Special effects trouble

KarenOe said:

We are making a short film in class and have some trouble with the special effects...

We need to make a scene where a girl "splits" in two - as if her soul walked out of her. They both need to be in the picture, but only one of them needs to be transparent - like of she was a ghost. However, when we make one of them transparent the other one also becomes transparent... How can we avoid this?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

A little more info is needed.

What software/effects are you using...

Most editing software will allow you to stack shots. You need to put your camera on a tripod, shoot your scene once with the living girl doing her actions and do the scene again (without moving the camera at all) for the ghost girl.

Take the ghost girl scene and stack it on top of the living girl clip. Adjust the top clips opacity to how ever much you want her to be transparent.

Blam!

What FCP?.
First shot girl. (Select a time length)
Second girl. (Do not move camera and have same girl position as first)
Second girl slowly walks away out of camera range.
Now when you edit. Put first clip on timeline. Then put second girl on timeline, but not at beginning. Select a section. Once you have selected a section but a dissolve or fade in.
Second girl on timeline must be shorter so you end up with first girl or you can edit after second girl walks out of camera range and audience will think its the ghost.

How are you making the girl transparent? Changing opacity? Blending modes?

When you fade in the second image it will be there until she walks out of shot. You then cut to next shot.

Oh the torture
Please use the right app for this effect.
Sorry but no NLE can do this right without losing hair.
But if you must, make sure to test first before spending too much time on it.
Test by having one clip in video 1 track then other clip on video 2 track.
Use all kinds of blend modes to see if that stacking order works.