Showcase: The Magician VFX Shot - a reflection on 'fluff'.

Hello.

Recently I completed my first piece of visual effects compositing for my MA in Post-Production at salford university.

The brief was to create a shot based on the concept of 'The Magician', creating and combining all elements into a unique composition. Not only was I encouraged to think about the typical VFX trickery, but also to consider production and sound design in a way that would enhance the overall piece.

At first, I thought this was crazy, as I thought to myself:

 'Why should I have to do that? I should be focusing on my effects, surely it is the directors job to sort all the fluff out beforehand'. 

So, in an early version of the project, I produced the main trickery of the levitating book and called it a day. Mission accomplished.

But during playback, I was unhappy. Something felt off, whilst the book levitated invisibly, I could still see the wires in my mind.

It was then I realised the true nature of the task at hand.
The emphasis on the production design was not an unneeded demand. Instead, it was the very core of what would make the shot work.
The test wasn't to use the tools at my disposal to create a simple magic trick. In fact, the trick was the most unnecessary part of the shot. What my shot was missing, was a sense of place.

And so, I dove in to my composition, adding the moving bookshelves, artificial lighting and dust to enhance the location. I Added the typewriter to add a suggestion of character, and colour corrections to blend him into the library. I found the oldest door I could find (my parents bathroom) and recorded its creaks, and I worked with the music, pinpointing the highlights in the score and timing the action accordingly.

The trick soon became my last concern, as i strived to build a sense of place through these subtle background elements; I discovered these are the things which make great VFX shots work.

And so, whilst Directors can still create a lot off fluff on set, I plan to spend much more time in the future adding my own, and enhancing, not overlooking, the fluff I am lucky enough to work with.

Here is the finished project, with an included breakdown of the composition, whilst its not a masterpiece by any means, I'm proud of it as first attempt at a composition, and i am incredibly grateful for the lessons it has taught me.




Thanks for reading.

Joe C.