Stunning Animations

Final Cut Studio 2 + Apple Shake 4.1 + 3D editing program of choice would give you the freedom to do pretty much any special effects you can think of. Add Logic Pro 7.2 if you are interested in composing your own soundtracks as well.

 

If you buy the Suite you will be more then fine. But the previous poster hit it as well.

 

If your main goal is effects like you saw in the videos you linked to you'll want to look at compositing and 3D applications (as Cromulent mentioned). FCS 2 is a great bundle of apps but it doesn't sound like it's quite what you are looking for.


Lethal

 

If you're an amateur, buy Final Cut Studio and then start playing with Motion. I've been using it for special effects in some of my students' movies and I'm constantly surprised how flexible it is as an all-round special effects or graphics application.

You can do most of what is featured at the link you gave. Once you've learnt basic compositing of effects, and even green-screening, you could move onto 3D graphics and import them into Motion.

 

To give you some idea of how other software compares to Final Cut, read this. I thought it was enlightening.

 

To be completely honest, and I am, to no extent, an expert in Final Cut (yet..), but i'm not very impressed with what it can do. Of course I have Final cut express and not final cut pro, but I too came from Adobe Premiere Pro. Adobe Premiere was alot easier for me, because you never had to render anything (until it needed to be exported obviously), and stuff like the title's seemed easier to create. I'm sure working with HD would be easier in Adobe Premiere Pro (assuming it would work at all).

With Final Cut Express, even with 'Dynamic RT', i have had problems with rendering, which is very frustrating. Rending shots after nearly every effect/overlay I do can restrict me of doing the 'beyond' in a project, because i'm mearly too pissed to continue. I've also encountered problems such as text pixelation, and HDV/DV exporting.

Although, than again I am an amatuer 'filmmaker' still in high school, and in no way an expert in Final Cut. Additionally i'm sure that creating projects in FCP removes loads of boundaries.

 

True on the titling, FCP keyframing sucks.

 

those fx's that kid did were pretty cool if i must say so myself.

 

Thats why LiveType is included.