Multi-Video's Amazing Special Effects program draws on the experience of special effects technician Harry Joiner to demonstrate some 20 effects than viewers can achieve with a little time and elbow grease, but very little money. Some of the best effects here are created with simple "glass shots." In one skit, for example, it appears as if a plane has crashed through the kitchen window, and the family walks outside the house to look at in wonder. The effect is achieved by gluing a picture of an airplane onto a piece of glass, and then filming it against the house. Ranging from simple effects, such as the one described above to more complex effects, such as simulating a burning house, or landing a jet on an airliner, the ideas consistently outweigh the technical, instructional, and narrational concepts of the tape. The glib narrator tends to grate on one's nerves, the instruction is rarely step-by-step (and, in the case of some of the dangerous stunts, this is a serious oversight), and the technical quality of the filming itself is substandard. It's a wonderful idea, and a great inspirational program for home video enthusiasts--unfortunately the idea is much better than the execution. Camcorders: Shoot Like a Pro is a good program which, in contrast to a similarly titled program Home Video: Shoot Like a Pro (reviewed in the September 1990 issue), spends less time on the operation of the camcorder and its various accessories, and more time on different techniques used by award-winning videographers. Following a brief introduction outlining the functions of the controls found on most camcorders, the program examines three overused camera moves: pans, tilts and zooms, and demonstrates how to use these techniques effectively. Practical sections on lighting and hook-ups, are complemented by an excellent module on improving the audio quality of home videos, and sections on improving shot composition, transitions, and editing. A good program, which gets down to the nitty of "directing" good videos. Amazing Special Effects is not a necessary purchase; Camcorders: Shoot Like a Pro is recommended. (Amazing Special Effects is available from: Multi-Video, Inc., 1432 E. Independence Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28205.) (Camcorders: Shoot Like a Pro is available from most distributors.)
Amazing Special Effects You Can Do With Your Camcorder; Camcorders: Shoot Like A Pro
(1990) 60 m. $29.95. Multi-Video, Inc. Public performance rights included. Vol. 5, Issue 10
Amazing Special Effects You Can Do With Your Camcorder; Camcorders: Shoot Like A Pro
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