Tutorial: Burning Down The House

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In today's films, it seems everywhere you look you see Visual FX. Visual FX are powerful tools when used correctly, but they are often frowned upon when they're used for the wrong reasons.

I like to use Visual FX to enhance the story I am trying to tell. If they have a purpose, make the shot look better and help tell a story, why not use them, right? The problem is that many people don't know where to start. A few years ago, I was one of those people. However, by learning some Visual FX, I am now gearing up for my next film - a story I've been wanting to tell, but previously could not because I did not have the budget or knowledge of Visual FX. By learning a few Visual FX, I can now tell this story while keeping my budget extremely low. Therein lies the beauty of Visual FX: helping you tell your exciting story while keeping your budget low.

My story is an apocalyptic one, but I'm sure you can find a way to apply this effect to your projects. In this demo, we'll be setting a house on fire.

For the following tutorial, I will be using Adobe After Effects, but the methodology carries across to other apps like Discreet Combustion, Shake or Sony …

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