How do I accomplish these effects?

[Radiobuzz]

Hi all,

I like to edit videos but I have zero knowledge of it, I just do it for fun. I've always used Sony Vegas which I think it's pretty easy to use (although not being able to edit the video frame by frame is sort of annoying sometimes), but lately I have found it a little restrictive so I was thinking in changing to Adobe Premiere Elements. On the other hand, there are two effects which I'm interested in knowing how to replicate so I thought about asking here.

The first one is a fairly easy one and it's often used on music vids. It's when a video looks like it's been slowed down although everything is on sync (for example, a person singing) and also the video is really smooth. I believe this has something to do with the amount of frames per second but I'm not sure how to do it.

The other effect is a little more complex and it's the same Michel Gondry used for his "Star Guitar" video. You can watch it here if you don't know it. It's sort of taking an object, copy and paste it again on the video, on top of a moving background, and sync it with the audio.

I don't know how these effects are called so I didn't have any luck searching for them. I also wanted to know if they can be achieved with Premiere, or if there's a more complete software I should use.

Thanks!

[fitch.j]

The first is achieved by altering the speed of the audio that the band sing along to when recording. You play it back at double speed so they have to mime it twice as fast, then in editing you just slow it to 50% to make it match the speed of the original track. Really simple stuff to do.

The second is way more complex and not something you're going to be able to learn very easily. You're going to need to learn some 3D software (3DSMax or Cinema4D most likely) And then some sort of Compositing software (After Effects) On top of all this you're going to have to be real good at animating and creative. This isnt something that 'a piece of software' will do for you.

[guns1inger]

I have used Vegas for years and can happily edit at the single frame level. Not sure what you are doing wrong or missing.

Most of Star Guitar is in the cutting. There are a lot of digital environments used, but mostly it is just very tight editing. You can see some of the level of planning required in this making-of video, as well as here and here. The making-of includes a test run of the idea using household objects and a DV camera in a carpark.

[fitch.j]

Star Guitar is not in the cutting so much (i'm assuming you mean editing shots to shots), its the compositing of all the elements.

The basis is the footage filmed obviously, and elements where taken from this and then used. But to say that it was just cleverly cut together footage is not true at all, its very detailed composition and 3D work that has gone into that. Not something that is ever going to be achieved with Sony Vegas.

The DV footage is decieveing as thats not how it was made, thats just an example of the plannign stages, that footage is also not 'as shot' and has been time-remapped in places to more closely follow the music.

[Radiobuzz]

The second is way more complex and not something you're going to be able to learn very easily. You're going to need to learn some 3D software (3DSMax or Cinema4D most likely) And then some sort of Compositing software (After Effects) On top of all this you're going to have to be real good at animating and creative. This isnt something that 'a piece of software' will do for you.

Thanks! I'll definitely have a look at After Effects. Regarding 3D software, are you implying that the effect is accomplished by creating a 3D model of the objects and using the videos as textures? That's interested, I thought it was a little more basic than that (cutting the objects and just past them and add movement, lol).

Regarding the first effect, is that all there is? I always assumed that the frames per second had something to do because of the smoothness of the playback in some cases.

[guns1inger]

Some of the scenes are almost entirely 3D, or a mixture of 3D models and projection mapping. Some of the scenes are more real with 3D added. The fps is constant, what is not is the frequency at which objects repeat and alter, which is what he was mapping out in the making of. All the animation is very carefully timed, down to the individual frame, to make sure it hits the beat as required. This is not a single guy with a PC stuff, this is a team of well trained people working for several months.

[fitch.j]

Regarding the first effect, is that all there is? I always assumed that the frames per second had something to do because of the smoothness of the playback in some cases.

Depends on which way round you want it to look. To have them appear to be playing fast then no its fine, in order to have them appear to be playing slower then you ideally want to be shooting at a higher framerate so that less interpolation has to take place when adjusting the speed. Depending on how professional you want the effect and how good the software you are using is, defines whether or not you feel you'll need to shoot with a higher framerate.