Sneak peek. Sorry for the small pic, Photoshop no longer seems to work for me. But I posted it to Flickr, so click on it to see the full-size version (once there, click on 'All Sizes').
The mirror is a double-edged sword. It doubles the (very limited) size of the set and the number of puppets, but it also makes it hard to place the camera where it won't show up. That puts a bit of a crimp in my montage ideas - I'm extremely limited in terms of shooting angles. I'll try a few experiments.... but the mirror might need to go.
13 comments:
Awesome! Nice job on the bar....I like the mirror, you should try out dark n moody lighting to keep the camera invisible, or maybe make an opposite wall for the set thats visible in the reflection, that you can move around depending on the shot....ooh, or line the mirror with shelves of bottles...
Its great to see you making progress :::)
Thanks Jeff! Yeah, all it took was making my animation table at long last (which required the total basmeent makeover first), and now I can get rolling.
I'll be making both shelves for bottles (lots of bottles) and an opposing wall with a window and door in it. That might complicate things even farther in a way though, because in any shot where you can see the far wall reflected in the mirror I'll need to drop the camera in from above.
Again, I'll be trying some test shots, but the mirror might need to go.
I've got a half-baked idea forming, about how you could disguise the camera by building a set wall around it... The lens is supposed to be a round mirror or something on the wall... So when you see it reflected in the mirror behind the counter, you don't realize what it is that you're actually seeing.
Ehn. Probably too much work, and it would get in the way when you're trying to animate... But the idea of having the camera's lens poking through a hole in a flat piece of cardboard seemed unusual enough that it might be worth sharing.
It's a very good idea actually. I did cogitate on it, but you've just made me think of the next level... multiple camera blinds! Three or four built-in areas where the camera can poke through unseen. Then there are a few positions where it will be hidden by the angle. Maybe I could also incorporate Jeffrey's breakaway wall sections idea. It would be nice to have the camera able to go right through a wall..... cause I think "dropping it in from above" would really cramp my animatin' style! Let's see.... 8 puppets, a camera the size of a small coffee can, plus my two hands, all crammed into that little space..... Doh!!!
The mirror might have to go!
Another half-crazy option: get yourself a second mirror. If you point the camera at mirror #2, and angle mirror #2 at the set.... You get the drift. (If necessary, flip the pics horizontally in PhotoShop.)
Probably one more big headache -- but it could be useful in certain situations.
Hah! Great minds and all....
The same thought occurred to me. Then I also thought of using a periscope.... I remember they used to make these cheap cardboard ones with two mirrors in them (and they make something similar for attaching to 35mm movie cameras, though I imagine it's a bit more expensive.... )
I did some testing with the good old telephoto zoom lens and it looks like I'll be able to get lots of good angles without the camera showing (as long as I stay in nice and tight on the Radke heads, which seems like a good idea anyway).
Wha? Blink. Yaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy!! Woo hoo!!! Mike is going Mike is going! And it's looking great!!! WOW!
Soooo happy! gogogo! I love this project, Mike. Radical Radke/Brentian Art.
That mirror might be a problem...
How about a piece of plexiglass with black paper or cloth behind it instead? This way, you've got some reflection, but it won't play as much havoc with your lighting.
I did that on the floor of a set once, to simulate water reflections. Actually, I discovered the idea when I was shooting a bunch of junk on a card table, and noticed the reflection of my puppet in the back of a CD-R. Home CD-R's are not mirrorlike; they're tinted, and I still have that picture, which wasn't hard to light because of the opacity of the reflecting material:
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f7/prammaven/mirror.jpg?t=1192735493
Oh, that IS good, Pram! Good thinking and discovering.
How bout that Mike, would a faux mirror be easier to work with?
Thanks, Shelley! It's all done with smoke(d) and (faux) mirrors. ;)
Well, Mike? Did ya try it?
Well, I'm really not convinced it would solve any of the problems. All the reflections would still be there, just dimmer. Thanks for the suggestion though.
But as you might have guessed from my latest post, the mirror is gone. It would be hard to conceive of a surface that makes lighting and shooting more difficult than a large mirror!!!
You could angle the mirror itself down if you had to. Or put it on the ceiling...I've seen both designs in some bars I've been to.
I like how your set looks now, though. Excellent! Sorry if I'm bugging you, I always say the wrong thing.
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