It all depends on what you want you want to say to people. Star Wars (and it's sequels/pprequels) uses lots of wipes, disolves, etc. I do whatever fits the scene. Here's a general rule os thumb: if you notice it when it isn't susposed to be noticed, then it's not good. Also vice versa.

dholt - you've asked an excellent question. Have you studied art? Or taken any official classes in design? - If you're asking this question, then in my opinion you are ready to do so.

. .. . . I record TV adverts. I analyse how and why they are doing something. I also trying and be honest and work out "what" it is doing to me. What is my emotional investment in what is appearing in my front room. Why at this time of day? Why did the camera use that shot? What is all the whiteness doing to me feelings . .. and so on and so on.......

dholt - you are now on the road - give yourself some "maps" to help you traverse this spectacular landscape . . . give yourself time . . .relax . .. . look and see with your eyes -REALLY see with your eyes. As much as an athlete "trains" her or his body and wouldn't contemplate going on track before warming up or doing weight training - being an artist - WHICH YOU ARE - needs a lot of input and opportunity to express.

Okay - Visit Art galleries. Take lessons on design and form and content. Ask questions and involve yourself in anything in the graphic arts. Apologies if you knew this already. You asking this simple question, will now stay with for all time.

My best advice is to follow one of my heroes - Mr P Picasso - " Less IS more!".

Works for me . . . keep posting here and other places . . I'll look forward to observing your quest - GOOD LUCK!!!!!

My very best regards,

Grazie

I may be flogged for saying this but "when is it too much?" - Watch Return of the Jedi. Ok, i guess i ahould say this - Star Wars came out and people went ga-ga over it. Than Empire Strikes Back came out and people loved that to. Now we had film makers who had money and were, more or less, allowed to do what they wanted and the did everything they could and they even said so. I remember interviews at the time where they said like: "We finally have the money to do the effects we wanted to in the first movie" - so suddenly you had hundreds of effects and the movie was just very cluttered with space ships and and creatures and all kinds of crap. I distinctly remember a fight scene with hundreds of X-wings and Y-Wings and Tie Fighters and whatever else all over the screen and I felt like I was in the deep woods wishing I had a can of Raid.

It was sort of like given a kid a camera and saying 'have fun' and they discover the zoom. And even now Lucas and company feel they have to go back into those orginals every few years and add more effects. I think "too much" is too much when it becomes very obvious you are watching an effect and it becomes laughable when it isn't supposed to be. (The cloned-Smith fight scene in the new Matrix comes to mind) Obvioulsly in films such as the Star Wars series you kind of expect to have lots of effects and certian transitions (The clock wipe) but if you suddenly tossed in some of those same dissolves in White Oleander it would be too much, even if it was only one of them. Sometimes genre dictates type of effects, other times types of effects dictate genre. Either way the best effects are ones that hopefully are not 'noticed'.

In the history of film people like to site The Great Train Robbery as a milestone because it told a story, had camera movement and that final shot of a gun pointing directly into the lens as the trigger was pulled had people screaming and diving for cover. But one thing that is left out a lot is the special effects shots used in that film. Yes - there were matte shots and there was rear screen projection as well. This was perhaps one of the first, if not the first, film to use "reality" based effects. As amazing as Georges Melies' Le Voyage Dans la Lune was the effects in The Great Train Robbery were even more amazing because no one really knew they were watching effects - even today most people don't think of that as an 'effects' film.

As for the other question: "Does anyone know how I can have a single object in color in a black and white scene" search for the topic - it was actually just discussed over the last week I think.

Not being a pro but an avid hobbyist but also making films for others I tend to use this as a rule of thumb; If the effect enhances the shot, keep it. If it detracts or 'gets in the way' then bin it.

As other posters have said there are times when many effects are justifiable but, in my opinion, too many just spoils the production.

What I have notced from my early attempts is that the viewers start off by saying "Wow, oooh, ahhh" but soon get bored with too many effects as they want to see the film.

I think a good example is little Johnny on the beach. Mum & dad don't want his head bouncing all around the screen but want to see what he is up to.

Just my pennies worth. HTH.

To dholt:

1. To actually answer your question, go to "search" and you will find several discussions of single-color composites, using different search terms.

2. In the spirit of Grazie above, let me add that, while directing my first film last January, the most interesting discussions I had were with my sound recordist. Like Grazie, like a humble Zen farmer, he opened my ears to the huge world of sound around me. Even, yes, the fact that the sound of silence has many flavors--depending on the shape of the room, etc. Not that I'm suggesting you take on mastering post-production sound (nor have I), but just be aware. I have often used sound to "paste" together a picture edit point that otherwise might have seemed out of place. Try it by laying down a rock 'n roll track (in Vegas of course) and then randomly throwing together a series of unrelated short video segments. Wait--I just described MTV...

In that spirit there isn't much discussion in this forum about all the things you can do on the audio side. I rarely look in the sister audio forum, so don't know if or not it gets discussed there much or not. Shame if not, afterall SoFo started with audio applications and so what's supported in Vegas in first rate.

For the newbies... there are MANY more FX audio filters besides the 3 default plug-ins that get added to audio tracks automatically. Click on the FX icon in any audio track in the header area, then click again on the same looking icon in the window that pops up

In keeping with the audio thing - great thing about VV is it will accept *any* DX plug-in. If you have Sound Forge you should have a few others available in VV as well.

If you want awesome example of sound design check out Eraserhead. I also have to say that John Woo's The Killers was a huge insperation to me audio wise. And don't forget the film that really brought multi track audio, and the term "sound design", to the forefront - Apocalypse Now. I might toss in Last of the Mohicans, the the Daniel Day-Lewis version. Three Kings has some nice bullet hit sound design going on as well.

Ok..i'll shut up now. :)

There are a couple of books I'd recommend taking a look at:

1. "The Grammar of the Edit," Focal Press. A nice, basic "how-to" primer that works with any kind of moving image, 70mm film, DV, Super 8, Edison Kinescope, etc. A couple of rules of thumb from that book:
-use cuts to indicate action occurring in the same place at the same time;
-use dissolves or crossfades to indicate a break in literal time or space, and;
-use other transitions sparingly when the point is to call attention to the transition or effect itself (such as in a title sequence).

2. "The Conversations" by Michael Andaatje. A series of conversations between novelist Andaatje and legendary film/sound editor Walter Murch (who did both picture and sound editing on "Apocalypse Now.") Murch is quite the visionary and the book is fascinating, mind-bending reading.

Also, keep in mind that many of the effects in Vegas can also be used for very subtle enhancements to images (i.e., color correction, crop/zoom, etc.) as well as for whizz-bang eye candy.

Now THIS is where this Forum Rocks! - I love it and I love the people here!!!

* * * * * * * * Live Long And Prosper * * * * * * * *

. . . and let's get out there and make beautiful video . . . and entrancing images with which audiences will spellbound. . . . .

. . . . . . . gRazIe