Home Video Hints: In-Camera Effects (page 2)

Another technique you can attempt is sometimes called prop matching. Imagine this:

1. An irritated driver is caught in a traffic jam.
2. Sweat pours off his forehead from the summer heat.
3. Cut to a hand as it slams onto the car horn.
4. Pull back from the hand to reveal an angry female driver bundled in winter clothes.
5. She's in a car identical to the one we just saw being driven by the angry man.

While the immediate surroundings and circumstances for these two drivers are practically identical, their locations may be thousands of miles apart. This in-camera technique has enabled you to take your viewer across a great distance in the matter of a split second. The cut works because the two scenes are radically different, but the prop between the two is the same.

Before embarking on your next shoot, plan to use one of these easy examples or conjure up an in-camera transition of your own.

The right one will add a completely new dimension to your next video production, and will most certainly please your viewers.

Planning your in-camera transitions before you shoot will accomplish some important objectives.

• You're sure to have a smoother shoot because you'll know exactly how to visually get from one scene to another without waiting until the edit to figure it out.
• When you get to the final edit you'll be less tempted to use the cheesy CG transitions that came with your editing software.
• In-camera transitions don't require the rendering times involved with visually complex CG transitions such as peels and wipes.

Try using a dry-erase marker and a reference monitor to match the shape of objects in your frame, like two tires on two different cars. Once you've matched the position on your reference monitor by using the dry-erase marks, cut or dissolve between those objects to make a dazzling transition effect. It takes some practice but once mastered, it's one in-camera transition technique that will leave your audience asking "How'd they do that?"

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