AFX219 – After Effects Project The Trailer, Part 2

On May 20, 2020

Release date:2012, July 6

Author:https://www.fxphd.com/details/336/

Skill level:Beginner

Language:English

Exercise files:Yes

This course continues the work on our fictional trailer “Chutes and Ladders,” a creative concept that has a bit of a laugh with some of Hollywood’s current offerings. For this course, the profs and members will be creating effects, character animation, and doing the final grade on our :30 trailer promoting the fictional movie. As a stark contrast to giant killer robots — or battleships — New York City is “invaded” by giant smiling cardboard cutout characters who build ladders between buildings and run slides to the street.

Leading the course as co-director is Danny Princz, a NYC-based After Effects artist. Joining him are Michelle Higa and Chris West. Danny Princz (http://vimeo.com/rendernyc) is a freelance VFX/Mograph Artist based in NYC. He also directs and VFX supervises many of his projects. Danny was literally “born into the business” and was creating motion graphics for television by the time he was 7 years old. He has over 20 years of firsthand, inside experience in the commercial and broadcast post production industry.

Table of Contents

CLASS 1: OVERVIEW AND PROJECT SETUP
Organization is key to any project. We start with a brief overview and project setup then dive in to creating our UFO and game spinner Shots. Using the tools in After Effects CS6 we build the UFO and find simple and creative ways to add detail and scale
CLASS 2: CHARACTER ANIMATION, PART 1
With the technical foundation of the animation rig laid in AFX218, Michelle Higa will be concentrating on the performance of the characters. Built using only After Effects default plug-ins and some handy expressions, this rig will allow for greater performance of the characters, allowing members to focusing on the details and bringing out the subtleties that bring the characters to life.
CLASS 3: CHARACTER ANIMATION, PART 2
We create a full body inverse kinematics (IK) rig for the ladder climbers. Additionally, we will import the head rig from Class 02 and go over how to update the expressions when dealing with importing rigs.
CLASS 4: CHARACTER ANIMATION, PART 3
The IK and head rigs created earlier finally gets put to work climbing our ladders. We create two ladder climbers and go over a couple background characters as well.
CLASS 5: EMPIRE STATE BUILDING
Chris West takes over, building the penultimate scene of the helicopter shot of the Empire State Building.
CLASS 6: EMPIRE STATE BUILDING SCENE CONTINUED
Including integrating the title graphics designed by Lloyd Alvarez.
CLASS 7: COMPOSITING
Danny Princz integrates the character animation.
CLASS 8: SKY REPLACEMENT
Mark Christiansen prepares a sky replacement plate for an homage to the iconic Independence Day saucer shot.
CLASS 9: SKY REPLACEMENT CONTINUED
Mark Christiansen continues with simulating a cloud tank.
CLASS 10: FINISHING IN AE
Using the rough cut and shots covered in previous classes with different scripts and workflows to speed up the process. Setting up the shots using built in and 3rd party effects to achieve different looks.