Course: Visual Effects for Guerrilla Filmmakers

After all that talk about Roto, it’s time to get back to the world of ideas, and think about how VFX can help. VFX gives the Blaine Brothers more choices …

We’ve probably got the automotive industry to thank for masking tools. In the 1950s and 60s mechanical engineers at Renault needed to accurately define the curvature of car parts and …

This week we’re exploring masking in more detail. In week 2 we briefly used masking to tidy up a green screen composite, but this week masking will form the basis …

This week we’re working on a guerrilla version of crowd replication, which MPC mentioned previously. You’ll find out how to take three actors and turn them into a large number …

Whilst we’re on the subject of software, it’s useful to think how far this changes not only the kinds of films we can make, but also how we think about …

You’ve started to use HitFilm and it’s a great way to start your journey into VFX; you don’t need any other software for this course. Here, HaZ talks through his …

We’re now moving from luma key- that technique that is as old as cinema itself- to the present day industry. However, the story that we share here can apply to …

Let’s move a world away from the blue screen excess of “Sky Captain”. We know it’s not always necessary to key on a colour. Atmospheric elements like smoke, clouds or …

This is a story of a time when many film executives thought totally keyed films were the future for the film industry. The mid-noughties were a time of experimentation with …

HaZ, as you’d expect from his background as a VFX Supervisor, has seen his fair share of big budget green and blue screen sets, and the problems they can throw …

There’ll come a time when you just can’t key an object. Either the background is just not distinct enough from the foreground, or maybe a fussy director wants you to …

Note: If you are of a nervous disposition you may want to only listen to this interview as there is a gory image from the Blaine Brothers’ feature Nina Forever …

Justin Hunt, the director of photography for our Guerrilla Diary sections, has been shooting green screens for years. In this video he shares some of his tips with us. To …

Now’s your chance to see what it’s like to comp a green screen clip. HitFilm expert Simon Jones, takes you through layering, keying and masking your shot, as well as …

It’s time to look at our Guerrilla Diary again. This week Justin Hunt of Ember films runs us through how he shot the elements you’ll be using next to create …