Effect Help: 1920s film effect

[Mylenium]

Hi

New to After Effects and needed some help.

I've just finished a short and want to play around with subtle effects mimicky that old effect you see in 20s films.

for example charlie chaplin movies: Example (http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Chaplin,%2520Charlie/Chaplin,%2520Charlie%2520%28A%2520Jitney%2520Elopement%29_02.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.doctormacro.com/Movie%2520Star%2520Pages/Chaplin,%2520Charlie.htm&h=1455&w=2000&sz=577&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=6AvFagaFOoYSYM:&tbnh=109&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchar%2Bchaplin%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN)

Does anyone know a good way to fake this? sorry if its a bit obvious :)

tim

Follow the link in my signature for some prefab setup on my website. Other than that, look for Magic Bullet or Digieffects' Cinelook/ Film damage plugin. also use of coursE AE's Grain tools.

Mylenium

[beenyweenies]

Hi

New to After Effects and needed some help.

I've just finished a short and want to play around with subtle effects mimicky that old effect you see in 20s films.

for example charlie chaplin movies: Example (http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.doctormacro.com/Images/Chaplin,%2520Charlie/Chaplin,%2520Charlie%2520%28A%2520Jitney%2520Elopement%29_02.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.doctormacro.com/Movie%2520Star%2520Pages/Chaplin,%2520Charlie.htm&h=1455&w=2000&sz=577&hl=en&start=4&tbnid=6AvFagaFOoYSYM:&tbnh=109&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dchar%2Bchaplin%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DN)

Does anyone know a good way to fake this? sorry if its a bit obvious :)

tim

The best way to get ANY look is to examine the basics of what makes the "look" you are after, and why it looks that way. Here's the basic ingredients, i'll let you figure out how to get them:

1. Grain - poor film quality combined with using the fastest speed films available (which isn't saying much) causes grain.

2. Blown Out and High Contrast - a result of slow film stocks requiring huge lights on set

3. Flickering/Strobing/Pulsating - a result of innacurate film gates and shutters. This effect is usually a slower, throbbing sort of thing, not a rapid, in-your-face strobe.

4. Vignetting - a dark, rounded halo around the outer edge of the frame - a result of poor lenses (compared to today's standards) and shutters.

5. Soft Focus - a result of poor lens imaging quality, and with romantic or female oriented scenes, vaseline was lightly smeared on the lens to purposely acheive a soft look that felt dreamy and reduced wrinkles/aging lines.


I would avoid the film damage look of large chunks, hairs and scratches, because it is played to death and cheesy. Also, most relevant 20's era films have been archived in a manner which keeps them safe from such damage. It is older films than this that truly suffer from deep scratches and hairs. If you must use this effect, go very, very easy or it will scream "cheese."

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