Post Production: Effects & Compositing

Effects and Compositing are the arts of blending together multiple video sources to create a single shot. For example a model aeroplane superimposed over an artificially created landscape with special effects smoke from it's engines. Or removing wires from a shot.

Special Effects

Even a simple short promotional movie may have a number of subtle effects such as a lighting effect, adding a reflection, removing something from the shot. Some of the subtle special effects used in commercial film production:

Green Screen

The actor/talent is shot in front of a green screen. During post production this green background is replaced with another background making it look like the talent is actually in this alternative background location.

Stop Motion Animation

Items in the shot are moved by hand and then a single frame is recorded. The items are then moved a tiny bit more and another frame is recorded. When the frames are played back in sequence at 25 frames per second, it creates the illusion that the items are animated and moving.

Go Motion Animation

Moving objects/people are filmed using a time lapse camera filming one shot at regular intervals. This is a great way of providing a sense of motion that is often missing from classic stop motion animation.

2.5D animations

A flat 2D image is cut into sections and those sections are moved independently of each other in a 3D space to create a sense of depth. This gives the name 2.5D as it's more than 2D but less than 3D. This great effect adds a real punch to a scene.

Adding Titles & Credits

The opening titles and closing credits of a movie are important. They often convey the really important contact information as well as help establish brand identity, for example when your logo is placed as a splash screen at the start of a short movie.

Graphic Animations

Graphical animations are a great way to explain a complex process or information in a way making it easy for the viewer to understand.

Picture In Picture

Popularised by the telivision series 24, starring Kiefer Sutherland, this technique involves showing multiple pictures on the screen at the same time.

Time Remapping

This is when the flow of time is changed so that time is ramped up or slowed down and even reversed. This is different from timelapse filming which is more akin to stop frame photography. When used in a subtle way it can really improve action sequences.