I'm involved in a production with a scene that takes place in a church with a good number of people, anywhere from 15 to 50, with more being better. Since extras are hard to come by, especially without pay, I've been considering using post production to increase the size ofthe crowd.
Here's what I've been thinking: shoot the scene twice (or three times), each time filling up a different part of the church with the same extras. They would change clothes and makeup for each new take. We would film from the back, so we can't see their faces. The camera would be on a tripod, in the same position for each take. The lighting would also remain the same (as this scene is artificially lit and it is night).
My question is, has anyone done this before, and how would they actually combine the footage? I have aftereffects and I think it can do it, but I'm not exactly sure how.
Thanks for any advice or help!
Here's what I've been thinking: shoot the scene twice (or three times), each time filling up a different part of the church with the same extras. They would change clothes and makeup for each new take. We would film from the back, so we can't see their faces. The camera would be on a tripod, in the same position for each take. The lighting would also remain the same (as this scene is artificially lit and it is night).
My question is, has anyone done this before, and how would they actually combine the footage? I have aftereffects and I think it can do it, but I'm not exactly sure how.
Thanks for any advice or help!