Following there are some drawings I did for the room.
Let's start with the archi-stuff: the top view with all sizes and a perspective drawing to check room and props spaces.

The walls will have something like this, but of course 3D and animated:

Here there are some props drawings. I had to make a huge research on real props for the starting years of 1900, when the short film takes place.

The Metamorphosis...what's this ?
Ok, this is the title of my 3D short film (and my thesis for the Art Academy). Of course the short is a free interpretation of Franz Kafka's book wich I have always loved, since the first time i read it when I was about 14.
I have always dreamed to make a 3D short based on the novel, and finally, after a lot of troubles, it seems I am close to it.

I am actually working with 2 friends of mine: Giorgio Caruso, a young writer, and Paolo Cancello, a great artist.
I must say when you want to do something yours, it is really hard to find people to work with you without money. Many will say: "Yes! What a great thing! Let's do it!" but after some time they won't help you anymore, they will disappear or simply they will look uninterested. You can't expect much from this kind of people, they can't understand how much important is for you what you are trying to do. And to make a short film, and to make it good, you have to spend time, and time means money...

The problem is I didn't want to make it alone. I wanted people with different skills, I want to make a good film, not just my film. I wanted someone to draw the storyboard, someone to correct my script, to check my ideas. But too many yes...and little work, so starting and stopping the production. After a while, I stopped looking for help, I started makeing everything by myself, script, drawing, sculptures, 3D and so on trying to get some money away to pay some people to work at the short.

One day Giorgio called me after some time and asked me what I was doing. I talked about my short film, and we started talking about it. Finally he liked the idea so much that in some days he wrote the full script. It is just 4 pages, is a short film not a full movie, but those 4 pages were really important for me: after a lot of yes... I had a script, a full one, written by a writer, as I wanted.
As for Paolo, the artist behind the storyboard, the character design and the one that helped me improving the general look, well he is not only a friend, but also a colleague. We worked toghether for a long time and I have always liked his drawings and his ideas. So I talked about the film, and I also had the script to show him. So he liked the idea a lot, he is a Kafka fan, too and so he promised me to work on the drawings I needed, storyboard included.

Now the storyboard is finished, and it works !
Actually we are making the story-reel, by editing the scanned storyboard.
I think at the end of the next week we'll be ready to start the animatic (a 3D pre-visualization to check action and time).

This section will be updated according to the progress we will make.
Enjoy !

Avoid brith spots or bright colourful patches awawy from the main subject.
They will distract the eye.

Space division and depth

The aim in composition is to produce something that will appeal to others, so you have to get theri attention, to hold their attention and then make them want more.

Be sure not to leave empty spaces around main subjects.

Analize the shot through silhouette. The shot must communicate the action perfectly.

Try not to use cameras aligned to world axis; is more interesting to use perspective lines of the 3D world.
2 and 3 point perspective gives a lot more illusion of depth.
Overlapping gives more depth. Volume creates depth. Dof creates depth. Image requires depth...did you know ?

Avoid horizons, riverbanks, or strong horizontal lines in the centre of a composition: this brak the photo into two pictures and causes some conflicts in the viewer about which half is more important.
The same is for vertical lines. Don't use strong verticals near the midlle of a scene it this is not your wanted effect.

Pay attention to the rule of third; remember that you are in a 3D world so you can extend the concept to the 3rd dimension.

A useful thing to enrich a picture is to use framing. You can use branches, trees or everything that cut a space, to block out or fill boring areas of the picture. Moreover, this will improve the three dimensional effect. Be sure not to use too strong a framing, because the view must always go onto the subject.
To improve the composition you can compose the picture diagonally (not when you have long straight elements, like the horizon or a vertical wall). If you compose from bottom-left to top-right, then you'll have a more static picture. If you compose from bottom-right to top-left, more dynamic effects is achieved.
About diagonal composition, you can use something leading into the object from a bottom corner; it can be a road or even a series of trees or everything that guides the eye where you want. As the framing, those elements must not be dominant or the subject won't be the subject :)

Avoid large blank areas like clear blue sky, or boring blank ground. Try to have something filling them, like a branch or cloud or something that overlaps on it.
You can use different camera angle to eliminate the sky or ground portion as needed.

About symmetrical composition...well, avoid them unless it is at the base of the idea behind the picture.
If you have strong patterns you can break them with a secondary element that cmplements with it in colors or form. Again, remember this it not the main subject so you have not to make it too strong. A "distraction braker" gives the picture richness and the viewer will like to explore the image deeper.

A nice trick: it seems nice to use an odd number of objects in a photo. Three flowers looks better than two or four. This can look strange...but try it !
Now, this will look even stranger...You can add a third element to create a "story" in the picture. This will let the viewer think about what's happening. An example can be a flower with a leaf or two. You could frame it's nice form or colors, but you could improve the picture by adding a bee or a butterfly as the third element.

Color and forms

Lighter values seems nearer and attract more the eye.
Warm colors feel nearer then cold.
Use similar colors or in high contrast (complementary rule).
Everything should be balanced, if you have a great luminous color, this should be balanced wiht a low one.
The same is for really saturated colors; they should be balanced with low saturated ones.
A picture results equilibrated if the summary of all the tones give us a medium grey.

Remember that elements close to each other and similar visually are perceived in a single shape

Make sure the subject doesn't merge into the background due to similar colours or textures.
This can be avoided using different light angles, or camera positioning or depth of field.

Important thing: fill the frame. The subject should be as large as possible. This forces the viewer to see what the photo is about eliminating the natural instinct of the eyes to go around the picter (if this happens your composition is wrong, anyway :)).
The picture should be balanced; the top of the image shouldn't look heavier than the bottom, the same for the sides. Remember that composition is not only space, is also colors. So the "heaviness" of the picture can be due to hard shadows, es example.

K

Ik solvers

• ikRP = inverse kinematics Rotate Plane
• ikSC = inverse kinematics Single Chain
• ikMC = inverse kinematics Multi Chain
• ik2B = inverse kinematics 2 Bones(as RP Solver but limited to 2 bones)

Tips for a good rig

• Add a world control to align the character to main action
• Color coded controls (right red, left green and so on)

When you have to travel...

I like to photograph landscapes and animals; you can imagine they are not in a busy city...you have to go somewhere else in order to find them. When I go shooting away, I am always forgetting something, and of course it is not a nice thing when you are not near home. So for all of you everywhere photographers here there are some think on:

1. Buy water. Ok this can seem silly, but it isn't. If you have to walk for hours, if you are going somewhere but you don't know exactly where...water is what you'll ask for. Moreover, if you are in a place where whater is somehow a richness, water would be really necessary. So think about it. Usually i always put a bottle or two in my frigo on my jeep (when I move with it, otherwise you have to buy water where you can, but do it ! )
2. Remember to bring with you cleaning stuff for you lenses and your CCD. This may also seem obvious, but sometime you leave evrerything at home. Some cleaning liquid is also important when you have some hard dust on lenses or such. Don't forget this !
3. This is about weather. I always bring with me a white and a black cloth to repair the camera in dead shooting moments, expecially when the sun is really hot and you expose the camera on hard temps. Of course PRO cameras don't suffer about this so much, but not everybody has a PRO one, and on them is always better to prevent damages...One mor thing, don't undervaluate the cold temps. And remember not to make the camera jump fromt hot to cold as it is not a good thing...let it change temperature more gradually you can.
4. One thing that you always need when you have to walk a lot are traveling tickets, metro, bus or whatever you have to go on, remember to always have some more of them with you. Is really bad when you can't take a bus because you don't have tickets anymore and you must walk for 3kms....my experience..

Shooting: Portrait

Close up portrait photos should be taken from the subject's eye level.
If it is a full lenght picture of someone standing it's often better to lower the camera to chest or waist level. This will help stop legs lookingtoo short if using normal or wide angle lens.
Always remember the background must not be intrusive. This means don't have horizons or background strong lines right behind the subject's head.
The dominant feature in this kind of shot are is the eyes, so they must be in sharp focus. You can also focus on a shirt button or necklace that usually lines up with the plane of the eyes, and are easier to focus on.
Of course you should avoid distortion in portraits. The best is to use a 100mm lens at about 1.5 or 2 meters distance. This will ensure not to have deformed picture (due to the focal lenght) and not a flat view of the face (due to the distance).

Lighting

The angle of the sun is important, midday sun is high and gives a flat look to the pictures.

The best is to shot early in the morning or late in the afternoon to have the sun at a lower angle. This will give more shape to most scenery and better shadows.

K

Camera positioning and movement

According to the script and story reel, put the camera in a free way so you can start communicating with the director (if you aren't the director, already :)).
Remember not to think about what you like but what people will perceive.
You also have to choose the level of the visualization: if the character must walk over the camera horizon, under it or at the same level.
You can start with so called "Establishing Shot", a point of view that describes where we are and introduces the place of action.
Anything moving in one shot should be moving in the next.
Viewers should always be aware of the direction of the movement.
Characters should come and go in opposite directions.
Don't cross the action Axis.

Quick Reference: Camera Movements

• Pan (rotating the camera left or right) -> +/-rotY
• Tilt (rotating the camera up or down) -> +/-rotX
• Dolly (moving the camera in and out) -> +/-transZ
• Zoom (the camera is fixed in its position, eventually can be rotated - bad thing anyway) -> chage camera focal lenght
• Notice: this is hardly used because many directors prefer to use fixed lenses.
• Track (moving camera up or down or even left or right) -> +/-transY or +/-transX
• Roll (rotate the camera upon its own axis) -> +/-rotZ

Camera shots

• 2 Shot
• Overshoulder shot
• HeadShoulder Closeup
• Closeup
• Chaker

Camera Lens

Is really important to establish the optic (or focal lenght) you'll use. This way you can give background its own importance and you can use lens distortion in a creative way. Also remember the focal lenght is influencing the DOF).
Is usually better not to use impossible optics to avoid unbelievable shots.

Output format

Remember to respect safe limits and to set the right format (widescreen, academy and so on).
Be sure to match film gate properties when integrating 3D shots into real footage.

Hi everybody !
I have decided to put in this section endless articles based on my personal notes (taken during production or attending seminars).
I'll divide my notes in:
Modeling
Rigging
Animation
Lighting
Rendering
Composition
Directing
Photography
So you can read them faster and search for tips easier.
Hope you'll enjoy them !

Hi everybody...
Finally I got some days to refresh my website. Now it's easier to update and better to see :)
Hope you like it!
K