
Recreating Star Trek's Briar Patch with Motion Control
Graham Quince November 29, 2024
0 Comments
This is a collaboration with @nmphoto37 who has been using a motion control to film models with amazing results. We've worked together to create an action sequence set in the Briar Patch from Star Trek: Insurrection.
Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!
This happens because the functionality/content marked as Google Youtube uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
Can't see this video? Click here! If you are in Safari, hover over Safari in your menu, click settings for creativecow.net and toggle the Auto-Play to Allow All Auto-Play .
The Enterprise enters the Briar Patch, passes through some nebula clouds, is attacked by the So'Na before coming about to strike back. It was a fun sequence to create and you can see the results here:
Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!
This happens because the functionality/content marked as Google Youtube uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.
Can't see this video? Click here! If you are in Safari, hover over Safari in your menu, click settings for creativecow.net and toggle the Auto-Play to Allow All Auto-Play .
In this tutorial, after explaining how this video came about, I start by using the rotobrush tool to cut out the Enterprise from the blue background. Then I use this as a Track Matte for the beauty pass shot. This cuts out the starship but removes any concerns over spill. Next I take the lighting pass and use the Levels effect to darken the background and brighten the lights, before separating the nacelles to enhance them further with a glow.
Once that's done, I then demonstrate how you can use the Camera Tracker to determine the 3D space the ship is meant to be moving in. Using the parent controls in a slightly unusual way to make it seem like a cloud picture is fixed in space while the ship moves. And then I use that to create a luma matte so it appears the Enterprise passes through a cloud.
While all this is going on, I also give a shout out to @SternFX for their tips on camera tracking and demonstrate how I use stock footage assets from @PexelsPhotos and @ActionVFXofficial to make the final sequence.
November 22, 2024Partial Bold Text using After Effects expressions UPDATEDNow with an improved expression for Per Word Selection Questions asking: "Multiple
November 6, 2024Resizing Motion Graphic boxes in After EffectsBased on some recent forum questions, Ive put together a tutorial to
Enjoying the news? Sign up for the Creative COW Newsletter! Sign up for the Creative COW newsletter and get weekly updates on industry news, forum highlights, jobs, inspirational tutorials, tips, burning questions, and more! Receive bulletins from the largest, longest-running community dedicated to supporting professionals working in film, video, and audio.
Enter your email address, and your first and last name below!
-- Sign up: * indicates required
Email Address *
Name
--
North America Stories
03/02/2026
Viper Shield's robust phase of flight-testing production representative hard...
03/02/2026
Countries throughout the Indo-Pacific have made the ability to defend their people and sovereign borders a top priority, but no single nation can monitor every ...
03/02/2026
U.S. Marine loads a round in an 81 mm mortar system during an exercise. (Credit: U.S. Marines)...
03/02/2026
9905MPx Card features unprecedented level of density with four independent signa...
03/02/2026
Champaign, IL - November 15, 2021 - Cobalt Digital, announced today that three of its products have received 2021 NAB Show Product of the Year Awards. Cobalt, ...
03/02/2026
Cobalt is pleased to confirm that Log4j vulnerability does NOT affect ANY Cobalt products including the HPF-9000 frame.
Given the recent concerns regarding wi...
03/02/2026
Software-based embedding and de-embedding solution will be highlighted at NAB 20...
03/02/2026
Series developed to fill an industry need.
Champaign, IL April 13, 2022 Cobalt Digital will introduce a new series of BlueBox Group (BBG) EO/OE 12G mini...
03/02/2026
Company receives Best in Shows from Next TV and TVB Europe, and two Product of the Year awards from NAB
Champaign, IL - May 6, 2022 - Cobalt Digital Inc. head...
03/02/2026
IBC Preview - IBC Stand 10.B44Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Cobalt will al...
03/02/2026
IBC Stand 10.B44Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Dr. Ciro Noronha, CTO, tapped as a panelist and speaker by many - and then there's the party!
Amsterda...
03/02/2026
IBC Stand 10.B44Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Growth Drives Cobalt Digital to Promote Dr. Ciro Noronha to CTO, and Appoint Anthony Tan as Director of Sale...
03/02/2026
IBC Stand 10.B44Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Dr. Ciro Noronha, CTO, tappe...
03/02/2026
Manufacturer plans also include solutions that provide a path to the cloud and redundancy updatesCABSAT Stand S1-I42Journalists: Click to visit Cobalt
Dubai - ...
03/02/2026
Award-Winning Product Portfolio is Being Presented on Smart Video Group Stand, and Company's Berend Blokzijl is Scheduled to Share RIST Insight on Innovatio...
03/02/2026
NEW Location IBC Stand 10.F42 Same Hall, NEW StandJournalists: Click to visi...
03/02/2026
TVBEurope spoke with our very own Dr. Ciro Noronha about RIST and more.Reliable Internet Stream Transport (RIST) is growing in popularity for contribution and d...
03/02/2026
NEW Location IBC Stand 10.F42 Same Hall, NEW StandJournalists: Click to visi...
03/02/2026
NEW Location IBC Stand 10.F42 Same Hall, NEW StandJournalists: Click to visit CobaltCatch Cobalt's Blue WAVE of Innovation in a New LocationHighlights t...
03/02/2026
Cobalt Digital Scores Best of Show Awards at IBC 2023 from TVB Europe and TV Technology
Amsterdam, 2 October 2023 - Cobalt Digital has announced that it has w...
03/02/2026
NAB NY Booth: 1126Cobalt Digital to Present New PACIFIC Ultra-Low Latency 4K HEVC Encoder / Decoder Platform at NAB NY 2023Cobalt's NAB NY Plans Have Live P...
03/02/2026
Cobalt's Inter BEE Line-up Targets 4K 2110 Processing with INDIGO Option and Offers High-Density Routing Solutions with New WAVE SeriesNew Mini Converters a...
03/02/2026
Cobalt Digital's NAB 2024 Plans Include a Simplified Path to ATSC 3.0
Other Highlights include Enhanced IP Multiviewers, Expanded Router and Control Panel ...
03/02/2026
Featuring a Simplified Path to ATSC 3.0, Significant Support for ST 2110, and a New DANTE Embedder/De-Embedder with Frame SyncWAVE family of routers and expande...
03/02/2026
Company adds two 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year awards and one Best of Show from TV Tech to long list of accolades
Las Vegas, NV - April 24, 2024 - Cobalt ...
03/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/02/2026
BeckTV, a premier systems integrator for the broadcast media industry, and Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, have partnered once ...
03/02/2026
Audiovisual (AV) solutions provider MeyerPro has a long legacy of delivering exceptional live event productions. The Pacific Northwest-based outfit has served c...
03/02/2026
At the Vienna Interdisciplinary Symposium on Aortic Repair (VISAR), Riedel Communications' Managed Technology Division delivered a turnkey technical infrast...
03/02/2026
Limecraft today announced the release of Limecraft 2026.1, the first platform update of the year. Limecraft is an AI-powered production platform that enables co...
03/02/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/02/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/02/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/02/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/02/2026
Berklee Alumni Recognized at the 2026 Grammy Awards Winners took home trophies in nine categories, including Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album and Songwriter o...
03/02/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Official Trailer for Firebreak
Entertainment
03 February 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
DISCOVER THE TRAIL...
03/02/2026
Back to All News
What's Next on Netflix 2026: Celebrating, Saluting, and Entertaining India
Monika Shergill
Vice President, Content, Netflix India
Enter...
02/02/2026
Photo Credit: NASA. Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion Spacecraft rollou...
02/02/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/02/2026
Hewshott, an industry leading global AV, IT, Theatre, and Acoustics consultancy firm has completed a global transition with current UK Managing Director, Daniel...
02/02/2026
Public Media Management (PMM) today announced LTN as the technology partner for PMM Cloud, its new managed, cloud-based master control solution purpose-built fo...
02/02/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/02/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/02/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
02/02/2026
XR, the leading platform powering advertising operations, today announced the acquisition of Telly Traffic, a UK-based business affairs specialist with nearly t...
02/02/2026
Big Blue Marble, a provider of broadcast-grade, cloud-native video solutions for broadcasters, service providers, and content owners, has become a launch partne...
02/02/2026
Back to All News
Cesc Gays New Film Premieres March 27 on Netflix
Entertainment
02 February 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the first i...
31/01/2026
The Navy's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 launch a Long Range Attack Missile from an AH-1Z off coast of Virginia in late 2025. This demonstration ...
31/01/2026
DigitalGlue, creator of the award-winning creative.space Platform, has announced the release of creative.space OS 3.0.5, the latest software update within the ...
31/01/2026
ES Broadcast Hire, the long-established hire arm of ES Media Group, has spent the last few months busily preparing and sending out high-quality equipment for a ...