After Effects Mortar Tutorial

Here's a tutorial for some visual effects for a film I helped produce: Foxhole.

I was the DP and Visual Effects Producer and editor.

www.gvideoe.com

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Film & Animation

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• mortar tutorial
• after effects tutorial
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• michael gentilini
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• 3d animation
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• wwii
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[VidMuze]

@joannkearney444 Well, you can google for a "firework detonator," and you may be able to buy a single channel or 2 channel without a pyro/fireworks license. Have you tried using explosion stock footage that has an alpha channel enabled like Action Essentials? If you shoot it and motion track it properly, you can make them look realistic. They're certainly safer. Good luck!

[joannkearney444]

@VidMuze thanks for the tips I didn't know that the fireworks burn up ti 4,000 degrees F. Cause I would have me or my actors run past it like your actor did. I'm also an actor in my movie and director so yeah. I'm trying to make it as save as possible.Were doing all of these explosions on a beach, we have beach access and we told them what we were do so where can I get a 8 channel detnator, not to bug you with questions.

[VidMuze]

@joannkearney444 Lighting a fuse and waiting for it to explode is very dangerous and quite a gamble with capturing the right shot.

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but just my 2 cents worth.

[VidMuze]

@joannkearney444 2) Second, when a firework mortal explodes, it’s designed to blow in a 360 degree direction, so planting a mortal in the ground, it’s not going to be a well controlled explosion and you will loose a lot of the force from the explosion.

The key to mortar explosions for a film is to have the direction controlled (by using a mortal tube or a sturdy metal bucket) and most importantly, the timing controlled.

[VidMuze]

@joannkearney444I would encourage you not to use mortal fireworks. Any firework that explodes will have phosphorus in it, and you don’t want yourself, or your camera near it since it burns over 4,000 degrees F.

I also would not use mortal fireworks for a couple of other reasons:

1) The bright sparks are going to over exposure your video footage, not to mention, when a real military mortar explodes, there is never a shower of red, yellow, blue, etc, sparks. So the effect won’t look good.

[joannkearney444]

@VidMuze yeah I have a little bit of experience I just don't want it to look so fake if I use affter effects. You know? I was thinking for the same explosion I could use those mortar Fireworks put it in a bucket full of flower and put that In a one foot hole in the sand cause we'll be shooting on a beach. I think that would work, since you have experience with pyro do you think that would work?

[VidMuze]

@joannkearney444 Well, if you don't have any experience with pyrotechnics, I would highly recommend you do not start experimenting without a trained expert there to instruct you. I used 5 gallon buckets that were buried in the ground and I used gun powder, along with electric matches and an 8 channel detonator.

[joannkearney444]

@VidMuze no, like what explosives did you use for the mortar effect like the explosives you put undergound?

[VidMuze]

@joannkearney444 About 90 % of the explosions were real on the field ( I was the pyrotechnician on set), then in post I enhanced some of them with the Action Essentials 2 explosion clips in After Effects.

[joannkearney444]

What explosives did you use? Can you tell me I need to know for a WW2 movie I'm making.