One of my favorite things to do after I watch an exceptionally well made movie on the big screen, is buy the Blu-ray and watch all the extra features. It is incredibly insightful to peer behind the veil and hear film and VFX professionals talk about their creative process.
I’m assuming that because you are reading a blog on ActionVFX, you probably enjoy doing the same thing to an extent. As you watch the behind the scenes of certain movies, you may notice Hollywood professionals attributing the success of their film or even a specific shot, to how much time they spent on certain areas of the creative process.
Here is a clip from Screen Rant showing some behind the scene secrets, Check it out!Months after principle photography, studios will often spend millions of dollars to get the cast and crew back for pick-up shoots because the filmmakers found that during post-production they missed a shot or didn’t get something quite right. So rather than try to make it work, they go back to the drawing board until it is perfect.
The animation giant, Pixar, is well known for wonderful stories and impressive animation, and yet the finished product is often completely different from the original script or concept art. Many Pixar movies have changed directors half-way through production and received story over-hauls because something isn’t working properly. So what is their secret to releasing a blockbuster success every single time? Iteration.
If you were to attend film school, you would hear that word repeated often in lectures and workshops. This is because iteration, which is defined as the repetition of a process or utterance, is how a work-in-progress of any kind improves and becomes a masterpiece.
It is why Peter Jackson decided to go back and shoot more effects shots for The Return of King after he had won all the Oscars he possibly could have won for it. It is what propels a mediocre VFX shot to an impressive sequence that wows audiences.
If you struggle with half-finished projects that didn’t turn out the way you wanted or haven’t landed you any opportunities in the entertainment industry, consider these four things when you tackle your next shot or creative project.
Plan and plan more
This may seem obvious or perhaps redundant, but in the entertainment world, planning is absolutely essential to perfecting your shot or image. This is not to say that you have to know exactly what your final product will look like, but it is important to sketch, storyboard, draw charts, take pictures, or whatever helps you to take your idea from concept to reality.
Iteration should be applied to every stage of the creative process and planning is no exception. So if you are working on a piece of computer generated art or compositing an explosion into a shot, take the time to plan and plan some more.
Seek feedback
At the end of the day, the artwork we create is meant to be enjoyed by others, and to resonate with audiences in some way. Because of this it is critical to seek feedback throughout the project in order to perfect your shot. Posting your work-in-progress on Facebook or YouTube can be daunting and intimidating, because people can be ruthlessly critical.
However, it is important to keep in mind that whether negative or positive, feedback is feedback, and there is usually something you can learn by listening to what other people have to say about what you have created. If you learn nothing about the shot you have created, you may learn a little bit about yourself as a person and how you handle criticism.
This will help you as you approach giving feedback to others in the industry. Filmmaking is about team work, and to be a part of a successful team requires everyone on board to have the ability to give and receive feedback in order to constantly perfect the final product.
Change and re-visit
As artists, the temptation can often be to make a large pot of coffee, sit down at our computers, and work well into the night. This is sometimes necessary when strict deadlines are approaching, but when you work this way you lose the valuable ability to see your shot as someone who is seeing it for the first time.
Dozens of times I have been working tirelessly on a CG shot, and I think it looks absolutely amazing, so I hit the hay at a late hour feeling awesome about myself. Then after a solid night of sleep, I wake up the next day to find that all my work looks like garbage. This is because I didn’t take breaks and allow myself to re-visit my project with fresh eyes.
An important rule to go by after you make a major change in your creative art is: take a break, clear your head, then re-visit. You will be in a much better mindset to know if the changes you made were worth it or not. When you repeat the process of making changes and revisiting those changes, your art will feel fresh and constantly improve.
Make options for yourself
This goes right along with the previous point. Don’t settle for one option. If you have the time to keep pressing your shot, do it! Render out three different options if you can. This ensures that your work doesn’t become stale. It may seem like a waste of time at first to do the same project in different ways, but as you do, you will learn new techniques that you can utilize in future shots or projects.
For VFX artists, ActionVFX is the perfect resource to build options for yourself. It is incredibly easy to swap out muzzle flashes or add fog with a click of a button, thereby creating an entirely different shot. Customizing a movie has never been easier!
Press yourself to create something that doesn’t look like everything else out there. Try new things, seek feedback, change and re-visit, and you will end up with a polished and perfected shot that looks incredible.
Then repeat the process all over again.
First time here? ActionVFX creates action stock-footage products for VFX and filmmaking, centered on user feedback. (We also have some great free stuff!)
Remember to connect with us on our social networks to stay updated on our latest news, giveaways, announcements and more!
