I need 1000s of Names Snaking back and forth?

Grazie wrote on 12/20/2004, 11:55 PM
Ok:

I'm headlong into a project, for a London organisation.

I'm wanting to "fill" a moving mask shape - bloke walking - with names of historic people filling the mask or chromakey or anything with contrast - don't worry about this bit. . I can figure this out. I will most likely be getting something greater than 5000 names - could be more! Sheesh! I can envisage horizontal lines of names moving right and left independantly of each other. Some of the names will be VERY well known indivs. Others not. To "nail" what is going on, the well known names will could be bolded or coloured independantly . . .

I was thinking that I need to set up a multi track of say 50 or 80 tracks and have these lines move from side to side . .. another treatment I was wanting was to have these "lines" stream through the video narrative too!

Bottom line here is that it doesn't HAVE to be too "clear".

Any takers for how I should proceed?

Grazie

Comments

nickle wrote on 12/21/2004, 12:14 AM
The first thing would be to "measure" the screen it will be shown on to see what size the text should be and then you know how many lines to use.

Then figure how long it will have to scroll for 5000 names to appear.
nickle wrote on 12/21/2004, 12:24 AM
Then you could "double space" the layouts with alpha background you only need two tracks.

One going forward and the other in reverse.

Grazie wrote on 12/21/2004, 12:27 AM
Yes, of course your are correct - and I didn't explain myself too well. I was more wanting some feedback as to what the "template" would "look" like. I say template . .I suppose I mean a Veggie .. that I could kinda reuse and repeat in various parts of the video. Not ALL of the names NEED to appear .. . but by the time I finish .. in various 3-D options . . . they most likely will.

I also would like to have these names "snake" through maybe PIPs of video?

Grazie
farss wrote on 12/21/2004, 4:41 AM
This could be mighty tedious stuff doing it all in Vegas.
Why not type up the list in Word and then paste that into a very large PS file with transparent BG and save as very large PNG, the use event pan/zoom to animate, just watch for aliasing issues.

Oh and by the way Cayman can import text, upto 8000 words I think per file.
Bob.
Grazie wrote on 12/21/2004, 5:16 AM
Thanks Bob.

I've copied and pasted a l o o oo ng line into Vegas already . . Copy PAste in "Text" MedGen .. it works . .don't know the actual length . . BUT yes, I do like the PNG thing . .. HUH: the "Png Thing"! . . Amazing!

Great idea . .. .

Grazie
TorS wrote on 12/21/2004, 6:27 AM
>>> I will most likely be getting something greater than 5000 names - could be more!

So it's not the Tony Blair appreciation society then?

I havn't thought out a smart way to do this (yet), but I thought I'd mention that I think you should make three "layers" (different size, different degree of transparency, perhaps even different shade of colour) to add depth to the presentation.

I've seen your language thing a great while ago - graphically this seems like a variation on that theme. Do try to not make it resemble one of those collections of names of soldiers fallen in some war somewhere.

If I come up with something more constructive, I'll mention it.

Tor
DGrob wrote on 12/21/2004, 8:28 AM
How about multiple layers of PictureWall? Each PW image could be comprised of transparent pngs with a variety of fonts and sizes, each PW then moving independently with pan/crop? Darryl
Grazie wrote on 12/21/2004, 8:34 AM
Kooolll .. nice one Grobsie!
jackal wrote on 12/21/2004, 10:51 AM
One more wrinkle...Digital Film Tools has a wonderful little sub-app called Light!. It takes a hi con and makes shadows out of it, with h/v blurring and a number of "depth" and color tweaks - most interesting is the displacement of the shadows and light based on the luminance values of the underlying image. It somewhat wraps soft corners. Really adds to the content. I've "wrapped" some floating words on people, a la Maurice Binder. Might work for your piece.
Grazie wrote on 12/21/2004, 11:05 AM
THAT IS IT! That is a spectacular idea .. OK, there aint a plug for Vegas - for LIGHT! - BUT the concept has just blown me away! WOWEEE . . I'm gonna have these names scan across buildings and poeple ... bit liie the Misterons - - yeah a Kids show from the '60s .. .OH YES! thank you jackal .. thank you! . . I'm gonna have the astreams 2buckle and bend over the edges of bukdings and such like . . . oh YES! That's it .. .

Grazie

jackal wrote on 12/21/2004, 11:39 AM
I must reitterate that the deformation is soft, based on the lum values.
Using any number of compositing apps you can offset the hard corners by having planes of words XYZ'd to the surfaces. I usually use 3DS MAX for the placement / corner pinning and then comp in Digital Fusion, Combustion or AE but any careful use of any 3D DVE-ish should work.

I think I recall the Mysterions..or was that a Godzilla film? Destroy All Monsters?

"Captain Scarlett" in production as we speak. Everything old is new again.
farss wrote on 12/21/2004, 12:30 PM
Yeah gods, "Everything Old Is New Again" I just finished mixing that song.
Aaaagghhh, if I hear that again....damn you, now you've got it stuck in my brain.
Bob.
Grazie wrote on 12/21/2004, 12:51 PM
" . . damn you, now you've got it stuck in my brain. " Bob, you really really shouldn't give me this potency !

Grazie
jackal wrote on 12/21/2004, 1:36 PM
" . . damn you, now you've got it stuck in my brain. "
Sorry 'bout that. Just keep chanting: "Leave the looping to Acid..."
You'll feel better until they lock you up for being loopy.
vicmilt wrote on 12/21/2004, 6:17 PM
Hey Grazie -
I came late to the party here - and think you've probably got some great ideas to work with (which is why this is the BEST video site on the internet) - but - as an aside - FIVE THOUSAND NAMES????

Are you SURE you need that many? I sincerely doubt it, unless you are making a film for insomniacs... (no sleight intended).

I strongly suggest you try out a sample with a couple of hundred, then loop the mess, a little out of sync, and see how it plays. It just ain't worth the effort (sometimes) to even type that many names, no less animate them all.

The point of this reply is "try it out first" - then go on to greater heights. It's possible I've just saved you weeks of typing and rendering (I hope so).

best,
v
Grazie wrote on 12/21/2004, 10:00 PM
Hiyah Vic! - Yes my sentiments too . .. however . . .

1/- Copy > > > Paste . . no re-typing. I've done this before . .it works . ..

2/- A huge mass with "highlighted" names will mostly fly by . ..

3/- The Guinness Book of records beckons! HA-HAH!

4/- I kinda like the idea that for this organisation they can say, "We have a video that actually . . . ." kinda neat eh Vic?

5/- As nobody else IS reading this - I'm quite retentive!

6/- A Challenge?

But yes, I'll try and save myself time . . . but hey! Nice challenge . . and maybe just maybe it might actually look kinda cool ..

Best regards,

Garzie
vicmilt wrote on 12/25/2004, 5:26 PM
yes but...
if the tree falls in the forest - and no one is there to see it - does it still make a sound???
meaning... if no one can really tell what you're doing... why bother?
there's so little time and so many things ot accomplish - me - I'm still in favor of the easiest way out - but, of course, to accomplish the MAIN GOAL - which is to make Interesting, Captivating, Amazing... video. Not technically amazing - visually amazing.
Please don't take this as an indictment of what you're doing - rather an encouragement to "de-philosophize" your approach, and get more into the "dirt" of making videos -
ON THE OTHER HAND... if you're having FUN doing this, then Damn the Torpedos - Full Speed Ahead! :>))
best,
v.