Fiction Adaptation Unit- Experimenting with photo rendering and editing.

I have briefly experimented with ways I can manipulate photographs for my flash-forward sequences for my fiction adaptation film.

I began my experiment with a stock photograph of a war zone. This warzone in fact:

Next I chose a subject to insert into the image. In this case, a stock photograph I took of my friend Cameron in front of a green screen several years ago:

Once I had my subject, I opened the photograph up in Photoshop and "Rendered" the image. This involves taking the pen tool and effectively cutting out the person in the photograph. When I was done, I had this:

And from here it was simply a case of inserting the subject into the original image and editing it in such a way that it fits in. For example, blurring the image if it is far back in the photograph, and changing the colours and lighting to fit the environment.

When I was done I had this:

Now, admittedly this is a very rushed, sloppy job, but it gets across the idea I had in mind and shows that I can accomplish what I originally wanted to if done correctly.

Somethings I learnt from this experience are:

• I will need to be very careful what perspectives I photograph subjects from, otherwise they may not appear correctly in the photograph and will look odd.
• Lighting is another important factor. When I photograph the original subject, I will have to try and keep the lighting as similar to the lighting of the environment it will be placed in so that it does not look out of place.