Workshop 12: Create Titles

   

In this workshop you'll create the titles used in the film, as well as create some effects with them in another sequence. The workshop starts with titles created in the Text tools and then progresses into the Calligraphy tools. You'll also experiment with placing titles with the position parameters and use the Motion tab for some exercises.

Create the First Title

You'll create the first couple of titles that open the film with the native Title tool; in the next section you'll move on and work with both the Calligraphy tools.

  1. Click the Generator pop-up menu in the lower-right corner of the Viewer's Video tab, and select Text, Text. A text clip appears in the Viewer.

  2. Navigate to 01:00:03;03 in Sequence 1, and set an In point there. Then set an Out point at 01:00:09;14.

  3. Overwrite the text clip onto track V1.

  4. Double-click this new title to load it into the Viewer, and position the playhead anywhere within the SAMPLE TEXT default title. By doing this, you will see it update as you modify it.

  5. Turn on Show Title Safe from the Canvas View options pop-up menu.

  6. Click the Controls tab in the Viewer, and change the SAMPLE TEXT title to GRACE FILMS. Press Enter and type presents . Click outside the Text entry box to see the update happen in the Canvas. Note that Final Cut Pro doesn't let you view video if you have activated the Caps Lock on the keyboard. As soon as you release it, all becomes normal.

  7. In the Viewer window's Font pop-up menu, select Times or a similar font. Notice that the alignment of the rows is centered as the default setting. If you want to, look at the other justifications available by selecting them from the Alignment pop-up menu, but leave the title centered.

  8. Slide the Size slider to about 50. (You might want to hold down the Command key for more precise movement.) Notice the size change as you do this. Notice too how you could easily make this title "unsafe" by making the size too large. You can also type 50 in the Size box next to the slider to be accurate. The slider is more fun to watch, though, and it's also better for resizing titles when their size really matters.

Use the Motion Tab to Fade the Title

  1. Click the Motion tab in the Viewer, and then click the triangle next to the Opacity parameter. Arrange your Viewer window so that you can see more of the parameter timeline similar to what you see in Figure 12.30. The idea is to see all of the parameter Timeline as well as the Opacity control. If you cannot see all of the light gray area of the parameter Timeline, press Shift+Z to fill the available area. Then position the playhead on the first frame of this title by clicking the Previous Edit button in the Canvas or by pressing Opt+E.

  2. Click the Add Keyframe button in the Opacity parameter. Notice that a blue indicator appears above it next in the Opacity row. With the Viewer active, type +45 and press Enter. The playhead moves 45 frames forward. Then add another keyframe there.

  3. Press Shift+E to move to the next edit. Click the left arrow next to the keyframe button to put the playhead on the last frame of the title. Remember that when you jump from edit point to edit point using the buttons or the keyboard commands, you move the playhead to the first frame of the next edit . In this case, this is a frame past the end of the title clip, and a frame later than you want to be.

  4. Set a keyframe on the last frame of the title, type -45 , and press Enter. The playhead moves back in the title by 45 frames. Set another keyframe there. Click the left arrow next to the keyframe button twice to navigate to the first keyframe. Type in the Opacity parameter box.

  5. Click the right arrow next to the keyframe box three times until you stop on the last keyframe. This time, to lower the opacity to 0, click and hold on that keyframe as you drag it down. Play the title. Render it if you need to. Highlight it and press Cmd+R.

There's more than one way you could do this. You could have set the opacities as you added the keyframes, but you learned that you can navigate between them with the keyframe arrows. Notice too that the keyframes are reflected in your clip in the Timeline window if clip overlays are turned on, and you could just as well have done the fades as you have been doing so far.

Note too that aesthetically we still will hear the lonely wind begin before the first title. Setting the titles over a transparent background (in this case, it appears black) also keeps the cold in mind. You wouldn't want to put the titles over a bright happy color , would you? Keep titles simple when you can. Less is more, usually.

Create the Movie Title

  1. By clicking the Generator button, create another title the same way you did the first one. Edit this title into the V1 track in Sequence 1 from 01:00:09;15 for a duration of 6:15 (type 615 in the duration timecode box in the upper left of the Viewer). This edit should leave an unused time of just over a second of dead space after this title and before the "Cap up mtn side dusk" opening shot of the film.

  2. Double-click this title to load it from the Timeline to the Viewer. Click the Controls tab, and change SAMPLE TEXT to THE MIDNIGHT SUN (no quotes, all caps, and use the same font you used in the first title). Change the Size to 50, and then add opacity changes that will have the title fade up at the beginning and then fade down at the end for 45 frames. When you are done, Sequence 1 should look like Figure 12.33.

    Figure 12.33. The first two titles in Sequence 1 after step 2.

    graphics/12fig33.gif

  3. There is a way to tell what these titles are just by looking at them in the Timeline. Ctrl-click the first of these and select Item Properties, Format from the pop-up submenu. The clip's Properties dialog box opens. You can change the name of the clip from there. Change the name to Grace Films Presents.

  4. Change the name of the second title to The Midnight Sun. When you are done, your sequence should look like Figure 12.34. Notice that the title clips are a pale purple, and the other video clips are light blue to help you recognize the type of image they are.

    Figure 12.34. Renamed titles after step 4.

    graphics/12fig34.gif

Create the End Titles

You'll use the Calligraphy tools to create the end titles. The first few are simple fade-ups and fade- downs using Title 3D, followed by a credit roll that uses Title Crawl.

  1. Select Title 3D from the Generator pop-up menu in the Viewer. When you do, the Title 3D text entry window opens.

  2. This time, you'll create the titles first and then edit them into the sequence. In the text entry window, type Written & Directed and press Enter. Type by and press Enter. Type LARRY MCLAUGHLIN (see Figure 12.35). Don't worry about matching the sample font in this step.

    Figure 12.35. The first end credit after step 2.

    graphics/12fig35.gif

  3. Press Cmd+A to select all the text in the window. In the Font pop-up menu, select Times, or the same font you substituted before for the earlier titles.

  4. Change the font size to 50 by typing it in the Font Size box. Click the Apply button in the lower-right corner of the text entry window. The text entry window disappears, and you now have a title clip you can see in the Viewer.

  5. You can check to see if the title clip is broadcast-safe by turning on the Title Safe overlay in the Viewer's view options pop-up menu. Select Overlays, Title Safe.

  6. The clip fits within the inner box, but it's pretty large. It might be a bit over the top, and it's not centered. It needs more work. Click the Controls tab in the Viewer. Then click the Title 3D logo in the Controls panel. The text entry window opens again, ready for a further modification.

  7. Click the center justification button. The text centers automatically. It now matches the style you used earlier up front.

  8. Press Cmd+A to select all the text. To decrease the size, click the button immediately to the right of the size pop-up menu (it has a big A and a smaller A on it). All the text drops in size 10 points for every click. If you go too far and click twice, you can click the next button over (the one with a small A and a bigger A) to jump back up in size 10 points at a time.

  9. This is a little plain-looking, so add a three-dimensional drop shadow to it. With all the letters selected, click the Drop Shadow tab. Click the check box next to the T1 tab to add one layer of drop shadow. The default shadow is black. Because you will be putting this title over black, it won't be seen over a black background in the sequence unless it's a color other than black. If you click just past the N in Larry's last name to deselect the text, you'll see what I mean.

  10. Select all letters (press Cmd+A) and click the Shadow Color box. Click the Color sliders (the second color icon from the right in the Colors Palette). Select either the Gray Scale slider or the HSB slider, and change the value to 70%. The original black color changes to gray. Click OK to accept the change. Deselect the letters by clicking just to the right of the N in Larry's last name.

  11. It's hard to see this because the default background is gray. Ctrl-click the text entry window and select Change Background Color. Change the background color to a 0 value using the HSB color slider (black). Remember that you are not creating a background color; you are simply previewing the letters over something other than gray. Don't like it, do you? The problem is that it looks like you are seeing double!

  12. Press Cmd+A. In the Shadow Type pull-down menu, select Solid Shadow. Click in the text entry box to create an outline around the selected text, revealing the new effect. Much better.

  13. Play with the Shadow Distance control to set the letter thickness of this apparent 3D look. I like 6 or so. Decide for yourself where you want to leave it. Actually, I originally set the type to be plain with no drop, but this is a nice look too.

  14. One last touch. Click the Highlight Color color box. Change the color from white to pale blue (reflecting the cold setting) just to give a touch of color to the white letters. When you are done, the text entry window should look like Figure 12.36.

    Figure 12.36. The text entry window after step 14.

    graphics/12fig36.gif

Save the New Style

You now have a style you can repeat, so you'll save it for later use.

  1. Click the Style Palette button to open the Style Palette. Make sure that all the check boxes in the Apply area are checked, as shown in Figure 12.37. Click the Add Category button in the upper-left corner. Type Midnight Sun Styles in the naming box and click OK.

    Figure 12.37. Adding a new category to the Style Palette.

    graphics/12fig37.gif

  2. Click the Add Style button, as shown in Figure 12.38. The style appears in this category and is saved for future use. Name this style anything you want. End Credits might be appropriate.

    Figure 12.38. A saved style in the Midnight Sun Styles category.

    graphics/12fig38.gif

  3. Click the Apply button. Save your project.

Edit the First End Credit and Create a Music Track for the End Credits

  1. With the first end title in the Viewer, edit it to the V1 track at 01:12:13;22 for a duration of 6;00. Its Out point should be at 01:12:19;21.

  2. Fade the title up for a duration of 1 second at the beginning, and fade it down for 1 second at the end (30-frame durations for the fades).

  3. With snapping turned on, locate the "Music-Net94.3-04" clip in the Music bin. Drag it directly to the A6 and A7 tracks (keeping the arrow pointing down by placing the clip in the lower two- thirds of the track to overwrite this edit). Place its head at the same position as the start of the "Written and Directed by" title.

  4. Fade up its start for a duration of 1 second, mirroring the title's fade-up.

  5. Add the "Music-Net94.3-06" clip in its entirety to the end of the "Music-Net94.3-04" clip on the same tracks.

  6. Add the "Music-Net94.3-07" clip in its entirety to the end of the "Music-Net94.3-06" clip on the same tracks. Its Out point should be at 01:14:48;02. These three edits comprise the music for all the end credits. When you are done, this area of Sequence 1 should look like Figure 12.39.

    Figure 12.39. The Timeline after step 6.

    graphics/12fig39.gif

Create Five More Fading Titles

  1. Highlight the first fading title in the Timeline and press Cmd+C to copy it into memory.

  2. Position the playhead at 01:12:19;22 in the Timeline. With the V1 track highlighted, press Cmd+V five times. Five more identical titles are added end to end on the V1 track.

  3. Double-click the second title. Click its Controls tab in the Viewer. Click the Title 3D logo to change its contents to Produced by COLLEEN MCLAUGHLIN . Before you type, click the All Styles pop-up menu and change it to Basic Styles. This speeds up the typing process by using a basic style for text entry. When you apply the change, the styles are still applied. Keep the formatting the same (centered, size, and so on). Then click the Apply button.

  4. Double-click the third title and change its contents to Director of Photography (first line) and EDWARD DONE (second line). Then click the Apply button.

  5. Double-click the fourth title and change its contents to Cap (first line) and DAN MUNDELL (second line).

  6. Double-click the fifth title and change its contents to Sam McGee (first line) and SPENCER SEIM (second line).

  7. Drag the outgoing edit point of the last title to the right until its duration is 7:14. Drag the last keyframe until it is on the last frame of this (now longer) title. Drag the second-to-last keyframe over about 1:15 later in the clip to start its fade later.

  8. Change this last fading title's contents to Based on the (first line), Robert W. Service poem: (second line), "THE CREMATION OF (third line), and SAM MCGEE" (fourth line). Leave the quotation marks around the poem's title. Lower the first two lines' point size to 36 (just highlight them and select 36 as the new size), as shown in Figure 12.40. After you click the Apply button, your sequence should look like Figure 12.41. Save your project file.

    Figure 12.40. The final title entry window after step 8.

    graphics/12fig40.gif

    Figure 12.41. The Timeline after step 8.

    graphics/12fig41.gif

Create Rolling Credits

There are two ways to create the rolling credits at the end of the film. You'll use the Calligraphy Title Crawl, but you could also create them with the Scrolling Text generator. You'll use the more-sophisticated tool to match the look of the fading titles at the end, though.

  1. From the Generator pop-up menu, select Title Crawl (the last selection available on the list).

  2. With Basic Styles selected, click the Import File button and locate the crew.txt file from the DVD. Select that file for importation.

  3. Press Cmd+A to select all the text, and then open the Style Palette. Unclick the Size check box if it is checked. Double-click the saved style from the Midnight Sun Styles category. Even though you have applied the style, you will not see it just yet.

  4. Change the font size to 24, and center the text.

  5. Highlight each credit name (person or place, not crew position), and change each to a point size of 30, as shown in Figure 12.42. Leave the THANKS TO section at 24 points.

    Figure 12.42. Font sizing of the credits roll.

    graphics/12fig42.gif

  6. When you are done, click the Apply button. Click the Controls tab. In the Animation Style pop-up menu, select Roll. Turn on the 1:2:1 Deflicker check box.

  7. Set an In point in the Timeline at 01:12:51;06, and target the V1 track. Set an Out point at 01:14:20;29. The speed and duration of this roll are set by the duration in Sequence 1. In this case it is 00:01:29;22.

  8. Clear the marks in the Viewer by clicking the Video tab in the Viewer and pressing Opt+X. Set the position indicator to the head of the rolling credits. Drag the "ghost box" of this title to the overwrite in the canvas overlay.

  9. Highlight the Title Crawl clip in the sequence and press Cmd+R to render it. This might take some time.

  10. Save the project.



Jerry Hofmann on Final Cut Pro 4
Jerry Hofmann on Final Cut Pro 4
ISBN: 735712816
EAN: N/A
Year: 2005
Pages: 189

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