Introduction

If you've followed the television show 24 (or played the Xbox^® game), about the exploits of a now ex-Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) operative Jack Bauer, then you're familiar with its dramatic opening: one after another, four distinct videos appear on the screen, each in its own quadrant, each telling its own part of the bigger story. Finally, one of the four video boxes gradually fills the screen and it is that thread of the story that we follow first. These effects are achieved through the use of what is called a "PiP"or a picture-in-picture.

PiPs are a time-honored movie and television convention that were popular in the 1960's and '70's (The Thomas Crown Affair with Steve McQueen used them extensively, and of course the Brady Bunch used them famously). In this chapter we'll recreate 24's "The following takes place between the hours of..." opening text, to give The 24 Effect verisimilitude. The 24 Effect can be used for vacation videos, sports videos, and many other purposes. By the way, like the Star Wars^® Opening Sequence Effect, you should feel free to rewrite the standard opening in your future projects to be anything you want ("The following birthday party takes place between...").

As usual, remember that the techniques you'll learn in this chapter for using PiPs can be used beyond the purpose of recreating 24's opening sequence. Like the techniques learned throughout this book, the 24 Effect can be applied to other projects in other ways. As you create your next project, think creatively about how you might be able to use a PiP effect in your own movies to help tell the story.