Animation Newbie Question
 

I'm a videographer, not an animator. The kind of animation I'm familiar with was done with a 16mm Bolex, Mitchell or Kodak Cine Special, frame clicking all day long. My needs right now are very simple, so I'm looking for something free as I'll probably never use the program again when I'm done with this project. I'm recreating an old local TV station horror show open from the early 70's, the audio track is all that still exists. It was called Out of This World and it aired on WCIV TV in Charleston, SC from around 1962-1975, airing old B grade horror and sci fi movies on Saturday nights, the open was updated around 1970 and the shot I'm trying to recreate was an animation of a humorous movie poster from the Hammer film, Dracula Has Risen From the Grave. The poster showed the lovely near bare neck and cleavage of Veronica Carlson with vampire bites covered by band aids. The shot was cropped (it had to be since the poster was vertically composed) with a slow zoom in to the band aids with animated blood drops oozing from the bites. The shot follows the drops as they fall toward her ample cleavage.

I have the poster on file and all I need is a program to do the move I described with simple paints to make the blood drops. What do you suggest?

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

I'll take a stab at this, for want of anyone with more expertise....Adobe After Effects is the conventional wisdom for this kind of thing, to the best of my knowledge. Not an easy route for a first-time user, to be sure.

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

After Effects would be good except the cost and learning curve.
What NLE do you use? Might be do-able in that

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

Blender (blender.org - Home) is free and can do exactly what you want, but the learning curve is steep. Really steep.

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

Thanks folks. To answer the NLE question, since I'm working with freebie stuff, I'm using Windows Movie Maker.

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

OK, I downloaded Blender. You weren't lying, it's complicated.All of the tutorials are about 3D stuff, and how to make your first animation of cups and such which is not what I'm doing. My needs, as I've described are very simple. Can anyone suggest a tutorial geared more for what I'm doing?

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

Blender mainly is a 3D program, but it is really capable for compositing, effects and post. You might have a look at or just google "Blender compositing".

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

Well your trying to do job without the tools.Can be done, but much harder( read time consuming)
Like driving a nail with a screwdriver.
I googled open source multi track video editors and there are a few. I've never used them. one called ZS4 says it will do composting
You might find 1 and try green screening the blood in multi tracks.
Another way might be to create a png with transparency of blood and move that track to emulate.
Also the old day way drops on sheet glass over poster, add blood drop do a frame and on and on
Or as others are suggesting just start learning blender.
Goodluck

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

You could do it in After Effects using either the 3d Camera to tilt, or possibly with the Pan Behind Tool, (kinda like the Ken Burns Effects in Photographs). I'd suggest creating the blood drops in Photoshop or Illustrator.

You could probably get a graphic designer to make them cheap on Craigslist, $50 or so. If you want help with the AE I think I could create it for you. PM me, I can try making the blood, not great with Illustrator but I'm sure there's basic tutorials for it on google & message boards.

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

"Also the old day way drops on sheet glass over poster, add blood drop do a frame and on and on"

This is starting to look more attractive to me for this project. I may just attempt to do this with a digi camera and animating the frames. Hell, I may even splurge for a roll of film and break out an old Bolex.

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

Freudian slip?

While composting is a great thing, perhaps COMPOSITING would come in handier in this situation. <grin>

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

It's funny you should mention that. These old "B" grade horror films and their local TV station intros (some with really goofy hosts) , even though considered "kitsch" in their day, have become classic retro horror today. I'll take a Hammer classic over today's splatter gore any day.

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

I was chatting just the other day about the Hammer films!

Part of my growing up, the Christopher Lee films especially!

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

Got one of my friends in Ontario to do the animation. Here is the Out of This World Show open, re done. The audio is the 1970 original. The video was put together as closely as I could remember.

Re: Animation Newbie Question
 

Marty what exactly are we looking at here. If you have done the entire thing, then excellent work. But that BCU of the eyes surely has to be Peter Cushing?