Introduction
For Post Production and VFX we were tasked with designing and creating a short visual effects sequence for a tv commercial, video game cutscene, opening or ending for a film or tv show. A particular sequence for a film or tv show or a Music Video, the sequence should be between 1 and 2 minutes long and should show an understanding and competency with visual effects in a video sequence. This assignment did not have a theme or prompt and therefore gave me free reign over what I wanted my video to be. I decided to make a videogame cutscene. I wanted to make a cinematic sequence that can also show off the level that I created for the level design module.
I believe that this was a good choice because by using the level that I made for level design I could spend more time refining both modules simultaneously rather than splitting focus and time on two separate projects.
Also by combining the modules and using the concept for the environment, there were ideas I could use as a base that could be refined further giving an end result that was a well thought out and a better fleshed out video sequence.
Video Concept
The level design for my sequence is a fantasy forest village with a giant temple in the forest. I chose to show a small part of the village and then travel through the woods. then into the temple. The temple seeming mysterious and leading to a dramatic ending. The ending of the cutscene would then lead into gameplay, much like the ending to the halo infinite intro cutscene. I also took inspiration from the intro cutscene to grounded as I wanted to replicate the later parts, like where the camera moves through the grass to show off the environment.
I looked at drone footage as a reference for the camera movement as I wanted the journey through the town and the forest to be fast paced to contrast the slower movement through the temple. This is intended to create a tonal shift as the character starts to move slower more cautiously to show entry and exploration of the unknown.
Storyboard
Effects In The Scene
The first effects I was certain of using were two different types of fire particles, because I had the intention of having the torches adorning the stone pillars that are on either side of the door and run down to the other end of the room. This guides the viewer’s attention to the doors on the opposite wall that lead further into the game, while creating the impression that this great hall is simply an entrance to something more important. To further support this idea when the camera reaches and moves through them the doors close behind them, then the torches change colour from a warm yellow to an unnatural blue. This effect creates mystery and intrigue as to the purpose and importance of the temple as a whole. While signposting that as the viewer/player progresses deeper into the temple each chamber, particularly the deeper chambers, the exit needs to be sealed before the next door opens.
Another early particle idea was to have leaves falling on the path as the player is speeding past, this helps to breathe life into the environment as it gives the sense that trees are not just static entities, they are a part of nature and can be affected by things such as the wind with the leaves falling and drifting in the breeze. This once again is intended to be a demonstration of how the temple is unnatural as everything is stagnant and unchanging inside, until somebody enters, as opposed to the forest is always changing.
I also felt that the scene needed some effects that would help to add to the realism and immersive feeling, like smoke coming from some of the chimneys and dust being kicked up when the heavy stone doors move, these are somewhat subtle details that add to the immersion of the scene.
Later on in the process when I was creating and refining the level sequence I felt that these effects did not seem fleshed out enough. That there were more effects I could add to the made sections. I felt that there should be an effect when the camera turns to face the tree. By adding a swarm of purple fireflies that matched the scene well because the environment already contained a giant tree, adding to the fantasy aspect of the level with the abnormal purple glow. Next I added a ball of blue lightning that bounces from each of the torches to the next as they changed colour. This gives the effect is the reason that the torches change colour, and a visible explanation for the torches to change colour. Rather than suddenly changing colour for no reason, and adds to the mystery and unnatural feeling of the temple.
In the final room of the sequence I made the lighting a pink/ purple colour since it is between orange and blue, linking together the combination of the colours used in the previous room. For this theme I made a third fire effect with a purple flame. At the end of the room I made two effects that are played to create a portal, these effects are a swirling ribbon that swirl around and out and in to create the general shape. This acts as a warmup, then a portal effect with rings that pulse out from the centre and a black and purple web like effect to show that the inside is moving. The portal is primarily purple whilst also containing some blue to match the theme and tie everything together.
Production Of The Effects
All of the effects in my level were made with the unreal engine niagara system. The fire effects were made with the fountain preset and the material was changed to the different fire looks, I then changed how many and how often the particles spawned and changed, and the velocity and drag to create the flames.
The smoke effect was very similar to the fire effect. The important changes were the velocity of the particles when they spawned, and the shape and opacity of the particles. Since the smoke should travel higher before slowing down completely and dissipating. The smoke is less opaque which was achieved by lowering the colour value of the smoke. Making the dust particle was similar as the dust cloud is similar to the smoke, with less velocity and a darker colour. With the dust I made smaller particles that had a higher opacity but are smaller than the dust clouds. This is meant to simulate larger pieces of debris and stone that would get caught up by the large stone doors moving.
The lightning ball was made by starting with a beam and adding a jitter to simulate a lightning beam. Then making the end of the beam follow a separate object, which meant when the beam and end of the beam are set in the same place it creates an orb of lightning.
I made the fireflies by starting with a hanging particles emitter and then changed the spawning location to a torus. Then changed the particle colour and emission to purple and adjusted the spawning amounts.
Although starting from a different emitter the leaves were similar in the creation process, starting with a blowing particles emitter, I changed the size and colour of the particles. Then changed the size of the spawning location and the spawning amount to create a proper falling leaves particle effect.
The final two effects that i made were the ones that formed the portal, the ribbon was made with a sprite burst base that the rendering was changed to a ribbon material and shape was changed to a disk and velocity and drag were added, then i removed gravity from the ribbon particle so that it stays suspended and adjusted other aspects such as the colour, size and spawn rate, then i duplicated this and changed the velocity to be negative so that the second ribbon moves towards the center.
The main portal was made by following the instructions that we were provided during our workshops by creating materials for the swirls of the portal and the rings and then from an empty particle base making rings spawn and grow in size over time, faster at the start and slowing over time, then copying this and adjusting the size and other properties of the rings to make an inner circle, next is the center web which is two particle sets with a web material that works similarly to the other rings but looks very different, the final ring i added was a glow effect that was again very similar to the first set but has a more emissive colour and is rendered behind the portal as a whole, this creates a glowing base behind the rest of the portal.
Production Of The Video Sequence
To create the video sequence I used the unreal sequencer and placed a camera in the scene, dragging it into the sequencer.
I started to create the scene by marking the beginning position of the camera and then moving time on the timeline, then moving the camera to where I wanted it and where I wanted it to be facing at the time selected. I then created a keyframe at the new location and watched back to see if the camera moved in a way that I wanted it to, when it did not move in the way that I required, I went back and added more keyframes between the current ones. This changed the path of the camera. This is how I controlled the camera throughout the entire process with the only changes being the speed of the movement and the rotations. This also worked with moving other objects by marking the start and finish times and locations.
I added the effects into the sequence in a similar way by placing them into the scene and dragging them into the sequencer. However while some effects did move and were moved in the same way as the camera, the effects also had a variable for weather. The effect is active and producing particles or not. With this variable I turned all of the effects off at the start. Other than the smoke and then only activated them when they were needed or visible. I did this partially to reduce the possibility of lag, but also because some effects were activated in the sequence. Like the types of fire and the lightning ball. Some effects also moved after being activated such as the dust particles and the lightning ball, this was done by combining the movement and activation at the same time so that it follows the given path.
Some effects that were separate but when played together formed a single object in the scene. Such as the rotation ribbon and the portal that formed in the centre had to be activated at staggered intervals. The portal effect had an added scale value variable that is what caused it to grow over time, as when it activated it was at a lower scale and gradually grew over time rather than just popping into existence.
Using these techniques the level sequence was fairly easy to make and was all about ensuring that the timing for each event was correct. Like when the lights and the fire effects turned on at the same time and the rows turning on in sequence. I also had to ensure that the camera did not look unnatural. As in suddenly stopping and turning the opposite direction without slowing down before change directions. I made it so that the camera location and rotation were not always keyframed at the same time. This was so that the sequence did not look like it is all section by section. Over time my level sequence started to form in a way that I was happy with.
Recorded Video
I was unable to render the video and instead had to record it using OBS studio. This caused the video to be a lower quality that I would have liked, however due to issues with unreal engine not completing the render it was the best I could do. I cropped the video to remove the unreal interface in premier pro and added background music to the video then I exported it and uploaded it to YouTube.
References
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