Simple Motion Effects

Effects Comments (1)

A motion effect changes the size, shape, opacity, duration, position of your video, image, text or graphic in your projects.  Motions effects are relatively easy in most Non-Linear Editors.  I’m not going to discuss the how of motion effects.  Instead I’m going to focus on why I did certain motion effects in this story.

Our story for this post is We haven’t heard that word in forever on my YouTube site.

The first shot [:00] in the story is Garrett shooting a basketball around in an empty gym.

You’ll notice a slow push in on the shot.  The photographer didn’t shoot that.  I did that in post.  Why?  I want to pull you into the story, visually, symbolically, any way I can think of.  I change the scale from 100% at the start of the clip to 130%.  130% of the original resolution is about the maximum you want to scale video nowadays, especially HD.

The next shot [:07] is that of the scoreboard.

On this shot I start the scale at 125% and create a slow zoom in to 100% scale.  I’ve also changed the speed to 75%. I also took the shot while it was still blurry.  I liked the way the light coming from the scoreboard blends with the silhouette shot of garret playing basketball.  The cross dissolve between the two shots is 4 seconds.

The next shot [:11] is a super tight shot of the scoreboard rotated -30 degrees.

It also starts at 130% and I scale it back to 100%.  I copied and pasted the motion attributes from the previous motion effect to save time.

Something to think about when you are creating a motion effect.  Think backwards.  Think about what you want the effect to be at the end of the clip.  Do you want to zoom in, zoom out, change the duration.  In each of these cases I think about the last frame before I decide what to do with the first frame of the clip.

The next time I do a motion effect [:27] is between George Carl sound bites.

I change the speed of this clip.  The real reason, the shot doesn’t last as long as I want it, so I slow down the speed to 50%.

Back to Garret Playing Basketball, back to me with a slow zoom in [:55].  Again just trying to pull you into the story.  I don’t want it to be always so obvious I’m doing this.

This scale from 100% to 115%.  It’s subtle.  The viewer barely notices it.

Another subtle scaling from 100% to 120% [1:31]

Another subtle scaling from 100% to 120% on this interview [1:42]

I like zooming in on moments of emotion or revelation in soundbites.

This story was video light. I didn’t have much time to work on it either.  So I use what I have and get creative when I needed to. The reporter talks about the doctor’s office.  This is video I don’t have.  So, I change the speed of this video to 33%.

Why?  I know where I want my shot to end, right when the camera is up close in his face.

I want the shot to start right as the camera stabilizes and the photographer is just past his light stands in the shot.  Using fit to fill it calculates 33% speed.

The next shot

Same logic.  I know I want to end when the camera is in focus.  I know I want to start while the shot is still blurry.  I fit to fill for a 50% velocity.

Many times in editing I think about where the shot ends more than where the shot starts.

These a motion effects that are quick and easy.  Great to use when under a deadline and you have a 4 minutes plus story to keep the viewer engaged in.

shawnmontano @ March 11, 2010