Communicating the size of a number...
 

I want to put 17000 crosses (from wingdings) on the screen one at a time. I have Boris Red, so doing the type-on effect is no issue...it's very easy. (In Vegas it would be an issue.) Getting 1000 on the screen in an identifable way is also no issue because a screen can accomodate 1000 characters quite easily. However 17000 is another matter.

What I am wanting to communicate is the sheer size of the number '17000'. We can say a figure like that so easily, but seldom have any appreciation of how large the number actually is. I am wanting to emphasis the size of the number, and thought that putting individual characters on the screen one at a time would do that.

I was thinking of starting off relatively slow so viewers understand what is occurring (there is an audio that is going with it so the message is being communicated in two ways), then speed it up so it doesn't take all day, perhaps run the 17000 through in 1 minute or less.

I have thought of running 1000 up, zapping up the figure '1000' when complete, then flipping that 1000 off the screen and starting a new 1000, putting '2000' when that is complete, and so on. That way while the 17000 are not seen cumulatively on screen (unless put on at the end), the enormity of the number will be/should be comprehended/communicated.

I just wondered if anyone else had any other ideas of how to visually convey this idea.

Re: Communicating the size of a number...
 

Hey Rinso, how about a single man in the street looking at the camera, then medium dissolving to more people, then more then more, with the dissolves getting faster and faster as the crowds build up.

You could shoot crowds in the street or on a bus or train platform, sports crowds, mixing them up as you go. I don't see it taking longer than maybe 30 secs, imo viewers would get the idea after about 10secs.

Super over the top something like this additive counter, finishing at 17000.

After Effects Project Files - Flip Characters | VideoHive

Cheers.

Re: Communicating the size of a number...
 

Thanks Allan. Good idea.

That count-up/down counter...it was made in CS4/5. Would it need the same to vary or apply?

Re: Communicating the size of a number...
 

Don't know Rins, but there's probably other Vegas screen counters you might try.

Try Googling 'Sony Vegas numerical screen counter' looks like there's a few there .. keep your virus counter on :)

Imo I don't think the whole thing should take longer than about 20 secs, of course it depends on what's happening either side of it.

Cheers.

Re: Communicating the size of a number...
 

tight zoom on grain of sand on a light tray, stay there for a bit, then slow steady pull-back to include more and more til however many grains required fill the screen.

i suggest a light tray as things look better when brightly lit and sand is generally not in the top ten most exciting visuals... overhead lights on reflective or bright surface might help... compositing could be used to increase the number of grains.

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if it was me tho, i'd probably get a 3D friend to design a model(s), then animate a camera move over however clones of the object needed to get the point across.