Create a halo on a moving person?

[ryan brown]

I'm in the idea process of an upcoming music video and before I even mention this idea I'm wondering if I could pull it off:

Creating an "angel halo" over a person as they're walking through various locations. Any idea's or tutorials out there? or advice? it would need to move with the person as he looked up and down also (to some extent), so I'm wondering if it would need to be done in a specific 3d program (which I have zero experience with, so I'd scrap the idea now)

I'm thinking I'd need to track the top of the persons head, create a 3d halo (somehow) and... well...

I remember a short awhile back where people had 3d numbers floating above their heads as they were walking the streets, but I can't seem to find it now.

cheers

 

[ryan brown]

After searching a bit more, I found a thread on videocopilot addressing the same thing with some interesting ideas. Most intriguing, the recommendation to use a live prop as the halo, then painting over it and adding light, fractal noise, etc in post. My biggest concern would be erasing the wire (assuming I'd use one) that I'd need to attach it to his body. I am not planning on greenscreening the entire thing...
Thoughts?

 

[Hawk Teflon]

Erasing the wire wouldn't be too complicated as long as the shots are pretty stationary for the most part. You can just motion track a clean plate behind it to match the camera moves. Just make sure you get that plate.

For an even tighter "erase," make the wire / connector green and key just that part out. Use the same clean plate method from above to eliminate.

 

[ryan brown]

Thanks Hawk. I should have elaborated a bit more on that issue. From what I'm thinking as of now, there will be people walking behind the actor.

Example: He's sitting at a table alone at a busy bar/restaurant. People walking in front and behind him.

Green-screen comes to mind, but doesn't work with the rest of the video or the following shots

 

[nickmarshallvfx]

I agree that greenscreening would be a bad idea here. Even if you have people walking behind, you'll most likely have some frames of them to patch back over the wire. Just make sure you create a matching grain stock and nail the tracking, nothing screams cleanup like a wobbly track and a static patch!
If you greenscreen the whole thing, you will leave yourself in keying hell for ages and only have to recreate even more of the environment behind the character anyway....

N

 

[Hawk Teflon]

Hmm, I know there are some scratch removal plugins that eliminate odd lines or "scratches" on footage. You should run a test with one of those to see if it would work. It works by reading the surrounding pixels and filling in the information.

 

[ryan brown]

I agree that greenscreening would be a bad idea here. Even if you have people walking behind, you'll most likely have some frames of them to patch back over the wire. Just make sure you create a matching grain stock and nail the tracking, nothing screams cleanup like a wobbly track and a static patch!
If you greenscreen the whole thing, you will leave yourself in keying hell for ages and only have to recreate even more of the environment behind the character anyway....

N

Hmm, I know there are some scratch removal plugins that eliminate odd lines or "scratches" on footage. You should run a test with one of those to see if it would work. It works by reading the surrounding pixels and filling in the information.

I think I've changed the idea a bit... it'll no longer be a guy sitting at the bar. It's now a female actress and *most* shots will be very close to static. I'm going to research the scratch removal idea, but either way, I just may be able to pull it off. I'll post here with my results after some testing for more feedback (it'll be at least a week before I can get out to shoot some test footage). Any and all other advice much appreciated

 

[burroshooter]

After effects has Motion Tracker, you can make any object track the motion of another one. You'll put a "mark" on the area to be track and connect that with Motion Tracker to the other layer. Go to Creative Cow Free Tutorials and search for After Effects motion tracker.