Question: New Fergie HP Commercial

M

michaelg108

New member
Hey I watched this new HP Commercial featuring Fergie (http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/technology/watch/v16451315RZbb4AFS)
and I someone asked my how they made this commercial. This person wanted to recreate a similar scenario with those same effects and asked my how. I watched the Behind the Scenes Video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBg2hSJ8jAQ) and found that they did it over a blue screen but they didnt tell how they did the special effects.

If anyone knows what software they used, how to get it, and how to use it then that would help me out greatly.

THANKS FOR ANY AND ALL HELP I GET!!!

-Michael
 
Seriously? How do people end up asking a question like this? "what software they used, how to get it, and how to use it"? Here's all your answers:

1. What they software they used: I'm hypothesizing here, but probably a combination of an editing software (Final Cut Pro or Avid), After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, one of the many 3D packages available (in this case most likely Maya since it was done by Motion Theory), maybe a tracking software like Boujou or Mocha, and a sketchpad. Though that's not really software.

2. How to get it: All the aforementioned software packages can be purchased directly from their respective makers (Apple, Avid, Adobe, Autodesk, 2d3, & Imagineer). Or you can contact a reseller, maybe even get a bulk discount since you're talking about $10k+ of software right there. Sketchpads are super cheap at art stores, so that's a plus.

3. How to use it: Spend about 3+ years reading everything you can and learning as much as possible, doing tutorials, reading manuals, doing little experiments/short projects, and practice, practice, practice. Then spend another 1-2 years working in a professional studio getting your chops up to par. Going to some sort of art school for 3-4 years will help since learning the software is only a very small piece of the puzzle. Just because you know how to use it doesn't mean you will be able to make anything remotely close the piece you linked to.

Now, when you're done with all that, be prepared to spend many hours re-creating the "special effects" in the commercial you saw. Keep in mind that teams of people work on these spots for weeks, sometimes even months on end. So, if you're working by yourself, expect to spend many days and nights trying to get something this polished done. You could easily spend a 14 hour day working just for a few seconds of finished product, if even that.

So...if that's all too daunting, maybe a more specific question will yield a more specific answer...
 
oneinfiniteloop said:
Seriously? How do people end up asking a question like this? "what software they used, how to get it, and how to use it"? Here's all your answers:

1. What they software they used: I'm hypothesizing here, but probably a combination of an editing software (Final Cut Pro or Avid), After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, one of the many 3D packages available (in this case most likely Maya since it was done by Motion Theory), maybe a tracking software like Boujou or Mocha, and a sketchpad. Though that's not really software.

2. How to get it: All the aforementioned software packages can be purchased directly from their respective makers (Apple, Avid, Adobe, Autodesk, 2d3, & Imagineer). Or you can contact a reseller, maybe even get a bulk discount since you're talking about $10k+ of software right there. Sketchpads are super cheap at art stores, so that's a plus.

3. How to use it: Spend about 3+ years reading everything you can and learning as much as possible, doing tutorials, reading manuals, doing little experiments/short projects, and practice, practice, practice. Then spend another 1-2 years working in a professional studio getting your chops up to par. Going to some sort of art school for 3-4 years will help since learning the software is only a very small piece of the puzzle. Just because you know how to use it doesn't mean you will be able to make anything remotely close the piece you linked to.

Now, when you're done with all that, be prepared to spend many hours re-creating the "special effects" in the commercial you saw. Keep in mind that teams of people work on these spots for weeks, sometimes even months on end. So, if you're working by yourself, expect to spend many days and nights trying to get something this polished done. You could easily spend a 14 hour day working just for a few seconds of finished product, if even that.

So...if that's all too daunting, maybe a more specific question will yield a more specific answer...
Click to expand...


Spot on. I couldn't give a better answer myself. If the client is looking for the product in less than 7 years, though, you might want to hurry.
 
Deepfocus88 said:
I guess that's the generous spirit of this board. I just read the original post and sighed.
Click to expand...
Wow way to tear me down.....:undecided
THANKS oneinfiniteloop for the help. Im new to all of this and some asked me this question. Seeing that I didnt know and thought you guys would know I posted this question. I didnt think it was that stupid of a question from a newbie. I have final cut pro and none of the other programs so I guess I will give final cut pro a try.
 
Hey Michael

That commercial is quite cool. Here's another behind-the-scenes video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcFV6w9EhCE

There are a lot of different software packages at play here (3D modeling, animation, keying and compositing). I'm sure there's a talented team behind it. You might want to try picking
one element for your video, rather than attempting them all.

When I first saw HP's "Picture Frame" commercial I too wanted to know what software they used, how to get it and how to use it. Thankfully some helpful people put out tutorials like this one:

http://vegas.digitalmedianet.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=33143

Got me started on my way to enjoying the process of digital effects.

Don't be too discouraged by any negative comments you get here. We've
all gotten answers from someone with a bad case of the "snarkies". Just ignore
it. There are a lot of people here who just want to help.

Good luck with your project.

Peter
 
michaelg108 said:
Wow way to tear me down.....:undecided
THANKS oneinfiniteloop for the help. Im new to all of this and some asked me this question. Seeing that I didnt know and thought you guys would know I posted this question. I didnt think it was that stupid of a question from a newbie.
Click to expand...

It's just such an open-ended question, given the scope of that spot. I mean, where do you begin? Had you chosen a particular shot or element, I might not have been so "snarkie". I stand by my emoticon of the little guy going, "Huh?"

It's like someone saying, "I think I'll take up mountain climbing, let me start with K2." (Not that the Fergie spot is the end-all be all of motion graphics and compositing, but it is very impressive.)

So if I could offer some advice, and since this is the After Effects section, I would recommend starting with that program. Learn the basics of keyframing, masking, mattes, keying, 3D camera and motion tracking. (Thats' just off the top of my head and should keep you busy for a while)

I'm not a huge fan of FCP for motion graphics, but if it can be used for such, I won't dispute it.

PS-I really hope infinite loop posted that excellent post during a long render and that it didn't cut into his work schedule. :thumbsup:
 
I'd be blown away if anyone could pull that off in FCP without prerendered videos. Seriously, that does NOT seem possible. It's pretty tricky with just after effects.
 
Unfortunately, there has been a precedence of asking vague questions and using "how do I make this" generalities throughout the Internet and forums. Furthermore, there is such an abundance of information that is easily accessible across the Internet and aforementioned forums. So, when it seems one hasn't done their due diligence and spent some time searching for answers so that they can ask a more specific focused question, then, yes, there's going to be some "snarkiness".
 
Just one final point.

There are so many threads, and so little time, why waste it making
someone feel stupid or lazy? Just keep you comments to yourself.

Take it from someone who has been belittled, it does not feel good.
 
Me Myself & I said:
Just one final point.

There are so many threads, and so little time, why waste it making
someone feel stupid or lazy? Just keep you comments to yourself.

Take it from someone who has been belittled, it does not feel good.
Click to expand...

I see you want to take up the flag of the "belittled" ones and further exacerbate this discussion. We've all been belittled, and, yes, it may not "feel good", but the hard truth is something people need to stop being scared of. I didn't insult, belittle, or even attempt to offend the OP. I was pointing out the futility of asking such a question. I still answered the question anyways. Just because my answer wasn't to your liking doesn't mean it was to make "someone feel stupid".

Now, to the rest of your point of "so many threads" and "so little time". I've said this before, people that don't spend some time searching so that they can ask informed questions dilute forums and the Internet in general. When forums are filled with a million "how do I make this" threads then that has a tendency to dissuade the more knowledgeable to not answer and/or visit that forum. What you have is the death of the relevancy of a forum by attrition. The Cow is a perfect example of this. A lot of the more knowledgeable people have moved on and sworn it off. Eventually all those "how I can make this" threads become just white noise.

Maybe that's not important to you, but I learned a lot visiting forums like these. Unfortunately, DVXUser lost its relevancy a long time ago for me (with the exception of a few threads here and there), but I mostly come back to try and pass on what I've learned. I come back less and less nowadays, and mostly because of stuff like this. Oversensitive people that can't chill out a little. We're making movies, not doing brain surgery here.
 
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