Okay Geek Farm
The Secret Behind Small Budget Filmmaking
Nick Mahar
The Academy Awards were on last night and Avatar was highlighted for its extraordinary innovations within technology. I am an independent filmmaker and I'm often asked how I do my special effects. Generally, I use professional programs like Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects, however I also use third party plug-ins and a very special website that can help any indie filmmaker look like a pro. Tons of web sites have tutorials on how to do this but Video Copilot has many extra plug-ins alongside their extensive After Effects tutorials. Their array of programs cover all aspects of post-production within 13 awesome add-ons...
Video Copilot add-ons include:
- Series One DVD
- Serious FX Training
- The Bullet
- Pro Scores
- Designer Sound FX
- Video Streams HD
- Real Clouds
- Evolution
- Riot Gear
- Action Essentials 2 720p/2K
- Film Magic Pro
- Twitch
- Optical Flares Bundle
All of these programs cover any aspect of post-production and help enhance any little film. I will be focusing on the Serious FX Training, Action Essentials 2, and the brand new, Optical Flares Bundle.
Serious FX
Serious FX is a simple video training bundle for After Effects including over 3 hours of training video in the application. The set teaches you how to edit green screen, create explosions, and gun flashes. Serious FX is a must for anyone who wants to learn the basics and advance techniques of the After Effects. It is much like the Series One DVD except the Series One tutorials are all online for free already. The packages is only $49 and will help you with your future work with After Effects.
Action Essentials 2
Gun shots, explosions, fire, dirt hits, blood, you name it, Action Essentials 2 has everything you need to make your next big action flick. With enhaced 2K quality, the program will help make it seem like your movies have real weapons. The packages includes 14-23 GBs of footage, all on standard DVDs. There are over 500 pre-keyed HD elements, over 60 minutes of training, 20 bonus sounds, and more effects than Action Essentials 1.
The new package is great because it includes glass breaks, more fire, more smoke, and now bullet shells. Action Essentials 2 can make any small short film in a back yard, into a full blow warzone. It's only $99.95 for the 720P bundle, and $249.95 for the 2K version. The 2K versions is extremely high quality but worth it if you are shooting 1080i or film.
Optical Flares
If you have ever watched a rap music video and see a club or party scene, they usually are pointing the lights directly at the camera. Optical flares are what you see when lights are pointed directly at the lens and the light "flares". Most music videos nowadays use this to create cool looking parties. Shots of concerts also include many light flares due to the amount of lights pointed at the camera. The package is great for 3D animation, motion graphics, commercials, music videos, transitions, and special effects. It was even used on the recent Star Trek DVD release commercial. There are also many free tutorials on the website and included in the purchase. This bundle runs about $124.95 but you can purchase an additional 50 presets for $25.00. If you choose to buy both at the same time, like I did, it's only $139.95 and worth every penny. This will help your videos shine better than ever before.
Nabbing up everything Video Copilot has to offer will you put you back a total of $499.95 - 5 cents shot of 500 bones. This deal is only valid if you purchase the Ultimate 10-Pack but it saves you over $295! All of the programs Video Copilot offer are worth it and I hope you can use some of these tools to enhance your next film the same way I have.
Here is an example of what you can make with all these tools:
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