VFX and Post Production – Preproduction and Concepts

For this module we are tasked to design and then build a short (60 second) Visual Effects sequence for one of the following:

• A TV commercial
• A video game cutscene, opening, intro or other action sequence.
• The opening or ending of a Film or TV Show
• A particular sequence in a Film or TV Show
• A Music Video
• Or other sequence agreed with the Module Co-ordinator

With this in mind I moved onto creating some basic concepts that I could then flesh out to create an environment that I can use for both this module and level design. Once I’m happy with the concept I can move onto developing the concept and creating the visual affect scene I want based on one of the above guidelines.

Idea Concepts:

I created 4 different concepts that I could explore and develop as both a VFX scene and a playable and interactive level.

Concept 1: Mountain Climber

I took inspiration from the opening of Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015) where the player takes control of Lara Croft as she ascends a snowy mountain. With this concept I would like to use the landscape and environment to challenge the player as they try to reach the top of the mountain.

I thought of using flags, flares and some kind of statues or stacked rocks to help guide the player through the landscape. With it being set on a mountainside I could create flog, snow/ hail as VFX.

Concept 2: Space Station

For my second concept I wanted to create a small space station where the players objective is to complete several tasks to stop the station shutting down after an asteroid shower hit. Parts of the station can be in lockdown forcing the player to find keys to open airlocks or corridors could fall apart in front of the player to block their path. In the end the objectives they complete are useless as the reactor fails meaning the player must flee to reach an escape pod as the station starts to rapidly falling apart.

This final element could construct a VFX cutscene that I could create of the player blasting off into space using the escape pod and watching the space station start to explode.

I would like to draw inspiration from Starfield(2023) and the Martian(2015) to create this space station environment as well as some of NASA’s rocket’s and the ISS so that the space station appears as a realistic interpretation of a working and functional environment.

Concept 3: Mythical Fantasy

I wanted to explore the idea of creating a high fantasy environment, creating a level where the player has to navigate through a forest to reach an end goal. Like collecting a powerful magical artifact or searching a lost ring.

With it being a wild and natural area, I can vary the terrain and make use of looping so that at some point the player might cross a bridge that goes over a narrow path they have been down before. I could also create a ‘firefly’ particle affect to highlight objectives or help guide the player towards certain areas. The fantasy setting would allow me to explore and create some ‘magic’ particle and lights for my VFX scene.

Concept 4: Wizards Tower

For my Final concept I looked more towards creating VFX for the VFX and postproduction assignment.  I wanted an area that I could have a few Visual effects that I could create a cutscene with.

The idea of a Wizards training area or library, where I could have potions, Books and magical Items placed around the room to pan around came to mind.

I then thought how this could become a playable level. Which Is where I thought I could have this as the end goal and frame the tower through certain points throughout the level, so the player knows it is the final objective. They can then navigate through a fantasy setting passing through villages, forests and a castle outpost to reach this objective.

Final Concept.

I decided on the wizard tower as my final visual effects scene. I can expand the world outside and have the tower as the main objective for the player for level design as well as create a video game cutscene at the top that will trigger when the player reaches it. This gives me the best opportunity to explore lighting and particle affects within a small contained scene.

The camera will navigate around the room focusing on different spells, potions and other effects before turning to look at a wizard staff and open book that begin pulsating with magic as the player approaches before the scene ends. I started to gather some reference images on Pinterest as well as create a simple storyboard to concept the idea together and see how it would play out.

Pinterest Link: Pinterest

Storyboard Shot Breakdown:

• Shot 1 – Opening shot: Door opens to reveal the room, light created by torches (flame particle system). lasts about 2 – 3 seconds.
• Shot 2 – Establishing shot: Slow pan across the room to give a basic overview of layout and position of other effects. left to right. lasts for about 6 – 8 seconds.
• Shot 3 – Cauldron: Pan close to first visual effect particle system, zoom over to create a close up shot. lasts for 5 – 8 seconds.
• Shot 4 – Lightning storm glass: Pan from cauldron to next shot, out and back in (close up). 5 second duration.
• Shot 5 – Fireplace and window: Zoom out from previous particle affect, slow pan shot. Used to develop the scene as it pans past the fireplace and the window (lens flare), weather such as rain or snow visible through window (possible). 4 – 7 seconds.
• Shot 6 – Wizard’s book part 1: Pan from previous scene to focus onto table. slow pan across table to open book. focus in on page. 4 seconds max duration.
• Shot 7 – Wizard’s book part 2: Slow tilt up to use the full screen as book begins to light up. magic and other particle effects begin flaring up – runes rise from the page. pan back as it fades. 7 – 10 seconds.
• Shot 8 – Ice jar: Revert to same position used for panning around the room. pan to jar and focus in. slow snow storm in glass jar. 3 – 6 seconds duration.
• Shot 9 – Re-establishing shot: Pull back from jar into stable position. mimic shot 2. from right to left. 3 – 5 seconds.
• Shot 10 – Falling Books: Turn to face central table / lectern. slow move forward, quick flick of camera to books toppling over. 3 – 6 second duration.
• Shot 11 – Refocus: pan back to table / lectern. refocus on the staff. 3 – 4 seconds shot.
• Shot 12 – Final Shot: Staff in centre of the frame, player takes hold of it. gem at the top begins to glow (focus in). light gets brighter as runes start floating. change of colour? shot fades to black. 10 seconds minimum.

References:

Bing Chat GPT4 (2023) A climber In a Blizzard with mountains in the background  [AI Generated Image] prompted by Alexander Rushton. 31^st October 2023. 13:12

Crystal Dynamics (2015) Rise of the Tomb Raider. Square Enix and Microsoft Studios. Available Online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/391220/Rise_of_the_Tomb_Raider/ [Accessed 31/10/2023]

Bethesda Game Studios (2023) Starfield. Microsoft Studios. Available Online:    https://store.steampowered.com/app/1716740/Starfield/ [Accessed 31/10/2023]

Pinterest, Rushton, A (2023) Pinterest Moodboard  [Webpage] Available Online: Pinterest [Accessed 29/10/2023]