Nuit Blanche

My friend showed me this video titled "Nuit Blanche" that is completely CGI except for the people who have been filmed on a green screen then incorporated into the film. A while ago I made a post about an entirely CGI film titled "The Third & The Seventh" and was really interested in these short films. While the films differ greatly it is extremely interesting to be able to see how they each deal with the problem of using and incorporating people into the film. The Third & The Seventh has a person in it but never really shows his full face and "the camera" is also very far away from him, which solves the problem of not being able to create an entirely lifelike or believable person (especially the face) through computer modeling. The other film "Nuit Blanche" doesn't try to create people through CGI but instead films them on a green screen and then puts their performance into the CGI world that they have created. This way we can see the reactions of the actors and while their world is entirely fabricated we don't get the sense that the actors are. The authenticity of the actors performances and faces is what makes the film so powerful.




Nuit Blanche from Spy Films on Vimeo.







The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

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The Third and The Seventh

My friend Valera just shared this film with me and I feel like I need to share it again. Typically, when I watch films on youtube or Vimeo I check to see how long they are so I can anticipate how long I will be sitting and watching it. I think it has something to do with my impatience. However, I started watching this film and not once, did I check to see how long it was. I honestly didn't care because it was so beautiful that I wanted to keep watching. It is a film about images and visual passion. The string music was beautiful and peaceful and when it swelled, I could feel myself respond physically to the beauty of the music and the corresponding images. The camera is always moving and the music helps push us along in the same way the images do. The depth of field is so beautiful and the clarity of the filming made me fall in love with seeing. I loved the use of the split screen. I think it is really hard to find two images or scenes that are connected visually but show enough of a difference to make the images work rather than confuse. I loved the slow pace of the filming. His film makes me want to be in these places he films. I want to be in the library and the windmill farm. He makes me feel serene and alone with his clean images but just enough so to feel happy about it. The solitary beauty makes me happy, not isolated. There is a connection between the man and his camera. I can feel him looking through his lens at the scenes with the same passion I would. I think this is film for anyone who can let themselves be slowed down by incredibly beautiful and incredibly technical shots. The CGI is absolutely flawless to the point that I didn't realize the entire film was CGI until I read the caption underneath. If you watch the film and still don't believe it (like me) then watch the compositing breakdown on Alex Roman's Vimeo page. I'm speechless. I hope I can share this film and I hope it will inspire someone the same way it has inspired me.

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

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