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. 

FootageCrate is offering an amazing free bundle of video effects.

Step 1: Register and Sign in to a free account

Step 2: Click Here to Download

Step 3: Unzip the downloaded folders!

Step 4: Share with anyone who wants to get started with VFX

VFX can be a daunting field to get into, but FootageCrate makes it easy. Even if you have no prior experience, you can learn the basics in minutes.
Compositing in VFX involves combining multiple images, frames or renders. This process can range from complex compositions with hundreds of various elements and render passes, to simple overlays of one rendered element on top of your video. Below we have an example of 3 separately layers composited together. We have the background, the subject and the VFX element.

To help you get started, FootageCrate is offering the VFX Starter Pack 1, a collection of 50 pre-made visual effects. This pack is nearly 3GB worth of video effects content. These elements are high-quality and created by professional CGI artists. Packs 2 and 3 are planned for 2023.

This downloadable collection of 50 Free VFX features assets from the following libraries

Explosion VFX
Magic VFX
Fire and Spark VFX
Motion Graphics
Transition Effects
SciFi VFX
Muzzle Flash VFX

And several more. These are all available from FootageCrate’s free library, and even include several 4K assets ordinarily limited to user’s with a Pro Subscription.

The effects come with RGB+A, or Red, Green Blue, and Alpha channels.  All effects containing transparency are ProRes 4444 Files. A few of the files are H.264. Framerates vary from 30fps to 60fps. The Alpha channel controls the transparency in an image or video. These effects come with a transparent background, allowing you to easily drag and drop them onto your footage.

If you’re looking for free VFX software, ProductionCrate recommends Hitfilm Free or DaVinci Resolve. The 50 Free Effects Pack is compatible with iMovie, After Effects, Premiere, Filmora, Final Cut, DaVinci, Hitfilm and all major editing software.

If you’re looking for even more VFX content, find thousands of Free Video Effects here. You can download all of these with a Free VFX Account, limited to five downloads a day. If you want even more content, access 50 daily downloads from the entire ProductionCrate library with a Pro Account.

Want more free content? Any item not marked with a star from these production libraries is free to download.

RenderCrate has Hundreds of Free 3D Models

SoundsCrate has thousands of music and sound effects Free to Download

If you have any questions, email the ProductionCrate team at Support@ProductionCrate.com.

A few months ago we released the free 3D Castle Pack. Since then, over 10,000 creators have used it in their projects. We knew we’d have to go even bigger for our next free 3D assets kit. So we did.

Download the free 3D Models in the Industrial Kit and gain access to hundreds of amazing assets.

This pack contains tons of prefabricated builds to save you time and effort. Build your own mega-structures in minutes. Our prefabs are extraordinarily easy to use. Everything is modular. Constructing detailed scenes has never been so fun!

All downloadable 3D models are compatible with Blender, Cinema4D, Maya, Houdini and 3DSMax. The Unreal Engine Kit is reserved for our Pro Users, and is perfect if you’re looking for 3D Assets for Games, however you are free to convert the 3D Models to Unreal yourself.

Choose from 3D platforms, pipes, trusses, power supplies, ladders, buttons and lights. Build out your worlds in your program of choice to make some high-quality free 3D renders!

Find and download the best free 3D assets from RenderCrate and tag us in your projects!

Dropbox link below for media and press purposes only. Contact Niko@ProductionCrate.com for Access

Download High Resolution Images and Video of the Industrial Kit

You can now download our free Epic Fantasy Music Album. There are 30 Tracks in this amazing bundle. Find it in ProductionCrate’s  Fantasy Music Category

It’s easy to be fooled, but we didn’t work with an orchestra to make this collection. This incredible album was created by only two composers, SoundsCrate‘s Gerardo Garcia and Isabelle Engman.

These tracks hint at your favorite epic fantasy movies and shows. As you listen, stories and characters will come alive in your mind. The music is exceptionally narrative, without using any lyrics. 

”       These tracks were inspired by series like Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and The Dark Crystal : Age of Resistance.     “

Gerardo points out “All these works have massive world building stories, and the music had to match those inspirations.” 

Isabelle continues;

“We like epic scores that have themes to cover the smaller intimate aspects of a film or show with unique instrumentation and tonality, but then have the sweeping themes with bigger intervals and lush orchestration to capture the scale of these fantasy and adventure series.”

This album was heavily influenced by composer Howard Shore, peppered with inspiration from  Ramin Djawadi, Daniel Pemberton and James Horner.

Check out the entire album here

If you’re wondering how only two people pulled off these magnificent orchestral sounds, they combined their classical knowledge of music with modern tools. Utilizing the software Logic Pro, Isabelle and Gerardo were able to compose mostly on a computer.  “Next time, it would be great to gather some musicians and record some solo playing!” 

If you’re lucky enough to be working on a Fantasy story, you’ve found the music you need. Whether you’re looking to download Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power inspired music, or scores reminiscent of Game of Thrones , we’ve got you covered. This 30 track album is completely free for download. Just sign in to a Free or Pro ProductionCrate Account and start downloading .

If you’d like to help promote this Music Pack you can Download this Fantasy Artwork for your promotional material

3D artists want to see results fast. We’re getting spoiled in this wonderful age of GPU rendering, and can’t we get enough.

The tools of the trade get better every year, and 2022 is no exception. NVIDIA has been making waves with Omniverse, a creator suite with amazing tools for 3D Artists. Mike has been playing with Omniverse Create, a place to simulate, light and render your 3D assets and scenes. The speeds are truly impressive.

Mike loves to sculpt monsters. This massive Kaiju is one of his most ambitious projects ever (just look at those details). The textures alone are a whopping 75 total UDIM textures, 8K resolution… perfect to put any renderer to the test!

Luckily, things didn’t catch fire. Omniverse Create held up, and then some. See the test and how you can use this free 3D software yourself!

We recently discovered this treasure trove of free Facial Blendshapes provided by the Institute for Creative Technology at USC.

This pack has over 150 facial blendshapes and is released under the MIT license. The pack will help  you to create completely customizable characters with their amazing presets.

Mike Smith, a 3d and  VFX Artist at ProductionCrate.com shows us how we can harness the power of this collection in this video.

Start by shrink-wrapping the generic neutral base mesh onto a custom head model. Apply the shrink-wrapped head as a blend-shape. Any unique character can be set up for a realistic facial performance with very little time or effort.

We released our biggest 3D Pack ever, the Modular Kingdom Pack. Download this Free 3D Collection of castle, buildings, walls and structures to use in your Visual Effects and filmmaking projects. RenderCrate  is a library full of free and Pro 3D models that you can download. Anything not marked with a star is 100% free! Find weapons, sports gear, vehicles and characters from our ever growing library.

If you’re looking for more 3D content for free, here’s a list of 5 wonderful resources. We’ll keep adding more to RenderCrate, so make sure to check back regularly.

• Quixel Megascans library is absolutely massive, and packed full of high-quality 3D content. Their focus is on photogrammetry / scanned assets, so all the content photo-realistic. They recently acquired RD Textures, bringing some of the best scanned 3D Materials to their library. Quixel is free to use with Unreal Engine, they also have free assets to use with any other software

• AmbientCG is a growing library of generative landscapes and photo-scanned content. From the creators of CC0-Textures (now under AmbientCG) this 3D library continues to provide free and reliable content!

• SketchFab is a community driven platform, which means 2 things. First, there is a ton of content. Thousands of amazing assets are available to download for free. The only downside is not all licenses or quality of models are created equal. Make sure you understand the license associated with your model before using in any project.

• Smithsonian 3D Has an open access to a massive library of 3D content available for download. The quality ranges broadly, but the scanned assets are extremely unique. Check the usage conditions for each model, as they do vary.

• TurboSquid is another user submitted site. Since ShutterStock acquired them, the site seems to be going through some revisions. We’ll keep our fingers crossed that they continue to provide 3D models. Usage rights will vary per-model, so make sure to check before using any downloads.

Find more 3D Models on RenderCrate.com 

Who isn’t inspired by their childhood? The aesthetics and styles we grew up with influence us daily. I took that inspiration to another level.

Kakashi, a character from the Naruto anime series, was always one of my favorites. His awesome powers were always so iconic, I knew I had to try and recreate them with VFX.

Electricity is always a fun effect to tackle. We’ve done it many times over, but we’ve never captured REAL electricity, at least until now. Using a tesla coil and a Black Magic Ursa, we shot practical electricity. We made a Chidori, or Electric Energy Ball, completely FREE for anyone to download and recreate this effect themselves. No good VFX asset is good enough without the right sound. Niko went ahead and made a specialty Chidori Sound Effect, also completely free, for you to download.

This tutorial uses the amazing Face Relighter Plugin. If you have both Windows and Element3D, you can try it out yourself!

Learn to use and composite these elements in this breakdown.

We have amazing scripts, many of them completely free, for After Effects. Crate’s Camera Shake, the Hologram Generator, Crate’s Chromatic Aberration and tons of other useful tools are available for download on ProductionCrate.

Accessing these amazing products is now easier than ever before. With our free Crate’s Toolbox, you can download and install our After Effects scripts from inside of After Effects!

Remember, you don’t have to Log-in every time, you just need to log-in to download the scripts. Click the Offline Button if you don’t want to log in but still want to use the AE scripts you have already downloaded.

Watch the video below to see how it works.

First, if you have any ProductionCrate Scripts already installed, delete them! This will ensure Toolbox can launch the most recent versions and locate the files without issue.

If you are on a Mac, run the .DMG installer, if you are on Windows, run the .EXE

Restart After Effects if you have it open

To locate the Extension if After Effects, go to Window > Extension > Crate’s Toolbox

You’ll need to select 2 Download folders:

• The first folder is likely your default Downloads folder. This is just where all of your downloaded items go to when you download from Chrome, Firefox, Safari or any web browser.
• The second folder is for storing your Crate Scripts. This can be anywhere on your computer. Don’t delete it, this will be where all the script files will be referenced! You can create a new folder and call it anything, ProductionCrate Scripts, for example.

You will only have to do that step once!

After that, log in to ProductionCrate using Toolbox and download any Scripts and tools you want to use. Hitting Install will launch your browser to install the script, make sure it downloads to your Downloads Folder, or whatever folder you chose as your first folder (see above)

The scripts will be automatically copied over to your store folder, the second folder mentioned above!

Download this incredible Retro Technology Pack with a Computer, Laptop, Computer Mouse, Printer and Floppy Disk! These amazingly detailed 3D assets come with PBR textures for ultimate realism.

Use these 3D assets for your motion design, NFT project, Youtube videos and films!

Get instantaneous realistic results with minimal effort. This is just the latest in our growing collection of 3D assets, make sure to check back in the future for more amazing content!

We live in truly amazing times. The technology we use, the resources we have and even many of the jobs that pay our bills did not exist only a decade ago. I’m always trying to stay up-to-date with the latest visual effects and film-making resources. I love hearing about creators who are finding their own unique path to success. That’s why I started the Craters Podcast. I’m interviewing different film and video creators who have inspired me, and will now also inspire you.

We’re editing these interviews down to about ten minutes for the Craters Youtube Channel. If you want to hear the full interviews (and trust me, you do), you can find and subscribe to them here:

Apple Podcasts

Google Podcasts

Podbean

Spotify 

The full length interviews go into detail on how these artists found their place in the film and video world. These are packed with tips and suggestions from experience in the field, dealing with surprises and taking risks. Learn about their favorite tools, software, hardware, and what they’re most excited about next.

If you’re on a time crunch, check out these cut-down interviews with some of your favorite artists and gurus!

We know how expensive adding visual effects to your films and videos can be. ProductionCrate started because utilizing VFX  was a difficult and costly process. In our journey to bring you professional and accessible assets for your projects we have come across software that shares a similar vision. Here is our list of the top free software options for video effects.

Hitfilm Express

If you’re not familiar with Hitfilm then you’re in for a treat. Hitfilm Express is an easy-to-use professional editing software, free for anyone to download. It’s packed with features, allowing any creator to build complex scenes with convenient tools. We gave Hitfilm Express the #1 Spot because of the overall flexibility and functionality it provides. If you’re looking for one software to add video effects to your projects, look no further.

Hitfilm Express is great for compositing, tracking, masking, transitions, and more. The Hitfilm community is fantastic, and you’ll have no trouble finding plenty of tutorials to get you started. You’ll also notice regular updates to the software, keeping it modern and up-to-date. It’s our favorite free VFX software. Check out this color grading tutorial for getting started.

Blender

Blender has always been the go-to software for free 3D work, but with recent improvements it has become so much more than just the “free-alternative”. Since Blender 2.8 has been released we can comfortably say that the software is as capable and functional as most 3D software out there. The user-community is absolutely massive, with a hardcore following and thousands of helpful artists. You can find tons of tutorials online if you’re just starting out and get on your feet fairly quickly.

We primarily use C4D and 3DSmax for most of our 3D projects, however the exciting updates in Blender were too good to pass up. Adrian decided to see how much Blender he could learn in just one month, see how he did in the video below.

GIMP

Whether for story-boarding, matte painting, graphic editing or concept art you’ll need a good 2D image editor. When it comes to a free option, there is none better than GIMP. GIMP has be around for decades. It is open-source, so you will see a lot of plugins and assets built and provided by the community. They have basic tutorials to get you started, but we always suggest searching on Youtube for the best educational content.

The learning curve is considered somewhat difficult, but once you’re used to the functions and interface you’ll be cruising. We use Photoshop at ProductionCrate, but GIMP is considered the best free alternative, and it’s always awesome to use open-source software. Here’s a great video to get you going.

Unreal Engine

We were a little hesitant to add UE to our list, since the software is primarily used for game development, but with the recent advancements we’re seeing from the Epic Games team we had no choice! UE offers the amazing abilities to create hyper-realistic scenes, live in-engine compositing, set extensions, particle systems, dynamics, and entire worlds. The learning curve is far more difficult than any of the previously mentioned software, but there are more tutorials showing up to get you started. Since launching RenderCrate we’ve been diving deeper and deeper into the 3D world, so grasping Unreal Engine and utilizing it for our projects is something we’re hoping to tackle.

Check out this insanely cool video for UE4’s virtual production abilities below (also this mind-blowing demo for UE5)

make it awesome.

Visit Banners and Graphics

We have tons of content to promote regularly. The best way to do that is to show it off with these amazing rendered graphics. This Dropbox Link is regularly updated.

Download the Mk2 Grenade 3D  Model here.

Every action movie needs a grenade, and our asset library is the perfect resource to help you out with it!

Our recent launch of RenderCrate, a collection of production-ready 3D models, now features a wide collection of weapons. One of our favourite additions is the high-quality photorealistic grenade model for our Pro users.

Whether you’re wanting a slow-motion flyby, or just don’t have a grenade prop, a 3D grenade model is perfect for filling in what practical effects cannot.

The model has been built with a careful balance between a high level of detail as well as a clean adjustable mesh. A benefit of this is that you can use this model in simulations while keeping the processing time at the lowest possible. If you want to tweak the model in any way, that will also be a hassle-free task!

The model is provided in a .obj format, which is the most widely accepted 3D format. Almost all programs support it, with Blender, Cinema4D, Element3D, 3ds Max and Maya being just a few. In most cases, you will just need to drag and drop the .obj grenade into your program viewport, and the software will handle the rest!

This comes along with a .mtl file, which will automatically create a basic material for the grenade. However, if you look in the maps folder provided with all of our 3D content, you will often find there are even more textures for you to make use of. For this model, we provide:

• Diffuse
• Ambient Occlusion
• Height
• Reflection
• Roughness

These are a powerful set of texture maps that can bring your render to a photorealistic level, with each coming at a 4096 x 4096 resolution.

Each segment of the grenade, such as the pin, have also been separated into their own object elements. This means that you will be able to detach them if needed and animate them however you wish.

We’re excited to see what incredible renders you can create with this grenade model! If you’re looking for more 3D content, check out our amazing rock models.

How I Mix Audio For Horror Films

Using Logic Pro X Featuring Excerpts From The New SoundsCrate Horror SFX Library. While I use Logic Pro X you can replicate these techniques in other audio-editing software.

In this article, I’d like to highlight some of my favorite features and benefits of Logic Pro X as it pertains to sound design, particularly mixing for horror films with the new SoundsCrate SFX library.

Getting Started: Organizing The Session

To start I’ll set up some basic tracks starting with Instrument tracks for my MIDI and software synths, and audio tracks for my imported or recorded audio. For some of the screenshots in this article I’ll also enable the Quick Help button which is the question mark on the top left (right below where you close or minimize the session window). The Quick Help function shows which menus you’re looking at as you hover your mouse over them. If you’re less familiar with navigating Logic it can be very useful.

Let’s use the Horror Scene Setting SFX to begin building our first mix. The sound effect called “Demons” is a good place to start. Pull it into an audio file by simply dragging it from the Finder directly into the session. If you’re trying to save time when building your session, one of the fastest ways to create new tracks is to simply right-click or two-finger click in the tracks view to the left of the main window.

Maintain consistency in your Logic workflow by saving your sessions as templates. Going further you can save your channel strip settings so that you can duplicate them across your sessions. This way you can spend more time browsing the SoundsCrate library and less time organizing (see the screenshot on the left)!

Stereo Spread

I want to spread out this stereo track to create more impact for the listener and give a sense of space. By navigating to the Inspector view on the left I’m able to access the track’s parameters; Channel Strip settings, EQ, input and output settings  and Audio FX. Now I can choose the Stereo Spread effect, which is in the Imaging menu of the Audio FX.

It would sound better if I focused on the higher frequencies because I want to minimize low-frequency rumble across my stereo image, but I also want to emphasize the more shrill and unsettling sounds. I’ll leave the Order function at 12, which is the number of frequency bands the effect is divided into, in order to fine-tune it more. I set the Lower Intensity to about 50% and the Lower Freq. to drop off at about 60hz.

There are also presets which can help get you started, and you can even save your own setting as presets.

(Before Stereo Spread)

(After Stereo Spread)

Looping And Duplicating With The Cycle Function

The “Demons” track is a little shorter than what I want. I’d like to make it a little longer but I also want a smooth transition into “Bending Trees”.  Looping part of “Demons” will make it a little longer and make it a little weird and choppy. One of my favorite features in Logic is the ability to easily loop and duplicate sections of a track by using the cycle function.

When you see a yellow highlighted area in your Ruler, this means you’ve set a loop, or cycle. In this case I’ll arbitrarily grab a section of the track that wouldn’t have any harsh transients, so that it can be copied seamlessly. It’s important (and useful) to note that in this menu there are functions which seem similar but aren’t. Let me explain.

If I’d chosen to “copy” the section rather than “repeat” it  I would have been able to then “insert” it anywhere I wanted. In this case the section I looped was close enough to the end of the “Demons” track that I used “Repeat Section Between Locators.” Keep in mind that this is a global function, meaning it will affect all of your tracks. It’s easy enough to delete regions that you don’t want to repeat in your other subsequent tracks.

Navigating The Track Editor View And Adding Plug-Ins

I’ll make about 30 seconds of this first track and then add my next track, “Bending Trees.” It should fade in, so I can double-click on the audio region and then in the Audio Track Editor window I’ll create my fade by hovering my mouse over the start of the file until I see the Fade tool. Next I’ll just solo the track by clicking the S button (between Mute/Record) on the track header so I’ll be able to hear the fade by itself. I like this track as a starting point but maybe I want to add some reverb to make it sound even more disembodied and eerie. I’m also planning to add some music as well as some shorter effects. Thankfully, Logic has some really versatile and interesting built-in reverb plug-ins.

My favorite is Space Designer. It even has Surround Sound options as well as the ability to customize which “room” you were in and the behavior of the volume and filter/EQ envelopes. I’m tempted to play with the Warped Effects but I don’t want to take away too much from the original sound. Instead I’ll split the difference and used “Forest Echo.” In this particular instance I can apply the effect directly to the track instead of putting it on a bus, because this reverb was only to be used for this track.

I could also have placed it on a stereo bus and made it available to other tracks. (See screenshot). Reverbs such as these are great for filling out sparser, more subtle effects and still giving them some degree of transparency in the mix.

(Before Reverb)

(After Reverb)

Creating Automated Effects And Types Of Automation

I’m around a minute into my scene I figured something happened terrifying happened! In my case I want to use a  “Horror Hit” and a “Brass Hit” working together to create an impact through those “Bending Trees,” when my characters are attacked by demons in the forest. I’ll pull both regions in at once. When I drop them into the session, I get a prompt (see screenshot) as to whether I want to use the existing track or create new tracks. Since I would be processing these effects differently I can go ahead and make new tracks.

So first I have my “Horror Hit” setting the mood, and then the orchestral hit just as the characters first see the demon. The “Horror Hit” by itself is terrific but I think it would be cool to pan it across from left to right, because the demon runs across the screen accordingly and I want the sound  to follow the demon’s motion. Here’s where we can get to know Logic’s handy automation features. The most important difference is between Touch and Latch. For this particular sound it makes sense to use Latch because my automation event is happening at once and then resetting. since it’s so short I want to put additional effects on this track, which means I want my pan to go back to the center once the effect has played.

If I were handling more complex instances of automation or I knew I wanted everything on that audio track to stay panned a certain way I might want to use Touch, meaning that once I touch that pan knob it’ll stay wherever I put it. “Write” would give me full control, which for a short effect is not necessary. It all depends on how you arrange your effects and how you like to work.

(After Automated Panning)

Using Logic’s Built-In Compressors

When the demon approaches from a nearby tree I want to add some brass. I find it’s a little too abrupt and actually clipped a little bit so I can apply a compressor to the sound. Again, this can be found in Audio FX under Dynamics. There are many presets available however I’ll choose Platinum Orchestral under Compressor Tools. It has a slightly slower and more forgiving Attack and a medium ratio, so it won’t be too extreme, allowing for the natural crescendo of the horn to build up. When I drop it in on the default setting with Auto Gain off it still clips a tiny bit. I can simply tweak it to about 2.5db instead of the default 3.0.

Notice how within your compressor you can choose if you want “Platinum Digital” or “Studio FET” or “Vintage VCA” and so on? These are all emulations of hardware compressors with various ‘colors’ and characteristics. In general, Platinum Digital will ‘color’ it the least (it’s Logic’s “default”) and the FET compressors tend to behave more like the UA 1176, whereas the Classic VCA is more like the DBX series.

I found an excellent article which explains the differences in greater detail, if you want to learn more check it out.

(Before Compressor)

(After Compressor)

Selection-Based Processing  + Working With Individual Audio Regions

Let’s move into some more musical and theatrical elements since we’ve introduced that brass swell. I want to incorporate some strings so I’ll use “String Swells” within the Horror Accents And Textures category.  There are a few similar sounds in other sections of the library if you explore a bit but this sound works well for me. After I brought this sound effect into the session I noticed a couple of things. It has a pretty long fade-in so it’ll be helpful to set a marker as to where it “really” starts going. I don’t want to have to keep zooming in and out on the waveform (which, by the way, you can do easily by either swiping two fingers out on the trackpad, or in the Track Editor view, adjusting your horizontal and vertical Waveform Zooms (see screenshot).

In the upper left-hand corner of the Track Inspector window there’s a little drop-down menu giving me Arrangement, Marker, Signature, and Tempo. I’ll just click the plus sign and create a new marker and name it “Strings Start Here.” (See screenshot)

You can drag the marker or delete it if you change your mind. It’s also worth noting that if you go back to that Cycle/Loop function and repeat or copy a section with a marker then that marker will be repeated/copied with it. This might be what you want but it might also get a little confusing, so don’t forget to name your markers accordingly.

The second thing I notice is that the sound effect isn’t quite as loud as I want. This is where Selection-Based Processing saves the day! This is really great for being able to change any number of parameters on a single region. This way my entire track won’t be affected and I can make the strings section as loud as I want without having to worry about any other regions I drag in being affected as well.

If you look at the screenshots you’ll see that I can add whatever plug-ins I want. In this case I’ll add Gain which is a Utility. I’m able to preview the effect to make sure that a 4db boost is enough. Now I just hit Apply and it’s as simple as that.

Built-In EQ And Adding Effects To The Output Track

Let’s finish this little piece. First I’m just going to EQ my strings to bring out the mid-range a bit. Logic has some new built-in EQs that are really amazing including Console EQs, which emulate classic hardware. In this case their default works because it offers plenty of flexibility. I just want to give it a little bump in the higher end, so I used “Add Presence To Thin Sounds” in the Tools menu. As you get further into adding instruments or dialogue a lot of the presets will come in handy.

Remember that brass? It was such a quick little thing. What if I just want to make it pop out without messing with the EQ or compression? No problem, Logic has a built-in Exciter. It’s under the Specialized menu in the Audio FX. I want to give the brass sound a bit of an edge. This is easily done with a preset called Edge Addition. I can even select which frequencies I want to emphasize.

So how can we best process our finished product? I always like to see what I’m doing so I went to the Track menu and selected “Show Output Track.” In conjunction with this you can also  view your Mixer window at any time by going to the Window menu and selecting Open Mixer or pressing the Quick Key Command + 2.

Now that we can see our tracks we can stick a compressor on there or the same default EQ we used before with any one of its Mastering settings. There’s also a great Multipressor under the Dynamics menu. As with the other features we’ve discussed it’s highly customizable. I’ll go with the Strings Compressor since most of my little soundscape contains strings. You can also get right into using one, two, or three bands of compression as well. It’s a subtle way of smoothing things out before you finish up. If you want to group your tracks and get them to sit more easily in the mix later this also allows you to fine-tune all the different groups of sounds.

(Exciter)

(Before Multipressor)

(After Multipressor)

Putting It Together: Bounce And Export

I’m ready to put it all together and bounce it out so I’ll select an endpoint by grabbing the Project End Marker and dragging it accordingly. Alternatively if I just want to bounce a particular section I can use that Cycle feature again. Sometimes I use the Cycle feature while I’m still working on a project because it’s easy to see that yellow mark and I won’t accidentally cut off the end of my project. Not that I’ve ever done that! (We’ve all done it)

If you’re finished enough to put in a fade you’ll probably want to set the end marker properly. In addition to Bounce, we have several Export functions, including the ability to export regions to loop libraries. This is a useful way to keep track of your imported SFX that you may come back to later. It’ll  bypass the need to stick them in a folder and click through the Finder because they’ll be available within Logic. You can also export to Final Cut Pro, which will really streamline your post-production process.

Looking at the Export options we can bounce it to almost any format we want, or even add it to iTunes so that it’s easy to reference later. We can also bounce it right back into the project which can be useful for reference mixing or simply for cutting down on track space as your session progresses towards a final product. With the new Horror SFX library from SoundsCrate you’ll be scaring your audience out of their seats in no time!

Want to see more sound effects? Check these out

Mark Thorsen from Digital Cube Media is the host of ProductionCrate’s exclusive 3D VFX course covering the techniques utilized in his short film “Prying”.

This 5 Part VFX course will go deep into the workflow and tools used in this amazing project. Mark covers Substance Painter, Z-Brush techniques, Pose-Morphing in C4D and more.

Course Contents

Lesson 1 – An introduction to the course.

Lesson 2 – Combining Z-Brush’s pose-morphing tool to create stunning animations in Cinema4D, without any hassle setting up complicated character rigs.

Lesson 3 – A look into the power of Z-Brush’s Remeshing tool, which can clean the geometry of any model perfectly.

Lesson 4 – Utilizing ProductionCrate assets to create realistic vein displacement maps.

Lesson 5 – Introducing Substance Painter, the industries cutting-edge 3D material editing suite.

Watch the highlight below, you can watch the entire course here.

Story: The Great Unseen Equalizer in VFX

There is an art to using VFX as an unseen tool. So much consideration goes into the curating of what you, the viewer, see at any given moment, that it is easy to forget about what you don’t see in a shot. But more often than not, what you don’t see is where the best and most impactful story moments lie.

In VFX, just because we can do anything and everything doesn’t always mean we should. So often audiences and media focus on what we can see and what is shown on screen in VFX. When The Avengers and Game of Thrones are the baseline for visual excellence, the bar is pretty high. Freeze frame any moment from those shows and the still image is a renaissance painting.  (Unless there is Starbucks cup.)

But ultimately consideration for VFX emerges from a directorial, editorial story perspective. A visual should not exist simply for the sake of existing.

Curious about what are some of the ways to use VFX with restraint or purpose in more subtle and useful ways?

Back to the Basics and Classics

A sense of film history is the best tool you can use when figuring out your shot. Think back to a world of Alfred Hitchcock and Rod Serling; a world of storytelling where it is not so much what you show, but what you don’t and how that restraint can serve the better purpose of your story.

Take for example, one of my most favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone, Eye of The Beholder (Watch it on Hulu.)

The Twilight Zone was created during the infancy of television, an episode conceived in 1960, almost 60 years ago. In Eye of the Beholder, the filmmakers obfuscate, misdirect, and use light and contrast as an unspoken character. The claustrophobic visual language creates a foreboding slow build, leading to a masterful, gasp worthy reveal.

Yet, you would think that since it’s almost 100 years old, it should be primitive in its filmmaking, with all that limitation of technology. Rather the opposite,  Eye of the Beholder manages to pack a gut-punch allegory on Nazism and conformity, against the backdrop of a totalitarian state, using mostly shadows, concerted camera movement and actors backs to camera. Even with such heady topics, nothing in the production feels cheapened, nothing feels lost to age, it holds up remarkably well as a gem of perfection.

With just light and camera direction The Twilight Zone achieves masterful commentary about the perceived value of homogeny in beauty. What we, the viewer, don’t see informs the story just as much as what we are allowed to see. This gives so much weight to the double-blind reveal. What does her face look like? Is she a monster?! What do the doctors look like? Eye of the Beholder remains riveting and engaging television by any modern measure. If they can do that with so little, there’s nothing you can’t do.

Technically Difficult and Time Consuming? Yes, if it serves story.

Way back in 1948, Alfred Hitchcock audaciously sought to create a seemingly single take film.  Rope was an amazing and difficult orchestration, with entire magazines of film taking up the length of each take. Hitchcock’s use of “the television technique” was unheard of and novel and considered by many “daring” for a mainstream director at the time.

This single take (“one shot”) approach popularized by Hitchcock has been adapted, paid homage to over and over since then, which only stands to show how clever the concept was in its infancy. From The X-Files to Birdman to Mr Robot, each new attempt at this concept acknowledges its roots and predecessors then ups the ante and reliance on VFX to create the seamless intended story effect. The most recent entry in this category may be to the 59 minute 3D shot in Long Day’s Journey Into Night.

Don’t be discouraged if something technically difficult requires testing, rehearsal, pre-vis and blocking. A deliberate approach harkens back to my thoughts on Mise en Place for production. When you are able to plan for VFX during production process versus an afterthought, you’re putting they story front and center.

Mr. Robot is unique and well known for capturing accurate technical details about computing and hacking, so it’s no surprise that an immense amount of technical preparation went into creation of the episode with a special focus on the shots and camera movement.

This breakdown video shows everything from general environment clean up, stitching, tracking and compositing of multiple takes. All this is required to create a seamless and invisible shot. Read more from the director of Mr. Robot’s eps3.4_runtime-err0r.r00.

Imagine if Alfred Hitchcock had the same kind of VFX capability. In Rope, Hitchcock wound up re-shooting the ending segments, because he was dissatisfied with the color of the sunset. Today, perhaps he would ask his team environment painters (Digital Matte Painters) to paint and adjust the background accordingly.  

Use Constraints to Elevate Story

Figuring out how to “make it work” in filmmaking is a feature not a bug. Famously there is a story about a director that wanted to shut down an entire freeway for a large multi-car crash scene. With a logistical nightmare of permits, stunt men and traffic the Producer griped “Can’t we just make it a reverse shot in a telephone booth?”

Never has there been a more honest and funny acknowledgement of such constraints than in a movie sequel like the Phil Lord & Chris Miller‘s 22 Jump Street – in which, if you didn’t know, is an entire movie is based on the construct of what a sequel is, and what happens in sequels. It’s fun.

Police Captain Dickerson, played by Ice Cube, makes it crystal clear in this movie, there is no budget for a big police chase like last time. As a reminder, Jonah Hill’s character yells to turn the car “whichever way is cheaper!”

This is called “making it work.” With a wink and a nod, 22 Jump Street opts to make all the action happen off screen.

It’s a funny moment with loud off screen banging and crashing. If this were a large tent-pole movie perhaps there would be hundreds of interior shots of CG robots and equipment being destroyed in real time. As the cars exit the other side of the building, Channing Tatum’s character quips: “Wow, there was a lot of expensive stuff in there.” We’re all in on the joke now.

The next time you feel you have to “show it all” think about these examples of unseen story in VFX, remember your filmmaking roots, commit to the vision, see it through and make something awesome.

Check out this fantastic video showing off some great hidden VFX. Remember, Visual Effects are a tool, just like any other. Don’t be limited in how you utilize them.

David Fincher utilizes Visual Effects to achieve what he cannot in a real-life scenario.

Every industry has its yearly, go-to event, a time when the movers and shakers convene on the new-ness of talent or product.

In comics: Comicon. For VFX and computer graphics: Siggraph.  Gaming: E3. Consumer electronics: CES. I could go on — But have you ever heard of NAB?

The National Association of  Broadcasters trade show was once nothing more than a broadcast technology showcase for industry insiders. Now billed as “the ultimate event for media, entertainment and technology professionals looking for new and innovative ways to create, manage, deliver and monetize content on any platform,” NAB is all grown up.  

NAB has become a clearinghouse for technology ideas and an excellent venue to connect with peers on emerging video and film-related technologies. If you’ve never been, it’s actually something very special. For one lone April week in Las Vegas, Nevada, NAB becomes its own city, with an Olympic pavilion type feel throughout.

Never been to NAB? Here are the things you should do:

Go with purpose

The most effective NAB outings are missions in problem-solving. Why are you here? Remember mise en place? Now is a great time to plan for opportunities coming down the pike. Maybe your company needs to look at investing in a new studio space and gear for an emerging e-sports requirement, or maybe new cameras. Either way, you should seek out information to validate or disprove a workflow idea you may have about gear for your production.  And even though NAB is a trade show, it’s still a great time to talk to your peers about how they plan to do things, too! Speaking of…

NAB is an amazing networking opportunity

Through my years of attending NAB, I’ve come to meet and know people from throughout the US and the world.  Year after year, I am able to visit with artists, VPs of sales, to creative directors, to technology consultants, from all over

Looking for someone with a unique skillset? You’ll likely find someone who knows someone. Ask around. Be sure to bring business cards. Yes, it’s old school, but it’s really reliable and a tangible reminder for your new contacts of your meeting.

I recommend finding some of the more diverse organizations and their networking events. There are countless meetups both officially sanctioned and impromptu for every corner of our industry. Just google “NAB Meetup” to see.

If all else false, just strike up a conversation. Everyone is wearing their badge with their name and company. It’s amazing who you might see walking around if you pay close enough attention.

Evaluate gear / Demo the hype / Talk to the manufacturers

As with every trade show, there’s quite a bit of marketing hype. NAB is a time when manufacturers of cameras, storage, and workflow tools put out press releases about their latest offering. Marketing does not equal capability of a delivered product. NAB is often the very first public roll out of a new product. This means hands on time. If you are evaluating a specific piece of gear for your organization (say a video switcher for an e-sports broadcast) researching it at NAB is an excellent choice! You’ll see it set-up, you can observe it’s functionality in person versus reading a white paper (boring!)

There’s a high likelihood product managers, engineers, and designers are at the manufacturer booth to field specific questions. Bonus points if you email and schedule time ahead. After all, that’s why all these companies are here at this trade show. They have paid for the space and want to get you talking. They want to answer your specific questions and showcase their solutions. Take advantage. You’ll never get this much consultation in a single room in LA.

Do the conferences. Expand horizons and learn new techniques

Some people treat NAB as a time to learn exclusively. It all depends on the role you play in an organization. When the engineers and the IT guys wander the exhibition floor, the artists and creative directors might find a quiet place in a pavilion to talk workflow. Or maybe the production folks are here to see that big Hollywood director and his DP and the camera maker talk about how they made “that shot” for this year’s Oscar contender.

From content strategy to technology there really is a session for everyone. If you work in or touch any part of the funnel of video – there is a session for you.

Like this one for example, which we need more of (!) “Stop, Collaborate, and Listen: Fixing Post with Communication: Filmmaking is a team sport and communication is everything, yet departments within post tend to exist in “silos” with little effort spent or time permitted to understand the needs of others downstream.

Check out the competition

NAB is an excellent time to look at the way people are building their solutions. If you work in media production it is not surprising how quickly a new approach can change the game.

In the marketplace of ideas, it is always instructive to see how others are handling technology for a creative process. When a new technology hits, there are usually 3 or 4 players that are trying to sell the idea on “right way.” Go check everything out so you can make a truly informed decision before you invest time or money.

Bring Clients or potential clients, schedule to meet them on the floor!

You’d be surprised how much impact you can make by scheduling time for an in person meeting, in a different city, with someone you’d like to do business. Even if that person lives down the street. Without exaggeration, I have lived and worked 10 miles away from clients, but was only able to carve out the time and solution when we got together at NAB. People are busy. But when NAB comes around they literally clear the calendars for this entire week to explore business opportunity, meet and learn. Use this to your advantage; don’t just wander the exhibition floor aimlessly.

Plan for long days, schedule pillars, but know when to switch gears.

Sneakers, extra socks? Have a battery backup for your phone? Water? Great! Self-care is an extremely important part of getting the most out of your NAB. It might seem silly at first, but if you build an itinerary and schedule your morning you’ll be able to pace walking the entirety of two exhibition halls, and any meetings you might schedule.  Don’t stand for 18 hours if you don’t have to.

Connect with a technology consultant (like me!)

This is a lot of information and you don’t have to go it alone. It’s okay to delegate some of the information gathering and synthesis of next steps to a technology consultant who can introduce you and your team to more complex approaches while distilling down the noise. Ask your technology consultant to help you meet and connect with people at NAB, they likely have a rolodex of people from their time in the industry and can help you connect the dots and come up with solutions that work.  Be aware, some people charge for their time and connection. Be clear about what kind of engagement you need and what they are offering.

Make the Vegas nightlife work for you

There is a culture of working dinners at NAB.  Many continue their learning, exploration and work into the evening hours until work segues into nightlife. Las Vegas has a way of making all this seem glorious – but don’t over do it on night one –  I’ve seen countless brilliant panel members muddle through their Monday morning panels. Yeah it’s exciting and this is fun, but not if you have a migraine.

Ultimately NAB is an expansive event that has something for everyone in the industry. If you’ve never been, or it’s your tenth time, what are you waiting for?  NAB starts this Saturday! Take a look the schedule.

Anime FX are some of the most fun assets you can use in your projects. They can be used in animations, films, and motion-graphics projects. Our Anime FX are great for exaggerating motion or adding impact. They can be used subtly or deployed in a spectacular fashion. We just added 20 New Anime FX to our libraries, ready for you to download!

Check out this example from our latest show, VFXperiments where we utilize some Anime FX in the title animation.

If you were tasked with creating a similar title card you might not think to use Anime FX but with some simple coloring and texturing Adrian was able to make them appear like a more retro-cartoon animation. Notice how the dust elements exaggerate the motion of the letters, the bubbles add to the vibe of the UFO and the liquid gives the end of the animation an extra touch of fun? Find how you want to animate your titles and then add these effects on afterwards, blending the two, and you will have an amazing project.

Think outside of the box when you use these! You can add on to pre-existing animations, like our Lower Thirds Script  or in tandem with some Text Animation like this Bouncy Text Effect in AE

However you choose to utilize them, you’ll have a fun time. Enjoy!

Looping in After Effects has never been easier. There are tons of looping expressions and different ways you can get your footage or keyframes to loop. Remembering all the techniques can be tricky, so we decided to make the Crate’s Looper Script

Download the 100% Free Crate’s Looper Script Here

You must be logged in either as a Pro or a Free user to download the script. Drag and Drop  into your After Effects > Scripts Folder

If you want to loop footage or media make sure to select the footage in your Project Window. Set the amount of times you want it to loop and hit Apply. You can also select your footage by pushing the ‘…’ button on Crate’s Looper Script.

The Time Remap option is auto-checked. This is the most popular looping option for Footage or Compositions. It creates 2 key-frames, one at the beginning and one at the end of your layer. If you want to loop another parameter, such as rotation or position, un-check this option. (Box 1 on the Right)

You can choose to loop-in, loop-out, or both! Looping-in will loop from the last key-frame to the first key-frame. Loop out, the more often used, will loop from the first key-frame to the last. Loop-In/Out will do both of these options.

Let’s take a look at some of our different looping options now. See where it says ‘none’ on our right? Select that drop-down. You will see these amazing looping options! Check out what each one of them does below.

Ping – Pong allows your animation to go forward until the last key-frame and then repeat the animation backwards. It’s like the popular Boomerang effect you see everywhere!

The Continue Loop is really interesting, instead of stopping on the last key-frame the animation takes into account the motion parameters and makes them continue on indefinitely.

Cycle is a useful loop. This will start your animation over to the first key-frame after the last key-frame.

Offset is definitely the most interested. We used 3 key-frames to really show this one off. The animation cycles through all 3 key-frames (start, finish, halfway back to start) but continues it’s directional movement. The animation repeats but is ‘offset’ from the difference in the key-framed parameters. This one is especially fun to make complex animations with!

Want to check out more of our scripts? See them all here

We love our action scenes! The pacing of the edit, the looseness of the shooting and of course the music to drive the sequences make them some of the more fun projects to work on. SoundsCrate.com is a great place to find your action music.

Our Action Category on SoundsCrate has been a consistently used section for many of our videos. So much so that we have started to re-use many of the same tracks. It was past due for us to spice things up!

The fantastic composers at Suite Tracks built us (and all of you) 5 new and amazing action tracks. These were made specifically to fit in a variety of films and videos. Our previous action tracks often leaned towards darker tones, while these new ones work well in comedy-action, training sequences and less-threatening but still intense scenes.

War Beat (Free)

Drums pound out excitement and trick your heart rate into trying to keep up in this awesome track. The start hits fast but the build up takes it’s time, ending in a crescendo that will leave you breathless.

No Warriors Here (Pro)

There is a playful, almost goofy vibe generated by this song. It evokes a sense of the 1940’s or 50’s, the war is just beginning and newspaper headlines splash across the screen!

Digital Distress (Pro)

This track maintains it’s synthetic texture while incorporating some classical instruments. It can work well in the Thriller Category  about as well as it works in the Action. Whatever is going on in your scene, it’s definitely not good. This can be used well in anything from a modern-superhero movie to an all out Cyborg vs. Vampires flick.

Conquest (Pro)

As the name suggests, this track is great for adventure. Well timed-bells signal the unifying of armies while violins keep pace with galloping hoofbeats of   the last remaining scout. This track is all build up, no crescendo, giving you the room to play around as needed.

Endless (Free)

Another track that would fit in well in our  Thriller Category , Endless keeps you on the edge of your seat while finding time to slow or speed things up without losing your attention.

Enjoy these tracks! Looking for more? See our other Music Posts Here!

Chris: Hey Jack, what are you working on right now?

Currently working on some content for some well known YouTubers under my little company, Trash Panda FX, most recently with the Sidemen, KSI and RackaRacka. Some other ones coming in I can’t say just yet but it should be a good time. (ProductionCrate will be helping us smash some amazing FX on these too!)

The video has since been released, check it out below! Tons of FootageCrate VFX were used, like the Floating Rocks, the Magical Fire and Lightning

We always enjoy working with you, the DBZ vs. Avatar video  that RackaRacka released was an insanely fun project to build VFX for.

What’s your VFX workflow like?

You try your best to make for a nice and sorted pipeline so everything moves smoothly. Get the shots and scenes nicely labeled and organised in folders and spreadsheets for artists to access, along with assets, camera data and anything required for their shots. Organise teams for clean up, comp work and FX to get it all to come together at the end.

One of the best attributes any artist/producer/filmmaker is to be a problem solver.

No matter how amazing your workflow/pipeline is, you will 110% come up against inconceivable problems. Being able push through and meet deadlines is a huge part of it.

You’re based out of Australia, and we’re here in California. Our workflow together has been great, even with the time difference. Do you mostly work with VFX Artists online, or do you work with some artists in-person? Do you have a preference?

It used to be more in person – but recently has been switching heavily to online. Which is great as it brings in awesome talent (such as ProductionCrate) and provides opportunities for people be part of some big projects without having to compromise leaving their home/family/friends.

I just prefer to work alongside reliable and talented artists who I believe can smash out shots regardless of location.

You’ve done a lot of work for some big YouTubers, what is your favorite project?

They’re all great. It’s weird, I think the quality of work is better than it has ever been. But my favourite has to be a throwback to Lord of the Rings vs Game of Thrones. My acting was phenomenal and I got to slice an arm off (2:20)

Haha, yeah I love that video. I remember seeing a behind-the-scenes of that short where Danny is trying to give you some direction (not that you needed it, being a phenomenal actor and all). That video has over 7 Million views! What’s the most viewed video you’ve worked on?

Was that the footage of me slipping on blood and cracking my head…hahaha

I think Richy from Royal Stampede was telling me the Tank gold digger prank has a total of close to a billion views, (including facebook shares, youtube, insta)  which is crazy.

Can you give us some insight into what it’s like to do blockbuster VFX work? I know you’ve done work on Tarzan (2016), Pan (2015) and the Babadook (2014)

The smaller the company, the better. You feel less like a cog in a machine.

There is also more opportunity to grow and try things as you’re forced to become a generalist to help carry the workload. With bigger companies, you’ll get to work on bigger productions with great talent – but you will get burned out and discarded. It’s brutal the way some of my friends have been treated. But VFX artists have to be some of the best people you will ever meet and work alongside.

I know you use ProductionCrate content in a lot of your work (good choice!), any favorite assets or requests for content?

well where do I begin!

The explosion asset that was used on that most viewed video mentioned earlier was a Crate element!

So definitely helped contribute to the viral success of that video.

When you’re racing shots out – you can’t go into the deep of making something custom and need to churn 10 shots out in a day.

Some of the FX on there can blow you away and save you from deadlines. As for requests, just keep doing what you guys are doing because you’re killing it!

Thanks, Jack!

Learn to create the amazing Blink Portal Effect in Adobe After Effects! Check out our latest Saturday Morning Tutorial Now!

Download the portal OBJ sequence here

Blink Portal Assets (Pro and Free)

FREE Light Wrap Script

You may also be interested in Falling through a Wormhole

Find the disintegration effects here

Adrian and Chris teach you how to recreate this amazing effect in Adobe After Effects!

Learn the VFX techniques used to create this amazing wormhole scene! Inspired by the visual masterpiece Doctor Strange (2016) We decided to create this journey through space and time.

Download FREE and PRO Wormhole Backgrounds and Green-Screen Footage Here

Find the  Earth Texture Here

Check out this amazing Ghost Tutorial! We decided to create this effect after seeing Ant-Man and the Wasp

We used some of our Glitch VFX to help create this effect

These SciFi Hum sound effects were perfect for her phasing sounds

We used a variety of techniques to achieve this effect, watch the tutorial above to learn more!

We have 20 Pro 4K Shockwaves and 3 Free shockwaves available for download!

You asked for them, so we made them. These shockwave assets are absolutely amazing. There are a huge variety of styles to choose from. We’ve used them in our logo animations, super-hero landings, SciFi Weapons and so much more.

Many of the shockwaves have a gradient of color, you can add a Tritone or other color effect and make them whatever hue you desire. Try different blending modes, like Add or Screen and your shockwaves will look like energy.

Have fun with these, we know we are!