Literary Master: Starting with Refusing to Be a Child Star

Chapter 148 Professional Issues

As preparations for "2001: A Space Odyssey" entered their third month.

A disagreement has arisen.

The second version of the concept design document sent by the visual effects team showed significant differences in the presentation of the "Stargate Passage" scene compared to the first version. The core point of contention was that the visual effects team proposed a fully CG solution, suggesting that the scene be built entirely in post-production. Their reasoning was that the combination of live-action and CG limited the freedom of camera movement, and that some shots showed visual inconsistencies after compositing during testing.

The initial storyboard design was based on the premise of combining live-action shooting with CG. If the direction is changed, it means that the creative team needs to re-evaluate the production process, adjust the shooting plan, and reassess the budget accordingly.

Luo Jinnian did not reply immediately when he received the proposal.

He first placed the two versions of the plan side by side—the initial combined plan and the second full CG plan—and compared the cost estimates, production cycles, and technical implementation difficulties of each key shot. Then he sent an email to the visual effects team, with concise wording: "The test results of the full CG plan have been received. Please provide the comparative data of the combined plan under the same test conditions, including the specific frame ranges and attribution analysis of inconsistencies in the compositing process. No directional adjustments will be made until the data is aligned."

Meanwhile, Director Qin also encountered a problem. The physical model studio responsible for the interior modules of the space station discovered during the production phase that, within the 1:1 scale model based on the design drawings, a section of wall structure about 40 centimeters long would consistently appear at the edge of the frame in several key shots, even when using mainstream wide-angle lenses. They sent a supplementary explanation, along with photos of the model's interior and corresponding camera compositions, suggesting that the thickness of that section of wall be reduced to about half of the original design.

Luo Jinnian visited the physical model studio, examined the actual structure of the model on-site, measured the occlusion range of that section of wall under several key camera positions, and confirmed the specific degree of visual interference. He then said, "The thinning solution is feasible, but the structural strength of the back of the wall needs to be recalculated. If the thinning affects the support, reinforcement will need to be added to the other side, and then we will assess whether it will cause new occlusion to other camera positions." After listening, the studio manager made a mark on the model drawings.

There was another detail that needed coordination during that period: the timeline management between the initial storyboard design and the post-production special effects needed to be more accurately aligned.

The visual effects team requested that the delivery dates for certain key scenes be brought forward. Upon receiving the request, Luo Jinnian compared the current shooting schedule and post-production cycle, adjusting the start dates of the corresponding milestones to slightly offset the visual effects team's delivery dates from the shooting schedule. After confirming the adjustment plan, he updated the corresponding dates in the internal workflow and sent them to the relevant teams in the order of the milestones.

All feedback and adjustments are compiled into the project folder. The version number is accurately updated after each update, and the files are displayed in reverse chronological order without any confusion. The arc remains continuous, and at every measurement point on the trajectory, it points to a direction that has been verified in testing and can withstand the expected load.

After receiving confirmation of the thinning plan, the physical model studio completed the adjustment and reinforcement of the wall structure within ten days.

They sent a test report, along with several test photos taken after the camera position was adjusted—the section of wall had been moved out of the edge of the key shot's frame, and the reinforcement had not created any new obstructions. At the end of the report was a handwritten note: "The structural strength test data after thinning is basically the same as the original design, meeting safety standards."

Luo Jinnian finished reading the report but did not reply. He archived the report in the project folder and marked it as "completed" in the corresponding taskbar.

Meanwhile, the visual effects team sent back comparative test data for the combined solution. The file package contained the results of troubleshooting the "visual inconsistency after compositing" phenomenon in the previous footage—the problem mainly occurred in the transition frames of two specific camera positions, because the color temperature of the lighting during the shooting of those two shots differed significantly from the color temperature of the composite background.

They provided a solution: adjusting the lighting parameters of the two shots and adding an auxiliary light source in the foreground that matches the background color temperature would solve the problem, without needing to switch to a full CG solution.

Luo Jinnian reviewed the analysis data and wrote in the modification notes: "Keep the combined solution and implement the revised solution. The full CG solution is an alternative." He then forwarded the notes to the relevant team.

The visual effects team then sent a pre-visualization test video, about ninety seconds long, which was a fast-paced dynamic demonstration of the "Stargate Passage" scene. The video used low-resolution models to simulate the spatial changes as the camera passed through the stargate, moving from the external view of the spaceship into the passageway. The textures on the passageway walls exhibited directional flow in response to changes in light. The demo had no background music or sound effects, and the image quality was relatively basic, but the overall movement trajectory and the rhythm of spatial transitions already revealed a preliminary framework. After watching the demo, Luo Jinnian noticed that the flow direction of the passageway wall textures was rhythmically misaligned with the relative movement of the camera in some segments. In his feedback, he wrote, "The flow direction from the fourth to the seventh second needs to be resynchronized with the camera's movement speed; otherwise, it will cause a visual deviation in direction," and then sent the feedback back to the visual effects team.

Two weeks later, both sides were exhausted, and the adjustment was finally completed.

In the new demonstration video, the flow direction on the tunnel walls is realigned with the relative movement of the camera, eliminating the visual deviation in direction.

During this period, the good news is that online discussions about adapting "2001: A Space Odyssey" continue.

Some readers noticed that Luo Jinnian's social media account was updated on the same day with a post that wasn't about his artwork, but rather a photo of him viewing an exhibition at a city art museum, captioned with just two words: "Today." Comments in the comment section mentioned the project's progress, sparking a flurry of speculation.

This post was forwarded several times, and the focus of the discussion returned to the work itself.

Luo Jinnian placed his phone on the table, retrieved the current version of the storyboard document from the folder, opened it, and flipped to the last unfinished page. He added a new storyboard description at the top of the page. The description concerned the final external shot before the spaceship approached the stargate—the shooting distance and relative velocity parameters had already been calculated in the previous version; he only needed to confirm the feasibility of the perspective under current technological conditions. He added a parenthetical note next to the description, writing: "This shot aligns with the direction recently tested by the visual effects team. It can proceed to the next stage. Data for untested segments needs to be verified before the official filming."

He then closed the document and did not continue reading it that day.

Luo Jinnian organized the verified drawings into a single folder, saved the document, closed the current page, and began working on the next task that required calibration.