my first short done in AE

[JimtheJib]

i know i have already posted this in the clips forum but i wanted to get some feed back from the AE pros.
basically what i did was i drew the background and all of the components by hand and then animated them in AE. i green screened my actor in. some of the shots with the magic wand are a little off because i didn't track the points that well (actually i wasn't too sure how to do it)

so here it is , tell me what you think...http://www.stickypod.com/stickypod_upload/uploads/THE%20PEN%20FINAL%20VERSIONLg_Prog.mov

another note: i compressed it using sorenson squeen trial version so there is a water mark which is really annoying....

[J.R. Hudson]

I found it strangley entertaining; like a train wreck almost. But a good one.

[MattC]

I agree with Hudson, it was weird, but I laughed and had to keep watching. So I guess it's good weird.

[JimtheJib]

thanks guys..haha...train wreck.. but what did you think interms of AE? is there an easier better method for what i was trying to accomplish (the cartoon look of the main character, ect...)

[Shaun Patrick]

interesting....

you got the AE basics down:

For tracking points you should experiement with Motion Tracker...it's actually quite good in the newer incarnations of AE.

Also, experiment with the Keyframe Assistant (i.e., Easing In/Out motion on Keyframes)

What Color Key plugin did you use--the standard or Keylight?

[JimtheJib]

whats a color key plug-in? you mean for the cartoon effect. i downloaded a trial of saphire plug ins. i would recommend those plug ins... i don't remember what settings i used though...

[Shaun Patrick]

color key as in how you did the green screen...

[JimtheJib]

ahhh yes color key, i just used the standard one in AE.

[Shaun Patrick]

if you have access to keylight (a plug-in available in AE Professional Bundles), you should give it a try. It does a better job handling green screen shadows and haloing.

[JimtheJib]

thanks for the info patrick...