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Part 1:
Making Movies
Part 2:
From Idea to "Birth of the Film"
Part 3:
Planning the Project
Part 4:
The Shot Pipeline
Part 5:
Putting the Pieces Together |
How did you work with the shot database?
Rob: It gave us a point of reference for the duration of the
project. The shot database is the foundation for all planning. We use a
range of tools from flowcharting and project management software to
Excel and FileMaker. We use this information to identify all the tasks that
we'll need to complete.
We identify two sets of tasks: tasks
that relate to the assets pipeline, and tasks that relate to the
shot pipeline. Defining the asset pipeline begins with a list of every prop,
environment, vehicle, character, particle fx, etc that needs to be
created and determining what we will need to do to create each one.
With Arrest Assured these tasks included
things like design, modeling, texturing, head scans, and skeletal
rigging, to name but a few! Then we scheduled each task for every asset.
Next we laid out the shot pipeline…
You do all this with a
flowchart?
Mike: We’re both very visual people and enjoy
having a graphical reference. The flowchart is like a bird’s eye view of
everything that needs to happen to get the film made.
Once you've planned the
project …
Mike: Then we got to work! Although Arrest
Assured was designed for just two of us to execute, most of our projects
involve many other artists and technicians. So normally we’d begin by briefing them on the project
so that everyone understands the big picture and where their own work fits in.
Do things work out
according to you plans?
Rob: Yes and no. Generally, the overall plan is
easy enough to adhere to, as long as we build in a little time for the
inevitable unknowns. There are always shots that need to be redone, but, for
the most part things go according to plan. That’s essential for a
smaller facility like ours. Be efficient, or die!
Mike: Of course the number one reason things
sometimes
don’t go according to plan is the “C”-factor… the Client.
We dare you to say more
about ... “the Client!”
Mike: Working with clients is a complex and
difficult science, which we’re always learning more about (despite a
combined 24 years in the business!). This includes listening to them,
understanding their needs and parameters, educating them at every step
of the way, and being patient… But, no matter how much you talk and
explain, there are always issues, changes etc.
Rob: This is the nature of our business. This is
also why we enjoy developing projects like Arrest Assured, where
the only “C”-factor is Mike and I… and we can usually settle most
debates with a drinking contest or a dance-off (one tends to lead to the
other).
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A Burglar is Born
Early sketches: the fisherman who looked like a crook
Simple 2D rendering
3D model of our hero
Here he is, woolly sweater and all. No photos please! |
