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Advice for shoot for VFX - puddle reflection


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Hi all

 

I have a project coming up and the director would like to have some footage reflects on a puddle on a street, something like this:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/9316774/London-reflected-in-puddles-and-wet-pavements-photos-by-Gavin-Hammond.html

 

The angle is quite similar to the image above, except it will be tighter. At the beginning, you can just about to see the edge of the puddle. The camera is then pulling out slowly until suddenly a car drives over the puddle and the reflection is gone, or ruined if you like.

 

Obviously the reflection of the footage will have to be done in post later. I was wondering what is the best way to shoot something like this so the compositor can easily 'add' the footage on top of it?

 

Right now, all I can think of is to make sure the puddle doesn't reflect the sky or anything, keep it as dark as possible.

Is there anything else I should look out for?

 

Thanks in advance.

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Why exactly does this have to be a VFX shot? Does the director want a reflection of something that you can't reflect in the puddle due to location/budget/schedule?

 

In any case, I'd suggest to the director to shoot an actual reflection of actual buildings as a back-up in case the VFX work doesn't turn out as he/she expected. I used to do lots of shots like that with 35mm SLR. Fun & very easy.

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You could alway try projecting the image to be reflected onto a screen, although this would probably work better at night.

 

I am sorry, I don't understand. What do you mean projecting the image to be reflected onto a screen?

Sadly this is a day shot.

 

 

 

 

Why exactly does this have to be a VFX shot? Does the director want a reflection of something that you can't reflect in the puddle due to location/budget/schedule?

 

In any case, I'd suggest to the director to shoot an actual reflection of actual buildings as a back-up in case the VFX work doesn't turn out as he/she expected. I used to do lots of shots like that with 35mm SLR. Fun & very easy.

 

It has to be a VFX shot because the reflection is a clip, not an image, from the same project we will shoot later. It's one of those shot where the audience can see the actor's thought or memory through a puddle on a street, then a car drives over the puddle and he is back to the reality. That kind of thing.

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  • 2 weeks later...

If you're going to drive a car through the puddle you could get into some difficult animation to make it organic looking. The simplest method would be use a 3D DVE of the image, laying it to match the plane of the road, surface and masking off the areas without water. You'd shoot the live action as static at widest angle of the shot and then put the camera move in during post, Although you may need a higher resolution camera to hide the drop off in resolution when starting tight on the the puddle.

 

This sort of vfx often looks better if it's a physical effect, unless you've got the time to finesse it as an effect applied in post.

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