“Falling Skies” title breakup

[Stephen Smith]

I have never seen Falling Skies, is there a video of it you can post or can you post a link to somewhere like youtube?

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[Simon Ubsdell]

That looks as though it was done with lots of individual hand-made elements that are each used for one frame at a time to provide different kinds of break-up.

So for example you’ve got a random pattern of black rectangles which pops on for the odd frame here and there.

A similar random rectangular pattern is used as a mask for brightening or other color effects.

Another mask is used for adding scaled and/or repositioned versions of the main image back over the top of itself in small chunks.

And of course you’ve got the odd frame of TV glitch which you can easily add in Motion with the Bad TV filter.

So basically you need to sit down for a few minutes and go crazy making elements like this then you then use to create your own pattern of glitches – it’s good to have quite little bursts of one type of interference pattern.

It’s all about creating an interesting rhythm of interference events, albeit a random sort of rhythm.

Or a much simpler way which would save you the making of the elements would be to just add one frame bursts of the Bad TV effect with different settings, again in a random rhythmic pattern.

I hope that makes sense – this kind of sequence is really fun to do but as you can see it takes just a little time to get it looking as good as this.

Simon Ubsdell
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Simon Ubsdell]

And here’s another idea you can try in order to achieve the outgoing break-up that takes away the whole image.

Add the Dots Out Random Replicator to your project. Change the Replicator Cell from the default circle to your own narrow rectangle shape.

Then use this replicator as the source for an Image Mask of your entire master group.

You’ll need to play around with the replicator settings to get the right look (and make sure it covers your image in its initial state) and shorten it right down so it only lasts a few frames but it can be quite effective and will save you a lot of work.

You can also reverse it to use for the opening.

Simon Ubsdell
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Simon Ubsdell]

Here’s a quick test to show you some of those techniques in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFpQDVh6Rjw&feature=c4-overview&list=UU7c46tWEb2grLQ95OGLxBJQ

Simon Ubsdell
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Tim Wilde]

Excellent! Could you upload the project you created so I can see the details?

[Simon Ubsdell]

Here you go (it’s Motion 5):

6246_breakup.motn.zip

As I say, it was a very quick and dirty test so the project is a right old mess!

What I’d advise, if you want to use these techniques, is to pre-render a variety of elements and bring them back into a clean project, especially the replicator masks, as this will make it all much easier to handle.

Hope it’s helpful.

Simon Ubsdell
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Tim Wilde]

Thank you. I’ll study your attachment this evening. I’ve been working with Motion for only a few days so pardon my ignorance.

A promo email from MotionVFX arrived this afternoon, which prompted me to visit their site. There, I stumbled across this plug-in that seems to mostly duplicate Bad TV but also appears to include a hint the blocky artifacts you so astutely caught on to. IMHO, the latter are what differentiate the FS titles from the ubiquitous Bad TV effect.

[Tim Wilde]

Thank you for replying. Here’s a link.

[Simon Ubsdell]

[Tim Wilde] “A promo email from MotionVFX arrived this afternoon, which prompted me to visit their site. There, I stumbled across this plug-in that seems to mostly duplicate Bad TV but also appears to include a hint the blocky artifacts you so astutely caught on to. IMHO, the latter are what differentiate the FS titles from the ubiquitous Bad TV effect.”

I’m sure the MotionVFX plug-in is a good one – they do quality stuff generally. There are hundreds of glitch plug-ins out there right now – it’s an effect that’s in danger of being overexposed just like lens flares and light leaks.

If you’re looking for a quick fix then a plug-in is the way to go – but it can be a lot more fun making this stuff yourself and you can create something genuinely unique rather than the off-the-shelf look that everybody else is using.

Anyway, good luck with your project.

Simon Ubsdell
http://www.tokyo-uk.com

[Tim Wilde]

Simon, I agree wholeheartedly with the notion of devising effects on your own. If for no other reason, it’s a great way to truly learn and internalize Motion’s tools. Thank you very, very much for your help!