Yoni Hong - VFX Compositing

Hi everyone! I'm very excited to submit my first entry for The Rookies. I'm from South Korea and have been living in Cologne, Germany for a few years. I just graduated from PIXL VISN Media Arts Academy as a Compositing Artist. I hope you enjoy my graduate demo projects and let's goooo!

Keying and Color Grading

I wanted to practice greenscreen shots and color grading skills; the idea of shooting a person and putting them in a 3D environment fascinated me. Also, since I heard that these kinds of tasks are mainly what junior compositors do, I decided to start with these projects.

As a hobby, I regularly go boxing, and the aesthetic of a boxing gym with punching bags, metal chains, and a boxing ring has always appealed to me. So, I integrated those elements into my 3D environment concept. For the first project, I built a hallway with punching bags in a gym, and for the second project, I created a rather empty boxing hall with a boxing ring.

First, I created concepts for 3D environments and collected various reference photos for architecture, lighting, textures, etc. I aimed for the 3D environments to appear realistic to seamlessly merge with the footage I shot with models.

As the second step, I shot the model with matching lighting to the 3D environment.

After that, I began the compositing work in Nuke, including keying and color grading. It was a lot of fun merging real footage with 3D rendered sequences and also matching colors to make it appear as if the model is in that environment.

These projects taught me tons about keying, color grading, and nailing camera perspectives, settings, and composition. It was an amazing learning experience!

Paint-Out, Keying and Color Grading

As a film lover, the idea of swapping out the actor from an original scene and crafting a new short story thrilled me. I have a special admiration for Danny Boyle's Scottish film 'Trainspotting,' especially the scene where the main character dances in a club with dynamic lighting from various angles.

I was eager to recreate a similar scene because I knew the lighting would make color grading a real challenge. Embracing this challenge, I began searching for the perfect backplate to bring my vision to life.

This project taught me how to efficiently plan my workflow. Having a clear vision of the shot made it much easier to decide where to paint out and where to leave untouched. The color grading process was challenging but also a lot of fun, especially as I figured out the lighting sources.

CG Integration

This project was like a thrilling adventure waiting to happen, and teaming up with animator extraordinaire Momoko Zahner made it even more exciting! Together, we dove into the world of CG integration, learning the ropes of teamwork and honing our communication skills along the way. From getting the hang of camera tracking to matte painting for backgrounds and seamlessly blending CG Dragon into real-life footage, every step was an fun journey of discovery!

Thanks a bunch for checking out my entry! And a huge shoutout to all the awesome folks who lent a hand along the way. Special thanks to Calvin Gotta – you've been an absolute rockstar of a mentor throughout this journey!