Forge Technology Inc.

In the Filmstrip tutorial we will use both the Control Points + Tangents and the 3d Displacement mapping features in FreeForm.
By Chris Bobotis

Click on the image above to see animation.

For this tutorial we will use After Effects inherent ''Offset'', ''Fractal Noise'' and ''Ramp'' filters, as well as our own FreeForm.

If you do not want to create this project from scratch, simply download the following file(s) and follow along.

Mac - Filmstrip.sit or Windows - Filmstrip.zip

Step 1
Create a seamless tile of a filmstrip image in either Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. In our case we created a seamless tile at 720 x 167 pixels. Or simply use the ''filmstrip_tile.pct'' file that you will find in the ''filmstrip.sit'' or filmstrip.zip'' file that is available for download.

Step 2
Create an image or movie sequence that will fit within the individual filmstrip ''frame''.

Step 3
Create a new After Effects project and call it ''filmstrip.aep''. Now create 4 Compostions and name them as follows:
a) ''1_Film + Logo Comp'' at 720 x 167 pixels - 5 second duration - Square Pixels
b) ''2_Film Offset Comp'' at 720 x 167 pixelss - 5 second duration - Square Pixels
c) ''3_3d Displace Comp'' at 720 x 167 pixelss - 5 second duration - Square Pixels
d) ''4_Final Comp'' at 400 x 300 pixels s - 5 second duration - Square Pixels

Step 4
Import ''filmstrip_tile.pct'' and the ''cow_logo.psd'' files (or your own) and pace them in the ''1_Film + Logo Comp''. Make sure that the ''filmstrip_tile.pct'' is the top most layer in the After Effects Timeline Window. Then position the ''cow_logo.psd' to fit within the left most ''frame'' of the ''filmstrip_tile.pct'' image. Duplicate this layer as necessary and re-position it to fill the ''frames''. Your Timeline Window and Compostion window should now look something like this:

Step 5
Opne the ''2_Film Offset Comp'' and place the ''1_Film + Logo Comp'' into this one. Now we will use the After Effects ''Offset'' filter to move the image from right to left. Please see the After Effects manual for instructions on how to use the ''Offset'' filter. Once you have keyframed your ''Offset'' values your Timeline Window should resemble the following:

Step 6
Create a new solid to fit the Comp size and add the After Effects ''Ramp'' filter.

You now have a choice of either using an After Effects transfer mode or the Track Matting feature to achieve the next step. If you choose the Transfer mode route, simply change the Transfer mode for the Solid layer from ''Normal'' to either ''Darken'' or ''Mulitply'' . If you wish to use the Track Matte option change the setting from ''None'' to ''Luma Inverted". Your Composition Window should now look like this.

We add this procedure simply to give the illusion that the final filmstrip animation blends into the background.

We are half-way there... roll up your sleeves as we are getting to the fun part of this tutorial :)

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