Written by: Ian Sandall, Focus Magazine, February 2015
For a good part of my working life I survived without knowing how a single piece of broadcast software worked. This all changed when I got my first NLE and from those early Speed Razor days to now I've got pretty reasonable on editing software and especially the fascinating plugins that we all need to get the latest effects. I now have a favourite NLE for commercials and high production value work (Premiere Pro) as well as a favourite for speedy cut'n'shuts (that would be Avid) as well as a choice if I just want to have a laugh and see how badly wrong they got it. I'll leave you to work that one out.
But the elephant in the room has proved to be After Effects. I know what it does and what it's good at but even after some hours have never actually managed to make it do anything that looks vaguely professional - something that a skilled person could do easily. So I normally just walk away. And I think part of the problem for me is that everything takes so long! So for now I'm content to know what AE does (which is useful from a production point of view) but get other people to do my dirty work'.
So when I was asked to review the latest version of Imagineer System's mocha, something - that to my eyes at least - appeared to have some of the elements and work methods of After Effects, I was initially less than enthusiastic. How wrong I was and how pleased I am to have reviewed it. My mind was changed in two stages. First, when I spoke to a few GFX wizards who told me how amazing mocha was and second when I saw just how quickly and just how brilliantly it works.
mocha is available in (pardon the pun) various flavours and a basic version is bundled with After Effects CC already. One notch up from that is mocha Plus at $245 which works with After Effects, Premiere Pro, Final Cut, Motion, and Boris FX; above that is mocha Pro at (gulp) $1495 which works with just about any video software out there including some very esoteric ones.
At its heart, mocha is basically very clever planar tracking* technology. So clever that they've licensed the technology to loads of other companies in the FX business. And won an Academy Award. To stabilize anything, remove things from shots, add elements that track with your shot, rotoscope or basically match anything into existing scenes, you need to know where everything is first. You need to track it. Everywhere you look there are flat planes. On any given shot you may have a wall, a floor or any number of them. By tracking a plane as opposed to point tracking' (which is how simpler tracking technology works) you get far more accurate results and are much less likely to run into problems with motion blur, noise, things in the way or lighting changes.
And problems mean duff effects and basically scenes that don't quite look right which would never do! So you need to get it right first time. And mocha delivers. Anyone who's marvelled at some of the effects in the Harry Potter movies, The Hobbit, Black Swan, The Amazing Spiderman or The Wolf of Wall Street will have seen (or not seen as the case may be) mocha at its best. So how's it going to be useful to those of us with rather lower budgets who are (to put it politely) a few steps further down the production food-chain?
Well, actually quite a lot. But before we talk about the possibilities for corporates, lower-end commercials and web promos, I'm going to hand over to a multi-talented editor and AE person, Matt Thompson ' From now on I will only be using mocha for tracking! In the past I used AE which did a good job, but before I even started projects I would advise producers how things should be shot in order to get a good track when in post. There is no need for me to do that anymore as mocha will cope with anything!
mocha is very easy to use and considerably more accurate. This is because its engine is intelligent enough to figure out tracking data without using tracking points so it can be used effectively on pretty much any type of shot you want.
Tracking is considered by some to be a very tricky and complex technique that requires lots of prep, skill and hours; if the footage isn't quite right the tracking probably won't be either. On a certain level that is still true, but using mocha has really changed my mind. Within minutes I was getting perfect tracks on footage I wouldn't have considered trying to track in AE! Not only was the tracking and stabilization more accurate, it was much quicker. It really made me change the way I looked at footage. I used to have a good Idea of what I was capable of with regards to things like this, but mocha has expanded my horizons and got me looking at things differently.
mocha Plus's integration with Premiere is a perfect example because if you aren't necessarily up to speed on AE/ Nuke/etc. (he means me I think .) you still have opportunity of taking advantage of some of its great features.
Filmmakers, videographers, don't be scared! Have a try as it really is simple to use. mocha's website has loads of video tutorials that can help you get to grips with the program so whether you are trying it for the first time or if you are an experienced Motion Graphics artist, there is something there for you.
As someone who is familiar with After Effects, I found the integration mocha has with it to be one of the best features. Exporting the information to subsequently copy into AE was something I found very easy. This software is fantastic!'
It's unfortunate that both Matt and I did not have more time to really push mocha as whatever we threw at it, it just worked. The final clincher (for me) was seeing how fast mocha worked. Admittedly it was running on a fast Macbook Pro with SSDs but even so I was blown away. In
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
16/10/2025
Parks Associates has released new data showing that nearly half (45%) of U.S. internet homes watch free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) services and 89% of U.S...
16/10/2025
TROY, Mich. -New data from J.D. Power's 2025 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Study shows that residential wireless internet providers are growing...
15/10/2025
Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...
15/10/2025
St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...
15/10/2025
Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...
15/10/2025
By Paige Bethmann
Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...
15/10/2025
Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...
15/10/2025
People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...
15/10/2025
Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...
15/10/2025
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...
15/10/2025
At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...
15/10/2025
New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...
15/10/2025
SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...
15/10/2025
One of humanity's most profound questions continues: Is there any place in our galaxy suitable for life beyond Earth? NASA intends to find out, with the hel...
15/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
15/10/2025
Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage software for the AI era, today announced the advancement of its comprehensive AI ecosystem certification pro...
15/10/2025
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today unveiled key highlights of the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, scheduled for Feb. 15 19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Go...
15/10/2025
At NAB Show New York 2025 (Stand 244), Interra Systems will showcase the future of media QC, monitoring, and captioning, highlighting its award-winning, AI- and...
15/10/2025
Grass Valley today announced that RMC BFM, part of the CMA-CGM Group and France's third-largest private media group, has chosen Grass Valley's productio...
15/10/2025
Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future of hybrid, s...
15/10/2025
Rakim to Join Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame at Signature Series Concert The rap icon becomes the latest inductee, following luminaries such as Roxanne Sh...
15/10/2025
Berklee Brings Live Music to the Head of the Charles Student artists will perform on multiple riverfront stages during the 60th anniversary of the world's...
15/10/2025
CobbTV, the government access television channel for Cobb County, Ga. recently acquired an automated playout system from Pebble, a global provider of automation...
15/10/2025
OSLO, Norway Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future...
15/10/2025
NEW YORK The NBA is making major changes to the NBA App and NBA TV as it takes control of them from TNT Sports, which has long managed the league's digital ...
15/10/2025
SAN MATEO, Calif. In what promises to be a major expansion of interactive features and personalized content on the DirecTV platform, the operator and Glance hav...
15/10/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has launched changes to its user interface (UI) that the streaming platform says will better showcase original programming on the platform...
15/10/2025
LOS ANGELES Software-defined data storage and data services provider OpenDrives has elevated Alex Dunfey to chief technology officer, responsible for driving th...
15/10/2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE October 15, 2025: Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-powe...
15/10/2025
Sheldon Nichols and Will Trickett to find and prepare more classic cars for budget conscious would-be owners from Wiser Films
UKTV have recommissioned the clas...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
Nick Cave
JPEG (275 KB)
Explore the creative univer...
15/10/2025
Wednesday 15 October 2025
From breaking up with your partner to quitting your job - new polling shows some messages are just too scary to send
Over a fifth (...
15/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz unveils compact MXO 3 oscilloscopes with 4 and 8 channels: Advan...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Revenge Series The Resurrected' Captivates Audiences Across Asia
Entertainment
15 October 2025
GlobalTaiwan
Link copied to clipboard
...
15/10/2025
Back to All News
Bringing the Best in VFX and Virtual Production Together as Eyeline
Jeffrey Shapiro
CEO, Eyeline
Business
15 October 2025
GlobalCanadaInd...
15/10/2025
Deployed by Astound Business Solutions, Harmonic's Primary Distribution Solution Ensures Outstanding Video Quality and Seamless Ad Insertion at the Edge
SA...
15/10/2025
Collaboration extends a trusted relationship as RMC BFM invests in scalable, fut...
15/10/2025
Series coming in 2026 stars Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'Mara released today
RT today released first look images of new comedy-drama ...
14/10/2025
SVG Europe Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYNetworking event that preceded IBC2025 shone a light on elite live sports innovation acro...
14/10/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Author Rich Podolsky on Writing Madden & Summerall: How They Revo...
14/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Michael Reiners, Coordinating Producer, FloRacingThe Illinois State grad steers a vast schedule of motorsports events at tracks across the countr...
14/10/2025
Content protection: Getting the right management for your DRM By Neal Romanek
Friday, October 10, 2025 - 10:11
Print This Story
Eluvio power the EPCR'...
14/10/2025
As League Takes Over Ops, NBA TV and NBA App Add 60 Games, Weekday Studio Show, ...
14/10/2025
Time and effort: World's largest student-led broadcast prepares to go On Air...
14/10/2025
(L-R) Guest, Kimberly Robinson Jones, Geeta Gandbhir, Pamela Dias, and Takema Ro...
14/10/2025
Lossless ist jetzt mit Spotify Premium verf gbar.
Verlustfreies Audio war eine...
14/10/2025
La qualit Lossless est disponible sur Spotify Premium.
Le format sans perte de...
14/10/2025
For the seventh edition of Spotify and FC Barcelona's artist jersey series, ...
Written by: Ian Sandall, Focus Magazine, February 2015
