Creating the 007 Intro using After Effects
Freeze Frames for six circles... 04/05/2010 review



  1. Background; Michael Park Video Tutorial - watch the first 7 minutes and 30 seconds to learn how to do the opening circles portion of the 007 intro.
  2. What is a NULL OBJECT used for in this application? Null layers do NOT render, but they have all of the normal transform properties (Position, Opacity, Rotation, Anchor Point, Scale).
  3. The frame rate for the composition is 23.976 frames per second. The duration of the composition is 5:00 seconds. The name of the composition is Opening Circles. The size is 800 by 450.
  4. The Generate > Circle effect is the effect that is applied to a Solid. The layer with the Solid is named Main Circle (not Vermont Circle, not New Hampshire Circle, not Massachusetts Circle). The radius of the circle effect is changed to 35.0 so its smaller than the default size of the CIRCLE EFFECT.
  5. Make a NULL OBJECT and twirl down the Position property for it by typing P. Layer menu > New > Null Object command. Rename the Null Object layer Circle Position Control.
  6. With the null layer (Circle Position Control layer) active or selected, move the CTI to 00:10 and then click the Position stopwatch to set a keyframe. Change the position to -50.0, 225 so the CIRCLE is off the stage, to the left side of the stage.
  7. Null layer still selected, move the CTI to 04:16 (4 seconds and 16 frames for Current Time Indicator) and change the Position values to 850, 225 so the circle is off the stage to the right.
  8. Alt + LMB (Alt key plus Left Mouse Button) click on the stopwatch for the Circle Effect's CENTER parameter will create an AE EXPRESSION for that Center parameter. Note: The CIRCLE effect is applied to the MAIN CIRCLE layer.
  9. Drag the PICK WHIP for the CIRCLE effect CENTER Expression up to the CIRCLE POSITION CONTROL layer's Position parameter. Drop it on the Position parameter name, which should still be twirled down from earlier.
  10. Scrub the CTI and/or type 0 on the Numeric Keypad to RAM preview your animation. The NULL object layer was keyframed to move across the stage. Since the CIRCLE effect has its CENTER parameter pick whipped to be whatever the value of the Position is for the Null Object layer, the CIRCLE effect now moves across the stage.
  11. Select the Main Circle layer (NULL OBJECT layer was renamed "Main Circle").
  12. Layer menu > Pre-Compose command. In the dialogue box, type MAIN CIRCLE Pre-Comp for the name of the New Composition. Choose the radio button for Move All Attributes Into the New Composition. Check the unchecked checkbox to Open New Composition.
  13. You will get an error message. As shown in the Michael Park tutorial, that is expected. How do you fix this error? You have to PICK WHIP again, but from the PRE-COMP you just created to the COMP. You can drag the Main Circle PreComp tab over the timeline area or up into the project panel area to see it undocked inside the Timeline panel.
  14. Now that you can see both the Main Circle PreComp AND see the Opening Circles Comp, you will be able to do the following:
    1. Hold down the Alt key and click on the CENTER parameter stopwatch to set an expression AGAIN for the CIRCLE effect.
    2. Pick Whip the pick whip for this expression over to the Position parameter for the Circle Position Control, which is a layer in a different panel.
    3. There is no reason to keep the Main Circle PreComp new composition panel open now, so you can close that if you wish. Or you can drag it back to the timeline panel, and then switch to the Opening Circles comp and the Main Circle layer again.

  15. This is where you DUPLICATE (Edit menu > Duplicate) the PreComp layer. Duplicate it once. Name it Ghost_01. Duplicate it 5 more times AFTER renaming it Ghost_01 and you will have Ghost_02, Ghost_03, ..., Ghost_06. See below here for a screen snapshot.
  16. Email note: emailCircles007.txt explains further how to stagger the Freeze Frames and make them visible for only 11 frames (about 11/24 second or about 1/2 second at 23.976 frames per second frame rate. Page Up and Page Down keys come in handy, as shown in the tutorial.
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