Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1503172
have the sort of budget to stretch to a full CG crowd, so this was both affordable and innovative. We did some tests to see whether the shot plates would have the required amount of energy if we combined them with clever camera angles. In the VFX business, careful planning and preparation are everything. It's what turns a good shot into a great shot. Putting the crowd scenes together We attended a two-day crowd shoot, noting all the camera data for shot and lighting conditions, while the director got the extras to perform a variety of match-day reactions. If we used the same crowd plates for the whole stadium, the effect would be ruined because you'd see it was the same people repeating over and over again. We then scanned the stadium so we could reproduce it on the computer, compositing the crowd as 2D digital cards and mak- ing over 200 layers from the green screen shoot. If the camera's perspective shied, we knew it from our data collection, including how the lighting would change, and we could match this with all the plates. Finally, I worked with Vinay on the VFX floor, ensuring the crowd layers matched the actual crowd available while shooting — in terms of scale, lighting, action, and other details. Collaborating on Jaadugar with Vinay enabled us to be more efficient and pro- ductive so that we could deliver the final product on time and on budget, resulting in high-quality VFX that was praised by critics and audiences alike. My main takeaway from our problem-solving on Jaadugar is this: always be prepared to adapt. We had to think outside the box and merge old-school 2D compositing with 3D VFX techniques. If you know the industry, and you know your cra, you can think on your feet and overcome any obstacle. Advice for the next generation My advice for any aspiring VFX artist is to learn as much as possi- ble about the tools and techniques you'll need for the job. There are so many resources available — for me, it was books and train- ing manuals, but now with the internet, there's limitless knowl- edge just at the click of a mouse. Put in the time and you'll reap the rewards. Keep your eyes on updates and new technologies as well. All the recent develop- ments in Unreal Engine are seriously exciting. Virtual production is taking the industry by storm, enabling real-time visualizations that are becoming preferable to old-school methods like blue and green screen. Our job as VFX artists is not just to make big flashy explosions or dynamic laser shots. If Jaadugar can teach you anything, it's that invisible VFX really matter. Overlooking even minor details can dis- tract the audience from what's important — the story being told. We're here to avoid that and ensure that the story is conveyed just as the director intended. Kannan T is a VFX supervisor at FutureWorks. Jaadugar merges 2D compositing with 3D VFX techniques.