Faking a Glass Window

Hugo Pinto · August 1st, 2005, 05:57 AM

Hello,

Thanks for reading.

I'm editing a short film I shot over the weekend in FCP. In one of the scenes, my talent (actually, myself) stands in front of a window. I had a shot THRU the window (that is, from the balcony, outside). From the moment I shot it, I imeediatley suspected that the footage would be unusable, and just to be sure, removed the window and repeated the shot WITHOUT the glass, hoping that I would somehow be able to fake it in post.

That is the nature of my question: Is there any technique/plugin/trick to FAKE a glass window reflection in front of my character? The shot is a static medium shot, from a tripod, camera tilted up.

Thanks for any help,

Hugo

Richard Alvarez · August 1st, 2005, 07:11 AM

Hugh.

That depends on what you want to see reflected. If you have a shot of what is supposed to be reflected in the window, simply layer it over the shot, reverse the image, and increase the transparency. If it's a static shot, you don't have to worry about matching any sort of movement.

Won't be perfect, but it might get what you want.

Hugo Pinto · August 1st, 2005, 08:05 AM

richard,

Many thanks for your answer - sometimes the simplest solution is indeed the best one. I'll probably try it with an overcast sky, as I wanted to reflect the clouds. Maybe messing around with transparency and color will produce some usable results.

My concern was with the natural reflections the glass produces. Let's see how it works.

Hugo

Glenn Chan · August 1st, 2005, 08:41 AM

The following clip has a faked reflection and may be of interest:

http://www.bluecoremedia.com/movieclips.html

At :22, look at the reflection in the glass.
Originally I thought the effect was achieved by rotating a polarizer, but that's not it because there's a real reflection and then the fake reflection.

The reflection was also likely motion tracked... notice the camera movement.

August 1st, 2005, 05:57 AM	#1
Hugo Pinto Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lisbon, Portugal Posts: 92	Faking a Glass Window - How? Hello, Thanks for reading. I'm editing a short film I shot over the weekend in FCP. In one of the scenes, my talent (actually, myself) stands in front of a window. I had a shot THRU the window (that is, from the balcony, outside). From the moment I shot it, I imeediatley suspected that the footage would be unusable, and just to be sure, removed the window and repeated the shot WITHOUT the glass, hoping that I would somehow be able to fake it in post. That is the nature of my question: Is there any technique/plugin/trick to FAKE a glass window reflection in front of my character? The shot is a static medium shot, from a tripod, camera tilted up. Thanks for any help, Hugo

August 1st, 2005, 07:11 AM	#2
Richard Alvarez Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Mateo, CA Posts: 3,840	Hugh. That depends on what you want to see reflected. If you have a shot of what is supposed to be reflected in the window, simply layer it over the shot, reverse the image, and increase the transparency. If it's a static shot, you don't have to worry about matching any sort of movement. Won't be perfect, but it might get what you want.

August 1st, 2005, 08:05 AM	#3
Hugo Pinto Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Lisbon, Portugal Posts: 92	richard, Many thanks for your answer - sometimes the simplest solution is indeed the best one. I'll probably try it with an overcast sky, as I wanted to reflect the clouds. Maybe messing around with transparency and color will produce some usable results. My concern was with the natural reflections the glass produces. Let's see how it works. Hugo

August 1st, 2005, 08:41 AM	#4
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	The following clip has a faked reflection and may be of interest: http://www.bluecoremedia.com/movieclips.html At :22, look at the reflection in the glass. Originally I thought the effect was achieved by rotating a polarizer, but that's not it because there's a real reflection and then the fake reflection. The reflection was also likely motion tracked... notice the camera movement.