ENDA Episode 175→ The time when ENDA faces a Multipass Challenge (Part 6)

In a previous episode, we asked what happens when the footage we have doesn’t work the way we expected, and we need to adapt it.

Well, we’ve now reached the stage where we have to solve exactly that problem.

At this point, we’re missing something for the astronaut to look at in awe while the camera continues to reveal more of the background. From a narrative point of view, it’s important to add a visual element that makes the shot work even better.

There were many possibilities, but the option we chose was a laser being fired into the sky from a crater at the top of the mountain the astronaut is looking towards.

However, we didn’t have the resources to run a simulation for this shot. So we had to do what compositors usually do: find footage and integrate it.

The first step was choosing the right blend mode, then adding a noise distortion so the laser didn’t look like a perfectly straight, artificial line.

After that, we had two important decisions to make: scale and colour correction. Getting the scale right is tricky; it needs to match the distance at which the laser would exist in the scene.

Then the colour correction becomes crucial, because the intense red from the original footage doesn’t fit with the colour palette of the plate. With a few adjustments to the hue and saturation, we end up with a much more believable integration.

Next, we do some roto work to make it look as if part of the crater is obscuring the laser, giving the illusion that it’s emerging from deeper within the environment.

And of course, there’s the tracking. It’s not the most glamorous part of the process, but without it, the shot simply isn’t finished.

The result?

A laser element that feels fully integrated into the shot and plays an important role in the visual narrative.

However, that’s just one piece of footage to integrate.

What if I told you that the next phase involves ten different elements to integrate across the whole plate?

That, however, will be for another episode.

So, stay tuned!

The journey continues...