So why have more and more dramatic shows have begun using virtual backgrounds. The simple answer is costs, Orloff continues. Its got to the point right now where for the Vegas sequence [in CSI] in order to rent a rooftop in Vegas and then have a series of night shoots, it was much more cost effective for them to build a set piece and shoot during a regular day on stage on a greenscreen, and then put the money that was going to be production money into visual effects money. That being said, its not just a matter of cost but also a matter of flexibility because to get up into these locations, its a practical nightmare. The elevator that goes up to the top of the Palms Skybar in Las Vegas is small. And to take a 50-foot techno-crane and to break it down into a gazillion pieces and take it up to a roof where you cant safety it off is a logistical nightmare. But if were on stage, the directors have all the equipment theyre used to having, and they can get all the shots they want without having to compromise. They can just roll that 50-foot techno onto our stage and use it on our set.
Stargate SG1 screen savers
Right now our biggest virtual background shot is for CSI, the original show, states Zoics Orloff. Were doing a whole scene thats probably about five or six pages of dialog on a Las Vegas rooftop. Thats all greenscreen, shot on stage on a set piece with plates that we went and shot on a Vegas rooftop with matte paintings and digital building replacements as well. Last season, we did a huge amount of work for E-Ring, which was a show where they went to a different country every week basically. Most of the stuff for that show was shot in our parking lot against a green screen. We went everywhere from Washington, D.C. to Afghanistan. I think we did all the Stans. We also worked with CSI: Miami, where we created an entire building interior. We did a pilot called Drive, where we shot cars on a freeway. It was a six-minute continual visual effects shot that went in and out of cars as they were driving. So, all the cars were shot on green screen, and we had moving plates on the freeway from multiple camera angles that were stitched together. It was kind of similar to the sequence in War of the Worlds, where theyre coming in and out of the car as its driving down the freeway. We did Battlestar Galactica, the mini-series and the first two seasons, where we did the replacement of the hangar bay and Caprica, which is the city we did as a virtual city drop. Weve done forest replacements for them. Also, on a show, Eureka, thats airing on SCI FI Channel right now, we replaced whole towns. Weve done a digital aerial shot thats completely created by us of a mountain town, zooming down into a house thats a set piece. Were also working on a show called Stand Off. This year, were doing Cold Case, which has a mineshaft that were creating a virtual backdrop for. Were working on Justice, which we do all kinds of visual effects for including virtual backdrops, scene replacements, and building replacements.
Adds Lim: Our current film and television productions at Entity FX that use virtual or digital backgrounds are Into the Wild, The Air I Breathe, Smallville and the CSX pilot [for A&E]. For Into the Wild, were creating invisible effects such as sky replacements and adding CG water or a dust storm to allow the background plate to tie into the effect. For The Air I Breathe, there is a sequence of extensive greenscreen shots where we had to recreate the background plate and replace it with a photorealistic matte painting. For Smallville Season 6, Episode 1, there is a matte painting background of Metropolis, a virtual interior of the phantom zone, and a digital recreation of a real forest. For the CSX pilot, were creating a completely ominous virtual background that we travel through.
Last year we did a lot of pull outs from the Washington Monument, adds Ivins in describing the work Look FX did for Bones. We did an entire virtual Washington, D.C. at night time and pulled way back to the reflecting pool [in front of the Washington Monument]. We did an Arlington Cemetery shot where we did a synthetic background and shot the actors on a green screen. We did a total combination of synthetic backgrounds and set extensions. They were at the Arboretum here in L.A. and they had some fake tombstones, and we just did a synthetic extension. But they wanted them [the actors] walking past rows and rows [of tombstones] and they didnt have enough set dressing to make that shot happen in live action. So, we did a completely synthetic background, where [the actors] were on a greenscreen, and we built an extensive background so they could have a massive amount of tombstones.
J. Paul Peszko is a freelance writer and screenwriter living in Los Angeles. He writes various features and reviews as well as short fiction. He has a feature comedy in development and has just completed his second novel. When he isnt writing, he teaches communications courses.
Please, when replacing a screenshot or other image, do think of nominating the older one at WP:IFD. Also, a screenshot should replace the Tohma art in Digimon Savers, any good scene suggestion? Circeus 15:13, 15 May 2006 (UTC)Reply[reply]
I provided screenshots for as many episodes as I could in List of Digimon Adventure 02 episodes and List of Digimon Adventure episodes. I also copyedited the summaries for style and stuff. Circeus 16:16, 5 June 2006 (UTC)Reply[reply]
Considering how much we've been working on our lists of episodes for Digimon, including finding screen caps for them, I thought this discussion would be of interest to all of you. An editor at Talk:List of Lost episodes/Use of images is claiming that using images for a List of episodes type article does not qualify the images for fair use. Please add any thoughts or comments to the discussion that you feel are relevant. -- Ned Scott 06:35, 6 June 2006 (UTC)Reply[reply] 2ff7e9595c
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