After Effects: Virtual 360 Degree Camera Rotation!

This is just an effect test video for the 360 degree camera move effect that I've been meaning to try for a while and have never gotten around to before now.

I'm always looking for easy ways to get camera movement in to my effects videos because a lot of effects are hard to employ when the camera is moving. So naturally being the fool that I am I'm more motivated towards fixing what doesn't work than I am about using what does work.

The effect itself was inspired by watching the "Making Of" documentaries on the DVD of Robert Rodriguez's "Spy Kids 3D" (bad movie, avoid if you value your brain) where they used the technique on a lot larger scale. It's actually a severely brilliant technique to move the actors and then turn that into camera movement in a 3D environment. I sure as heck wouldn't have thought of it.

I did it by sitting on front of a green screen on a swiveling piano bench and rotating myself with my feet when I wanted the "camera" to pan around me. I then took the footage in to a 3D stage, that I constructed in Adobe After Effects, and keyframed the virtual camera in AE to match up with the bench rotation.

Of course AE is certainly no 3D modeling program. I'm just abusing it's ability to make still images in to 2D objects in 3D space like I did with "Public Service Announcement". I actually like the way the stage looks though. It will be used to greater effect in another movie that is currently in development by some friends and I. No telling how long it will take to finish it though.

Anyway, back to this video. I can't quite make up my mind about whether the rotation matching was easier or harder than I thought it would be. I thought it might turn out to be impossible, but it worked and only took an hour or two (the video as a whole probably took four or five hours), but there are still so many things that I don't quite understand about AE that it was still very confusing.

I think the rotation actually worked pretty well. It's kind of ironic that it would be virtually impossible for my friends and I to do a smooth camera move like this filming in a non-virtual environment. Usually it's exactly the opposite when it comes to camera movement.

The rest of the video is crud though. I was going for something amusing, but it just turned out confusing and pointless. Just ignore everything except the rotation shot.

I almost forgot to mention, due to Youtube's limiting video resolution I modified this video from it's original format, and it has been formatted to fit your screen. Meaning it was originally 2.35:1 widescreen and I chopped the edges off. Oh how I do hate pan-and-scan! I can't believe I'm doing it myself!! The horror!!!

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• virtual
• 360
• camera
• After
• Effects
• extremedarian
• experimental
• 3D
• green
• screen

[ChuckBorrisSkate]

How did Adobe After effect knew what is on your back so you could make a rotation?

[eXtremeDarian]

@ChuckBorrisSkate The software didn't know. There was no automatic motion tracking or matchmoving involved. The camera rotation was animated manually. It's not as hard as it sounds. Watch my tutorial.

[ChuckBorrisSkate]

@eXtremeDarian Then it's not VIRTUAL!

[eXtremeDarian]

@ChuckBorrisSkate Well, the first definition of "virtual" in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary is:

"being such in essence or effect though not formally recognized or admitted" I won't pretend to entirely understand what that means, but the fourth definition is:

"being on or simulated on a computer or computer network"

Which makes no mention of automatic motion tracking as a requirement. So I beg your pardon good sir, but I contend that this is indeed a VIRTUAL rotation!

[eyeDfy]

How has this NOT become an internet Meme is beyond me. Somebody, PLEASE post this to 4chan, quick! lol!

[eXtremeDarian]

There seems to be a higher standard for memes than there used to be. But hey, if you think it could have been one, that's a substantial compliment. Thanks!

[raulsantiago58]

GAY

[Lorsk8]

The effect is good, but the singing is gay...

[MrVenomousProduction]

Pile of shit.

[komrad36]

very nice! (the effect anyway) =P

[marcothedwarf]

3 seconds of that video are interresting......

0:30

[LunaiJaneaa572]

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[PiliF]

another vid that has wasted 46 seconds of my life,posting this comment is not included

[poldibums]

not very funny.....

[miked9203]

none of this was necessary and it's gay

[sohailmac84]

Gay!!