Compositing Project 1

Los Angeles, CA. "Apparently, my future self sent a Terminator back in time to protect my company!" This is the claim of Wally Amos, the founder of Famous Amos cookies. Weekly World News has found out why Famous Amos is still around and why his cookies are so good.

"My future self," says Amos "went through some rough time with my cookie company. Determined to make it no matter what, he sent a Terminator back in time with a recipe from the future in order to secure the company. Just ask the Terminator yourself!"

After having this discussion with Famous Amos, Weekly World News decided to sit down and interview the Terminator himself to figure out all of the details behind this amazing story.

Weekly World News: Please sit down and tell us of your amazing journey from the future to our time and please explain why you came back for Famous Amos.

Terminator: I will not sit down. My mission is to make cookies.

WWN: Oh, okay, well then please continue to make cookies and explain to us why you're here.

T: I am here to ensure the survival of the Famous Amos cookie company and to make the most delicious cookies the world has ever known.

WWN: Why have you come back in time to help the company? Was there some sort of fall out in the future?

T: Thirteen years from now there is an over saturation in the cookie industry. There are hundreds of companies all trying to out sell each other. Famous Amos was one of these companies. Eventually, mankind grows a distaste for all cookies except for one company, Charlie's Cookies. Charlie's Cookies caused all of the other cookie companies to fail. Famous Amos realized in order for him to stay famous and have his company come out on top, he would have to send me back in time with the ultimate cookie recipe.

WWN: Where did this amazing cookie recipe come from?

T: Once Famous Amos realized that a recipe needed to be sent back in time, he reprogrammed me to go to Charlie's Cookies and steal the recipe. I was then instructed to come back to this time and cook Charlie's Cookies for Famous Amos and have him claim them as his own. This would ensure that Famous Amos would win in the future cookie war.

WWN: Why are you cooking the cookies? Why did you not just give the Charlie's Cookies recipe to Famous Amos?

T: It is one of my mission parameters.

WWN: I don't understand.

Famous Amos: I think I can help explain this.

WWN: Please, go ahead.

FA: The reason the Terminator will not give the recipe to me is because I might be tempted to sell it off. If the Terminator is the only one in this time who knows the recipe, then it's safe. The Terminator can't be bargained with, it can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity or remorse and it absolutely will not stop, ever until Famous Amos is the only cookie company left in the world.

WWN: Wow, it sounds like you've a pretty full proof plan on how to make stay a float in the cookie world?

FA: Well, I can't take all the credit, it's really my future self! By the way have a cookie!

WWN: Don't mind if I do.

The cookie that Famous Amos gave to Weekly World News was in fact the best cookie that we've ever tried. It was rich and moist with just the right amount of chocolate chips. The only draw back is that now that we've had one we want another. Each day we want more and more of those delicious, amazing, addicting cookies...mmmm.

This is the view of everything in shake. The main image for the newspaper was done completely in shake. It would have been easier, by far, to do this type of compositing in Photoshop, but for the sake of learning, I stuck to staying in shake.

This is a detailed view of my tree in shake. Finding my way from branch to branch was a bit difficult at first, especially when I didn't have a middle mouse button, but I was able to get used to manipulating an image this way. I tried all kinds of different nodes to see what each does.

Here is a view of just the image made in Shake.

I decided to take a picture of my 12" Terminator figure using the green screen partially because I couldn't wait to use the screen and also because I knew it would be easier when making the matte. The Terminator that I used is articulated at every joint in almost the same way that a human moves. Without this, I would not have been able to make this image.

This is the full sized cookie sheet that I brought it and shot against a blue screen.

I decided to make real cookies for the shot. They really didn't come out looking the way that I wanted to in the final image. It is mainly because I still don't know everything about Shake. It would not have been a problem in Photoshop.

I found this image of a kitchen with an oven on the internet. The quality and perspective are the reasons why I choose this image.

After doing the main image in Shake, I decided to do the paper design in Photoshop. The limitation of Shake had a lot to do in the decision to use Photoshop this way.

This is a picture of the real Famous Amos that I was going to use as a lay over image in the final paper. I decided instead to use this image in the background of the kitchen, to help show that the Terminator was cooking in the right place.

Overall, the project was fun. I liked my idea and it came to me as soon as I read what we were going to be doing. I know that once I get used to Shake making an image like this will be quicker and easier. Knowing Photoshop as well as I do, helped with making this image, but if I was given an option, I would use Photoshop to make this image.