Make an object's LED's start flashing?
by Phillip Roh (phill_r)
on
Jun 4, 2008 at 4:07:28 pm
Hello! I'm shooting a short film with a few friends. One scene has a phone ringing on a table and the character picking it up. The phone we have in mind has some LEDs on it that flash when ringing, so it makes for a good visual cue to the viewer in conjunction with a ringing SFX.
However, this moment takes place during a slightly tricky camera move. As we're all amateurs in filmmaking+acting, ideally we won't have to worry about the exact timing of the phone call (add the flashing lights in AFX) so that the cast can focus on their lines/movements. My AFX skills are far superior to my filmmaking skills (still isn't that much though).
I have Adobe AFX 6.0. Is there any way to create a realistic light flashing using the pre-installed effects?
Shooting on consumer DV :-), so I imagine I'll also have to go through a step of making the light flashes look ugly.
Re: Make an object's LED's start flashing? by Dave LaRonde on Jun 4, 2008 at 4:30:44 pm
[Phillip Roh]"One scene has a phone ringing on a table and the character picking it up. The phone we have in mind has some LEDs on it that flash when ringing..."
You're making things hard on yourself. Is everybody on the planet going to know that LEDs light up on this particular model of phone when it rings? No. So why give yourself grief? Just blow off the notion of using a visual effect.
You can accomplish the same thing by simply recording audio of the phone ringing. Do it when you're done shooting the scene, in the exact same environment using the exact same microphones. Then just use it as a sound effect!
It's LOTS easier and just as effective.
Dave LaRonde
Sr. Promotion Producer
KCRG-TV (ABC) Cedar Rapids, IA
Re: Make an object's LED's start flashing? by Chris Wright on Jun 6, 2008 at 4:22:31 am
layer->mode Stencil alpha from a bulb graphic then with a light or glow effect, keyframe it to pulsate. The stencil alpha will automatically make it look good. Two seconds done, and no arguing with the producer, lol.
