Changing The Car:
Because we needed to change the car, we created an adjustment layer in After Effects and then selected it with a mask. We used the AE Channel Mixer to come up with another color that was believable. Because the car was a light color, we found that if we went too dark with the color (like a cherry red, for example) the color started to break apart and look completely unrealistic. As such, we simply switched it to another light color that was believable. In this case, we chose yellow.
Then we selected the hood ornament, grill, and lights with a separate adjustment layer and masks, as their blue reflections were far too harsh and contrasting to fit with the new yellow color. The AE Tint plugin allowed us to remove the blue tint from these elements. Then we went in with Magic Bullet Colorista to add a more golden hue to them, so that they fit with the overall car.
Removing the Security Camera and Extension Cord:
We created a still grab of the scene (called a “plate”) and took it into Photoshop where we used the clone and heal brushes to remove the security camera and the extension cord. Then we took it back into AE and used two “Add” masks to the plate to patch these areas in the video footage. The camera patch didn’t have to move after we placed it, but the patch for the extension cord did, since actors were going to walk through it. As such, we had to go back to rotoscoping the patch. (This time we used the “Add” feature, instead of subtract, but the effect was the same.)
Removing the Gaffer from the Car Windshield:
Nick Denney is an accomplished photopainter, so he took a plate from the shot and painted out the gaffer in the car’s windshield and then sent it back to me. (He also painted out a reflection from the poster frame in which yours truly was reflected! Like I said, he’s quite talented!) I laid this plate in with a similar patching routine to how we did the security camera and extension cord. Unfortunately, it became apparent that two of our actors should have shown through the now empty windshield when they walked behind it. To “cheat” a translucent effect, I copied part of their footage a few steps after they passed the car and then moved the copy back in the timeline to sync up with them behind the car. I then enlarged it, distorted it, added a shaped mask around it, took it down to about 20% opacity, switched it to “Screen” transfer mode, and moved it over the windshield. The end result looked as though you’re seeing them walk behind the windshield, while their image is being distorted through the curvature of the glass.
In the end, no one is even aware of all the hours that went into this two second clip, yet the effects all help sell the reality of the film.
