outsourcing VFX shots

seantree

My friends and I are about to embark on shooting our first short and I was wondering what the odds of getting some online help on VFX shots would be. I've sold my DVX100a to purchase the HVX200 for the HD capabilities and the use of a 4:2:2 color space which greatly aids in keying. What do you think would be the best way to go about requesting assistance? I'm sure a site with the script is a must, along with storyboards etc.. (all of which are in the works), is there anything I'm missing? Should I throw out a price I'm willing to pay for the shot or let the artist make an offer? I plan on doing a few shots myself, but I will also be directing and assisting with editing. We plan on this being a practice film before we dive into our full length script which is VFX laden and will almost completely be green screen shots. So, any tips are appreciated. Thanks

Eric Chadwick

Hmmm, Polycount is kind of the wrong forum for HD/DV, I doubt many of the people here are experienced in this. I certainly am not. But you might try the Creative Cow forums or somesuch.
http://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/new_view_posts.cgi?forumid=162

seantree

I should have been more specific. Most shots require 3D assets so I thought I'd post here as I know there is mad skill on these forums. But yeah, I did hit VFXtalk.com also. After I get it all set up I'll update with a link to the site and see if any PC peeps want to take a stab at it. thanks man

Eric Chadwick

Ah, I see. I thought you were looking to outsource the video-shooting end of things. Oopsie.

Hmmm. If you're setting up shots where the camera is not locked off, and you'll be comping in 3D elements (or whole 3D scenes), then you'll want to study up on camera tracking.

Some good tips here.
http://ssontech.com/mmove.htm

You might also try the Requests forum.

thomasp

well, you should post it at cgtalk as well. i think they even have forums for collaborations, film making, etc.

btw. someone who knows to model and animate for games does not necessarily know the ins and outs of setting up 3d for film shots, that's a very different field.
for that kind of project it seems to me you'd need people who can handle entire shots. or else freelancer A might create something which is impossible to comp by freelancer B later down the road. file formats and color space, fields yes/no, inappropriate masks, app compatibility, etc etc. sounds like fun

seantree

heh, yeah I was thinking of those things. But I am confident that it can be accomplished. For the short there are only a few 3D elements and some particle effects, but once we move on to the full length film we'll need a fully rigged steam powered robotic sidekick for the main character. We will be using poor mans HDRI (one of those globes from walmart) and I'm confident that I have the knowledge on setting up the shots so everything will fall into place. App compatibility should not be a problem as I am going to specifiy certain apps in the shot application. Sure , it will cut down on the number of applicants, but it seems like the logical thing to do. You guys will see a pimp once we get things rolling. Thanks again fro the input.