Bleach bypass

I know we've had the filter packs around for a while, but it's not until you start actually using them in a movie that you really appreciate what they can do for you. I've tried them all out, of course, but that's not the same thing. This is a shot for a promo video I'm making. It's a perfectly good shot, and I'm quite happy with it.

Then, in an idle moment, while thinking of some different ways to cut the scene, I added a bleach bypass filter in the cutting room, just to see what would happen. It looked interesting, so I changed the preset to medium, and ended up with this instead.

It may not seem that different when you just look at the two stills, but once you see it as video in context, it completely changes the mood of the piece. It looks less like a piece of game-styled machinima, and more like a bit of actual film. As a result, the entire video feels more authoritative, and it's more as if I'm addressing the audience directly, not putting my words into an avatar. Sounds crazy, but it's true.

It's so simple. Just a couple of clicks, and your movie is completely transformed. Try it. It'll cost you just 5 points to test out each pack for a day.

Here's a tutorial if you want to find out how they work.