Is this effect possible in Motion 5? (with example)

[Simon Ubsdell]

You might want to try out the Trails filter available under in the Time filters folder.

Maybe reverse your shot, apply the trails filter and then reverse it back the right way?

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

[David Eaks]

I really don’t think it was a simple plugin effect, but a whole bunch of creative decisions made in post. While there probably wasn’t a lot of highly advanced technology involved, it is definitely the techniques and the creative talent of the editor that makes the effect attractive to your taste.

To get a better look at the effect, I recorded playback on my iPad screen with the slow-mo video mode on my iPhone. It looks to me like there are four main aspects to it, three still frames and the following video clip.

The first still frame is the artist looking forward singing into the mic, the image begins enlarged and has the main long trails as it moves down and left to actual size and fades out. The second still is the artist with his head cocked to his right and positioned closer to the end point of the movement (down and left). Its motion is very slightly delayed from the first and has nearly identical movement/blur. These two together give the feel of actual head movement “with” the movement of the effect in general, like he’s being pulled into himself, but it’s stills. As this first part of the effect finishes it dissolves to a third still frame of the artist looking up singing into the mic. This still begins with the blurred trails that move up this time, maybe looks more like a blurred light rays type of effect that is reduced ending with the unblurred still frame. Similarly, the difference in head position combined with blur and trails lend the feel of human movement, again, it stills. As the effect on the third still finishes, it dissolves to the actual video clip of the artist performing and he kind of walks out from behind the final still.

I don’t think the still frames were necessarily from that particular moment in time of the song, but were chosen for the expressions of the artist and scale/positioned to line up with the artist in the video clip. Surely there are some blend modes involved, cropping or masks, maybe a global blur/light rays/trails that reduces throughout the entire effect and of course the audio, as always, has a great deal of influence on the feel of the effect. Where the first lyric, I, audibly matches the feel of the ghostly trails effect. Then the lyric “see” hits just after the effect ends and the artists arm movement emphasizes the delivery (which I’m not convinced that the video clip is actually from that point of the song either but again chosen for the artists expression to enhance the effect).

Hope this helps, if nothing else I enjoyed attempting to pick it apart.