Investigative studies
Deepfake
In this module, we will write an essay about a VFX related topic that interests us. In the first week we had a look at the topic of deepfakes. What deepfake is about, and how it is used in the VFX industry.
What is a deepfake?
A deepfake is a video or image where a person has been altered by artificial intelligence to look like somebody else. The AI software uses a series of images of a person, then generates an algorithm for replacing the face off the person in the video with the face from the images taken.
The AI software matches up skin color and other face features from the images, and it can become very difficult to spot what is a deepfake and what is not.
Uses for deepfakes
Deepfakes are used for several different things. In VFX, deepfakes are used in movies. It can be used to de-age an actor that is now too old for the role of a certain character.
But also, if an actor passes away during the filming of a movie. Then someone similar in appearance to the original actor can step in, and images of the deceased can be used to make a deepfake.
There are also many parody deepfake videos on the internet, putting celebrity faces on actors in film trailers, using politicians faces to make funny videos. They usually expose the deepfake at some point. Or they are quite obvious.
But deepfakes have raised some ethical questions. Many deepfakes look very convincing, and the faces of politicians or anyone really, can be misused in deepfake videos. Then, people can make it look like this person is doing something they are not. Many porn videos have been deepfaked using famous people's faces instead of the porn actress's face.
Deepfakes can really make you question everything you see online. How can you know that what you saw in a video is real? That the person in the video is really there, saying or doing what they are doing. I guess you can't say you know for sure, unless the deepfake creator decides to reveal it.
Essay idea development
The first thing to think about regarding the Investigative study essay, is to find the topic of the essay. I spent some time thinking about the different aspects of visual effects that I find interesting, and might choose.
Idea number 1
Deepfakes
Idea number 2
3D simulations
Idea number 3
Special effects vs Visual effects
Idea number 4
Matte painting
Essay question
I decided to choose the topic of matte painting for my Investigative studies essay. Now the next step is to design a essay question/title. During class, I read through several essays and titles written by former students. This was quite helpful to understand how to create my own. I thought of several titles for my essay, and I changed it a few times after getting useful feedback.
The next step is to create an essay proposal. This will also serve as an introduction to the essay later on. I tried creating a mind map to get my thoughts written down.
Keywords
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Matte painting
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Norman Dawn
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Industrial Light & Magic
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Traditional matte painting
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Digital matte painting
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VFX pipeline
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Optical printer
Research
I started looking for books that contains good information about matte painting in the school library. But also in online sources. I read through them, and picked out the topics regarding matte painting I wanted to include in my essay.
Proposal
How did matte painting develop to the visual effect we know today, and what role does matte painting have in visual effects?
Essay proposal
In the investigative study module, the purpose is to write an essay by researching a chosen aspect of VFX. I have chosen what the role matte painting has in visual effects. How matte painting fits into the visual effects pipeline, and what kind of projects it is common to create them for. Also, the essay will contain the differences between the first matte painting techniques, and the modern techniques used today. This essay will explore how matte painting has developed and been modernised through time. And the fact that it is one of the oldest techniques in the visual effects industry.
In the first part of the essay, it will be explained what a matte painting exactly is. How and where it fits into the visual effects pipeline, and how matte paintings are created, using the different techniques. The earlier matte paintings were made differently than the modern ones used in film we know today, and I will cast a light on the differences between them. It will be explained how matte painting has been used to create environments in film, which might not be possible or economically sensible to create otherwise. Also, what makes matte painting a popular technique in the visual effects industry, and whether or not it will continue to be so.
The second part of the essay will explore the development of the matte painting throughout time and the development. It will mention people like Norman Dawn, a man who worked in film in the year 1907, that was one of the early known people to have used the matte painting technique for his films. I will explain a bit about what he did in the movie Missions of California, painting on glass and combining them with the original scene. But there are other key people, who had a role in the further development of the matte painting, like Frank Williams. He is known for taking matte painting to a new stage, using camera film to erase out the background in shots. It is now known as the Williams process. And how the studio Industrial Light & Magic used this method in Star Wars with the optical printer. Then later, as technology advanced, Adobe Photoshop and other software became a great tool to create what is called the digital matte painting, which is what is common in use today.
For the third part of my essay, a matte painting will be created as a practical part of the research. This part will explain the process of the creation of a matte painting. It will cover the different aspects of the workflow, as in what one needs to think about, and how to best execute the task. I will explain the entire process with images and breakdowns. Then, I can use this example to explain the matte paintings place in the visual effects pipeline.
In the essays conclusion, I will answer the question of what role matte painting has in in the visual effects industry. Explaining what makes matte painting a part of the pipeline and presenting the conclusion from the research for this essay.
Key references
Cleall, S.C. (2022) The history of matte painting. Available at: https://mattepaint.com/blog/the-history-of-matte-painting/ (Accessed: 23 October 2022).
Lanza, D.L. (2020) Brushstroke Cinema: The Concept of Matte Painting
in the Work of Peter Ellenshaw and Albert Whitlock, Film History, Vol. 32 Issue 2, p80-99. 20p, Available at: https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=fd28efb3-72ba-4273-8aad-a64b8f92f608%40redis&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwLHNoaWImc2l0ZT1laG9zdC1saXZl#AN=146654018&db=ufh (27.10.2022).
Maher, M.M. (2015) Visual effects: How matte painting are composited into film. Available at: https://www.rocketstock.com/blog/visual-effects-matte-paintings-composited-film/ (Accessed: 23 October 2022).
McClean, S.T.M. (2008) Digital storytelling: the narrative power of visual effects in film. 1 edition. Place of publication: The MIT Press.
McKella, M.S. (2022) Matte Painting In Film, VFX & Animation: What It Is & How It Works. Available at: https://conceptartempire.com/matte-painting/ (Accessed: 23 October 2022).
Prince, S.P. (2012) Digital Visual Effects in Cinema: The Seduction of Reality. 1 edition. Place of publication: Rutgers University Press.
Robertson, B.R. (September 2003) 'Painting the town', Computer graphics world, Vol. 26 Issue 9, p24. 5p.
Literature review
The next step is to write a sample chapter for my essay. I wrote a literature review for some of my research sources for my sample chapter.
Essay
As I was in the phase of writing the rest of my essay, I found a couple of extra sources for my research. And images to add to my essay. I also decided to not have a practical part in my essay. I tried my best planning out everything, but some changes were made underway.
This is my final version of the investigative study essay
