Roto Vision 02 : Prep the Plate | Episode 008

In the last episode we studied the plate by viewing it 8 times and asking these questions.

1. Where are the target edges?
2. Is the plate bright enough to see the edges?
3. How are those edges changing, moving?
4. On what frames are the edges changing?
5. What frames are the main key frames?

Let's start and answer the first two questions.

1. What are the target edges?

• Answer 1: The target edges are every edge along the girl's silhouette.

2. Is the plate bright enough to see the edges?

• Answer 2: No. the plate has areas so dark and the girl's screen right edges are so dark that decreases the visibility of that edge.

Due to the difficulty in seeing the edges, a professional artist would prepare the plate so s/he could work.

Roto Vision 02: Gamma Up! from ProRotoPaint on Vimeo.

GAMMA UP

When the edges are dark, I would gamma up the plate until I could see my target edges clearly. Many young artists want to go straight drawing roto shapes. But the ability to see your work is a fundamental step to making professional work. The video above shows the progression of prepping this plate.

There's a general rule in Paint about not to change the plate. No artist wants to nor should want to introduce unintentional color issues to the plate. In my experience, it is OK to color correct the plate to help you see your targets because if you did it properly, your beziers and your mattes only affect the Alpha channel and not the RGBs. However, if you want to be safe, adjust Gamma and/or Gain in the Viewer which will leave the plate untouched.

Introduction to Roto Vision - Study the Plate | Episode 007

Professional Roto Artists have a developed eye. They see the edges of a target, can match their roto edges to the target, and maintain a consistent shape and distance thru the frames of a shot. On my first feature film, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, my lead stressed the concept of "keeping the roto consistent". While I heard the words, I did not quite see what he meant. I was green and, to make matters worse, I was trying to hide it. And I didn't ask what he meant.

   As a result, my first couple of FLAGS shots had the same quality as this first roto shot - wobbly and swimming. My roto would drift 2-3 pixels away from the edges and I didn't even see it. My peers had to show me.  The reason was I did not have Roto Vision. I knew how to trace and animate splines. But because I didn't have the eye, I was not creating professional roto.

   Thankfully, the FLAGS roto team were very supportive of each other and the new guy. They were willing to review my work and give me guidance. And they never once said how much my roto sucked even when it probably did.

Roto Vision: Step 1 - STUDY THE PLATE

Introduction to Roto Vision - Study The Plate from ProRotoPaint on Vimeo.

    The first step to develop Roto Vision is to study the plate. Play the shot back multiple times and ask these questions.

1. Where are the target edges?
2. Is the plate bright enough to see the edges?
3. How are those edges changing, moving?
4. On what frames are the edges changing?
5. Where are the main key frames?

Write down what you see. We'll see if your Roto Vision catches the specific nuances of this plate in the next episode.

My First Roto, part 2 | Episode 0006

My First Roto Shot- 2005 from ProRotoPaint on Vimeo.

In the last episode, I said this shot is not final. There are five notes that I think any experienced artist would point out during the quality check or "qc" step. Did you already catch them? If you didn't, DON'T SCROLL DOWN YET. Take a moment to play the video above - as many times as you need - and write down where you think the problems are. I recommend you play the video at HD resolution and expand it to FULL SCREEN.
  

When you think you've written down all the problems, scroll down now.

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QC of My First Roto Shot from ProRotoPaint on Vimeo.

In the Overlay Check above, I've pointed out 5 roto fix notes. Did you see them all? If you didn't, think about why you didn't. If you want to produce Final Quality work, the first step is learning how to see roto. In the next episode, I'll go over the basics of developing your Professional Roto eye.

My First Roto, part 1 | Episode 0005

My First Roto Shot- 2005 from ProRotoPaint on Vimeo.

Done But Not Final

In order to illustrate the difference between Done and Final, here is my first ever roto shot.

This shot was for the 2005 HBO film, THE CATALYST. The director wanted the plate background to dissolve into a different background. So we needed to roto the girl. This is a pretty standard VFX task- foreground roto for background replacement.

This shot is 39 frames long. The roto took me about 15 days working part-time at about 3 hours each day. When I was done I was quite proud. I even used it for my first VFX demo reel. The director liked the work and I was "done".

Rating This First Shot on the Graph

I look at the work now as a Roto Paint Lead and would kick-back my own work. Although a pass of the roto is done, this would not be approved for Final for a Studio Feature Film. I would say it is a little over 40% done.

Can you see why? Feel free to play this shot as many times as you need. In the Vimeo player, try not to jump ahead to the video that says "QC of My First Roto Shot" until you've evaluated this shot.

In the next episode, I'll explain why this roto is not Final.

Where's it going? | Episode 0004

The target resolution of your project often relates to how done your roto and paint should be. The graph below shows three major types of screens where your work could possibly end up. The quality culture of the house you work for often relates to these resolutions. Quality culture is basically how concerned about quality is your VFX house.

Target Resolutions and the Quality Culture of your house affects when you are done.

Web / Mobile : Minimal-to-No Review

There's the Web movie which is played on the computer or mobile device. Examples of this are Youtube and Vimeo. Lots of people own video cameras and post videos without much concern about the size of their camera's resolution. You might be working for a small shop that also does this. In these cases, whatever version of roto and paint first completes the task is good enough. There is often no review process unless the Compositor finds something horribly wrong that they (can't or don't want to) fix. Your shot is approved soon after the green stage.

HDTV : Moderate Review

Many shops you may work for will be commercials. The work they produce will be played on HDTV's and so higher quality is required. You may see that there is a Roto / Paint Lead or Comp Supe at these shops who will review your work. While they may provide some notes, those notes may not be too severe. Your shot is approved somewhere in the yellow stage.

Feature Film : Review til Final

The resolution of film is usually a minimum of 2k. At this level, the audience (which includes many layers of Leads and Supes at both the VFX and Movie Studios) can see every pixel. And with films being watched multiple times, everyone is paying a lot more attention to the details. It's almost like a team of painters evaluating every stroke. So the looser mindset and technique that might have got your work approved in the other two resolutions may not get it done at this level. 
   Many artists never get to practice or refuse to take their work to this level. This is unfortunate because if you can produce at this level, you can easily dial it down. But artists without this mindset and habit have a much harder time dialing the quality up. And often, some of those artist may never deliver final quality.

Exceptions and the Goals of This Blog

As you can see, resolution and the expectations of quality are related. You may find exceptions. Not all feature film houses expect the highest levels of quality and not all small shops approve the first pass. Regardless, you should try to recognize which of these 3 levels of quality is expected by your studio.
    This blog is about producing work at the highest level. The information here is meant to help your work pass the strictest leads and supes in as few versions as possible. It is not meant for the "just get it done" crowd. But if you are interested in Final quality roto and paint, this info is for you.

The Done Graph, Part 2: The 4 Stages | Episode 0003

BEZI Starts The Done Graph

The definition of what is "done" can vary greatly. I'll try to explain why and how they all fit.

The 4 Stages of a Roto/Paint Shot

FINAL!

FINAL  (The Red Stage)

 "The last 10% of work on shot is often the hardest.  It separates the pros from the amateurs and separates a completed shot from a convincing one." 

  I've heard this (or some form of this) at least once a year during my 7 years working at Digital Domain. It summarizes the concept of Final at DD. They work a shot until every Lead and Supervisor can say with confidence that no more work needs to be done. They even have a name for this "Last 10%" brand of quality check called "The Gauntlet".
   While they may not call it "the Gauntlet", many of the major VFX Studios in California work toward this standard. And most  VFX Supervisors have sharp eyes and high expectations. Since they are the last people on the shot, Compositors work very hard to get their work to meet this standard. It takes a lot of expertise, effort, and concern. But when the VFX Supe says "Final", that shot is done. Roto Paint artists might not be called Compositors. But we are part of the Compositing discipline. So if you want your work to Final, you can and SHOULD be paying attention to what the Compositors and the VFX Supervisors consider "Final". And it's that last 10%.

LEAD APPROVED

 LEAD APPROVED "aka Fine For Now" (The Orange Stage)

  Let's assume you have mastered the concept of the Last 10%, know what Comp and the VFX Supes expect AND completed your shot meeting those expectations. Your Lead, who should be of the same mindset as the Comp and the VFX Supes, will usually approve it. In rare cases, there may be some doubt about whether it truly is Final. So s/he will show it to the VFX supe for approval.
   Also, while this shot may be Lead Approved, the Studio may still be developing the look and scope of the VFX in that shot and may need additional roto or paint later.
   As the artist, you can consider this FFN or "Fine For Now" and can consider the work done unless told later otherwise.

ARTIST IN-PROGRESS

 IN-PROGRESS "aka IP or In Progress" (The Green Stage)

  Start is self-explanatory. However, the In-Progress stage is essentially the initial effort to complete the task. In other words, this stage is located between "Start" and whenever the individual artist believes s/he has done the task. Notice that while you may consider yourself done, your shot is still not Final.
 

THE REVIEW STAGE

REVIEW / Kick-Back / Fixes (The Yellow Stage)

  The last stage is where the Roto Paint artist's understanding (or lack thereof) of Final becomes apparent.
   Whenever an artist has completed their shot, the artist must submit it to a Lead for Review. The Lead almost always has notes which could range from 1 or 2 frames of fixes to redoing the entire shot. This is called a kick-back.
   Beginning artists, lacking the comprehension of what Final level quality is and lacking the skillset to deliver that quality, will submit work that has a high probability of kick-back. Expert artists, too, could have some notes but are more likely to get approved off the 1st version.
   In all cases of kick-back, a cycle is created in the Review stage that pushes the shot's progress back. This Kick-Back/Fix/Re-Review stage stretches out the graph and Final takes longer to reach. The reason why some shots take a long time is not because the task itself was difficult but because the artist did not understand the level of "done" that was expected and got stuck in Kick-Back Purgatory.

Summary
  What is your definition of done? The closer each artist can match the Supes and Leads expectations of Final, the faster a shot gets done.

START and FINAL: Intro to The Done Graph | Episode 0002

The Done Graph:

4 Stages of a Roto Paint Shot

Now that we're aware of the almighty question of "Is it done?" Let's define the concept of "done".

    All shots can be simplified into two basic states: Done and Not Done. VFX supervisors call completed shots "Final". So, everything else is Not-Final. If one were to illustrate the progression of a shot thru the finaling process, one image would be the graph above.
    The graph starts left and ends right with Final being the ultimate goal of all artists on the shot. A shot is "Final" when the shot is approved by all leads and supervisors. There is no more work to be done--no fixes, adjustments or additions.
   The stages between Start and Final are not so easy to explain.  For now, just ponder over these three graphical elements:

1. Between Start and Final, there are 10 sections.
2. Each section is 10% done until 100% (aka "Final") is reached. 
3. There are 4 stages of progress indicated by 4 colors: Green, Yellow, Orange, and Red.

In the next episode, we'll discuss how the stages are defined and how those definitions affect roto paint artists.

Starting With Done | Episode 0001

  The subject of Roto / Paint can begin in many areas. Many start with the history: Max Fleischer, 1915, rear projecting easel, etc. Mike Seymour of FX Guide provides an excellent overview on The Art of Roto. The discussion moves on to current techniques, software, and examples. I believe the place to start is at the end. In other words, every artist from junior to senior should start with one question...

Is It "Done"?

  It sounds obviously strange to ask "Is it done?" before a project or task begins. But the "done" in this question influences every aspect of the craft from start to "Final". Before even one Roto/Paint artist is hired, the Movie Studio will ask a VFX Studio how long each shot will take. A bidding producer will estimate an answer. If the show is awarded, the VFX studio uses this estimate to determine when they want the shots to be done. When they want the shots to be done affects how many people are hired and how much time each artist can take per shot. The time it takes per shot directly relates to the scope of the tasks, a clear definition of the tasks, the skill of the artist(s), the size of the crew, and the level of quality the Movie and VFX Studios expects.
  At every step, everyone is asking variations of this one question:

• When can we have it done?
• When do you want it done?
• Can we have more time to get it done?
• Can we get more people to get it done?
• Do I think this shot is done?
• Would my coworkers think this shot is done?
• Would the Roto/Paint Lead think this shot is done?
• Would the Compositor think this shot is done?
• Would the Compositing Supe think this shot is done?
• Would the VFX Supes think this shot is done?
• Would the Studio think this shot is done?

  That's a lot of questions (and answers) to remember! If you are new to VFX, don't worry about remembering everything. The takeaway is to keep the question "Is it done?" in your mind. If you are years into the profession, then try to comprehend as many of the definitions of "done" as possible. This knowledge will guide your approach to each shot.

Everyone Can Learn To Drive But ... | Episode 0000

This blog is about Professional Rotoscoping and Paint.

  Rotoscoping (Roto) and Paint has often been overlooked. To be fair, Professional Roto and Paint is supposed to be overlooked. When Roto and Paint is noticed, the reason is because it's bad.

  What I mean by "overlooked" is that Roto is hardly known to people outside of the film industry and often misunderstood by those inside the industry. My own mother doesn't know what I do. And to those that know what Roto is, like other VFX professionals, some don't even recognize it as art. A fellow Roto artist once looked at me funny when I said I liked the art of Roto. He said there wasn't any art to Roto. He was aspiring to be a Compositor (Comp) and he saw Roto as a temporary stepping stone to that career. While I agree that Roto can be and should be a prerequisite to Comp - all Compers should have Roto skills - Professional Roto requires skill, patience, and vision. That also applies to Paint.

What is Professional Roto and Paint?

  The skills of Roto and Paint can be learned by anyone. However, as the late artist Lee Croft once wrote "Rotoscoping is sort of like driving a car. It's easy enough that virtually anyone can do it, but it's complicated enough that not everyone can do it well, and a large number of people do it badly. So while Roto work is largely "tracing lines around things," there is an art and a science to doing it well."

  Let's push the driving metaphor further - "Everyone can learn to drive but not everyone races Formula 1."

  A Professional Roto Artist's career progression follows the same path as a Formula 1 driver and other highly skilled professions. You learn the basics. In this case, the basics is tracing targets in a shot. You practice until that becomes second nature, developing your eye and speed. Then you become so good that the work you do has value. Roto and paint is valuable because it is an essential element to the illusions that dazzle audiences. That dazzle is something people will pay for. But the roto and paint must be convincing.

  On my first paid job, I could call myself a Roto Artist. But it took 3 years to call myself a Professional Roto Artist. And everyday I try to maintain my skills so that I can still call myself that. This blog is meant to spark an appreciation for Rotoscoping and Paint. If you're already a Roto or Paint Artist, I hope the knowledge here will help you become or help you stay a Professional.