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	<title type="html"><![CDATA[Forums - Bricks in Motion - January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
	<link rel="self" href="http://bricksinmotion.com/forums/feed/atom/topic/18469/"/>
	<updated>2014-02-02T16:24:00Z</updated>
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	<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/topic/18469/january-2014-test-montage/</id>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/317391/#p317391"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[Your rigs are very interesting. I'll build something similar for a rotating scene.

My rotating set suggestion wouldn't work for me because the set I have in mind is too big and I would like the camera to dolly in as it rotates. A bit too complex, but it has to be- it's for the 2015 faux-trailer contest. :P]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[BrickStory]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/131723/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-02-02T16:24:00Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/317391/#p317391</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/317390/#p317390"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[That is a cool rig.  Nice job with the tests, they were all really nice. Though several were lacking one thing - some lighting effects. Specifically the regeneration one, it just has more effect if there is light shining from the regeneration particles. :P

Still, nice job, I liked all the tests. Especially the Mr. Vertigo ones.]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[Mighty Wanderer]]></name>
				<email><![CDATA[nebulaewanderer@yahoo.com]]></email>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/3518/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-02-02T15:44:55Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/317390/#p317390</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/317373/#p317373"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[[quote=END films]Are we talking about the same one? I meant the one using the transparent orange crystal piece.[/quote]

Yep, that's the one.  I personally wasn't too pleased with it, but it's good to hear different people's thoughts on it--that's why I posted this in the first place, after all.

[quote=Brickstory]How did you do it?[/quote]

I took some pictures of the rig I built:

[img]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5474/12266330735_a227c19d03.jpg[/img]

[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7452/12266910196_43cfb57681.jpg[/img]

[img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3806/12266777944_f8bf84ac5a.jpg[/img]

The most obvious problem here is that it'd difficult to see the whole screen (a problem for me especially since I don't use a capture program and just take pictures directly on my camera).  Also it has a tendency to snag sometimes, which is what caused the bump in my test.  A rotating set sounds like an interesting idea though.  In this case, I used the same set for all tests, and it wouldn't have been practical to build a rotating set for just one test.  However, I do plan on using a rotating camera motion in a specific shot in a future project of mine, so I'll definitely keep that idea in mind!

Also, here is a picture of my new camera rig I built.

[img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3667/12266341585_d9da1c6464.jpg[/img]

It's a huge improvement over my old one.  It's a lot more stable, it's easier to take the camera in and out, and it fits so snugly I don't even need to use blu-tack or sticky stuff to hold it in place.

Also, this is the rig I used for the pivot/panning motions.

[img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/12266485903_c655fd727e.jpg[/img]

[img]http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3667/12266899636_1dac7be33a.jpg[/img]

I can adjust the length of the "legs", or just use the base of the mechanism to make standard panning motions (which is what I did for "quick pan").]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[Mr Vertigo]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/127487/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-02-02T12:05:03Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/317373/#p317373</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/317054/#p317054"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[Nice tests! Most of the camera movements were very interesting, even though there were a few bumps. The rotating camera got my attention immediately, because I've bee thinking of ways to rotate a scene. It may be easier to bbuild a mechanism that actually rotates the set (as seen in Inception), but I may end up building a rotating camera rig or using a rig design similar to END films' tilting rig with a few adjustments. How did you do it?]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[BrickStory]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/131723/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-01-27T20:43:23Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/317054/#p317054</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316985/#p316985"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[[quote=FlyingMinifig]
[quote=END Films]The tests were fun to watch :)
There was some choppiness and some set/camera bumps but they weren't too bad. My favorite test was the 2nd gunshot one.[/quote]

Thanks!  Oddly, that test probably was my least favourite, since the light I shined on it during the gun flare frame made the rest of the frame dark and made a massive flicker (I guess it didn't turn out the way I'd expected). [/quote]
Are we talking about the same one? I meant the one using the transparent orange crystal piece.]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[END films]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/126316/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-01-26T21:34:15Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316985/#p316985</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316983/#p316983"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[[quote=Willow Tree]Nice job, FlyingMinifig! I really enjoyed watching the pivot pan and the sci-fi lighting tests. As for the animation being choppy, I actually like the look of it; I think it has a nice unique style to it. 

Keep up the good work![/quote]

Thank you! :)  I'm glad you like the style, though for me personally the choppiness is rather aggravating.  For some reason, the zooms especially ended looking pretty bad in the upload; now they look like a bunch of still pictures stitched together, instead of a continuous movement, if that makes sense.

[quote=Squid]Your blur swoosh is too slow for how big the blur is.  Blur pans need to be really fast.[/quote]

Mmm, yes, good point now that you've mentioned it.  Most of the camera movements were actually inspired by your Guide to Camera movement and the discussion on camera rigs here on BiM (I built a whole bunch of new rigs for the various movements, plus a new, better, cradle to hold my camera using TECHNIC bricks).  Definitely good to know; most of these tests were first time things and really experimental for me.

[quote]Generally good montage, though.  But you need to ease a bit more and remember transitional frames.  Like when that guy got hit with the club, his hat went all the way down in one frame.  There should be just one frame where the hat is halfway down.[/quote]

Thanks!  This is actually the first time since my last film that I've had a proper chance to animate anything.  When I made [i]Monochrome[/i], many people commented that I made the movements too slowly , so my amount of frames keep yo-yo-ing back and forth as I keep trying to find a balance.

[quote]Also, what camera are you using?  There seems to be some flicker.[/quote]

I use a fairly basic point-and-shoot digital camera ([url=http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cameras/Digital_Camera/IXUS/Digital_IXUS_95_IS/]Canon Digital Ixus 95 IS[/url]).  Light flicker has gone down quite a bit since I played around with the settings and turned off the automatic white balance.  Since I shot the most flicker-ey tests first, I suspect it might mainly be me being rusty.  
As it happens, I've been vaguely contemplating getting a new camera at some point in the future.  I love the quality/focus of DSLRs (and I really want to try my hand at bokeh) but I imagine they're pretty awkward when it comes to camera movement.  Besides, I don't know much about cameras/photography in general, although it's possible I get into photography in the future, and I've heard that DSLRs can only take several thousand pictures before they wear out so I'm not sure it'd be cost-effective for me.  If you have any advice/suggestions on DSLRs I'd love to hear it.

[quote=END Films]The tests were fun to watch :)
There was some choppiness and some set/camera bumps but they weren't too bad. My favorite test was the 2nd gunshot one.[/quote]

Thanks!  Oddly, that test probably was my least favourite, since the light I shined on it during the gun flare frame made the rest of the frame dark and made a massive flicker (I guess it didn't turn out the way I'd expected).

EDIT: Yikes, that post ended up being really huge.  Hope you don't mind.]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[Mr Vertigo]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/127487/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-01-26T21:28:41Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316983/#p316983</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316980/#p316980"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[The tests were fun to watch :) 
There was some choppiness and some set/camera bumps but they weren't too bad. My favorite test was the 2nd gunshot one.]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[END films]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/126316/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-01-26T20:33:21Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316980/#p316980</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316969/#p316969"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[Your blur swoosh is too slow for how big the blur is.  Blur pans need to be really fast.

Generally good montage, though.  But you need to ease a bit more and remember transitional frames.  Like when that guy got hit with the club, his hat went all the way down in one frame.  There should be just one frame where the hat is halfway down.

Also, what camera are you using?  There seems to be some flicker.]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[Squid]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/3704/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-01-26T18:24:05Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316969/#p316969</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[Re: January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316962/#p316962"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[Nice job, FlyingMinifig! I really enjoyed watching the pivot pan and the sci-fi lighting tests. As for the animation being choppy, I actually like the look of it; I think it has a nice unique style to it. 

Keep up the good work!]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[Willow Tree]]></name>
				<email><![CDATA[nateolantern@gmail.com]]></email>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/130272/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-01-26T17:44:51Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316962/#p316962</id>
		</entry>
		<entry>
			<title type="html"><![CDATA[January 2014 Test Montage]]></title>
			<link rel="alternate" href="https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316945/#p316945"/>
			<content type="html"><![CDATA[[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fioKTR2SvBg&list=PLmzZdvEsRI49sfdA2ze1nnDPQ1Mj3OKx0]Watch here[/url]

A pretty great test montage of various effects and animation techniques I'd been aching to experiment with over the past few months, such as camera movements, lighting, explosions, and much, much more.  I animated most of this over a weekend in which I had some unexpected free time.  A few issues, such as a bit of light flicker.  Also, for some reason the animation seems to look choppier in some places in the clip than it did in the video editor...

Anyway, any comments/feedback/constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!]]></content>
			<author>
				<name><![CDATA[Mr Vertigo]]></name>
				<uri>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/user/127487/</uri>
			</author>
			<updated>2014-01-26T13:09:30Z</updated>
			<id>https://bricksinmotion.com/forums/post/316945/#p316945</id>
		</entry>
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