Why Modern VFX DON'T Suck - Low Budget Virtual Production & Everything Everywhere All at Once

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In Episode 3 of this series on why modern VFX suck and how to make your VFX not suck, we flip the script and talk about modern filmmakers and artists who are using VFX in new and exciting ways. In this episode, we dive into a new case study on Everything Everywhere all at Once. While stylistically this film and its VFX are very different from many of the films we've examined so far, the techniques used can still be applied across a wide range of situations. This episode also dives into virtual production, and how you can apply virtual production techniques cheaply and efficiently in your own films.
As always, feel free to comment any suggestions for future videos. Thanks for watching!
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[@studentstudent5044]

I’m so glad that somebody with experience actually calls out how bad some of the stuff in general looks today. But also when filmmakers get it right. Thank you!❤️

[@xpez9694]

This reason that it looks bad is not because people are untalented at all. It has to do with finishing the damn show and getting it out the door. When studio or director can make it perfect they push for it and get it. Otherwise last minute decisions and budgets and deadlines play a huge role in why a movie looks freakin amazing or not..

[@LaurentFranchet]

Virtual production does not exclusively refer to in camera visual effects nor to the use of LED walls. It also refers to shooting in a green screen studio (with or without real time final pixels). As a side note , even when shooting on a LED stage, some shots still rely on chromakeying with a green screen. For example 50% of the LED stage shots in The Mandalorian involved a green screen with chromakeying in post production .

[@Anthony-Antx]

Awesome technique shown for the low budget VP from EEA@O. I am a Virtual Produciton Supervisor for a small studio of 2 people, we do it on budget and make things work for us. Being a team of two we both have many roles on set and in Post. I run 3 projectors on a curved wall we built ourselves, all run form 1 PC that I have built from consumer level parts. I am completely self taught and always trying to upskill. If you want to know more about what we used to make a budget VP stage and running a studio on the cheap let me know :)

[@DCFHazardRebornChannel]

A "VFX don't suck video" recommendation that's nice for a change :)

[@mnomadvfx]

*Why WELL PRODUCED AND PLANNED modern VFX doesn't suck. That is the appropriate title. When you plan for VFX from the outset before you even film a single shot then you immediately increase the likelihood of the VFX complementing the story rather than detracting from it. Where possible also the participation of the principal film making crew with the VFX production is to be preferred - even the greatest VFX supervisor is not a mind reader and participation ensures that the VFX studios hired are not running around in circles guessing at the vision of the people who actually shot the film to begin with.

[@nkanyisoinnocentkhwane3752]

That was a great video. I loved Everything everywhere all at once’s tactile approach to vfx

[@neonchild109]

It really worked for me after I look and try some tutorials, yours is the one that worked. Owe you a lot.

[@bluenightsky]

Yes, I would really like to know more about virtual production. I am most interested in learning about how to use the Unreal 5 Engine for budget filmmaking similar to the technique you showed at the end of the video.

[@ninjagraphics1]

Thanks Sam, just signed up for your course on Unreal Engine for Filmmakers!

[@EJ01Z]

Yep would defiantly like to know more about this !

[@nathanmclean9785]

I would love to see the next episode!

[@HussinKhan]

Great stuff as always, Sam.

[@BoundlessEntertainmentFilms]

Thank you, always appreciate your support!

[@smepable]

Very interesting, looking Forward to the Nolan and Villeneuve Video!

[@BoundlessEntertainmentFilms]

Thanks for watching, I'm looking forward to it as well!

[@mnomadvfx]

Villeneuve? Bruh, have you even seen Arrival? Those space ships used the most basic bitch CG VFX I have ever seen past the 90s in a AAA film. Same thing for the Guild Highliner in his Dune film - no serious design work at all, like someone threw a basic shape into a 3D package and added a procedural noise texture to a displacement shader and called it a finished effect 🤡🤡 Don't get me wrong, I loved Arrival - but the VFX on the spaceship were easily its biggest problem. Blade Runner 2049 did better though, I have to admit that - albeit they were somewhat working to a standard where possible from the original film.

[@m_tth_w9647]

Love your content and respect your work

[@BoundlessEntertainmentFilms]

Thanks so much and thanks for watching!

[@hellaocd]

Love the content! As a blender user I'm definitely considering checking out your unreal course. I think they could pair nicely together

[@BoundlessEntertainmentFilms]

Thank you! They definitely pair very nicely, especially because they are both free! Plus Unreal offers the benefits of Quixel Megascans, which is incredibly useful for world building. In addition to the paid courses, which show more how to achieve the results in the video, I also have a free course for beginners, if you're interested in checking out Unreal in more detail: boundless-resource.com/course/unreal-engine-5-beginner-course/ Would love to have you in the community, but either way I highly recommend checking out Unreal!

[@darkhawk2463]

One of my favorite movies of all time, pacific rim, had CGI, that I honestly think is better then a lot of modern stuff. Everything has a seemingly tangible weight and strength, like there actually moving massive mechs. Not to mention the con-pods and suits were 100% real, and actually moved and threw the actors around while filming.

[@ronvance]

I love the virtual set production technique and would love to see more videos about that, including how to do it on a low budget.

[@angeltensey]

the mandalorian's vfx almost made me to believe in magic

[@Anthony-Antx]

VP is my bread and butter, I work in a studio of 2, me and the Producer. We built it on cheap and run it all ourselves, sometimes automatically as we have both been "in shot" while filming

[@srdjanpajic2404]

​@@Anthony-Antx could you give me any tips on how to build one on a low budget, is it even possible (I assume that I have to dismiss the tracking part and forget the real-time aspect) I have to build a small VP set as part of my bachelor thesis

[@Anthony-Antx]

@@srdjanpajic2404 ok something small scaled can be as easy as a green sheet behind you, or one of those pull up/down screens. you can easily drop the green screen footage into unreal, key out the green and place the plate in your set with correct perspective and camera details. try to imitate the real world lighting as best as you can in your 3d set and render out the sequence. hopefully you know how to use ue5 as that will make the process a LOT easier. otherwise there are countless tutorials on youtube for composure (how Unreal works with plates) and sequencer (how unreal uses render timelines) as well as chroma keying and other things you may need to look up.

[@Anthony-Antx]

@@srdjanpajic2404 If you want to get a little fancier, iPhones can be tracked in unreal and if you have access to a projector and a large white wall you could do the real-time with tracking option (granted you know how to use nDisplay and UE5 quite well)

[@laightime]

Thank you

[@Nomadx83]

You should talk about Guiltero for Pacific Rim too in the next episode !

[@dancemore.....1978]

Hello brother, i love your stuff, can't wait for Gemini to be out, I had a question How will intel i5 11thgen and Rtx 2060 be for unreal engine ??

[@weztastudio6170]

Very interesting content

[@mauricestardddude8317]

These videos are some amazing things to watch as a casual that isn't much into movie-making Helps a lot with getting informed on some of the reasons for lacking looks As for what I'd be interested to see something about the limitations and freedoms of CGI As someone who plays more video games and doesn't watch as many movies some shots appear like they try to harness some of the limitlessness of CGI, but they are just trash at using it Surprisingly the best cutscenes I can remember from games are far less noisy than some of the movie action-shots I've seen you showcase Something that stood out to me was the Iron Man flying up sideways to an building And if that scene of him flying up towards that building is just CGI, I gotta say it looks really unimpressive Usually when I see such an action shot where they aren't limited by any sets I'd expect them to go out so far much more than anything shown there It just looks as if the director was excited purely about the shot flying up a small scyscraper without anything else, just moving up a camera (which thinking about it might not even have been that hard) I know of 2d animation studios which would've had Iron man beat up 3 enemies while the camera is spinning around him 2 times That thought kind of lead me to another interesting thing: Such a shot would be faaar too noisy with a realistic style There'd be so much going on you couldn't follow the action at all This is something many videogame devs have to take special care of That could be because their game is made for children that still gotta learn some of that visual decoding Take Kirby and the forgotten land for example, I do not find it not quite as pretty as HALs previous game but they managed to make the game insanely easy to read Or because of the difficulty of the title Which is likely the reason Fromsoftware have become absolute masters in visual clarity What is interesting about their games is that while they have a mostly realistic style, they manage to keep an insanely high visibility So yeah, in short I am interested in "limitations and freedoms of CGI" and "visual clarity of what happens in a shot" Of course those are very much vague themes and I guess you wanna put more focus into things that can showcase your courses So I don't expect you to take the time to produce anything about that, mostly just wanted to bounce some thoughts out of my head

[@aamasx]

why your course the loction of the enroll ghana not part

[@silverbulletin846]

great videos i need help on camera selection for stop motion - vfx i found 3 options i could buy used: Ursa mini 4.6 Pro/1gen BMPCC 4/or 6k Sony FX-30 vfx z czm e2 im gonna use it mostly indoor and for stopmotion/vfx/greenscreen work. im litterly lost, i know all 3 good but i know nothing about Vfx, i see the new sont fx30 is 14bit is that a better option post than the 12bit from the BMPCC 4k -6k or is the raw from bmpcc just better? Ultimatly after some time i want to buy a 4k shot throw lazer projector those that stands 30cm from wall (aclr screen and use it as a backdrop With vive trackers on camera inside unreal 5

[@shivateja544]

Hey hi 1)Does this course cover crowd simulation with custom meta humans 2) how to add clothes for meta humans with clothe stimulation

[@The_Matrix_I_Am]

Is it possible to create transparent webm files in UE5? I am looking to make transparent frames to use as overlays in OBS. These tend to be in webm files. My goal is to have high end streaming overlays.

[@TheYouAlbert]

Amazing video

[@BoundlessEntertainmentFilms]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@rahulnarwariya3482]

sir please creat only composting course. unreal to after affect .....

[@chengong388]

The effects in EE are all just composition, layering one shot over another. All the tools for doing that have been there for decades, there's no technological limitation what so ever. The biggest obstacles for good composition are just light/perspective matching and skill at using the available tools. It's not like a big production where you have to model texture and render many characters down to the last facial hair. But then I think most of the VFX fails in big productions are down to failure of composition where things look like they're floating and not actually part of the background. It doesn't matter how many hundreds of 3D artists you have, if the final guy doing the composition can't do a good job (either because he sucks or the shots aren't done with matching lighting/perspective), it won't look real.

[@games_on_phone89]

a compelling trilogy

[@NoorFilms786]

hey, could you please give me a coupon for the website, i am trying to sign up and i love your work, honestly

[@salmanedy]

This is what happens when you have a locked vision and you DON'T TREAT ARTISTS LIKE THEY ARE DISPOSABLE SHIT.

[@nishant7083]

Sam get ur passwordss backkk

[@purefoldnz3070]

modern vfx unfortunately just looks like CGI noise. Films need to go back to practical effects.

[@_BVS]

John 3:16 [16]For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Luke 13:3 [3]I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. John 14:6 [6]Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Jeremiah 29:13 King James Version 13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. John 8:31-32 King James Version 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:12 [12]Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Luke 6:27-38 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 6:28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. 6:29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 6:32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 6:33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 6:34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Matthew 5:2-12 King James Version 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 24:4-14 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Exodus 20 King James Version 20 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. ..,..,..,.., .......... .,..,..,..,. ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, .,.,.,.,.,

[@mnomadvfx]

Bruuuuuhh. You do realise this isn't a video about Jesus right?

[@sarcasmenul]

Would love if you made a video on the shitty working conditions within studios and the drive to create unions so we’re not treated like shit!