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How to get into advanced visual effects

Hi,

I've been making video's now for the past 4 years and of course, visual effects is a part of that. I really like to make visual effects but I'm stuck at a certain level now. I can do stuff like cloning, disappearing, putting myself in movies via green screen, running into walls etc. I want to get to a higher level of visual effects, but there are barely any (good) tutorials online about the advanced stuff like blending 3d simulation into the real world and advanced green screen compositing like falling onto those mats. I would like to be able to make video's like Corridor (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYXiYcX3sQ8) or other professional youtube accounts. Do any of you know any great in-depth tutorials on these types of things? (Mostly using stuff like AE, Blender, Maya etc.)

Thanks!
 
Start doing it ALL THE TIME, increase your experience and skill, build a portfolio of your work and what you're capable of, then seek out job opportunities
 
Mervin,
Believe me when I tell you that Youtube is filled with fantastic tutorials on EVERYTHING. I use to go there to learn about water simulations, compositing, rendering, pretty much everything!!

What you want to do is start by choosing a software package. For example; After Effects.. if you want to learn how to do the Mission Impossible effect where Tom Cruise pulls off a mask that makes him look like someone else. Go to Youtube and type in "mission impossible pulling off a mask tutorial after effects"

You should find this:
https://youtu.be/MEvljH1MZDA
 
Depends how you like to learn. I personally don’t love YouTube tutorials so am more inclined to take a short course on stuff like this. That said, I’m sure there are plenty of tutorials covering what you’re interested in.

My suggestion would be to start on things like set extensions, background and sky replacement, wire removals etc. as they are used all the time in films, will be relatively easy to get your hands on raw footage (as you can use just about anything) and will probably ease you in to the really advanced stuff.

If you can already do all that, I’d suggest setting yourself some exercises. Take a camera out and shoot some stuff with what you’re going to do in post in mind and then take it into AE and give it a shot. If you can make cheap green screen look good, good green screen will be easy. Maybe find some free stock footage that you can go out and shoot some matching coverage and then try and comp them together.

I assume you’ve exhausted the litany if Video Copilot tutorials, but there’s some pretty advanced gear in there...
 
Here is an excellent book that will teach you quite a bit about the techniques of compositing. People who don't really know anything about compositing think they can bypass the technical information and jump right in. It's true, you can do it that way but if you really want to understand compositing and all that you can do, you need to understand the basics. This book will teach you the basics as well as the advanced. I use my copy all the time.

https://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-...F8&qid=1512340990&sr=1-1&keywords=compositing
 
Something that I say less to burst your bubble, but more to get you to think about what you enjoy doing...

Have you ever really read the credits to a VFX heavy film? Its longer than most of the comics they are based on. Even a movie with "practical" effects like American Made have laundry lists of professional artists that each specialize in something.

I work as a Flame artist. My boss who owns the company is also a Flame artist. However, we specialize in such different things so even within the same piece of software you get specialists. My boss can do retouch/hand animation stuff that I would blow my brains out doing and my work is more color grading, look development and design.

CG is even more splintered with your particle experts, environment gurus, character animators, etc.

You don't have to do it all yourself and you shouldn't. Film is a collaborative medium and it really benefits the project to have different thoughts and ideas working together. What do you want to do? For now, just focus on solving whatever problem you have to do next and you will sort it out.
 
...........People who don't really know anything about compositing think they can bypass the technical information and jump right in. It's true, you can do it that way but if you really want to understand compositing and all that you can do, you need to understand the basics. .............

This is so true!
And in many fields :)
Without understanding the basics every tutorial on youtube just teaches you a trick instead of a skill.

Skills are trained by doing.
So keep doing, keep learning.

Like others said: find what you want to do, know how you want to learn and decide what goals you want to set.
 
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