Selected shots from a Universal Sports promo spot for the upcoming 2015 FIS Alpine World Championships. Source footage was shot on greenscreen with a red camera. Was my first time working with red footage and fortunately the AE workflow allowed for an easy import of the edit and project files. Footage shoot and initial editing was handled by other studios.
- INITIAL CONCEPTS -
Intial concepts were to call back to an existing promo spot featuring 3D text and snow/ice elements.
We eventually moved forward with some new styles I created. These tried to focus more on the featured athletes using simple effects to add texture and depth. Color tinting was used in various ways to give each athlete its own space.
- EFFECTS PROCESS -
The 15sec. spot uses the color tinting as its primary feature with an alternate color used for the footage overlay highlights and foreground text.
Footage was keyed, levels adjusted, grain removal, text elements, color tint adjustment layer, foreground text with alternate color, scene lighting, fake text shadows, alternate footage overlay, fast blur, multiply vinette layer, 4-color gradient overlay as a lighting effect.
The 30sec. spot features more athletes and uses the color tinting as an accent rather than primary feature. The effect process was mostly the same as the shorter spot. Footage was keyed, B&W, levels adjusted, grain removal, text elements, scene lighting, fake text shadows, color tinting and fast blur window sliders.
*Protip - "Lens Blur" increases render time considerably, "Fast Blur" works just as well in some instances and wont slow down your aging laptop.
Process is repeated for the rest of the shots on both 15 & 30 second spots. Minor adjustments are made to layout and motion to match the source footage.
