Video Production News

[]\Music is the heartbeat of any creative project. It sets the tone and captures the essence of a narrative. Whether you’re working on a spine-tingling suspense thriller, an adrenaline-pumping action sequence, a whimsical children’s animation, or an epic fantasy saga, finding the right soundtrack is essential. Luckily, SoundsCrate.com is host to hundreds of royalty-free songs and tracks to download, catering to various genres and moods. Each of these tracks were written and composed by industry professionals to ensure the the highest quality possible. Here are 10 categories to explore in our ever-growing song library.

Suspense & Horror

Our Suspense Music collection includes eerie melodies and chilling tunes perfect for a creating spine-tingling atmosphere. These include eerie, droning orchestrations, as well as tracks perfectly suited to scoring horror movie scenes and trailers. These tracks keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

Western

The timeless sound of the American frontier is captured in our royalty-free Western Music collection. Incorporating elements from classic Western film scores alongside the grit of modern retellings. There’s a variety to the mood you can set with these downloadable tracks, from triumphant to dangerous.

Action

Elevate your action-packed scenes with our Action music collection. With these tracks you can add intensity to your chases, shootouts, and fight scenes. Download these powerful rhythms, electrifying beats & orchestrations to amplify the thrill of high-stakes moments.

Epic

For grand battles, epic journeys, and larger-than-life stories, nothing beats the grandeur of our Epic Music collection. This library caters to the genre with majestic orchestral arrangements, soaring choirs, and cinematic compositions that elevate the scope of any project. Perfect for cinematic set pieces in all settings.

Electronic

Our Electronic Music library provides a diverse range of beats, synths, and experimental sounds. Perfect for futuristic settings, tech-themed content, or anything that requires a contemporary edge. This collection is ideal for filmmakers and content creators alike.

Hip Hop

Our royalty-free Hip Hop music has a variety of uses and utility. Add a unique cool factor to your projects with laid-back beats and melodic synths. Use these in the background or use them as the centerpiece of your films and videos.

Corporate

Corporate projects demand music that is professional, uplifting, and motivational without overpowering the message. Our Corporate Music provides a blend of inspiring tunes, light melodies, and positive vibes. These tracks are ideal for presentations, commercials, and business-related content.

Children & Animated

Music tailored for children and animated content needs to be bright and cheerful with playful melodies. The Children & Animated Music category is filled with whimsical tunes, catchy rhythms, and delightful sounds. Perfect for all-ages content and cartoons.

Fantasy

Download tracks from our Fantasy Music collection to transport viewers to mystical realms. These tracks evoke wonder and imagination with enchanting melodies & orchestrations, and ethereal sounds. This is one of our favorite categories for magical scenes both past and present.

Funny

Our Funny Music library harkens back to the iconic comedies of the past. These include whimsical compositions and quicky tunes for lightening the mood and complimenting comedic scenes. Its hard not to crack a smile while listening to these songs.

These are just a few of the libraries on SoundsCrate.com. All of the music on SoundsCrate is available for commercial and non-commercial use, with new music being added regularly. Users who sign up for a Free ProductionCrate account will be able to download 1/3 of the music on SoundsCrate, while Pro users get full access to the SoundsCrate music catalog, along with thousands of VFX, 3D Models, Sound Effects, Plugins, and more. Sign-up today!

ProductionCrate Monthly Update: November 2023

Nikolas Mokalis — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 20:54:20 +0000

NEW CONTENT:
4K Fluid Motion VFX
4K Christmas Graphics & Transitions
4K MoGraph Accents
Cyberpunk Characters
Construction Worker Characters
3D Chopper Model
Action Music
Action Movie Sound Effects

VIDEOS:
Cyberpunk Implant Tutorial
ByPlay App with Blender
iPhone Tornado VFX Tutorial

VFX CONTEST:
Theme: Time Travel
Prize: Free ProductionCrate Pro Membership (1 Year)

ProductionCrate Monthly Update: October 2023

Nikolas Mokalis — Fri, 03 Nov 2023 19:07:43 +0000

NEW CONTENT:
4K Twister VFX
4K Falling Debris
3D Gravestones
3D Spaceship Models
Epic Music
Cinematic Hits
Halloween Motion Graphics

SOFTWARE UPDATES:
ProductionCrate App

VIDEOS:
Download VFX Onto your Phone
How to use Byplay
Fire Hand VFX in CapCut

VFX CONTEST:
Theme: Learning Magic
Prize: iFootage SL1 60DN

15 Fantasy Tracks Available for Download

Nikolas Mokalis — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 00:06:12 +0000

Download the Full Fantasy Album Here (Pro Users)

We’ve added 15 new Fantasy music tracks to the SoundsCrate library. These royalty-free tracks are perfect for spicing up your movie scenes and game worlds. Take your audience to other worlds with mysterious sounds and catchy melodies.

These Fantasy tracks are available for ProductionCrate Pro members. Pro users also gain access to the entire ProductionCrate library. Enhance your projects by downloading this collection today

ProductionCrate Monthly Update: September 2023

Nikolas Mokalis — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 19:56:09 +0000

NEW CONTENT:
4K Blood VFX
4K Gas Explosions
3D Character Skins & Outfits
Royalty Free Fantasy Music
Natural Sound Effects
3D Truck Models
Text Message Generator for After Effects

CONTENT UPDATES:
Sci-Fi Armor Model for Unreal Engine 4

VIDEOS:
Zombie Skin Textures in Substance Painter
Embroidery Patches with Substance Painter

VFX CONTEST:
Theme: The Darkness Within
Prize: 1-Year ProductionCrate Pro Membership

VFX Pro Joseph Lawson Talks about the Visual Effects in ‘On Fire’

Nikolas Mokalis — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 19:03:39 +0000

Joseph Lawson has been in the field of Visual Effects for over 20 years, with credits on iconic movies and shows like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Star Trek: Enterprise, and many films from The Asylum (the Sharknado series). The father-son team at Lawson Digital Arts bring us their latest work with On Fire (dir. Peter Facinelli & Nick Lyon), a thriller inspired by true events about a family escaping from a raging forest fire. With the movie in theaters nationwide, we sat down with Joseph to talk about visual effects.

P: Congrats on On Fire‘s reception! We’re looking forward to seeing it on the big screen.
J: Thanks so much! We’re proud to be part of On Fire using ProductionCrate elements as part of our VFX toolkit!

P: The VFX team for On Fire was relatively small for a feature-length, natural disaster movie; What kind of challenges did this present? Were there any benefits?
J: My son and I are probably the only father-son VFX team I know of in the world. We have a lot of experience tag-teaming and working with each others strengths to make shows like On Fire come together. We’re also hyper organized which helps us do a lot more than average. Tons of lower budget film experiences has taught us how to leverage budgets to make things look like more than the budget by the time folks experience them. As a director myself it’s possible to know what helps organically tell the film-maker’s story in a way that integrates visually without being too much VFX flashy. Ideally most folks won’t always realize we’re there at all. The biggest challenge was going from what was a project with 150 planned to 389 delivered shots. A lot of fire effects planned for on set came to us out of genuine safety concerns. Fortunately we have a robust internal pipeline and organizational setup using ShotGrid that enables us to do a project of this scope. The producers also gave us a generous amount of time to do the work. The benefit of our two-person team (with some tracking/matte help from Joseph’s friend Elijah Morrow) is we have the visual shorthand and shared respect to trust each other with any task.

P: What made you want to pursue visual effects? What was your gateway to working professionally?
J: When I was 12 living in Okinawa I was a huge Star Trek fan. Some friends and I did Super 8mm short films so I knew I wanted to be a director. Doing our special effects got me hooked on that. Silent Running, Space:1999 and Star Wars, of course, confirmed my life goals. After a career in broadcasting radio and television including commercials with effects and being a weather announcer, I started a graphics business that did animation in Montana using LightWave 3D. I married my darling Kelly then got a job on Roughneck’s: The Starship Troopers Chronicles at the legendary Foundation Imaging (Babylon 5, Hypernauts). This brought us to Valencia, California where we raised our son and daughter while I worked for various studios over almost two decades. That included everything from The Global Asylum as VFX supervisor for seven years (and directing five of their movies) to Rhythm & Hues plus Digital Domain and so many great places and projects. With over 200 IMDB listings and growing it’s hard to give them all individual proper credit due.

P: What do you consider the biggest sea change in the time that you’ve worked as a VFX Artist/Supervisor?
J: There have been so many changes but one huge one is the availability of tools to a wide range of artist. The hardware has gotten faster and cheaper, the software more capable and the availability of tools like ProductionCrate that provide elements and more to we creators quickly via internet makes it possible for us to create from anywhere there’s adequate speedy connection like our place here on the North Coast of Oregon. And it’s all only getting better for those with tools, talent and desire to create.

P: What made Blender & After Effects the ideal tools for creating the VFX in On Fire?
J: Blender has become a perfect tool for freelance and boutique shops looking for a wide range of ever growing/improving capabilities. We still leverage other software like LightWave when needed. After Effects has always worked well for us and since we have so much experience; So many presets and plug-ins, it’s hard to change. With AE’s color capabilities coming of age during On Fire we were able to integrate elements better than ever before.

P: Were there any lessons learned while working on a project like On Fire? Were there any unexpected hurdles?
J: Every show has its unique challenges, and for On Fire it was having to integrate so much fire into practical footage that was initially planned for live on set. We couldn’t do that because the forest floor was tinder-dry, forcing us to do even the smaller fire work in post. That was also the biggest unexpected hurdle along with a lot of invisible effects like clocks, monitor screens, crew paint outs. It was a long post period for a reason!

P: Which shot/sequence are you most excited for people to see?
J: The family fire chase sequence is pretty scary cool narrative and works. A lot of my sons 100 percent CG shots are fantastic throughout the movie. I’m so proud of the artist he’s grown to be since starting almost a decade ago at age 14. That’s all him! He has an astounding future!

P: Did working on shots set mostly at night present any unique obstacles?
J: It actually made our job easier, especially because Chris Wilks and his stunt/effects team (along with the amazing lighting crew) set up some fantastic light sources to dramatically tell the director Nick Lyon’s and writer Ron Peer’s story. We added the fires where needed and motivated by them. The main challenge it caused was tracking and lots of roto. TONS of roto. The lady on fire sequence was one of the toughest for both yet most of it integrates well. Scary stuff.

P: What are your favorite VFX shots/sequences that you didn’t work on?
J: My favorite sequence Joseph worked on were some CG point-of-view shots during a family driving sequence. The burning buildings and trees are all CG with a mix of fire and spark elements including ProductionCrate selling it.

P: Who are the masters you looked-up to and learned from?
J: Of course, we all stand on the shoulders of giants and my inspirations are decidedly old school names. So many hardworking TV and movie artists but especially Ray Harryhausen, Douglas Trumbull, Brian Johnson, Greg Jein, and John Dykstra’s whole ILM team from Star Wars. Then computer pioneer and later friends Ron Thornton, Adam Mojo Leibowitz, Mark Kochinski, Glenn Campbell and SO many other great coworkers who always inspired me with how much better they were and gracious to all me to learn from. Too many great folks to list here. I continue to be humbled and learn from them all even now.

P: Most movie audiences only see the end product and not what it used to look like; what are some common VFX responsibilities that most viewers wouldn’t even think about that need to be done?
J: Pre-visualization, shot choreography and design, database set-up and organization and shot progress/delivery tracking, plate downloads, preview and final uploads, thumbnail captures, timeline scrubbing, bidding, prep, tracking, roto, invisible/clean up effects, deciding on elements, prepping things like frame rates, outputs and color space in compositing, plug-in management, constantly learning new software updates and plug-ins, working with clients, zoom calls, invoices, taxes, our own IT work, storage and disk space management, keeping up on hardware and software… and much more like having a family life!

P: Do you have any wisdom for aspiring visual effects artists?
J: Learn your craft. Love your chosen field. Follow your passion with all your heart. Appreciate what time and resources you have to do the best you can for any given project then forgive yourself enough so as to learn what to do better next time. Build friendships. Be reliable. Under-promise, over deliver, be fair and be pleasant enough that people WANT to work with you again. Have fun! Otherwise why are we in this at all?

P: How/where/when can people support On Fire?
J: On Fire is in theatres nationwide! We’re proud to have helped the fantastic teams of artists and actors who gave their art, talents and passion honoring first responders and acknowledging the toll of real world tragedy with this heartfelt emotional family story.

Download Crate’s Text Message Generator for FREE

Nikolas Mokalis — Tue, 12 Sep 2023 17:00:06 +0000

Sign in for FREE Download
Windows & Mac

Register for a Free or Pro Account Here.
Digital text messages have rapidly become a fundamental part of our entertainment, featuring in popular shows like Sherlock and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Characters effectively convey crucial information to audiences through text messages. However, this process often proves tedious for motion graphics artists.

That’s why we’re excited to introduce our FREE After Effects extension, Crate’s Text Messages. This tool simplifies the creation of animated text message graphics in After Effects. To begin, log in to your ProductionCrate account and download the installer for Mac or Windows from the product page.

Once installed, customize both incoming and outgoing messages, including specifying sender details, starting times, and selecting from preset app styles or crafting your own. If you encounter issues or wish to start anew, simply utilize the reset button.

Once you click “generate,” the exchange transforms into multiple After Effects compositions. These compositions provide you with extensive controls for further customization.

Crate’s Text Message Generator

If you have not disabled your expression error settings, you may see a warning banner the first time you run the extension. You can uncheck this option in After Effects Preferences -> Scripting & Expressions.

Should you encounter any issues when using this script, contact us at support@productioncrate.com

ProductionCrate Monthly Update: August 2023

Nikolas Mokalis — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 22:30:16 +0000

NEW CONTENT:
4K Dirty Ground Explosions
4K Ground Dust Shockwaves
4K Rolling Shockwave VFX
Royalty Free Drama Music
Mo-Graph Sound Effects
3D Military Character Packs

SOFTWARE UPDATES:
ProducitonCrate AR App

VIDEOS:
Ragdoll Tutorial in Unreal Engine
Blender Animation Beginner Tutorial
Depth Map Compositing in After Effects
Modular Military Character Packs
Modular Character Tutorial

VFX CONTEST:
Theme: Combo Fight
Prize: TASCAM Portacapture X6

ProductionCrate Monthly Update: July 2023

Nikolas Mokalis — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 00:41:15 +0000

NEW CONTENT:
4K Splash VFX
4K Meteor VFX
Suspense Music Idents
Royalty Free Lo-Fi Music Tracks
3D Military Truck Model
FREE Cyberpunk Hand 3D Model
Skeleton Warrior Pack (Unreal Engine)
Worker Robot (Blender)

VIDEOS:
Unreal Engine Cinematics Tutorial
Robotic Arm 3D Tutorial
Green Screen Compositing in After Effects Tutorial
Beginner 3D Tracking in After Effects Tutorial

VFX CONTEST:
Theme: Found Footage Superpowers
Prize: Portkeys PT5 II

15 Feel-Good Tracks Available for Download

Nikolas Mokalis — Thu, 13 Jul 2023 18:04:33 +0000

Download the Full Album Here (Pro Users)

We have released a collection of 15 new Feel-Good tracks on SoundsCrate that are sure to put a smile on your face. This collection offers an array of styles, from orchestral to retro and modern. Add these tracks to your projects for an upbeat and uplifting touch. All of these tracks, as well as the rest of our Feel-Good music collection, is available for all Pro users.

ProductionCrate Monthly Update: June 2023

Nikolas Mokalis — Wed, 05 Jul 2023 21:22:51 +0000

NEW CONTENT:
4K Police Car VFX
4K Ground Sparks
Green Alien 3D Model
Mo-Graph Sounds
Feel Good Music

SOFTWARE UPDATES:
ProducitonCrate AR App
RBC Blender Add-On

VIDEOS:
Rigging Characters in Blender
Texturing Skin in Adobe Substance Painter

VFX CONTEST:
Theme: Combo Fight
Prize: CAME-TV Focusable Light, Power Station, and V-Mount Battery

Download 15 New Disco Music Tracks

Nikolas Mokalis — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 20:44:18 +0000

Download the Full Album Here (Pro Users)

Looking to inject some fun and energy into your projects? Lucky for you, 15 new Disco tracks have been to SoundsCrate’s expansive library of royalty-free music and sound effects!

This collection of groovy and funky tracks makes for great background music, or as the centerpiece of your videos. Pro users will be able to download all 15 tracks, but there are still many tracks available for our Free users.

Over 10 Free Destruction Effects from FootageCrate.com

Chris Kelly — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 20:44:38 +0000

FootageCrate is now offering 14 New Destruction VFX, providing over 60 free and 300 for Pro Users.
Sign up to a Free or Pro Account here, and start downloading!

These assets are perfect for your project. Ceiling collapses, barriers exploding and debris bursts scattering the air are all available in this free pack. Pro Users can access hundreds of more assets in 4K resolution.

All of these effects come with an alpha channel, for quick drag-and-drop compositing.

Whether you’re dodging bullets, fleeing earthquakes or fighting super-villains, these assets will help get the job done.

Free Users can download 5 daily assets from ProductionCrate.com’s free library. Pro Users can access 50 daily downloads and choose from any of our growing collections. Get started today, and make it awesome.

ProductionCrate Monthly Update: May 2023

Nikolas Mokalis — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:08:46 +0000

NEW CONTENT:
4K Destruciton VFX (14 Free)
3D Crashed Car Models (UE Optimized)
Unreal Engine Ninja Weapons (UE Optimized)
Dolphin Model (FBX Swim Animation Invluded)
Disco Music
Musical Idents

SOFTWARE UPDATES:
ProducitonCrate AR App

VIDEOS:
Compositing in After Effects Beginners
ZBrush for Beginners

VFX CONTEST:
Theme: VFX Battle Chain
Prize: NEEWER SL90 RGB Video Light