Long Shot

[DallasDKnight]

Hello for my film I am thinking about doing a shot that is aprox one and a half minutes. Although I suspect their will be numerous hidden cuts, I want it to look like one long continious shot. I need the CAMERA to fall off a planet in outterspace, watch the planet get smaller and smaller as it drops. Then stars start flying by and out of sight. Then suddenly the camera is brushing through clouds (atmosphere). Falling down as blue sky and the sun shrink. Then a giant thud as it hits earth, with trees all above it.

I'm assuming it will be five shots (Planet, Space, Atmosphere, Sky, Forest) editted together cleverly to mask the cuts.

What is the most budget apropriate approach to this. I don't think I want to use CGI for my space and planets anyways, as the lack of budget will probably end making it look half-assed. Any model makers here with suggestions - 2001 style?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[VPTurner]

Too bad you don't want to use CGI. You could definitely do it all in one take. And 3D models for planets and planetary bodies aren't that expensive:

http://www.the3dstudio.com/product_search.aspx?id_category_2=377

Find a graduate animator at a college who has access to student versions of the software packages (Maya, Lightwave, SoftImage, 3D Studio, etc.) and you're set. He/she may already have some of the models, too.

Heck, for $450 you can get the whole kit and kaboodle:

http://www.the3dstudio.com/product_details.aspx?id_product=36904

 

[seunosewa]

Outer space? Stars? Clouds? This definitely sounds like a job for CGI.

 

[indietalk]

Is this supposed to be realistic? If so, you could also use a technical consultant. Would this item make it to Earth? Would it burn up? Would it get caught in orbit? Does it need to be made of a special material to survive the journey? Maybe you have thought this out already.

 

[DallasDKnight]

Thanks Indietalk, but we're definitley going to be going with suspension of disbeleif. This is a "magical" creature that is falling, and thus things like the lack of oxygen in outterspace, and atmospheric flaming will not be taken into consideration. You won't see the subject anyways, it is just their perspective as they fall off one planet towards another.

So you think I should go with the models until it needs to fall through the forest? How would I cut from 3D into the fall into the forest - because I know if I use 3d models for trees as it meets the end of the journey, will just ruin the whole effect and look so cheesy. I guess using 3D planets might be the only option though.

Anyone have any good suggestions for forums where I might fish out an amateur animator who won't cost me an arm and a leg?

-Dallas

 

[EddieLeonardo]

If your creature is getting up right away after the fall I would suggest using a whip pan. You can blend the cgi to real video in the forest somewhere.

If the creature is not getting up right away you could always use a crane shot and slowly drop the camera downward while pointing up.

This is what i would do. i am not a pro by any means, but it seems like this would work.

 

[Beeblebrox]

Honestly, this is a fairly rudimentary kind of shot that could be pulled off fairly easily and photo-realistically with a combination of CG and live action. ANYONE you go to will do at least the planet and stars with CG, probably blended into a live action shot of the ground.

If you're interested, you can PM me. I do this type of work professionally. If I can't do it for the budget you have in mind, I might know some people who can.

 

[VPTurner]

A thought for a transition from CGI to real world would be to use the sun. A pan into a CGI sun, a flare out to white, then we're panning from the real sun onto the trees as we complete the fall to Earth, which would require some creative rigging - ropes and pulleys to support the camera and a soft place for it to land. Actually, to do a match move you'd probably want to have something with more precise control of the camera. I'd do this shot first so the CGI animator had a frame of reference.

Again, just a thought.

And you're right. This does require suspension of disbelief because you don't "fall" off a planet. It takes a certain amount of thrust to break free from a gravitational field.

And if I were doing something like this and didn't know of schools in my area, I'd start calling around to get referrals from professors. Heck, they may even use your project as a learning aid for one of their students:

http://www.nyfa.com/film_school/programs/animation/index.php

 

[barnaclelapse]

I'm with Beeblebrox on this.

I really can't imagine pulling this off without some sort of compromise between CG and live-action.

I suppose it'd be up to you to decide which one you want to lean on more, and I'm guessing you want as much live action as humanly possible.