[Jeremy Brandt]

I just sent you a “friend request”. I can just share a link to the file in my Google Drive. It took a lot of searching before I found something useable, and I can’t even remember exactly where it was that I got it.

[Jeremy Brandt]

I did watch that tutorial and it wasn’t quite the look I needed. It’s a little tough to explain but the water simply rises. On stage just prior to the “flood” there are 2 benches and a statue. The projection screen will drop very quickly directly in front of the statue and benches and at the same time the projection will kick in. The only thing we’ll see in the projection is a replica of the statue and benches in the exact same location, as well as a picket fence far off in the background. The water level rises (doesn’t have to interact with anything on the set, but will probably need to be masked for some upstage scenery on the edges) to the top of the screen and those now digital benches will float up into the water, while behind the curtain the physical benches will be removed from the stage.
I ended up finding a decent water rising animation on a transparent background that seems to work in conjunction with some fractal noise and color grading.
While I do appreciate learning AE a little more in depth, I also appreciate a simple solution. Thanks for the feedback.