Practical Motion Background Workshop

Discover how to combine footage of everyday objects with effects in post-production tools like After Effects and Premiere Pro, resulting in projects with rich, abstract backdrops.

Motion graphics production isn't limited to the digital world. This course takes you back into the studio to create custom motion backgrounds. Learn about lighting, staging, and filming everyday objects, which become an interesting, naturalistic footing for your motion effects. Author Rich Harrington shares techniques he uses in his own studio, RHED Pixel, to capture this footage and combine it with effects in popular postproduction tools like Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, resulting in rich, abstract backdrops for your project.

This course was created and produced by Rich Harrington. lynda.com is proud to host this content in our library.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you should know before watching this course
• Using the exercise files

1. The Technique in Brief

• Overview: Shoot, blend, stylize, and loop

2. Gathering Source Materials

• Camera suggestions for background plates
• Working with turntables, tanks, and backdrops
• Choosing objects to shoot for background plates

3. Set the Stage

• Lighting the scene
• Staging for safety
• On-set monitoring
• Choosing a frame rate

4. Shooting Techniques

• Creating dancing shadows
• Racking focus
• Shooting through objects
• Incorporating flat spins and revolutions
• Marking a loop
• Shooting liquid pours and ink chambers

5. Get Organized for Post

• Trimming the slop with subclips
• Trimming using looping points
• Making self-contained files
• Prepping footage for After Effects

6. Creating Backgrounds with Adobe After Effects

• Building a composition
• Using blending modes for design
• Looping the background
• Coloring the background
• Exploring stylizing techniques
• Rendering the background

7. Creating Backgrounds in a Nonlinear Editing Tool

• Using Premiere Pro to make looping backgrounds
• Using Final Cut Pro X to make looping backgrounds

Conclusion

• Goodbye