post production lighting and shadows in Vegas 10c?

[Jitup]

Hello,
I am working on a project that is being shot exclusively using chroma key, but they were unsure what the background was going to be so they told me to shoot with no shadows and just sort of use a flat overall lighting set up. Now they want to setup lights and shadows in post production. Is this possible in Vegas and able to have good results? They are more concerned about the shadows, and I am concerned about not wanting to go frame by frame and paint them in. Is there a good plugin out there that will allow me to set up virtual lights? Like street lights and such, that will cast realistic shadows? To make things more complicated they would like it if I can possibly set up virtual street lights, then have the characters step through them and the pools of light. the way it is shot, and with the background they have chosen, I need to just add some sort of lighting element over head the characters in the pictures. Am I able to accomplish any of this in Vegas or am I going to have to go and do it in after effects? I would much prefer Vegas, after effects runs like a dog on my system. I need to upgrade eventually.
any help is greatly appreciated

 

[clang]

Simple fake shadows against a wall aren't too hard - you can repeat a foreground layer and make it look like a shadow.

But characters walking through pools of light? - I'd be amazed if After Affects can do that believably either. it's not just the shadows cast by the characters to worry about, you'd also have to get the lighting right on the characters' bodies too - I believe that would effectively require turning the character into a fake 3D model which sounds horrificly difficult.

That's assuming you want a 'realistic' look though - if you want a stylised or artistic look, that may be more doable.

 

[Jitup]

how I was going to do it was turn it into an image sequence, track it with boujou, than open it up in 3ds max and animate the lights in that. Seems like a major pain in the rump whch could have easily been avoided if they would have had the back ground image so I can just light the set accordingly. any one else have any suggestions?

 

[David Jimerson]

You can create pools of light with the Spotlight control in the Bump Map. But to do all this really convincingly? Not without preparing for it during the shoot -- particularly as it's not just the shadows of the people on the background which are at issue, but the shadows on their faces and clothes as well.

There are things you just can't leave to post. This should have been all thought out during pre-production and shot accordingly.

 

[Jitup]

agreed. they originally said they wanted it to be on a animated background, than they changed there mind. I have run some tests and Im not happy with the results at all. I think I am going to recommend a re-shoot, or recommend someone else do the edit. It is a nightmare and will probably never work with this client again. If they would have not changed their mind four times about what they wanted it would have been all honky doory. It would have been so easy to light for real if they would have just known what they wanted. gosh I am a bit stressed about this job.