After Effects Animation Tutorial

A good tutorial about animating a sky in your video in AE.

http://tv.adobe.com/#vi+f1524v1022

And here's one detailing the Write-on effect for achieving a handwritten look to your compositions.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/917560/lets_learn_after_effects_the_write_on_effect/

Animated Bevel Text Effect
http://tv.adobe.com/#vi+f1520v1013

Peace Corp Ad

Students:

Please post your most recent version of the Peace Corp ad to the blog before the start of class this week.

Text Animation in After Effects

Follow the link for a good tutorial on animating script text in Adobe After Effects.
http://www.layersmagazine.com/animated-handwriting-in-after-effects.html
click here

Good & Bad Lighting

Bad Lighting

In the 1960's movie The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, the intent was to make spooky lighting. However, the shadows are so intense and unnatural that its hard to not to pay attention to them. Sometimes it doesn't even make sense as to WHERE the lighting is coming from, especially when the flashlight is rapidly moving around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufUgq1WQilQ

Good Lighting

Singin' in the Rain uses lighting that is so subtle and natural looking that if you pause the movie

at any time, it looks like beautiful Renaissance oil painting. Even though Gene Kelly is dancing

in the rain, at night, with an umbrella, there are no harsh reflections and it looks just like how real

rain would look at night under street lights.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmCpOKtN8ME

Lighting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_MHeHZ9d8Y&feature=related

The lighting in this movie has terrible lighting for most of the film but especially this scene alone. The shadows are too harsh and not realistic determining that they are in the car and the moon is the source of light which does not light inside of the car from where it is in the sky. The lighting is very bad in itself, sometimes you cannot de-picture what is going on because you cannot see, given it is trying to be a "scary" movie it is not given justice on lighting what should be lit. There is a random orange light that comes in and out, which I am guessing maybe streetlights that they are driving under but at times the become overpowering by blinding the scene and end up being distracting while the action in the scene is distracting already enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OEJhgonx4Q&feature=related

In the first picture alone there is amazing lighting contrast between the sky, the earth and human objects. Sets a clear picture and clear tone with a beautiful image to set the mood of the picture. The lighting contrast between the dark sky and the white snow is visually pleasing to the eye and completely lights up the screen. It sets a very emotional tone of purity for the picture. When edward is in the bedroom trying to fall asleep at night and the room is lit by the fish lamp from the tanks and the moving stars surrounding him, the room is lit perfectly of what the natural light would be as if it was in a real house. You can always tell where the sun is coming from in each scene of the movie depicted by the shadows and lighting contrast. An extreme example of this would be when edward is getting arrested and the usage of shadows within the scene showing where the spot light is from the cop cars and lighting of his contours giving him a shadow like appearance. And again when he is carving the sculpture. The contrast of the dark night with the ice stands out alone but while adding the moon light gives the scene a dramatic feeling.