Idea & Info: 'Watchmen - The Graphic Novel Cut'... — Page 3

Johnny Ringo said:

Couldn't convince you to do the title black on yellow?

 

I'm on the fence on this one - it could easily go either way.  I'll probably try it both ways, then decide which looks best.

Not sure whether I'll tint the Comedian-death shots or not.  Again, I'll probably try it both ways.

And the movie-as-graphic-novel thing is pretty cool, JR - I like it a lot.

Regarding the tinting - Firstly I noticed they did it at other points as well, Gold flashbacks when the Comedian is talking to Moloch. But then I had another idea as well, What about only having the flashbacks RED at points of impact?

Like as the Comedian is punched in the face. That would probably be right before it cuts back to the present. It could be a good idea and a bit of a "best of both worlds" approach. I might do some mockups after work to show you clearly what I mean...I had an idea for a yellow on black title as well that might work. Just don't have time right now. gotta get to work.

EDIT: okay I'll try to illustrate my point here quickly - Here you can see that the flashbacks of the fight are in red - If that's too overwhelming you could try something like this...

Comic shot -

Now you COULD cut from the cops talking about blake to a part of the fight - I chose these images at random!

Keep the cops talking as we see a part of the fight, here the Comedian is about to collide with his coffee table...

now at the point of impact [ table breaking] you coul quickly cut to a red tint - probably best with a smooth crossfade...and possibly even try a bright flash as it happens

keep the scene red for the duration of the shot - which wouldn't be too long, then cut cleanly back to the present.

I'm sure if it happens quick enough it could have a good amout of visual impact.

Did some quick mockups for end credit ideas - please keep in mind that they are pretty rough, not exactly what i was going for in style, but similar. Just didn't have the exact sources on hand that i wanted.

And while on the subject of credits / titles - had you considered at all moving the quote you wanted to use to the START of the film and the WATCHMEN title to the END?

The quote might well make for a good story opener and only showing the title at the end of the film is something that has been done, it just doesn't seem to be very common. iirc a [somewhat] recent film to do this was The dark Knight, for example.

* My initial idea was to create faded / worn images of the characters - sort of like shown here...

http://fontfeed.com/archives/tip-the-wornweatheredstamped-look/

high contrast Black and white and then tinted [watchmen] yellow. I would keep the actual text crisp and clean tho, only 'weathering' the characters.

EDIT: I just found some decent quality source images so I may try again a little later...

http://www.impawards.com/2009/watchmen_ver10.html

okay here's an update more in like with what i was intending...thoughts?

I also hd a bit of a tackle of the scene at the end with Dan. I really would recommend you try all other ideas before painting Dan out of these shots - there is a lot fo fine detail and also a lot of soft fucus stuff, which makes it a bit of a headache...

I'm not really satisfied with the result. Anyone else had a tinker with this? - or ideas on how to avoid it?

Jono11 said:

What about getting the classic DC bullet logo for that title sequence? The new DC logo sucks, and wasn't on the originals.

As much as I like the modern logo I would tend to agree, the Comics are all stamped with the older style logo.

And I only just noticed this but the other studio logos are redone with the watchmen title font [futura something something] - I 'm surprised that is something they'd agree to. Personally i Don't really have a problem with it, it's jsut something that suddenly jumped out at me. It kind of ties them together a bit.

Maybe all of the opening logos should all be their mid 80's counterparts - if different to what is currently there, possibly keeping the Futura font style...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_pictures

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legendary_Pictures

Alright, let's see if I can respond individually here:

@Johnny Ringo:

Very good mockup on erasing Dan from Rorschach's death!  It's far superior than anything I've been able to come up with thus far.  A few notes on it, in the interest of improving what's already pretty damn good:

- The glow isn't quite right ... it's a bit too bright, and feels like a Photoshop Gaussian blur (which is what I assume it is, since that's what I've been trying as well) - if you notice on the original image, the glow isn't that much brighter at its "core" (that is, closer to Dr. M) than it is farther away.  It's pretty much a uniform darkish blue that slowly dissolves away.
- The snow where Dan used to be looks a bit too much like a Photoshop brush - I'd suggest possibly using the same snow from the right side of the frame?  Not sure, though.
- Can't really comment on the "snowflakes," since my monitor's very dusty as it is, but they look pretty good to me.

And I know what you're saying about trying other ideas, but the two shots where they're both in the frame are 100% necessary shots - in this one, it's where Rorschach takes his mask off, and the other one, it's where Rorschach explodes.  I don't see how the scene can work without those two shots.

If you'd be willing to try this with actual motion, that would be greatly appreciated - I'll take any help I can get with these scenes.  And you would, of course, be appropriately credited in the final product.  :-)

Now, about the "red shift" idea - I'll either go all-red, or none at all.  I don't think the red at point-of-impact would work very well, but I may do an experimental attempt at it.

I'm not a big fan of the end-credit-quote-pictures idea.  It may work for a trailer, though.

@Jono11

If you have a good-quality copy of the old DC logo, I'll definitely use it.  The new one just feels too modern.  I don't mind the WB and Paramount logos, though (and there's obviously nothing I can do about the "Legendary" one, since the company was founded in 2005).

re: DC logo, I had a look for one but didn't find one in decent quality - We might be able to recreate it, it does look pretty basic.

EDIT - I just noticed that the original logos are used in the intro for 'under the hood'!

re: Dan - yeah I'm not happy with the glow either. The snow flakes are the originals, I painted out around them, although i didn't bother keeping every single one, and by the time i did the tunnel floor snow i just wanted the thing finished to it was a bit of a rush, it was only meant to be a concept.

I had the idea of creating a closed door at the tunnel entrance but i think that would wind up being just as much tedious work, or possibly even more. - The other shot where Rorshach dies might be easier to tackle - less detail where Dan is at and might be easier to hide him. Might try the other Dan shot later on and we can take it from there...

re: the red tint - All I'm saying is that it's an idea worth exploring, I think it could work nicely and it IS an idea from the graphic novel. I was considering maybe doing a video mockup as well, see what you come up with and time permitting I'll do the same... I'd say anyone else is welcome to give it a try too.

I was thinking that you MIGHT want to look at doing something to the flashback shots throughout the film to give them a bit more of a stylized look. No idea what exactly, maybe a noticeably different amount of saturation and/or contrast for example.

re: That was actually the concept I liked most..Just trying to come up with stuff with a comic kind of flavour. In the end it's up to you what you do. Was thinking something along the lines of WATCHMEN Yellow on black [yay] then a bunch of sceens styled like that ^ for the main characters only [ie: the watchmen] - and in motion - NOT static.

Oh, and intercut with snippets of the viral videos and under the hood - if there is suitable footage. Then proper credits...But yeah, might be useful in some other form.

You've got plenty of time to consider all ideas before you start work proper.

I haven´t read the thread, but I hope the ultimate atrocity of the movie will go: the changed ending that involves Dr Manhattan somehow (I actually can´t remember how exactly Snyder fucked it up only that it pissed me off unbelievably)

with some creative editing it might ;-)

because Moore wrote it that way - blaming Manhattan screws up several characters AND the whole story completely, and as long as that idiocy stays this movie will always be a 1/10 for me

even though the squid thing is possibly a weak point of the graphic novel, but any other solution would be an improvement to Snyder´s ending (even a simple insert saying "missing reel" or "missing CGI effect"!)

well in the original Manhattan isn´t responsible for the killing of MILLIONS, but that´s just nitpicking, innit?

in the comic Veidt played everybody, including all-powerful Manhattan, which is an ending the reader would not likely forsee (I sure didn´t)

also the way Manhattan leaves Earth is so much more interesting and meaningful

yes he is responsible

wikipedia:

"He explains that his plan is to unify the United States and Soviet Union and prevent nuclear war by destroying the world's main cities with exploding energy reactors he had Doctor Manhattan create for him under the pretense of providing free energy for the world. "

(although I can not remember this happening in the movie, DC only?)

which means Manhattan likely is in on the plan

and if this isn´t significant, what is?! Han shooting first? The force not being a biological phenomenon? I don´t think so!

yep, and another thing: I think in the movie we see Rorschach´s mask actually change too much, I think that effect shouldn´t be in plain view that often

yeah, and they didn´t use cgi last time I looked, I know that the mask changes, but it should be more subtle

Manhattan leaves in a way that leaves even Veidt puzzled "Nothing ever ends" - completely missing from the movie

whatever, either you get what authenticity to source material means or you don´t - pointless to argue any more

the Simpsons were dead on with their Watchman Babies joke (google it)

read my revised post

lol don´t mention the new Star Dreck to me *puke*, and lord of the rings... well some changes make sense but most are superfluous or even stupid (e.g. Eowyn vs the Witch King makes no sense whatsoever without the underlying prophecy which is NOT in the movie, but that´s a different discussion)

"Also, I'm still waiting for how you could possibly have thought that Doc Manhattan was in on Veidt's plan."

for this I would have to watch the movie again, and I´m doing that only once more, namely when the final cut is released, and then also probably this here edit

maybe he isn´t, but that wouldn´t change much