Effects and Stunts

It's time to learn the advanced techniques in Composition!

It's time to dim the lights and tell ghost stories. Our Editorial Department demonstrates some techniques on putting some spook into your videos!

With the immense popularity of the Star Wars franchise, the light sword seems to have become the most recognizable special effect in cinema history.

Jennifer shows you how to create a magic wand effect using special effects and video green screen background software.

Without a doubt, you see chromakeys used countless times - probably every time you watch the news on TV - and perhaps you aren't even aware of it.

Shooting great firework footage is more than pointing the camera into the sky. The less light you have, the harder it is to focus or capture an image that isn't underexposed or overly grainy. Throw in a fireworks scene that changes from dark to light within nanoseconds, and your camera will need a lot of help from its human counterpart. Let's start with the gear, then go to the technical, setup and finally the techniques.

Low cost camera tricks to create amazing illusions for your viewers.

Our media-soaked culture has made cinematic shorthand a second language.

Time to dim the lights and tell ghost stories. Our Editorial Department demonstrates some techniques on putting some spook into your videos.

It's April Fool's Day, and what better way to amuse your friends than getting a little giddy with the camera and going a little wacko with your video?

Your color creation palette is limited only to the imagination when you understand how to use the simple video filters in your editing software.

Many editing software programs now have easy-to-execute chromakey effects, but, to get your scene looking good, you need to plan first and light it right. You have the greenscreen, the right editing software, and a great idea... but how do you make your subject look real?

Natural lights sparkle, shimmer, flutter, flare, glimmer, gleam, revolve, reflect and radiate. Here's some tips to dazzle your viewers with lively photoplays.

Virtual green screen sets are no longer just for the privileged Hollywood bigwigs.

You don't need a big budget or fancy equipment to make convincing science fiction effects. Join BBC effects wizard Bernard Wilkie as he explores the realm of low-buck sci-fi.

Ever wondered how to make your own low-budget special effects? Here's a sampling of video tricks that you can perform with common, everyday household items.

Ever watched a flower bloom in mere seconds? Or seen an inanimate object take on a life of its own? With the right tools and a little know-how, even beginning videomakers can easily accom[plish these effects.

Want to create effects that are quick, simple, cheap and effective? This article lays out the basic ideas thaat make video illusion feasible and then describes some fundamental techniques for getting the most out of those ideas.

Turn any room into a crowded restaurant.

Shoot a fun, no-budget dream sequence about an all-too-familiar nightmare of being back in grade school.

A hobbyist merges freefall and video into a thrilling career.

All you need to create this drippy, gooey lens effect is a pane of clear glass or plastic.

How can you achieve a big-budget look for your video with a no-budget budget?

You can turn any day into a rainy day with this easy effect.