Today I’ll be showing you how to create titles straight out of Game of Thrones using
Geometry effects in HitFilm. Let’s jump right in and get started.
We'll start inside a new composite shot by creating the background. I have a stock video
of falling ash from ActionVFX.com that I'll put in first. In the Controls, scale it up,
then flip it horizontally using the Layout panel.
To add some more texture, I'll drop in a picture of lens dirt. This will be a subtle effect,
so lower the Opacity until it's barely visible.
Next, I want to add some light rays coming from the top right. Create a new Plane that
is taller than your composite. Add the Fractal Noise and Auto Volumetric to this Plane. I'll
place the Volumetrics point up in the top right where I want the rays to begin. Select
the Ellipse mask tool and draw a shape in that area- this is why the Plane has to be
bigger than the comp. If you want the rays to start from offscreen, the plane they sit
on has to exist there.
Now, in the Auto Volumetric controls under Light Source, lower the Threshold. Under Render,
increase the Exposure to make the rays brighter. You can change the way they look by adjusting
the Fractal Noise settings. For example, increasing the Influence under Sub Settings makes the
rays more defined. Keyframing the Seed will make them appear to move throughout the shot.
To Colorize the rays, choose a color and then increase the Amount.
Come over to New Layer and select Text. A cursor will appear onscreen, and you can start
typing. Highlight the title and go into the Text panel. For this effect, I'll use a font
called Cinzel. I'll also make it a darker gray color.
In the Controls panel, click the plus icon next to Geometry. Then select Extrude. This
will give the text depth, which can be adjusted in the dropdown. I'll set mine to 15. Before
we add the next Geometry effect, let's add a light so that we can see what we're doing.
The text has gone dark, but that's also because it isn't reflecting anything. Since this title
is made of metal, we need to add an environment map. Select the text layer and drop down the
Material tab. Under Environment Map, you can either select Use Composite Shot or Use Layer,
whichever looks better in the end. If you choose the second option, select which layer
you want it to pull from in the dropdown that appears. The text will take on some of the
reflections.
Now add the Bevel Geometry effect. You can adjust the Depth and Expansion to change the
look of the text. Depending on what font you use, it might also help to checkmark Internal
Edges, which will improve the render. I'll lower the Intensity of the Light so that there
aren't any white spots on the title. To add an orange backlight, I'll duplicate the one
we already have. In the Controls I'll push it back in Z space to put it behind the title.
In the Light dropdown, change the color to your liking, then lower the intensity if needed.
To make it look like the title is casting a shadow, add the Auto Volumetrics effect
to the text layer itself. Once again, move the position handle to where the light rays
are coming from. Under Render, change the Blend to Multiply. You can adjust how dark
the shadow is by changing the Exposure slider above.
And that's pretty much it for the title. A .5 or 1-pixel Blur effect on the text might
help make it look less CG.
For another Game of Thrones tutorial, click the card onscreen to learn how to turn yourself
into a White Walker. Leave any questions down below and I’ll see you all in the next video.