how to make a wall break? at DVinfo.net

George Logothetis · March 17th, 2009, 06:16 PM

Hallo all!!

Is there any preset or i have to compose my own wall?

I want to put a girl in the middle and just see the walls break (down or blown away).
Can I do this with layers and images? Or its only possible with 3d?

thanks in advance

George

Aric Mannion · March 18th, 2009, 09:21 AM

I would suggest constructing a miniature wall and blowing it out some how. Dust it with baby powder for a foggy after math. The point is to film every element needed in the shot except for the performer -keeping in mind where the performer is in the space, and what she does.
Once this is done you can look at the footage and see where and how she must react and film her with a green screen. The further from the "wall" she is the easier the composite will become.
In the final shot you can add digital fog over everything which will tie the image together as one.
Alternatively You could also play with the "shatter" effect in After Effects -which looks kind of fake. But if you are willing to have the shot rather short a sudden shatter effect and explosion may look real enough in a glance...

Shayne Weyker · March 18th, 2009, 09:59 AM

Lynda's excellent AE tutorials are here

Online Training - Tutorials - lynda.com

The essential training for CS3 has a one basic tut on the shatter effect and Beyond the Basics CS3 has a whole section on it. Not amazingly realistic, but pretty easy, flexible, and impressive.

And yes if you want the wall to blow up without the person in front of it blowing up then they'll need to be on seperate layers. Difference matte may be what you need in this case.

After Effects CS3

Free trial subscriptions to lynda.com are available, including (last I checked) a week-long one if you google around a bit.

--Shayne Weyker

George Logothetis · March 18th, 2009, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aric Mannion

I would suggest constructing a miniature wall and blowing it out some how. Dust it with baby powder for a foggy after math. The point is to film every element needed in the shot except for the performer -keeping in mind where the performer is in the space, and what she does.
Once this is done you can look at the footage and see where and how she must react and film her with a green screen. The further from the "wall" she is the easier the composite will become.
In the final shot you can add digital fog over everything which will tie the image together as one.
Alternatively You could also play with the "shatter" effect in After Effects -which looks kind of fake. But if you are willing to have the shot rather short a sudden shatter effect and explosion may look real enough in a glance...

Thanks! figured it out. Went gr8

Dan Quintero · March 19th, 2009, 04:53 PM

If you do it using a miniature, make sure to get an extreme depth of field and shoot it in slow motion. There's a whole load of things to consider when you shoot miniatures, most of which deal with how we interpret an objects size in relation to it's surroundings and movement. Two buildings, one large one small, with the same ratios, will fall to the ground at different speeds.

If you're just looking for a simple effect, find a wall texture and shatter it with CS3's plug-in/preset/thing'a'ma'jig.

March 17th, 2009, 06:16 PM	#1
George Logothetis Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Athens Greece / York UK Posts: 48	how to make a wall break? Hallo all!! Is there any preset or i have to compose my own wall? I want to put a girl in the middle and just see the walls break (down or blown away). Can I do this with layers and images? Or its only possible with 3d? thanks in advance George

March 18th, 2009, 09:21 AM	#2
Aric Mannion Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Boston, Massachusetts Posts: 616	I would suggest constructing a miniature wall and blowing it out some how. Dust it with baby powder for a foggy after math. The point is to film every element needed in the shot except for the performer -keeping in mind where the performer is in the space, and what she does. Once this is done you can look at the footage and see where and how she must react and film her with a green screen. The further from the "wall" she is the easier the composite will become. In the final shot you can add digital fog over everything which will tie the image together as one. Alternatively You could also play with the "shatter" effect in After Effects -which looks kind of fake. But if you are willing to have the shot rather short a sudden shatter effect and explosion may look real enough in a glance...

March 18th, 2009, 09:59 AM	#3
Shayne Weyker Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Columbia, Maryland Posts: 83	Lynda's excellent AE tutorials are here Online Training - Tutorials - lynda.com The essential training for CS3 has a one basic tut on the shatter effect and Beyond the Basics CS3 has a whole section on it. Not amazingly realistic, but pretty easy, flexible, and impressive. And yes if you want the wall to blow up without the person in front of it blowing up then they'll need to be on seperate layers. Difference matte may be what you need in this case. After Effects CS3 Free trial subscriptions to lynda.com are available, including (last I checked) a week-long one if you google around a bit. --Shayne Weyker

March 19th, 2009, 04:53 PM	#5
Dan Quintero Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: bend, oregon Posts: 32	If you do it using a miniature, make sure to get an extreme depth of field and shoot it in slow motion. There's a whole load of things to consider when you shoot miniatures, most of which deal with how we interpret an objects size in relation to it's surroundings and movement. Two buildings, one large one small, with the same ratios, will fall to the ground at different speeds. If you're just looking for a simple effect, find a wall texture and shatter it with CS3's plug-in/preset/thing'a'ma'jig.