How to Shoot a Gecko Tutorial

Takes a look at a common pitfall to be avoided in shooting footage for visual effects, as suggested by a ubiquitous series of commercials.

You can download a Quicktime version of the tutorial (14 MB).

If you're inspired to experiment with this footage further, see gecko.zip (41 MB) for a half-resolution version of source image sequences and a final SynthEyes scene file. If it comes out well, post a link to the Watch This! section of the forum. Note that the half-resolution version of the all-road footage behaves a bit differently than the full-resolution version, which is a reflection of the garbage-y nature of planar shots.

Notes:

  1. The video is 5:15 and 11 MB long. Check out all the other tutorials and the manual too (after downloading the demo version).
  2. The HDV source footage was shot using our D-I-Y mini-dolly design on a Canon XH-A1 in 30f mode -- 30 fps, pseudo-progressive. 
  3. Mac version is the same, done on a PC (E6600 Core 2 Duo) due to capture software availability.
  4. No geckos were harmed in the making of this video.