Creating a Singular Feeling in Video Work

[arkdog]

Hello, i have a basic sort of question, not sure what sort of response i will get but anyway.

I need advice on creating a singular feeling through a piece of shots, i'm finding that my work lacks this feeling, and feels somewhat all over the place.

So my question is...how do you take a collection of shots (for example i have 10-15 different animations of an object) all edited and placed right, but sort of lacking that 'singular feeling throughout.

I know it must be filters and post production stuff, but i just don't know where to start.

I'm currently using Vegas 5.0, and Combustion 3, but these principles i'm sure pass over software.

[guns1inger]

Colour matching
Cast matching (equalising colour cast and white balance)
Brightness/Contrast

These will get your clips all looking similar, although it won't necessarily define it as 'your work'. Once you get the above happening, and have your final edit, you can look at stylising your work with colour grading, bleach-bypass effects, grain etc.

The first three are the most important though, and well worth learning.

[arkdog]

thankyou very much for the prompt reply!

With reference to Colour andd cast matching', do i have to manually match between my various clips, or should there be a preset, allowing me to match such things as white balance etc between 2 clips?

[arkdog]

in an example of work i need to do today, all my shots are coming from 3Ds-max animations of a aprticular object from different angles, and different camera pans etc

[guns1inger]

I would hope then they are all pretty much matched, as you have complete control over this in an artificial environment.

This leaves you with post colour grading and other effects to stylise the video to make it stand out. Of couse, if most of it is static or simple pans then it still isn't going to say much about you. As an old 'maxer I'd be interested in seeing some of your work though.

[arkdog]

well the problem is, the animator i work with, with all due respect to him, has wonderful skills at constructing objects, but when it comes to the final touches, he just doesn't have it. The animations all have different contrasts and they all seem to be coloured slightly differently, lighting appears to be different between the shots.....
....hence this feeling of mine, that there is no Continuity in my final piece

Unfortunately i'm not in the position to tell him to render it all again. When i sit with him i can force him to render in a similar vain, but i can't be with him 24-7.

....err So No they are not pretty much matched.

[guns1inger]

It is possibly harder to colour match in this situation then. Can you post a couple of stills showing the difference ? Even half size would be good.

[arkdog]

on closer examination, i can see that perhaps the colour is not so much the problem, the lighting could use some work, thats not difficult, but i think i need,
say a filter or 'look' across the whole lot, to bring this continuity, that i seek.

[guns1inger]

I haven't seen one that can do multiple clips. Usually it is a matter of choosing a control clip - one that is good, ot that you have made good, calling up a vertorscope or histagram to see how it looks, then matching the target clip to it. Once you have the first clip doen, you move on to the next.

[arkdog]

cool, rather like this useful little lesson i found.
http://www.wideopenwest.com/~wvg/tutorial-9.htm

so the best practice, is to examine which shots look really out of it, and match those to a master clip that i want the rest to look like.

cheers.


ps (enjoy the beach...as an australian (qld) living in deep southern germany, i miss the beach!)

[guns1inger]

That's a good starting point. If you are using vegas, there is an Auto-levels plugin available, similar to Photoshop's. You can get it and few others for free here.

http://mikecrash.wz.cz/vegas/vegas.htm

It's not going to do your work for you, but usually it is easier to level everything and build it back up again, than to try and shift a little here and a little there.