How to Turn 10 Extras into 100

Content
2
3

This was a trick that was used during one of the shows I was on last weekend. It was a funeral scene inside a church, so the pews had to be full of mourners. The only problem was we had about ten extras, half of which were crew. Fortunately, the camera can be fooled.

Extras Diagram

This is a pretty classic trick. You want it to appear like there are rows of people, but since the camera cannot see depth, all you need to do is make sure the frame is full of faces.

If you look at the illustration (made from these brushes), you see that this is achieved by arranging the actors in a pyramid formation. It will have to be fine tuned, of course, but as long as there are no empty areas in the frame you’ll have instantly multiplied your cast and improved production value.

Tags:

Get VP Land

Stay ahead of the latest tech that's changing the way we're making movies with our free newsletter

Get VP Land

The 2x weekly newsletter for media pros & creators on the latest news, trends, and behind-the-scenes breakdowns in virtual production and the future of video storytelling.

You May Also Like

How to Make High-Quality Tutorial Videos with Descript

How to Make High-Quality Tutorial Videos with Descript

Learn how to create engaging and professional video tutorials with Descript. Our step-by-step guide will teach you how to record webcam and screen recordings, edit and polish videos, add captions and subtitles, and publish directly to YouTube. Whether you’re a SaaS company or an online entrepreneur, our tutorial can help you tap into video SEO, keep current users, and reduce churn. Elevate your tutorials with Descript’s easy-to-use features and make high-quality video content that stands out from the crowd.