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You ain't supposed to be in here! Looks like we got some fresh meat!
Hey guys, Tom from HitFilm here. Today's tutorial is inspired by the VATs system from Bethesda's
Fallout Series. This tutorial can be followed in either HitFilm Express or Pro, with help
from the Mocha plug-in.You can find a discount code for the Mocha in the description below.
So, here in HitFilm I already have my footage set-up in the composite shot. Lets first begin
with the initial camera crash zoom effect. I have here two shots to go between, my wide
& close-up. I’ll first turn the opacity of my zoomed layer down to about 50% in order
to see my alignment. Then scrub the clip through the timeline, finding the best point to overlap
as seamlessly as possible. I’ll open the transform tab and by using
scale & position will match the two shots with my actors motion. Once happy, crank the
opacity back to 100%. To control the motion, we’ll use parenting
& a point. Right click & create a new point, we’ll name this “Crash Zoom” for now.
Parent both clips to this layer. Open the transform tab of the Crash Zoom layer
and add a keyframe for both position & scale for the beginning of the zoom. Move back a
few frames and add another set of keyframes. Now, adjust the parameters till we have a
more fitting overlay. To edit this into something with more impact
we’ll select our keyframes, and go up to the ‘Convert to smooth’ icon. Now with
them altered, we’ll adjust this further with help of the Value Graph.
The Value Graph allows us to modify speed & force of our animation
In here, we’ll grab the end and drag down to till we have a steep incline. Do the same
to the other value if required.
Now with our crash zoom set, we can begin the limb selection of our VATS effect. Depending
on the complexity of your shot this could be with masked, but as I’m using motion
I’ll be using Mocha.
Apply Mocha to the main VAT shot & launch the UI.
Before beginning to track, it’s best we first scrub through the footage and decide
what features are to be selected- for me, I’m going to be tracking the Head, Torso
& this Pipe. I’ll use the X key to move around & Z to
zoom to focus my tracks, finally using the X-spline tool to go around my feature, and
when ready- track. Due to the motion of my subject, I’ll need to stop to adjust the
shape, for an effect like the VATS it’s important to keep the edges tight. I tend
stop every 5-10 frames depending on the length of my footage.
Repeat this method for the other chosen selections.
With all of my tracking complete, I’ll quickly name each layer with its appropriate name;
Head, Torso & Pipe. Now we’ll need to get this into HitFilm, we’ll do this by going
down to the “Export Shape Data” Tab. The format is already set to the HitFilm Transform
& Shape, so we’ll double check we have “All Layers” selected, I’m going to save this,
naming it ‘VAT Select’ To make sure we can return for amends we’ll
also save the project before closing.
Before we import our shapes, select the clip we’re applying VATS to and we’re going
to make this a composite shot- right click & select “Make Composite Shot” or Control
+ M. We’ll name this "VATS” & press OK. Let’s duplicate our clips so we have the
same number of clips as we do select features, plus an addition for our clean-plate.
Now we could use the Alpha Mattes provided by Mocha for our selections and turn them
with the individual layers- however, we want to animate these as the feature is selected.
For this, we’ll need the full shape data on masks. Click the arrow next to Import and
select Composite Shot. Find the VAT Select save from Mocha and import. HitFilm has now
opened a new composite shot and you should see all our tracking shapes with the appropriate
name onto Plane layers. Copy & paste these into our VATS Composite. With everything together,
i’ll first rename my layers by pressing F2, open the layer tab of each Plane, go into
the mask drop down and Cut the “Spline” from each one to it’s relevant Footage layer.
If we now flick the clean-plate off we should now have our features soloed.
With all data transferred we can turn off the Plane Layers, as well as the mocha effect
one our footage layers. Lets begin making our effect.
We’ll be repeating the effect for each layer, but for the moment, I’ll begin with the
Torso layer. Start off with a Fractal Noise from the Generate drop down. Set the type
to Marble & Interpolation to Block. Under Transform we’ll adjust scale to 20 and in
axis scale X will go to its maximum value, while Y is set to its lowest. In sub-settings,
take the levels down to 1, influence to 70 & scale to 42. Finally in Appearance, change
color 1 to white & color 2 to a green. Boost exposure to 10, offset to -0.5 & set the blend
mode to multiply. As you can see, this is our static TV effect.
Apply an invert from the Color Grading dropdown. This will help us highlight the effect further
than a standard application. From Stylize, add a tint changing brightness
used to intensity. Map Blacks to a Green & Whites to a lighter shade, bringing the intensity
to 100. Bring in a curve & adjust to harden shadows
if needed. Finally go up to the layer properties and set the overall blend mode to Difference.
With the effect complete, let’s animate it’s entry. I’ll open the layer tab and
go into Masks, then shape and find roundness. If you adjust the slider you can see it makes
this organic distorted effect that we’ll use for the growth. I’ll set a keyframe
from the end position, keeping at 0. Then over the course of 10 frames I’ll bring
this to a number till it’s barely visible. For the exit- it’ll do the reverse, over
5.
Repeat this for the remaining features and when going from one select to another, slightly
overlap by a few frames to give it that transfer feel.
Once happy, we’ll return to our main composite shot, relink the VAT Composite to the Crash
Zoom point layer. Create a mask. Go into the mask’s shape settings and keyframe the feather
to grow over the course of the crash zoom. Do the same for the layer’s opacity and
then, when ready, turn on the motion blur. You’re now ready for apocalyptic wasteland.
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