Steve Matson, Owner of Matson FX in Los Angeles, has a passion for "super-real" imagery that he often creates in post-production using Knoll Light Factory. The versatile software allows Matson to easily add the right finishing touches with shadows, sun flares, and spotlights to make scenes dramatically realistic. A partial list of Matson's projects includes TV spots for Toyota, FedEx, Honda, Volvo, Audi, Kia -- and most recently, the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
Matson was VFX supervisor for the Republic of Singapore Air Force TV commercial. He did all of the shot design, a majority of the compositing, and all of the matte painting. He also worked with the post facility, Infinite Frameworks, to complete the required telecine, 3D, and inferno work. The spot was directed by Peter Cherry.
Challenge
"Peter Cherry likes to film his shots backlit. As a result, this project included a lot of air-to-air shots where jets, helicopters, and other aircraft pass in front of light sources. I needed a way to animate the parameters to show the flares being "cut off" from the light source in a very natural and realistic way. Also, with an extremely tight deadline and buckets of complex shots to assemble, speed in compositing was paramount," said Matson.
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After
Solution
Matson used Knoll Light Factory's Auto Track and Auto Obscuration features to quickly and easily make adjustments to the flares.
Auto Track -- allowed Matson to track multiple points and add a corresponding number of identical lighting points to scenes.
Auto Obscuration -- Matson used this tool to automatically hide and reveal light effects as the light source moved behind other objects.
"I have been using Knoll Light Factory for over six years and am a huge fan. The software is so flexible -- I can't imagine compositing without it. I typically start with a preset and then modify it to the specific look needed for the scene. This is very easy and the results are great," continued Matson.
Before
After
Watch the clip to see how Matson generated realism and a more dynamic feel in shots of aircraft filmed against clouds and a backlit horizon.
About Steve Matson
Steve Matson is a highly skilled Visual Effects Director. His unique combination of high-end visual effects experience at a variety of leading FX houses and his passion for stunning imagery as won him numerous awards. Matson's background as a traditional artist specializing in photo-realism serves as the perfect basis for his work as a visual stylist.
