special effects generators?

[Ed Smith]

I'm thinking of creating a 'high tech movie' (like matrix), and wondered how they created the number generators, or how I could go about creating these sorts of effects my self (writing looking as if it was being typed on the screen, video masks etc, etc).

Any one tried this?

Is there a special program which will make it easier?

Any think would help?

I’m using Premiere 6 and Photoshop 6

All the best,

Ed Smith

[Rob Lohman]

They probably made there own font and animated that, probably
with a self written script in a 3D application (or 2D).

[Chris Hurd]

Nearest thing I can think of would be Adobe After Effects. But there is a bit of a learning curve. You'd have to invest some time to become proficient at it but it will do things like this (motion graphics of this type, etc.). Hope this helps,

[Adrian Douglas]

I'll let you in on a little secret, well not really, a hundred million or so Japanese know about it. The font used in the Matrix is actually Japanese Katakana script.

If you go to my website there's a cool PC(sorry Mac crew) Matrix screen saver written by a friend of mine you can download. It's all falling code and looks really good.

I remember a few years ago in Australian Video Camera Magazine there was a tutorial on how to do that effect in AE. I've got the mag back in Australia. Damn my lack of teleportation powers.

Adobe After Effects is the program to use. In fact, I think one of the training lessons on Adobe Studio is the Matrix letter effect you mention. Not hard at all. AE is the best software written that I have encountered. Make sure to buy the Trish Meyer book on Creating Motion Graphics. Both are good ebay buys.

Now if you're talking about the bullet-speed effects in the Matrix, that's a whole different story....you can, though, do simple green-screens with AE. Hope that helps.

I forgot to mention that it's AE 5.5 that has the easiest way to do animated screen writing (for example, if you wanted to make it look like someone was magically painting letters on the screen). Not impossible with earlier versions, just easier with 5.5 depending on what you want to do. Also, if you're serious about green screens and the like, you'll need the AE production bundle.


(How nice to be able to contribute to this board in an area I actually know something about, instead of my usual grasping for novice help in the audio and camera areas ;-)

[Adrian Douglas]

All contrubitions and questions are welcomed madeline. The dumb question is the one that isn't asked.

[Casey Visco]

The combustion guy has to add his two cents:

If you're inclined to look into the Discreet family of products (makers of Inferno, the software that was used to create many of the effects in the Matrix)...their Combustion software includes a preset in it's a particle library that does the actual Matrix falling letter effect...and its fully tweakable to your needs. Again, like After Effects though, it has a learning curve.

[Ed Smith]

Cheers guys for your info,

Since Combustion and AE are a lot of ££££, I was wondering whether there is any simple plug in for Premiere 6 or Photoshop. Although I feel I would probably have to invest in AE in the future.

How do they make these interactive jazzed up programs. i.e. if the camera is filming someone at a computer, and they are trying to hack into the FBI, how do the film studios go about creating these elaborate programs?

Thanks for all your help,

Ed Smith


I'm downloading the screensaver right a way, Adrian!!!

[Adam Lawrence]

Ed.

is that a scene you are trying to accomplish?

well.....once you learn After Effects. you can create a animated type of
interface and animate the usabilty. then in after effects you can place that on top of the computer screen and adjust perspective, scale, color, opacity ect. to make it look realistic like its on the monitor..pretty primitive once you get down to basics. Ive done something similar before and i made all my interface components in Illustrator and put them together in After Effects to be animated.

theres so much you can do with After Effects. this is something very possible and fun you can do with the program.

[Ed Smith]

I haven’t got a scene as yet, but wondered when the time comes if there was a way to do these types of effects, and what the best way would be of doing them with out costing the earth.

But I'm beginning to think that I will have to invest in after effects eventually.

Thanks for your input _Redone_

Is there a demo available for after effects?

All the best,

Ed Smith

AE tryout -- they're usually 30 day affairs, but I don't know whether you can actually save your work in the tryout version.

http://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/tryreg.html

One way of making things cheaper is to purchase an older version (such as 4.1) on ebay, etc.

...And here's the matrix title sequence project I mentioned earlier.

http://www.aefreemart.com/speceff/speceff.html

(It's under 'particle playground')

[Bill Ravens]

You might find this tutorial of interest. I think this is what you're asking about.
Hope it helps...
http://www.digitalvideoediting.com/Htm/DVEditHomeSet1.htm

[Ed Smith]

Cheers people, I'm looking into it.

The tutorial on digitalvideoediting.com, was very helpful.

Found an old Demo version of AE on a CD I bought with a magazine, I think I'll try this first be for I spend hours downloading.

Are you able to download filter plugins for premiere? Does any one know where I can get hold of even more, than the ones which are already supplied with premiere?


Thanks again,

Ed