Gretscaling a Colour in Post

[Graeme]

I'm looking to do a Sci-Fi short next month and I would like to explore an option of if I end up not getting its use. So I was thinking of doing the shoot in a forest near my home. Now if I use realistic looking weapons (even space weapons) someone may complain. So I thought of a solution - I'll paint the weapons white/orange/dark orange and was wondering if in post (final cut) I could colour cast them back to gray-scale and adjust the gamma so they looks like black metal guns?

I know I can do this is photoshop, but doing it for 24 frames a second is a lot of work and that is why I ask for the specific colour (as Green-Screening is a similar function, correct?)

 

[knightly]

Apply a color correction filter to the footage, turn down the range limiter triangle at the bottom of the filter and limit a desaturation to that orange color. Done.

 

[Stardust Walking]

The best way to handel this is to call all the law enforcement agencies in the area you will be shooting....make the filming and let them
know what you will be doing. The sooner you call the better, and get the name and nuber of a contact person. Then call them all back a
week before filming and remind them, and then call them back the day before and then again the next morning. This will save you no end
of trouble. However, if you need real police chasing your actors in the film...........

Goodluck

Terry

 

[Graeme]

@stardust

I agree that would be the best option if I was shooting a film with a budget for a uniform police officer on set for the days we are shooting the action scenes with fake weapons, but I don't have the budget for that so if I have to shoot on public land it will be with slightly modified Nerf guns (and Nintendo Zapper) which anyone will clearly see is a toy. That solves the issue of the police and people panicking unnecessary, adding the fact that there is a guy filming them "playing" would make it more obvious.

The issue is how do I go from that scenario back to realistic colouring in the movie quick and easy, I think knightly's idea will work so I'll give that a try over the weekend..

 

[wheatgrinder]

IN the DVD Rebels Guide this technique is tried (with chroma green guns) seemed to work..

 

[Stardust Walking]

Graeme,

This not to have a police officer on set. It's so that when someone calls the police
about people running around with guns the police will not show up with their guns drawn.
It happens far to often.

Terry

 

[knightly]

I've always gotten permission from the police before hand and made sure to call the dispatcher when we take the gun out, then again when we are done so they know when the calls of "man with gun" are real

 

[directorik]

Agreed. I do this often.

You do not need a uniformed, paid officer on set. You can simply
call the local authorities and inform them. That way when they get
a complaint they are not taken by surprise.

You said you feel some people might complain. If that means there
are homes in the area you could also simply inform the neighbors
that you will be in the local woods making a movie.

You are very likely to get complaints no matter what the color
of the guns are. You should inform both the neighbors and the
local authorities anyway. It's just the professional thing to do.

 

[Graeme]

To the comments about only needing to inform authorities versus uniform officer - The laws in my city are different, and I have already enquired as to the rules when shooting a movie using realistic weapons and possible workarounds, etc. I know what I can and cannot do for my situation and will opt for the solution I have disturbed above to be able to shot the movie within the budget at hand.

That is beside the point, as the question I have asked is how (in as much detail as possible) can one make a Nerf gun look like a real gun in post when its clearly a Nerf gun or other toy gun in real life.

 

[Stardust Walking]

Hours and Hours of roto!!

Terry

 

[directorik]

I apologize for muddying the waters, Graeme. You
didn't mention that you had already checked with
the local authorities and been told you can't do this
without a paying a uniformed officer.

Even here in Los Angeles which has very strict filming
rules and very strick gun laws, we don't need a paid,
uniformed officer on a location when using realistic
looking weapons.

That is beside the point, as the question I have asked is how (in as much detail as possible) can one make a Nerf gun look like a real gun in post when its clearly a Nerf gun or other toy gun in real life.

Frame by frame rotoscoping.

There some very high end programs that assist in the
man hours needed, but these are very expensive, still
can take many, many hours and can still be frame
by frame work. Final Cut doesn't have this capability.
Looks like Photoshop frame by frame is your no budget
solution.

You should try a quick test. One person in your yard walking
around for 10 seconds. Try a couple of different keying
colors to see if one might be better than another.

I'd love to know how this works out. I'd be happy to be
wrong that Final Cut can't do it.

 

[Graeme]

Yeah the gun laws in Canada are strict and complicated.

I'm going to do a test this weekend (post likely next weekend), to see how well it works. Again I'm hoping I can get away with a blanket target colour desaturation rather than needing to go the rotoscope method, cross fingers.

 

[wheatgrinder]

You might approach LE suggesting that this is an AirSoft activity. Your friends are going to be playing AIRSOFT, in the park.. so what If your FILMING them while they play, and so what if they are dressed like aliens, and so what if the guns look like Ray Guns..

Also, don't call your self an independent filmmaker that sound pro, rather you a guy making home movies for fun. There is something about the glamor of movie making, that elicits these types of bureaucratic responses.

Thats how I got the firemen to let me into their activity.. I said, "hey, I got a new camera can I come try it out, this is really cool looking stuff.." "Sure," they said.. Their eyebrows went up when I returned in a hard hat, my huge tripod and indie-slider..

 

[Graeme]

Wheatgrinder,

Due to an indecent with a member of the press here in Ottawa being shot with a Bow & Arrow (totally unrelated to the actual Archery and Airsoft community), all such items/activities are banned in Ottawa unless you have prior permission and police observer on site (which you have to pay for), or is on your private property out of sight of the public. Going the other way equals fines, potential jail time, and permeant confection of "weapons".

I personally know many people in the local Airsoft community and they have kindly granted me the use of one of their fields for the day. However this is conditional on the owner being there (he plans too but if his job last-minute needs him, I'm boned). So I'm looking at having a back-up plan.

As for your other comment, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But overall I find people take me far more seriously if I'm sounding confident and professional about the project rather then another "guy with camera". I learned this from my photography back ground where clients wanted a "Pro" and the only difference between you and everyone else was how "Pro" did you sound. I lost contracts to people who had less than a thousand dollars in gear and no talent beyond sounding like they knew what they were doing. Thats why I go that route and always show up with the biggest camera and lens combo I have (even though I'll likely never use it in the shoot) because perception matters. All that said, sometimes I go your way too, if it fits my needs, but I find that is a rarer occurrence.