VFX Vlog #8 - Best use for VFX, After Effects Masks & Pre-Composing
How, why and when (not) to best use VFX for good storytelling? How to combine masks and effects in After Effects in the correct render order and how can pre-composing help you with that?
In today’s vlog I first discuss (rant about) VFX as a tool for storytelling as I feel it keeps getting abused as an excuse for a badly put together movie. If the budget is big enough it might not be a bad thing, but for indie film makers whether or not to use VFX should be a bigger consideration.
Does it advance the story? Do you need to show it? Can you create the same emotional impact without the VFX?
Don’t let anyone tell you what to do since some of the best movies ever made have broken all rules, but just think about whether you really need to create a VFX for your film project to tell a good story and get the point across. VFX are tools to be used, but beware using a screwdriver for a hammer!
You can read my thoughts on the topic of (mis)using VFX for storytelling on my website:
http://www.surfacedstudio.com/blog/vfx-vlog-8-visual-effects-for-storytelling
In the second part of the VFX vlog I talk about the render order in Adobe After Effects. After Effects renders your layers in a specific order. It also renders masks and effects on each layer in a particular order. Understanding this render order is imperative to achieving the results that you want.
Quite often you might want to apply some effects before applying masks. In these cases you will have to pre-compose your layer(s) with the desired effects – but without the masks – and then apply the masks to the pre-composed layer.
There is a detailed written tutorial discussing the importance of Render Order in Adobe After Effects on my website:
http://www.surfacedstudio.com/blog/after-effects-render-order
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VFX Vlog #8 - Best use for VFX, After Effects Masks & Pre-Composing
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