Sunbursts are very cool looking, both psychedelic and evocative of the Japanese cultural elements that are so popular in modern America. This video will teach you how to create your own sunburst effect using Flash CS3, which you can then use in your Flash website, game, or mov ...more
Marvel's recent string of wildly successful films based on its wildly successful comics have ushered in a whole new era of comic book films. All of the Marvel films have a very cool Marvel logo effect during their opening credits. This video will teach you how to create the sa ...more
Adobe Premiere Pro is one powerful piece of software if you want to make your videos look professional. This video will teach you how to use preset styles with the software to create cool visual effects like those in the movie 300 and others. Download the project file to get t ...more
This is two pictures of me taken from my comedy movie Way Out West which was made last year and which can now be seen on youtube. The effect was was possible by filming live footage of a background then filming two images of me against a green background then placing me in fro ...more
Making fake scars, abrasions, lacerations, and other wounds is one of the most entertaining parts of special effects and makeup work. This video help you get started, teaching you how to make a really gross, festering, fresh-looking fake arm wound that will scare the pants off ...more
If you want to make a movie with zombies, or the apocalypse, or the apocalypse and zombies, then you are going to have to learn how to create a really haggard-looking, disease-ridden face out of makeup. This video will show you how to do it using Rice Krispies, among other thi ...more
In this video, learn how to make a gross, bloody flesh wound using cinema makeup effects. This wound is perfect for zombies, their victims or anyone else who may be missing a bit of flesh. Whether you are making a movie or dressing up for Halloween, there's nothing spookier th ...more
In this clip, learn how to use corn syrup, food coloring and a baby bulb syringe to fake slit your wrists. You will also need a razor blade. Use this trick if you are feeling super emo, or need a special effect for a movie you're making. This trick will totally freak out frien ...more
In this tutorial, learn exactly how to create a cool color effect inspired by the movie, "Sin City". This funky comic book, cartoonish effect is quite easy to do using Sony Vegas and in this video you will get the coveted step by step. Create a "Sin City" color effect using So ...more
Spice up your next movie project with new and interesting camera angles. In this tutorial, learn all about the different options for aiming your camera that you can use to convey new moods or effects. These instructions are easy to follow and are great for first time filmmaker ...more
Most of the stuff on HBO definitely succeeds in supporting their company motto "Not TV". True Blood is no exception. Thus, I will include it here as a pseudo movie poster. I have to say, part of this that I love so much is the font for TrueBlood... It's intriguing. Check out ...more
This is a thorough and comprehensive look at each iteration of Alice in Wonderland. It's also a wonderful mini-history of film and special effects and animation.
There are plenty of films out there with baseball bats, but if you want your bat to explode on impact, you'll have to make it yourself. A smashable baseball bat is perfect for any gangster flick or sports movie. Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make a breakable baseba ...more
How to make scary finger for Halloween! This special effects video will demonstrate how to make a convincing nail through a bloody finger. Cool trick for halloween or your next slasher movie!
This software tutorial shows you how to create a wide screen effect for your video footage in Adobe Premiere. You will also learn how to use the title feature of Premiere to add titles to your widescreen movie. This Adobe Premiere tutorial is best viewed full screen.
This software tutorial shows you how to chroma key in Windows Movie Maker. Chroma keying requires having green screen video footage. Once you have footage you can use the chroma key effect tools in Windows Movie Maker to put subjects in different background. See how easy it is ...more
Scare the crap out of people this Halloween by sporting some very realistic fake blood. This recipe also makes for a nice and cheap movie prop. You will need 20 oz. of light corn syrup, red, blue, and yellow food coloring, cough syrup, and chicken livers. Watch this video prop ...more
Take a look at this instructional video and learn how to create an effects montage through Sony Vegas 6.0. Keep in mind that you can't reproduce the same effect in Sony Vegas Movie Studio or Platinum because these programs don't have the masking option.
This software tutorial shows you how to add an explosion to your footage in After Effects. You will need to find footage of an explosion first, then in After Effects you composite the explosion footage over your movie or video to create the desired effect. Learn how to tweak a ...more
This week, Indy Mogul, Erik shows how to recreate the effect of someone crawling out of a TV. Just like in that scary movie The Ring. It's actually not expensive, just about $30. You will need scrap wood, poster board, tape, and flat bright green paint. Watch this video film s ...more
This tutorial video guide will give you a $40 step by step instructions to make a camera dolly that produces a professional effect. a dolly helps make a smooth, gliding shot that will make your audience feel much more enveloped in the movie.
This short video shows how to get great split-screen or Picture in Picture effects in Sony Vegas using a free tool called PIP Selector tool. Note: The free tool shown in the video only works in the full version of Sony Vegas (4,5,6,7,8), and will not work in Sony Movie Studio.
Bill Myers shows you how to recover the lost windows, tabs, effects or other screen layout elements on the editing screen in Sony Vegas or Movie Studio.
Bill Myers shows you the secrets to getting great chromakey green screen blue screen effects with Sony Vegas or Sony Movie Studio.
Bill Myers shows you how to use the Velocity envelope to speed up or slow down, or even run video in reverse in Sony Vegas - but not Movie Studio. Watch and see how easy it is to create fast and slow motion effects in the Vegas video editing software.
This three part tutorial shows you how to use Photoshop to create Star Wars text and then make it scroll up like in the movie intro using After Effects. Part 1 of 3 - How to Create Star Wars scrolling text in After Effects. Part 2 of 3 - How to Create Star Wars scrolling text ...more
Brandon shows a cheap and easy way to create a fake blood special effect for your video.
This video shows you how to create basic chroma key (blue screen) effects in Windows Movie Maker. Requires a mod from http://www.wmmarchive.tk/
Turn your sink into a scene from a horror movie and prank someone by rigging the faucet with food coloring to turn water blood red as it comes out. Use this as inspiration for one of your April Fools Day pranks!
See how to add sound effects and music to your Windows Movie Maker movie.
Let's learn how to create some cool special effects in iMovie HD. In this video tutorial you will learn how to make night vision, old time movie, and stormy effects. The effects are really cool and easy to do too! Create special effects in iMovie HD. Click through to watch thi ...more
Are you still amazed by the special effects used in the movie Matrix? Now you can add similar effects to your video! Watch and see how to use some creative editing in Final Cut Pro to get it done.
This movie shows you how to create actual 3D objects in After Effects without expressions or 3rd party software. This example uses the shatter tool and some text, but you don't have to stick just to text.
Transform your static photos and images into an entertaining show with the slideshow feature in Microsoft's Windows Movie Maker.There are many transitions and effects you could use for your photo slideshow to make it more interesting and fun.
Expressing the camera: animating along a path. Rick Gerard presents a five minute tutorial movie as the second in a series that teaches basic After Effects Camera animation. In this example you'll learn how to simplify animating a camera over a still image and how to orient th ...more
Blind Mag is a, well, blind singer from the movie "Repo! The Genetic Opera," who is given her sight back in exchange for singing for the GeneCo Genetic Opera. Portrayed by classically trained Sarah Brightman in the movie, she has a beautiful voice and a gorgeous face but death ...more
This video tutorial is in the Film & Theater category which will show you how to shoot deceptive and multiple camera angles. Camera and shooting techniques can add to the magic of your videos along with some simple special effects. One of the techniques is called the Zolly. It ...more
For those of you not in the tack horror movie loop, "Army of Darkness" was a comedy horror flick which came out in 1993 that featured not so scary zombies and your typical aggregation of gnarly looking undead. While the movie itself was a bit of a snore, the prop guys did prod ...more
"Blah, I vant to suck your blood!" One of the most common and overused vampire lines out there! But who could blame them? Vampires are pretty interesting and cool creatures that have been around for centuries. What makes them so unique and different is that instead of preying ...more
Surprisingly, making your very own smoke grenade is pretty easy—and cheap. All you need is a saucepan or skillet, piezoelectric lighter, sugar and some potassium nitrate (easily available online and in most gardening stores). Simply heat the ingredients over low heat until th ...more
The developing team Techland gets a free pass. Having thoroughly enjoyed their previous title, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, this sequel was bought on day one by good ol' fashion blind faith. After playing for most of today, it's still to early to tell if the game is a mess ...more
Natalie Portman's bulging red avian eyes in her new movie "Black Swan" may be scary, but the rest of her makeup is like a work of art. WIth wing-inspired feathery black and white eye makeup and deep blood red lips, she looks every part a girl who's psyche is falling apart and ...more
11/13 @ 10:00pm Cinefamily's 100 Most Outrageous Kills From the golden age of goremastery to the innovative new technologies of modern effects wizards, cinema is littered with the bodies of the awesomely dispatched -- and cold-blooded murder, in the hands of innovative filmm ...more
What Is Needed? Marker Caps, about 4 or 5 Fake Blood How To Set It Up Remove the caps from your pens or markers because that's pretty much all you'll be needing for this prank besides fake blood. Fill each cap with fake blood and make sure to fill it to the top Carefully ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to make an energy ball in Adobe After Effects. First, load a movie of someone pretending to hold an energy ball in their hands. After you do this, you will select a new setting and change the color. From here, you will select a round circle tool ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to create great gore, mutilation and blood with makeup. Using makeup can make you look like a completely different person, and this includes making something gross! Using pumpkins to blow up can look just like someone getting hurt and their body ...more
In this tutorial, we learn how to use Windows Live Movie Maker. First, open up Windows Movie Maker then find the section of the software where you can upload your photos or videos. You can also drag your media into the empty white box that's on the screen. After you have uploa ...more
In this video, we learn how to customize slideshows with titles using iMovie. First, find the photos that you want to add. Then, right click on one of the photos and then choose "show file". Now you will have a selection of all the photos that have the same search name. Drag t ...more
"The Exorcist" is hands-down the scariest movie we've ever seen. Of course, watching it alone one evening by ourselves when we were six probably didn't help. But this old horror flick was classic, spine-tingling terror: No hokey special effects that we have today, no CG, just ...more
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to reverse video direction in Sony Vegas Movie Studio. This task is very easy, fast and simple to do. Begin by importing the video clip(s) and/or audio into the time line. Then right-click on the clip and select Reverse. To reverse the ...more
In order to make a card trick video, you will need the following: a YouTube account, Windows Movie Maker, Webcam Central, a computer, and your props. Open YouTube and sign into it. Open Windows Movie Maker. Open Webcam Central Open. Create an introduction. Capture video of th ...more
A few people are in a public setting: eating lunch at an outdoor patio, waiting outside a movie etc. Optimally there would be two groups of people in on the prank spaced 10-15 yards apart. Into the scene runs a zombie and bites someone in group one on the arm where it has bee ...more
In this video tutorial, viewers learn how to make a PowerPoint video. This task is easy, simple and fast to do. Begin by creating the PowerPoint presentation and save it as a Graphics Integrated format. Then open the Windows Movie Maker program and click on Pictures under the ...more
Want to make a video clip appear as though it's being displayed by an old CRT television set? With Sony Vegas Movie Studio or Sony Vegas Pro, it's an easy thing to do. Whether you're completely new to Sony's popular nonlinear editor (NLE) or are a seasoned digital video profes ...more
There is no such thing as a sucking chest wound. All chest wounds suck. Except perhaps for fake ones, which are essential to making a really gritty, gory film in most cases. This video features detailed instructions on how to make a fake chest wound out of latex and other spec ...more
Isla Fisher is one funny gal who's always up for pulling outrageous pranks to get a laugh, as we've seen in movies like "Wedding Crashers" and "Confessions of a Shopaholic." But when it comes to dressing and putting on makeup for the red carpet, this fiery redhead is a lot mor ...more
Mike from thesubstream's "Film Lab" have some tips regarding a few in-camera trick shots, specifically... the dolly zoom. Learn how to do the dolly zoom in-camera effect shot. This is something every director, cinematographer, or filmmaker should know if they're interest ...more
Windows Movie Maker is the PC's answer to iMovie. It is a user friendly, relatively easy way to create and edit movies. Follow this tutorial and get to know your Windows Movie Maker better. In this lesson, learn how to add and edit audio for your films. By playing with the aud ...more
In this video, we learn how to make objects transparent in Flash. First, open your object up and convert it to a symbol in Flash. It doesn't matter if it's a graphic or movie clip, just make sure it's a symbol. Next, click on the symbol you just created and go to "properties". ...more
It’s never too early to start thinking about Halloween costumes and you can never go wrong with a classic, mummy costume. This video shows you how to use toilet paper to make a scary mummy costume. You’ll want to cut the role in half and have someone who can help you start wra ...more