Use After Effects to make a "self-portrait" that utilizes video footage of yourself, blending modes, effects, and other creative techniques.
Procedure
Shoot some video footage of yourself (and/or have a friend shoot footage of you). You can use one of the school cameras (I will try to bring them to class) or your own video camera, or even the camera built-in to your lap top (for those of you that have one).
The footage does not have to be profound—mundane clips can be transformed into visually interesting pieces. However, I'd recommend doing something on camera that gives the viewer some insight into you and your personality and/or interests. For intstance, if you're a skateboarder you could show yourself skateboarding, perhaps doing a few tricks.
You may include other people in the video footage too, as long as you're featured prominently.
Bring the footage into After Effects and manipulate it. Some possibilities include:
layering/overlapping several different pieces of footage;
adding textures by using blending modes;
overlaying graphics/artwork created in other applications (like Photoshop and Illustrator);
using visual effects;
using masks;
using time remapping
You'll need sound too—you could use ambient sound (the sound found in the video clips themselves) or add music, sound effects, whatever.
Render your composition as an H264 Quicktime movie, highest quality & full resolution. Give me the finished Quicktime movie, NOT the
After Effects file.
