HEROES (freeze frame special effect) How is it done?

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eppdidit

Well-known member
I would like to know how they do the effect in the show "Heroes" where the Chinese character (Hiro) freezes time and is able to walk around in the shot with everyone frozen.

thanks,
epp
 
moving. Yeah this effect has been around for a few years and I don't know why I haven't ever looked into it. The show does an incredible job with the effect and use it a lot, check it out tonight if you haven't ever watched it. I think it comes on at 8 or 9pm ET.
 
Probably green screened layers. The main character keyed seperately, as well as the BG plate and the the other on-screen extras...
 
explain how the camera is able to go around subjects? Also, I've seen this done in shots where objects go flying in the air and they freeze, while someone walks around them.
 
eppdidit said:
explain how the camera is able to go around subjects? Also, I've seen this done in shots where objects go flying in the air and they freeze, while someone walks around them.
Click to expand...

Motion control and tracking markers...
 
I would assume that it's a variation of "bullet-time" for many of those shots. That technique has only gotten cheaper and more powerful since 1998.

Depending on how big the camera move is, and how much detail you see in foregrounds, it might also be a simple camera mapping trick.

I met the actor who plays Hiro on Saturday night... he was a nice guy. If I had seen this post before I could have asked him! If I see him again I'll do that.
 
I was thinking of the "bullet-time" effect also, and I agree with you dougspice, this effect is used a lot these days. Not to knock on network television, but I was very impressed with how well the effect is being used in the series. Most of the time, the network provides us with cheezy "quick" effects that doesn't stand up to Hollywood's major production houses. But again, my hats off to the production team that is working on this series. Job well done!!
 
I think television budgets have gotten big bumps in recent years, and there's a lot more prestige involved in doing good work for television. On the other hand this means shows get cancelled a lot faster, which is unfortunate.
 
Hiro, both the character and the actor are JAPANESE

Hiro, both the character and the actor are JAPANESE

In HEROES the actor who plays the character HIRO is Japanese, the name
itself is Japanese, and the character as developed for the show is Japanese.

JAPANESE like the CEO's of Panasonic, Sony and Canon.

Japanese, Japanese, Japanese!

Ok, I'm relaxing now.

http://www.superherohype.com/news.php?id=4807
 
Oh, oops. I didn't meet that guy, then. I met James Lee, who is Korean but plays the Japanese character Ando. Serves me right for talking about a TV show I've never actually seen a full episode of...
 
That effect is pretty amazing, but no idea how it is done. Anyone see the heroes (superman) episode when he started flying? I was completely caught off guard!
 
Ok the sequence is made of 4 shots,

(1) Close up, the character grits his teeth and then the camera zooms out to show frozen time, Zooms out and rotates to the left slightly

(2) Shot from Behind (medium Shot), character turns around full 360 then runs towards the girl knocking some toys floating in mid air (this is the longest shot)

(3) Shot angle reversed again now, facing from the front view,
Character grabs girl from mid-air

(4) Shot CHANGES again now from back angle, Frozen time ends, girl is saved.

Ok how would this be done(just my theory):

Main character shot in green screen with tracking markers, the background is modelled then photo textures used. Some of the frozen characters are shot against a screengreen then placed in the 3d scene as Billbords, most do not rotate ,just simple pan zoom and tilts, these can be composited (with camera motion track).

When the charachter hits toys floating in air these 3d models tracked into the scene and animated.

When he grabs the girl this is a real life dummy, shot against green screen.

Also I think the places where he had to move AROUND a character, a simple billboard would not work(since it is only a 2d texture), how ever I just remember a handy little application that allows one to photograph a real life object from multiple angles then the app creates a fully textured modell, this of course can be used in the 3d scene, such as D Sculptor or 3dsom

http://www.d-vw.com/dsculptor/about/about_d_sculptor.htm

http://www.3dsom.com/proexamples/index.html

Anhar
 
To sum up what everyone has said and add my own 2 cents:

- Greenscreen of character moving through the shot (motion controlled)
- Compilation of photos and video elements of motion controlled environment, including some CG environment.
- Every other character in the scene the camera moves around or past is also motion controlled in the same way as the main character, but keep still.
- Other CG elements for added objects in some spots.

I actually know the guy who did that shot. Its in episode 3 or 2 I think where Hiro saves the little girl from the truck. He's an awesome compositor, yea thats right Ryan im talking about you lol.

-Kyle
 
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