Hello, any ideas on how to create a zero gravity effect?

Tried mirrors, but was unable to get the effect I wanted.

I understand that ad companies use an aircraft called a 'vomit comet', but
surly there must be another way?

For example, if I wanted a shot of someone floating over me, or floating
opposite me,
wouldn't it be possible to shoot from above, looking down on the person,
using green screen?
The only thing I can think of is the hair/clothes/body may not fall
naturally.

"A" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:cqfd96$9ql$1@news8.svr.pol.co.uk...
in a weightless environment? Would "fall" Be the right term?

Rigging is sometimes used to create a flying or weightless
sort of look. Often against a green screen so any background
can be inserted. One of the catches is that you have to go
frame by frame, and "remove" the wires from the shot. There
are plugins in some software for "wire removal", but AFAIK it
isn't fully automatic. You still have to at least tell the software
where the ends of the wire are in the shot. If the end you define
changes (as in when the person rotates around) then it may get
confused requiring that you reset it by hand. There is undoubtedly
always a bit of manual cleanup in the end. Sometimes computer
models are substituted for the actor in the wider shots, and then
use the actor in the close-ups. Fans are sometimes used to blow
the hair and clothes to counter gravity in such a shot.

Often floating objects are shot at an other than normal position
to cause the rigging to go in an unexpected angle to reduce the
likelihood that someone will see what your trick was.

I'm sure there must be even better methods that I have overlooked.

It depends on budget, skills, and available time, to determine
what approach you need to use.

David

On Thu, 23 Dec 2004 21:32:50 -0000, "A" <nospam@nospam.com> wrote:


Well, one of the best ways anyone ever came up with (Used in
"2001: a space odyssey" and "Alien") is to suspend your actor from
rigging from the ceiling and then shoot up from the floor. If your
ceiling background is blue or green, you can key in your background
instead of having to build a set on the ceiling. Shooting down from
above isn't as good, but you may not have the ability to do the
ceiling rig. You might try to minimize the problems of hair fall with
a cap of some sort on your actor (Again, a trick used in "2001").

I think the only other way I've heard of realistic
weightlessness being done was when the TV movie of James Michner's
"Space" was made, wherein they attached weather balloons to the actor
to just barely counterbalance his weight. They then then filmed
against a dark background in order to hide the wires holding him.

Another way I could think of is to simply shoot the actor
against a blue screen, isolate his image, then key him into the shot
and have him float that way, manipulating the keyed image in the
computer to make him drift a bit. Of course, a composite like this
can look REALLY cheesy unless you plan it out correctly.

This makes you really appreciate a film like "Apollo 13,"
which to my knowledge is the only movie ever actually shot in true
freefall conditions.
-----------------------------------------------------
Neil Nadelman arvy@navzr-genafyngbe.pbz (ROT13)
-----------------------------------------------------
I have no fears in life,
for I have already survived Theta-G!

Neil Nadelman wrote:
The recent "Bailey's" commercial, with the zero-g cocktail bar, was
amazingly convincing. They even got the hair to be extremely belieavable.

I'd REALLY like to know how they did that.

On Fri, 24 Dec 2004 13:53:23 -0800, Seattle Eric <noone@erehwon.gov>
wrote:

You and me both. I'm assuming they used a combination of CGI
and real actors, or else that's the best damned multi-level composite
ever achieved.

-----------------------------------------------------
Neil Nadelman arvy@navzr-genafyngbe.pbz (ROT13)
-----------------------------------------------------
I have no fears in life,
for I have already survived Theta-G!

Neil Nadelman wrote:
I haven't seen the commercial you mention, but a reasonable
simulation of zero-G hair can be created with a Van de Graaf
static electricity generator. Also, I believe the Vomit Comet is
hiring out now, since the last few months. Perhaps they simply
booked a shoot.

On Fri, 24 Dec 2004 17:30:38 -0600, "Don Lathrop" <dl682@concrete.not>
wrote:

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/pre...35onfinal.html

--
Bill Funk
Change "g" to "a"

Big Bill wrote:

Bummer.

Here's the replacement:
http://www.space.com/news/wsc_zeroG_1014.html
http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/zero_g_040914.html

Neil Nadelman wrote:
It probably took every trick in the book. I'd love to see an article
on it. Every time it's one I scrutinize it as closely as possible.
Never seen it done better.

In article <cqfd96$9ql$1@news8.svr.pol.co.uk>, nospam@nospam.com (A)
wrote:


Iain Laskey
Practical PC Online www.practicalpc.co.uk