Adding Visual and Sound Effects to Model Videos

[Corbs]

This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a fun little diversion. I sometimes enjoy taking video footage of model railways and fiddling with it, adding sound effects and visual effects.
Here's a few clips of the latest effort. The original video was shot by Ted Polet, on the delightful Craigcorrie and Dunalistair Railway, and I thank Ted for letting me post it here.

Here's the original clip for reference:

So on the first shot, I replaced the background and extended the foreground, added a steam leak, then the obvious whistle and chimney steam effects.

Oh yes, and the chickens!

This is my first time trying out steam effects (using smoke 'charges' shot against a green screen, available free online).

The sound is cobbled together from lots of clips. I try and get the rough size of the loco and the number of cylinders right, and slow down/speed up the audio as necessary.
As an example, there are 4 audio layers in this first shot.
1-countryside ambience (birds etc.)
2-motorcycle engine loop (for some nearby machinery/perhaps the car)
3-the whistle
4-chuffs

The second shot, I was trying to get my eye in with the smoke effects so went a bit harder with that. There are 64 individual 'chuff' layers, tracked to the chimney of the loco as the origin point, then given velocity and varying amounts of drift.

The background has been replaced in this shot as well (meaning the telegraph poles had to be cut out) as well as the foreground, which is patched together and blended from 3 layers.
You may notice the train and the steam goes behind the signal. This meant the signal needed chopping out (took a while to cut it all out) and re-laid over the steam. Anything transparent needs replacing, in this case the green aspects in the signal have been replaced so you can see through them. Silly really but I hope it helps it blend!

On this shot I really wanted to create a shadow of the steam on the ground. I duplicated the steam layer when it was done, then converted it to a black layer, blurred it, turned it semi transparent and stretched it out to represent the angle of the sun. The loco's shadow is a simple moving black shape.

Of course these are for practice and you can spot the joins, but I hope it entertains!

Thanks again to Ted!

Edited August 30, 2017 by Corbs

[Corbs]

Here's a few clips I did of Tony Wright's excellent 'Little Bytham' layout a while back, with thanks to Tony for letting me re-post the clips! Thanks also to the original posters of the clips.

I need to get some new ambience, I think....

Edited August 30, 2017 by Corbs

[SRman]

These are very effective, Corbs. I like what you are doing. Yet another modelling challenge, with a difference!

In case you are wondering, I clicked the 'like' icon first, but thought the 'craftsmanship/clever' one was more fitting.

[ColinK]

Excellent, I really like the noise of the wagon wheels going over rail joints in the last clip.

 

What editing software are you using?

[Corbs]

Thanks! I am using photoshop to cut assets out, after effects to do the visual effects, and premiere pro to do the sound.

[Phil Parker]

Not a fan of the smoke, but then I don't really like fake smoke in stills either, but the sound is very effective indeed. It certainly adds something to the scene. Good work.

[Corbs]

I made a small screen capture video to show what layers I used (in case anyone is interested), and in what order. This is a simplified version as the steam/smoke 'chuffs' are treated as a single layer, the 64 individual chuffs are in another composition.