Jon Geddes
Forum Replies Created
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DVD’s are always 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576 (PAL). On larger tv’s, the image is just scaled up. Your film will also be scaled to 720×576. There is no avoiding this unless you are creating a Blu-ray disc.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com -
I don’t usually charge for rendering since it’s based largely on how fast your computer is, however if I know a project is going to take extremely long to render, I will factor it into the quote.
I typically don’t charge by the hour, I more or less have a rough estimate for an hourly rate, but I give quotes based on individual projects and what is required to achieve it. This allows me more time to experiment with different effects and techniques without being on a strict timetable to deliver exactly what the client wanted in the shortest amount of time.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com -
Will the camera be doing any kind of movement? You could do a nice dolly movement in to make it much more impressive, but it would require MUCH more pre-production planning and post-production work (possibly using mocha).
If the camera is still, it makes it much easier. You could shoot the couple and the couch on the greenscreen, with the couch slightly offset from the couple so they are not standing in front of it, then you could mask out the couch and have it slide in, then have them walk in front of it and sit down.
You might also want to shoot each piece of furniture by itself with nothing obscuring it against the green screen to maintain consistent lighting. Also, if there are any harsh shadows you will have issues when it slides in (the shadows won’t move as the position of the furniture does), so try and keep everything pretty diffused with very soft shadows.
I would start by working backwards in post-production. Assemble the entire scene, go to the end of the composition, then start removing items and work yourself back to the beginning of the composition.
I haven’t done exactly what you are trying to do, but I have done a number of green screen shoots and this is how I would approach it.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com -
The default position is where the camera is when you first create it. It’s not rotated or moved at all.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com -
I guess nobody else noticed that he had his precomp as a 3D layer? This is probably whats causing the camera shift problem. When you applied the sure target effect, the camera is moving around your precomp in 3D space (since you made it a 3D layer). Your precomp should be a 2D layer, with the collapse transformations turned on.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com -
What I usually do is use a null object to control my camera.
I usually start my scene with the camera at it’s default position (or at least end up at it’s default position after some kind of intro). I then animate the camera’s null object to move to a place where I want to place a 3D layer. Then, move the current-time indicator to somewhere in the composition where the camera is at it’s default position. Drag the new layer in, enable 3D, and parent it to the null object that controls the camera. The object will then stay perfectly oriented with the camera. Scrub through the composition until the object reaches it’s final destination, then un-parent the 3D object.
This method is very fast and efficient, and allows you to make perfect alignment even with complex rotations of your camera.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com -
You cannot reprogram the chapter next button to go to the menu in encore. You can tell a sequence to go to the main menu when it reaches the end, so that when they press chapter next, and its the last chapter of the sequence, then it will go to the main menu.
I’ve only used the chapter playlist feature a handful of times so I’m not sure if mine exhibits the same issues with random chapters when skipping around using the chapter next button. It’s possible that bug was fixed in a more recent version.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com -
Do any of the discs play on ANY dvd player?
The first version you made seems to be the best. Does the disc preview ok in Encore? If so, try burning at a slower speed (4x max).
It’s also possible that the dvd player is not compatible with burned media.
I would test the dvd on a different player that you know supports burned media (such as on the computer). If the disc works ok, then you know its a compatibility issue with the dvd player and you might have to use a different one.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com -
So let me try and understand what you are doing…
You have a main menu, with a button that links to a chapter playlist. The playlist consists of random chapters throughout 8 sequences and you want the chapter next button to take you back to the main menu when it has reached the end of the playlist?
I probably misunderstood something, please try and correct my assumptions. Then I might be able to help.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com -
You usually have to factor in exporting time into your workflow. If the project is created in FCP, and you want to author it on a PC, plan on exporting it, otherwise author it on the mac.
This is another bonus of using all Adobe applications, is that they work well in a cross platform environment (with the exception of Encore project files). If it had been edited in Premiere either on a PC or Mac, you could easily use dynamic link to avoid any intermediate export files.
Jon Geddes
Motion Graphics Designer
http://www.precomposed.com