of them and try what will work best in the edit.
IV. The fall 2
After trying rotoscoping the footage with not the best resultats, I decided to try it one more time, this time using blue screen and delta keyer.
I think it works much better then the rotoscoped version. There is a thin line of redness around the head and I am a bit confused what it is and how to get rid of it, but I think I will be able to figure it out. The bluescreen is a way to go in this shot, the only problem I might encounter is the colour grading. The footage shot outside and inside has a different tonality to it, and the footage shot at night, outside in limited lighting conditions combined with well lit blue screen might create some inconsistency in the colour. However this shot is fortunately very short and if I will have any major problems with it we can just quickly cut to another angle.
These are all of the scenes for which I needed to learn these types of editing tools. Now I am more confident in my abilities and I am more ready for a shoot.
___________________ Sources:
Hurkman, A. (2016). DaVinci Resolve in Under 5 Minutes: Rotoscoping with Automatic Keyframes. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4xCHkFqg-4&t=100s [Accessed 7 May 2021].
YouTube. (2019). Easy Green Screen Removal in Davinci Resolve 16. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU4kw8fl-U4&t=143s [Accessed 7 May 2021].
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