Review: Visual Effects for Directors

Hollywood Camera Work’s Visual Effects for Directors training series is an invaluable resource for both visual effects and motion graphics artists. The 7 DVD set includes over 11 hours of video with more than 1000 examples. Calm, clear and informative narration make this training a joy to watch, and easier to absorb the wealth of information.

The majority of this series focusses on CG integration with live action footage and disk 1 drops you in the deep end with 3D workflow, including ray tracing, normals, shading and texture mapping. Although these seem technical to the novice the videos and descriptions make is easy to follow along.

The examples are not software specific but Maya is the main 3D application and Eyeon Fusion is the main compositing software used. I use 3D most days at work but don’t consider myself a 3D guy, so learning the history of techniques and terms such as phong, shading and bump maps was a bonus.

Discs 2,3 and 4 cover everything to do with compositing and finishing shots. Disc 2 includes lighting, compositing, mattes, keying, rotoscoping and 2d tracking. This section could be a tough one to follow as well but the relaxed pace gives you plenty of time to absorb the information.

Disc 3 explores visual effects production including how to set up a shot for match moving, motion control rigs, matching lighting and shadows and problems with shadows and reflections. Disc 4 explains how to integrate CG elements into a live action world. Some great examples are used in this section.

The later discs explain everything you need to know about blue and green screens, the pros and cons of using them, how to build and set up a colour stage and prepping and lighting it properly to pull a great key. Even simulations are covered; particles, fluids, cloth, hair and explosions are all well demonstrated and very informative to watch.

The examples used in this series are indeed easy to follow and understand, but I couldn’t help giggle at some of them. Obviously there were no “hollywood-sized” production budgets, so at some points it felt like watching the behind-the-scenes of a direct-to-DVD sci-fi horror movie.

Summary

This series is great for anyone interested in learning more about the world of visual effects. US$329 might seem expensive but trust me, if all you get out of this is how to set up a green screen, light it, shoot it and pull a key with minimal rotoscoping, then its worth the price. If I had a dollar for every hour I’ve slaved away fixing bad keys I’d be a rich man!