Tough shot for an ad

[art81]

Hi everyone,

I'm an art director that needs to shoot a map that's crinkled up enough that it looks like mountains. Anyone have any advice on to set up this shot and make a shot like this work?

thanks

 

[jstuedle]

A vertical shot, like a copy stand with strong side lighting to cast shadows from the papers crinkles. That's where I would start.

 

[Alpha]

Crinkle it up to achieve "peaks," light from the side, get in very very close with a macro setup, shoot it in front of a blue/green screen and fill the background. Then spend a lot of time in post-processing making it look real.

or

Create a wireframe of the mountains using 3D Studio/LightWave/Maya and render your map as a texture.

 

[Ls3D]

If control over the look proves difficult or the design direction is oddly specific, a 3D artist could displace the map using actual 3D data. Just a thought (edit - hey I'm not the only one).

-Shea

Here are a few samples using various displacement technologies:

 

[Hertz van Rental]

There are several approaches depending upon your budget and where the image is going to be used. If it is going to be in a prestige mag or up on a 48 sheet poster then you do it properly.
The method I would favour - and the most expensive - is to get a model maker to construct a mountain range out of a map.
They are the professionals and know how to do it.
Or construct a mountain range, paint it white and project a slide of a map onto it.

If it's going to be a thumbnail somewhere then either Photoshop it or just crumple up a map.

(An experienced AD would have just dumped it in a photographer's lap and told him to work it out - it's their job and that's what you pay them for )

 

[art81]

Hey Shea,

The one you did in the middle looks great, what program was that done in?

 

[MissMia]

If control over the look proves difficult or the design direction is oddly specific, a 3D artist could displace the map using actual 3D data. Just a thought (edit - hey I'm not the only one).

-Shea

Here are a few samples using various displacement technologies:

Sorry to hijack the thread!

This really makes me miss San Diego! I must make the trip over soon.

 

[Ls3D]

The one you did in the middle looks great, what program was that done in?

3D Studio Max 2008 (also running ver. 8 & 9 - all legal) and Mental Ray rendering technology including ambient occlusion (spherical harmonics to create the shaded valleys). I used a satellite captured greyscale digital elevation map of Salt Lake City as seen on the lower right to displace the dense plane at render time.

This is my day job

-Shea

 

[Rhubarb]

3D Studio Max 2008 (also running ver. 8 & 9 - all legal) and Mental Ray rendering technology including ambient occlusion (spherical harmonics to create the shaded valleys). I used a satellite captured greyscale digital elevation map of Salt Lake City as seen on the lower right to displace the dense plane at render time.

This is my day job

-Shea

I think you should commission Shea for the job!

 

[Ls3D]

I think you should commission Shea for the job!

I like your thinking! :thumbup: I also think photography could provide a more interesting look that while it could be simulated very accurately, the cost of doing it in 3D would begin to surpass the logic and aesthetic of doing it in camera.

The subtleties of the stresses in the folds, the quality of light, and paper, DOF, etc... simple gets complex fast!

-Shea