Shaking Camera Effect Process

When it came to editing the last sequence of our film, we brainstormed ways in which we could use visual techniques as a means of creating impact for the climax. In the end, we decided that an interesting way to do this would be to create a shaking camera effect. We felt that by doing this, the magnitude of the rock and the scale of the situation would be exacerbated significantly, creating a great deal more suspense and tension for the audience. To achieve this effect, we experimented with a variety of techniques, unsuccessfully in the beginning. Our first port of call was to use the camera movement feature in Cinema 4D in order to keyframe a camera shake, however, we found this a complex process that we could achieve little degree of accuracy with. This is not only because we had to carry out a render every time we made a change, but also because on the whole, the camera movement tool tends to facilitate smooth camera movement better than shaky camera movement. We decided to scrap this method due to the time consumption is required.

We then decided to carry out tests in Adobe After Effects which turned out to be much more successful. After exporting each shot in Cinema 4D and editing it into the sequence in Premiere Pro, we decided to export to After Effects, as this software provides much more flexibility in terms of visual effects. The compatibility of the Adobe package assisted us greatly in doing this, as it meant that we could simply export a shot in the Premiere Pro sequence to AE, and it would edit in real time in the Premiere sequence as it was being adjusted in AE. The option shown in the image below shows how this was possible.

Once in After Effects, we came across the 'wiggle' expression tool. This feature allowed us to create a keyframed camera shake, that was already preset. However, this also gave us the flexibility to programme our own level of shake, by offering magnitude and frequency parameters that we could adjust to our own liking. We found this to be a much simpler option than doing this in Cinema 4D due to the minimal render times and therefore easier visual reference, when experimenting to get our desired effect.

When adding a Wiggle Expression in After Effects, we decided to slowly increase the amplitude and frequency as the scene progressed in order to create a progressive effect, with the camera shake rapidly increasing the tension and drama as the climax gets closer and closer. As previously mentioned, the fact that the edited effect displays in Premiere Pro in real time rapidly sped up this process and allowed us to achieve our desired level of shake efficiently and in little time.