2nd sequence

Second bite at the image sequence, bit more successful mainly because i remembered to zoom in rather than out. Liked the lighting happy with the exposure and think i've got the set looking right, however there still are a few problems that need ironing out:

The first is that it's just too jerky, from the moment the video begins you know instantly it's been achieved using a crude animating method, which isn't an issue when the baby starts moving - if anything that adds to the effect i'm trying to achieve, but the element of surprise is lost.

The second issue is again the zoom. Again i wanted a much smoother effect, what i've got is a bit too stop start - you can tell it's been done (badly) with a still camera.

The third issue is the positioning of the baby itself. He's leaning to the left, i could do with him being in a total upright position so when his head explodes you get a good view of the ch4 logo on the spring. It would also help the viewer to focus their attention on him.

The fourth issue is unwanted movement in and around the baby when he starts to move. I shot this in a mates attic and believe me i didn't have to spend too much time dressing it up to make it appear untidy. The floor was a mess and all over the place, so when i treaded carefully over to him to adjust his position, the whole thing moved around him, which is a bit of a distraction on playback.

So...

To prevent the initial pan from being so jerky, instead of animating it in the stop frame tradition, i'll take 3 or 4 high res photo's (probably in the raw format) and then stitch them together in photoshop (think there's even a new panoramic feature that will help me do that), bring this into after effects and use the program to do a digital pan from one point to the other. Then it will appear like it's been shot with a normal HDV camera and the baby springs into life it will have much more impact.

With regards to the zoom, i'll abandon zooming with the camera lens, there's just not enough dexterity with the controls to do it as smooth as i want, so that'll again be a job for after effects.

Positioning of the baby is a bit of a no brainer, just have to make sure he's upright and in a suitable position. Wouldn't mind seeing more of his girlfriends face - she has the ability to open and close her eyes, if i can get them to stay open.

Background movement can be avoided by making sure the set is sat on surer footings, so i can walk around it without disturbing the props. I'll just have to take more time arranging the items rather than just chucking them in a heap.

Another shoot will have to be arranged to correct all these issues.