Hi everyone, first of all forgive my noob question.
I run an advertisement company in Italy and a customer is asking us to “replicate” an effect seen in another video.
You can see the original video by searching “10 modi per non suicidarsi al sole” on youtube… (the antispam filter works!)
We are not specialized in visual effects so I would like to ask if this effect could be done with blender, HOW and how much does it costs.
We have a partnership with a local school that teaches Blender, and we can’t afford (for now) a commercial 3d tool.
Would it be possible with open source tools to create such ad ?
Is it possible? Yes!
How? Compositing 3d elements in live footage.
How much? It depends on who you ask and the desired quality, but in terms of man-hours for someone experienced it should be fairly quick (as in less than a day) if the shot is completely static like in the example you gave. If it involves camera tracking (ie if the shot is in motion) it will be more work but still achievable (although you may need a commercial tool for the camera tracking).
No problem Someone more experienced can correct me if I’m wrong or give more tips, but I’d say a plain shoot will do. Of course careful planning always helps, so if when you’re shooting the film you already know what you’ll be adding it will make things easier.
Also make sure you read my edits to the initial response - it is different (more work) if the shot is moving.
I tracked down the announcement video for that training I linked to, it gives a better idea of what can be achieved (after 00.45): http://www.vimeo.com/15994859
First and foremost, it has a great story. Content is key.
The video was shot on a nice camera.
The videographer was experienced enough to have great framing and lighting.
The post production for the video was minimal and tasteful.
This would be a perfect project for the students learning Blender and you definitely don’t need any other application to do it. Just because Blender is free doesn’t mean it’s not professional. You don’t get something better just because you pay for it.
Myth: “You get what you pay for.”
Marketing people know that most customers have that stupid saying stuck in their mind. You don’t get what you pay for, you get what you get. They know if they charge you more, you’ll think the product is better.
I’m not an expert in compositing but i would say you can completly do it without 3D. I assume to refere to the ice block part and imho a close up of an ice cube (those u put in a drink) plus a greenscreen shot of the iron ball (reminds on these things u put at the feet of prisinors). With a bit of masking and color corection that should do it. I don’t know what is actually faster/better looking 3D or footage composition.
I´ve done plenty of that stuff, and what’s funny, for an advertising company
What you need is a commercially usable matchmover/camera tracker like Syntheyes or VooCAT, to composite the CG over the real footage, or wait for GSoC to complete and Blender to have camera tracking.
The rest is really peanuts, the iceblock and material should be done swiftly, so should be the iron ball with chain. Depending on the quality (because the one in the video you linked is not good) and the raytracer used, and if the artist also charges pure rendertime and at what rate it should be rather cheap.
If the footage is static, Kiddy’s right, you might as well try it with Adobe AE, but I guess you got no money for a license there either. And unless you got a good photographer at hand to shoot a nice block of ice, it´s faster to just render one (what our photographers charge, it might even be cheaper)
loopduplicate you got the point…I know what the customer spent for that video, and now someone says it could be done in “less than a day”…
believe me, the customer didn’t pay for “half day” work
so the discussion here goes more ethical than thecnical…let’s assume I find a smart student who is able to do such effects in 3D…and he takes (let’s say) two days to complete the effect…the resulting well payd fee isn’t what the actual customer payd for that. and I cannot sell the “knowledge” of a smart student (I don’t want to offend noone).
the result is good, but you guys say it’s a good work, but not a mindblowing opera…so… I should be ethic and let the customer pay the right money (and get everyone else in the market quite disappointed) or should I let the customer pay for…what the market wants ??
A video like that definately could be done in After effects pretty easily. If the camera is static and you plan it out, then the current blender build would work great here too. Which, since this is a blender user site, I hope you do.
If you’re that worried about the ethical implications of your plan, then just be straightforward and honest with the client and connect them with someone who can do the job. The client should be impressed with you’re honest, hopefully, and will come back to you for other work knowing that you’re a trustworthy person. The student you hire gets a paycheck and real world experience they can put on a resume.
With that being said, what you’re proposing is basically how all contracting jobs go. Charge the client one price, hire a freelancer at another rate and take the difference as a fee for connecting the two. Is it right to do that? it’s up to you. It is a pretty standard business practice though.
I’m not worried about the ethical side, I’ve a company
I was wondering on how much the cost shifts from a technical point to a …let’s say “creative” point. While in all other business a customer can do comparisons on tangible parameters in this particular situation the only way he can compare two companies is ONLY by asking the price before committing the job…not by the result as usual…
Someone more experienced can correct me if I’m wrong or give more tips, but I’d say a plain shoot will do. Of course careful planning always helps, so if when you’re shooting the film you already know what you’ll be adding it will make things easier.