I'm not sure why you couldn't use keyframes to add shake to your film in post. Film the scenes with a tripod. Make sure you have extra frame space around the edge of your picture. Add the SFX. Every couple of frames add a keyframe and move everything, or slightly tilt it or whatever to match the style in other scenes.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

i have a very 'gritty' style of cinematography which involves a handheld shakey camera (ie, brotherhood, assembly, battlestar galcatica, band of brothers). to have onlykeyframe shakes would be very hard to look good. key frame shaking is good for the shock of an explosion or impact, but if the whole film was on only key frame shake and not handheld, it wouldnt look to good. the handheld element adds a sense of raw ergency,

Defiantly film the shot repeatably and mask it together in post, it gives you a much better result than blue screening some soldiers. Although you might also want to add a couple blue screened soldiers in there that overlap other soldiers, that would save a lot of time masking and wouldn't look too bad from really far away.

After Effects can automatically add camera shakes that look exactly like hand held ones. It not only adds a perfectly realistic camera shake, that you have way more control over than real hand held but the picture can stay really sharp and give it more of the often seen war film look.

But you mentioned that you have final cut pro, so making the hand held shots yourself is probably a good idea.

_____________________________________________________
"Imperfection equals Realism"

You misinterpret what I mean.

YOu can pan, scan, or add little shakes depending upon how many keyframes you add and how you use them. I wouldn't do this for an entire film, but on a clip by clip basis I think you could match your handheld style.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

thanks guys, thats quite usefull. iv only used keyframes for camera shake on a basic level, i find it hard to look natural, not artificial, but i suppose i just need to paractice. also, rjschwarz, are you just refering to using key frame shakes on the few tripod shots ill need for showing a large amount of men

Yes, keep it limited to very few shots or you'll go nuts. If you have a master shot of a bunch of guys coming up the beach use a tripod and film the same guys coming up over and over on different parts of the frame. Add some SFX if you want (smoke, explosions, muzzle flashes). A matte image of ships in the water behind them if you want to be daring. Or a ruined city, whatever.

Then in post zoom in and pan across the frame from left to right, then a bit faster left to right and include a bit of a pan back so it doesn't look to mechanical. Then pan in to a specific group of guys that you filmed in closeup. Then transition to your normal stuff. At that point you don't have to worry about other troops, destroyed cities or boats in the background and can just film with your normal style having established the larger world in the master shot.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

awsome, thanks

pond weed what film are you working on? i've seen you post alot of questions about these war films and i'd like to see one.

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sorry if i am carpet bombing the forums, im really keen to find out more, as im making quite a big jump between the last war film i made and the one im planning at the moment.

iv got the film in quick time format and its a tad to big to fit on youtube, what is a better format to export to that is good for internet posting?

-thanks for all the advice everyone-

carpet bombing is fine, you've sparked interest.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

im sure many of you have seen this

http://www.beyondhollywood.com/saving-private-ryans-beach-scene-on-the-cheap/

its super cool and its the sort of thing im looking to do (the multiplication of soldiers at long distance).

was wondering, is this all dooable on final cut pro (except the smoke effects). is that sort of green screening easy to do on FCP

im also aiming to use a lot of smoke, to make the battlefield seem more hectic (and there will be incoming mortar shells exploding all around). the smoke i can make easily/cheaply. but what worries me is will the smoke make it harder to green screen in extra soldiers in the backround. is there a way to somhow seperate the smoke from the backround (considering trhe backround is going to be woodland) so as to make the smoke 'run over' the green screened in soldiers.

I imagine smoke done during production would complicate matters. If you do the smoke in post you should add it after all the other SFX and greenscreening but before you use key-frames to create camera motion.

I would use smoke on the closeup stuff, less so on the master shots.

RJSchwarz
San Diego, CA

Yeah .... do the smoke in post. Ever se the movie Master and Commander? I was talking to a guy who worked on that and he said ALL the smoke was digital.

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