Video fx test(1 for now, but will use this topic to add more)

Okay. Instead of creating a thread each time i make a video test, I am going to use this one, and add more video whenever I make it. Alot of times, i see a cool effect, and I would want to replicate it. So, yeah as you could guess, that is what I am doing now. In history class today, we saw the movie "The Patriot", since we are right at the American Revolution(sorry everyone in Britian). Anyway, I saw the effect of the guy getting his head blown off by a canonball. I thought it was pretty kool, and so did the rest of my class, based off all the clapping and such. I thought I would duplicate that effect. So i did. Using Windows movie maker, Adobe Imageready, and Debugmodes' Wax 2.0, I replicated this effect. Please tell me what you think. The one thing i dont like is that my head is too big when it comes off, that is why it would have been a better test if I used After Effects(my trial ended, ). PLease crit, and not on the camera quality

A few hundred kbs
.WMV format
download at http://www.freewebs.com/brucetfnicons/canonshotfinal.wmv


I uploaded a google video version of the video, but it is still processing.

 

Needs more careful masking, and motion blur. FYI, I think a cannon shot moves faster than that.

 

Thanks, I will take that into consideration. But what would you rate it as being my first attempt?

 

A 6. I mean you had the basic idea down. But I thought it seemed to lack a lot of effort and time.

 

Yeah, I kinda agree. I noticed on the final version that my fall was kinda delayed, like by a sec. The canon shot was actually a moving picture rendered in anim8or, no lighting or anything, just the cannonball was but on a bluebackground using imageready. My head was also anim8ted, and since I didnt use refs in anim8or, the head was too big. I should make another attempt, cause it it is a kool effect. I might also be able to still work on this attemp with the same files, just tweaking them a little. My other problem was the shots of the moving head/cannonball were rendered uncompressed, and the only way to view it properly was frame by frame. I didnt see the result untill the .wmv was finished.

 

Why does that cannonball remind me of a meatball? hmm...

 

Plus, your head inflates once it leaves your shoulders.

 

I dont have AE, and the trial ended, so I was stuck with anim8or and wax 2.0

 

I don't think that there should be any head left after a cannonball hits it. I mean, the force of the impact of the ball against a head would make it explode. Blood and brains everywhere. No head left.

SB

 

Finally, a new test. This is of me throwing a energy ball. I know I could have colored it, but I didnt use After Effects, and I didnt feel like it.
EDIT:Forgot to post the link.
http://www.freewebs.com/brucemurray/energyfeildtest1wmv.wmv

 

Great, now combine the two, next time throw an energy ball which blows the other dude's head off

 

The motion of the "ball" was good; lens flare (read: overdone) effect wasn't. It's understandable that you don't have AE; there's ways around this with plain photoshop. You've got the basic idea down, though. Keep working.

 

Wow... that loops, like, really, really well. Seriously. It's insane.

Oh, and I agree with Draco429...

 

The energy ball is ok. The first one is funny, but completely fake. And why is everything so dark? Get out of the house if you don´t have any lights.

 

It was filmed at night, so wether I went outside or inside, it would have still been dark. And thanks for the crits, and I am going to try a colored energy ball, that should work. And the reason I got good tracking was because I threw a baseball, and Michael Frisk helped me out a little over aim.

 

Okay, another energy ball test. I know the quality is really low, it is because of the lighting from where I filmed it. Please try to ignore that and crit on the energy ball itself. I know it jumps around a little, but keep in mind it was imageready/photoshop, not AE.
watch at http://www.freewebs.com/brucemurray/energyfeildtest2.wmv

 

Hm, it's just your standard lens flare. Anyone could do that, frankly. Try something painted if you're going to use Photoshop. Try doing something creative with cloud layers and transfer modes.

 

I kinda see what your getting at. Hows this?
[image=http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g308/brucem91/energytestballconcept.png]

 

Ooooh glowy ... like a miniature palantir

 

So is that good?

 

Well, it's certainly more creative than just animating a lens flare. Definitely a step in the right direction

 

It kinda reminds me of the mini-sun that doc ock was creating on spiderman two. I think it is great though, so after I create a action for it, i am going to add it to the first energy effect I made where I throw it.

 

New test. YAY. I got premeire and photoshop full versions, and so the first rather well test I made was a hologram with a person(me). I know that there is some fragments and stuff, but I didnt get the lighting right, and so I had to export to filmstrip and use the magic selector tool. I think it turned out great. And since I know how now, I should retry my other two effects(cannonball and energyball), but with premeire, and it should turn out waaaayyyy better. Well, ttyl. Here is the video link for the hologram test.
http://www.mnlan.net/view_video.php?viewkey=90ce0268229151c9bde1

 

Cool that you used the selector tool for keying.

Just some basic compositing stuff, really. You're a beam of light, and you're darker than the background. That's inaccurate, and a big part of selling the audience, or at least suspending their disbelief. When in doubt for how something should look on top of a background, if it's made of light, go with the "screen" blending mode and tweak the color and levels from there. You'll always be right.

Also, the hue of blue is too deep, push it a bit more into the cyan range.

 

You're not going to want to use magic select for keying, it simply does not work, try using "Color Range" from your select menu in photoshop.

Heres a very simple tutorial.