CaptainDisillusion
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Debunkathon Production Photos
🕑 Added 2020-04-09 21:40:42 +0000 UTCI was looking over the few pics I managed to grab during this strange project and they make it seem like I wasn't having any fun. But I don't remember being as gloomy as I look! I mean get a load of this guy!
For all the room transformation VFX, I needed to mark the walls with carefully spaced tracking markers so I could always tell what part of the background the camera was seeing, even in closeups. I also slapped some decals and gaffer's tape on the most sci-fi looking boxes I could find at Office Depot and cut a bunch of extra "players" out of foam board.
Looks a little boring... until you light it all dramatic-like:
Because the lighting had to gradually change throughout the video, I went to the trouble of connecting all the lights to a computer that controlled them like theater lighting, with preprogrammed cues. I was worried I'd need a lot of light to simulate the glow from the countdown on the wall, so I nailed together this whole array of LED lights.
But in the end I discovered that just one ARRI panel did the job so I didn't even end up using that Light Centipede!
I also had to create CG versions of the room and the props for later shots... in... 🎶Blender!
To keep the cinematography interesting for monologue scenes in an empty room, I sometimes use a jib (a small crane the camera can glide around on) but the one I've had for years is very cumbersome and low-tech. For this episode I decided to invest in a new one that's more versatile and easier to set up.
We got a TON of use out of it throughout the shoot.
Even when we weren't doing moving shots, I'd often park the camera on the jib so it could be swiftly repositioned for the next angle. During later shoot days, I'd even do it on my own, set up the shot with a ladder or appleboxes as my stand-in...
Then jump in and try to remember what lines I'm supposed to say.
Speaking of additional shooting days, I even had to return to grab a few shots on literally Christmas Eve. Here's me demonstrating my displeasure with that fact:
This setup with the smaller camera is actually for capturing the image for the lenticular 3D Captain Disillusion postcard I really made as a prop. I'll do a separate post about it.
Most of the extra shooting was for green-screen stuff. There's something about filming yourself thrashing around on the floor over and over, on a bright backdrop, that eventually just gets you into a studly modeling mood. I guess in the end I didn't have that bad a time.
Comments
Seren Vine
Follow me please ❤️
Hey Cap, how much of this video was based on your realization that you needed to hire some help to do what you love? It seemed like, for those of us who are "in the know," this was a very personal and revelatory video for you. Am I reading this correctly or looking too deep?
Kaos
This is great, love behind the scenes pieces. Can you also do a behind the scenes of whoever is on your crew?
Captain Disillusion
Oh hi, thanks, Grant!
Vincent Zalzal
The amount of work and care you spent on this video is incredible! This is really impressive work.
I would totally buy a lenticular 3D Captain Disillusion postcard! Great work as always.
3blue1brown
Thanks for sharing this. I'm constantly incredulous about the amount of work put into these.
Raymond
Ah, well my purpose would be for real-estate stuff. There’s one I just looked at that’s small enough to be fixed to a drone, and that would be pretty amazing. If CapD is using and recommending them, that’s a huge plus for me.
Captain Disillusion
I like them. They’ve come a long way since the clunky original URSA and in my case they work very well. But they’re definitely more for deliberate “film” filming. Not convenient for vlogging, etc. Haven’t tried the micro ones.
Raymond
Are those blackmagic? What are your thoughts/opinions on them? I’m considering getting one of their compact cams.
Gwidion
Wow, I wasn't aware Office Depot carried such futuristic space age boxes 😂
Cassandra Gelvin
The first photo doesn't look so much "gloomy" as "deigning to be with you mortals". Which isn't too far off from The Captain's usual character :)
Captain Disillusion
It was always about that, but in terms of the monthly countdown on the website, my increasing failure to keep up with it, lol. I didn’t know at the time that the spectacular delay of this episode itself would contribute its own meaning. 😔
Captain Disillusion
Indeed. It was one of the big, sleepless nights-inducing challenges 😵
David Macdonald
Oh no...I bet removing all the green tracking markers was a big pain, remembering the invisible box video.
Matthew C Beasley
Looks like an amazing amount of work. Thanks for the fantastic video as always.
Really cool! Was the video always going to be about deadlines or did you pivot to that as a result of running into so many roadblocks during this production?
