Best Magical Gloves
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As far as I remember, they used a red suit in the first Predator movie. They put a monkey in it, to show the Predator jump from tree to tree in "stealth mode".
It did not work, because the monkey always kept on taking off the suit.
But in general, you should use something in the range of red or pink, if you are shooting in the woods. Maybe blue would work, too. It depends on the other colors in the scene.
It did not work, because the monkey always kept on taking off the suit.
But in general, you should use something in the range of red or pink, if you are shooting in the woods. Maybe blue would work, too. It depends on the other colors in the scene.
I've yet to do any green screen work but I've heard problems about it being a PITA if it's not all evenly lit.
My end goal for these gloves is to make them completely black, supernaturally pitch black.
Does that change any advice?
Too bad I don't have the money to make gloves out of this stuff
http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/17/business/worlds-darkest-marterial/
My end goal for these gloves is to make them completely black, supernaturally pitch black.
Does that change any advice?
Too bad I don't have the money to make gloves out of this stuff
http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/17/business/worlds-darkest-marterial/
OK I'll bite. It turns out that a special glove is very relevant to one of my WIP universes, hence my indietalk handle.
First off your color choice for keying isn't really all that important. If we take the Walking Dead for example Michonne's pets used blue masking for their arms, but her katana utilizes green for it's tracking points, and this is often in scenes set against very lush green overgrowth. So I wouldn't fret over that.
Yes lighting is a very good thing just as it should be in all of your shots regardless of masking. Every fold/shadow/hotspot will add to the nightmare of keying it, and if the thing is moving a lot over the course of an entire film you are in for a ton of manual tweaking. But you need to consider (or reconsider) these things into your life when writing them into your screenplay, so I'll assume you are prepped and won't bat an eye at tons and tons of work, especially as this is a passion project with no one yelling at you about a deadline.
But I don't even want to get into any of the technical yet, I'd rather start with creative details.
• In what way/by what means are the gloves magickal? Give me the origin story.
• What do they do? One trick or multiple?
• Is it one glove or two?
• Do you have an overly specific vision, sketch or prototype for them or are you open? Could they be half/fingerless? Knuckles? Rings? Latex gloves? Body paint?
• Are they always "on" or do they "power up" before use? This is important and you may want to consider carefully given what will be involved.
• How many shots have the glove doing something magical? what percentage is this number of your entire shot list?
First off your color choice for keying isn't really all that important. If we take the Walking Dead for example Michonne's pets used blue masking for their arms, but her katana utilizes green for it's tracking points, and this is often in scenes set against very lush green overgrowth. So I wouldn't fret over that.
Yes lighting is a very good thing just as it should be in all of your shots regardless of masking. Every fold/shadow/hotspot will add to the nightmare of keying it, and if the thing is moving a lot over the course of an entire film you are in for a ton of manual tweaking. But you need to consider (or reconsider) these things into your life when writing them into your screenplay, so I'll assume you are prepped and won't bat an eye at tons and tons of work, especially as this is a passion project with no one yelling at you about a deadline.
But I don't even want to get into any of the technical yet, I'd rather start with creative details.
• In what way/by what means are the gloves magickal? Give me the origin story.
• What do they do? One trick or multiple?
• Is it one glove or two?
• Do you have an overly specific vision, sketch or prototype for them or are you open? Could they be half/fingerless? Knuckles? Rings? Latex gloves? Body paint?
• Are they always "on" or do they "power up" before use? This is important and you may want to consider carefully given what will be involved.
• How many shots have the glove doing something magical? what percentage is this number of your entire shot list?
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Okay well the concept is that the gloves are pitch black.
Bullets fired will have their path curve and end up in the gloves.
Explosions will be absorbed into the gloves and rendered harmless.
This forces the fight scenes to become hand to hand without any silliness like you see in "the raid" where suddenly everyone just drops their guns for no reason and starts punching each other.
As far as origin, the film doesn't explore where the superhero comes from. It's simply part of the superpowers possessed.
It is two gloves, always pitch black.
Panting them on could be fine, it's a special effect anyway so whatever works the best.
The concept was for full fingers, long glove that goes up to near the elbow.
Only once does the audience actually experience the magic of bullets curving mid air to end up in the glove. then the fist is closed and when it opens the bullets have been ground into dust.
A grip so tight that not even light can escape.
The idea was that they are always on, part of the look and always protecting the hero.
Bullets fired will have their path curve and end up in the gloves.
Explosions will be absorbed into the gloves and rendered harmless.
This forces the fight scenes to become hand to hand without any silliness like you see in "the raid" where suddenly everyone just drops their guns for no reason and starts punching each other.
As far as origin, the film doesn't explore where the superhero comes from. It's simply part of the superpowers possessed.
It is two gloves, always pitch black.
Panting them on could be fine, it's a special effect anyway so whatever works the best.
The concept was for full fingers, long glove that goes up to near the elbow.
Only once does the audience actually experience the magic of bullets curving mid air to end up in the glove. then the fist is closed and when it opens the bullets have been ground into dust.
A grip so tight that not even light can escape.
The idea was that they are always on, part of the look and always protecting the hero.
OK it may not be the initial vision you had (not bulky or long), but thanks to the mainstreaming of tattoo culture (I played a major part in that btw, a discussion for another day) there are some pretty slick "flat" black surgical gloves (developed for tattoo artists). They look cool, they are cheap and they reflect very little light. I've shot probably 1000 hours of them on camera. At least grab a pair and mess around with them.
The latex body paint I've had experience with doesn't hold up on joints/seams of moving parts very well, maybe scratch that.
If you don't want the skin tight minimalist look I would consider coming up with a really great looking prop (vs a green screened wrap). What the steam punk community has been able to do with squirt guns, home depot hardware and thrift store clothing has blown my mind. Truly achievable DIY backyard stuff with results that easily rival Hollywood prop houses. I'd google image and jot down notes. Exhaustive tutorials also.
My "only write to your current capabilities" DNA wants you to consider having those gloves just be gloves... whether streamline slick or nintendo powered... simply a well done piece of wardrobe or prop... and only consider using SFX when it is called into action. With this path I'm willing to bet you'd not only improve the perceived production value but you would cut down your workload tremendously. To be clear i am suggesting the gloves are just there (but clean/nice) and only "turn pitch black" or "swirl with Dark Miasma" when they are called into action or even better only when they absorb ammunition.
I'm curious from a character bible standpoint, is the gloves projectile absorption involuntary or actively controlled? Also do you have an interesting name for these epic artifacts?
Lastly, to address the white elephant that just stepped into the room.... if you are just now contemplating ways to bring your gloves to life, how are you ever going to achieve bending bullets, something much harder to pull off with any level of authenticity? Especially if Angelina Jolie isn't available to consult.
The latex body paint I've had experience with doesn't hold up on joints/seams of moving parts very well, maybe scratch that.
If you don't want the skin tight minimalist look I would consider coming up with a really great looking prop (vs a green screened wrap). What the steam punk community has been able to do with squirt guns, home depot hardware and thrift store clothing has blown my mind. Truly achievable DIY backyard stuff with results that easily rival Hollywood prop houses. I'd google image and jot down notes. Exhaustive tutorials also.
My "only write to your current capabilities" DNA wants you to consider having those gloves just be gloves... whether streamline slick or nintendo powered... simply a well done piece of wardrobe or prop... and only consider using SFX when it is called into action. With this path I'm willing to bet you'd not only improve the perceived production value but you would cut down your workload tremendously. To be clear i am suggesting the gloves are just there (but clean/nice) and only "turn pitch black" or "swirl with Dark Miasma" when they are called into action or even better only when they absorb ammunition.
I'm curious from a character bible standpoint, is the gloves projectile absorption involuntary or actively controlled? Also do you have an interesting name for these epic artifacts?
Lastly, to address the white elephant that just stepped into the room.... if you are just now contemplating ways to bring your gloves to life, how are you ever going to achieve bending bullets, something much harder to pull off with any level of authenticity? Especially if Angelina Jolie isn't available to consult.
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Bending bullets is full CGI, there is nothing to contemplate.
That tattoo gloves are cool but they're way too short and aren't good fashion for fitting with the rest of the costume.
The absorption powers are involuntary, it's armor. If you need to be voluntary with armor that defeats half the purpose.
That tattoo gloves are cool but they're way too short and aren't good fashion for fitting with the rest of the costume.
The absorption powers are involuntary, it's armor. If you need to be voluntary with armor that defeats half the purpose.
Hmmm... let me rephrase. What I am contemplating is why you are admittedly experiencing technical inadequacies or curiosity (which is all good) about masking some gloves when you are so well versed in how to implement "full CGI" for another part of your project? Or are you saying you wanted to try to pull the gloves off by yourself knowing all along you will have to job the bullet bend out? It wasn't clear and necessitated contemplation IMHO.
Understood, just a suggestion for budget and ease of having endless back-ups. If the costume in question was of the skin tight spandex variety they of course could have conceivably been perfect, but sans concept art I was at a disadvantage.
Well actually no, not at all. There are many super heroes who have to power up their personal shields or will their organic armor into existence. Some of the greatest heroes have the more interesting Achilles heels. Regardless I was just asking personal questions out of friendly curiosity - was hoping for exciting engaging answers void of snippy scolding, even baseless snippy scolding.
So no name for the power and/or gloves? innocently curious.
Anyway to summarize my thoughts on everything, come up with a really nice wardrobe/prop (something you really take your time on making look great, because you can, for little money and lots of time) and just have that be the glove, void of SFX, until its time for it to shine, for the aforementioned reasons.
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Unforunately after getting 3 different people to agree to make some conceptual art for me not a single person came through.
I'm used to that.. people usually don't come through for me.
And yeah I will have to perhaps outsource the bullet thing but it's just 1 quick scene. As opposed to outsourcing virtually every scene that features the superhero.
I was just kind hoping I could take a color - a unique color - then do some color correction on it. Single out the color, then crush it and make it pitch black.
But until I have an actress sorted I can't really get the gloves made and tried out. At least that was my thought, but yeah I do have some red ones and maybe I could give that a shot by myself.
It helps a lot to talk about stuff like this. Gives me a little extra push and I appreciate it, thanks. Sorry if I seemed snippy I was in a rush as i was typing out that last message, I didn't mean it to be.
Hmm yeah I never named the gloves or power. Something I hadn't considered. I never named my car or penis or anything either haha.
The tattoo gloves would be great if I could make them longer. maybe if I got some of the material and sewed on the long parts that could work. I know a girl who can make gloves but it would make things easier on her .
I'm used to that.. people usually don't come through for me.
And yeah I will have to perhaps outsource the bullet thing but it's just 1 quick scene. As opposed to outsourcing virtually every scene that features the superhero.
I was just kind hoping I could take a color - a unique color - then do some color correction on it. Single out the color, then crush it and make it pitch black.
But until I have an actress sorted I can't really get the gloves made and tried out. At least that was my thought, but yeah I do have some red ones and maybe I could give that a shot by myself.
It helps a lot to talk about stuff like this. Gives me a little extra push and I appreciate it, thanks. Sorry if I seemed snippy I was in a rush as i was typing out that last message, I didn't mean it to be.
Hmm yeah I never named the gloves or power. Something I hadn't considered. I never named my car or penis or anything either haha.
The tattoo gloves would be great if I could make them longer. maybe if I got some of the material and sewed on the long parts that could work. I know a girl who can make gloves but it would make things easier on her .
No worries man, I just didn't want you calling my boy Colossus stupid 
My biggest concern with your project is its scope which typically, at the indie level, directly equates to either never being realized or being realized and looking like a preschool cartoon super imposed over some iPhone footage.
Hey... have you ever considered taking one scene, even a partial scene, and approaching that balls out to make a couple few minute short chuck full of everything you want to throw at it? There is no better way to see where you, or your illusions of grandeur, stand... and exactly what you can handle yourself and what you need to budget for. Best part, it's still 100% your baby, but it's just a single page, or even a single panel of the comic book. And you can see it to completion, no excuses and learn a boat load of invaluable filmmaking stuff, pertinent solely to your project, in the process. Just a suggestion.
And please keep an open mind and always consider there is always a way to not dumb down but lets say intelligently reduce the elements you want to portray... your mind sees your hero bending projectiles in 360 bullet time cutting concentric circles through the air and into their pulsating gauntlet - but your capabilities could translate onto the screen as a blank firing from a gun and a well placed/shot firecracker exploding in the receivers glove as they close their hand. Etc, etc.
If you are going the way of the auteur there is no better advice than to write to what you have access to... either in resources or talent... or you will never get anything out there.
My biggest concern with your project is its scope which typically, at the indie level, directly equates to either never being realized or being realized and looking like a preschool cartoon super imposed over some iPhone footage.
Hey... have you ever considered taking one scene, even a partial scene, and approaching that balls out to make a couple few minute short chuck full of everything you want to throw at it? There is no better way to see where you, or your illusions of grandeur, stand... and exactly what you can handle yourself and what you need to budget for. Best part, it's still 100% your baby, but it's just a single page, or even a single panel of the comic book. And you can see it to completion, no excuses and learn a boat load of invaluable filmmaking stuff, pertinent solely to your project, in the process. Just a suggestion.
And please keep an open mind and always consider there is always a way to not dumb down but lets say intelligently reduce the elements you want to portray... your mind sees your hero bending projectiles in 360 bullet time cutting concentric circles through the air and into their pulsating gauntlet - but your capabilities could translate onto the screen as a blank firing from a gun and a well placed/shot firecracker exploding in the receivers glove as they close their hand. Etc, etc.
If you are going the way of the auteur there is no better advice than to write to what you have access to... either in resources or talent... or you will never get anything out there.
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it's a new superhero so the audience is discovering the powers at the same time as the hero. That's why they're active armor all the time. (edited this sentence, I see in your quote i misspoke )
There is a moment of drama and fear when the gun is pulled and it's only because the armor is automatic that it saves the hero
There is a moment of drama and fear when the gun is pulled and it's only because the armor is automatic that it saves the hero
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Good, less SFX work. Even better then to go with a practical prop until its time for it to pop.
Cool, makes sense in your context, but I wasn't privvy. And still by no means indicates that "If you need to be voluntary with armor that defeats half the purpose" which I hope I demonstrated was nary the case in the super hero world at large.
Wrapping up here I think you should consider my concerns and suggestions for your project. Pick a scene and make a short. Listen I know I may not have 'expert' in my forum name or anything, but I just may know a thing or two.
I genuinely want you to realize some portion of this project so you are empowered to move forward in the best possible way, with the best odds of seeing completion. Who knows, you may have a year of reassessing in your future so better to knock something small out first to let that stuff come to light. It will be like filmschool except you wont spend a lot of money... oh and you'll actually learn stuff.
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I've got some red gloves, I'll take a picture of myself go into color grading and attempt to crush the red color into pitch black.
If I can pull that off then I've got my special effect.
And yeah you made a good point about colossus having to turn his armor on.
Also I should add.. the vast majority of the special effects shots, including the bullet curving, won't take place for another year. I have to film the first parts as a fat cop and then lose a bunch of weight before the others.
If I can pull that off then I've got my special effect.
And yeah you made a good point about colossus having to turn his armor on.
Also I should add.. the vast majority of the special effects shots, including the bullet curving, won't take place for another year. I have to film the first parts as a fat cop and then lose a bunch of weight before the others.
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Well just a brief update.. I had some red gloves here so I did a quick test with them. i'm white so I have too much of a red tone to my skin apparently and it was not effective at all.
looking at the color wheel i can see why green or blue is an ideal choice.
looking at the color wheel i can see why green or blue is an ideal choice.
I didn't get any help on this one eh? Can't win em all.
Well for the record it's velvet. Velvet is the darkest available.
I think it ended up looking pretty good!
Check out how black the gloves are. They pop and look dangerous.
