Video Copilot
Video Copilot is an internet based visual effects developer, specializing in Adobe After Effects. They publish VFX tutorials, sell film and video post-production products, and maintain a blog dedicated to the visual effects community. Founded by Andrew Kramer in 2005, they are currently headquartered in Lake Elsinore, California.
History
Video Copilot is the brainchild of Andrew Kramer. Kramer discovered a passion for filmmaking, and in particular VFX with Adobe After Effects, after finding a trial version of the software in the magazine Mac Addict, now known as MacLife. After making the transition to the full version, Kramer Self Taught himself how to use it from the age of 16. In a video interview, Kramer stated that he “played around and tinkered with the software” until he gained a firm grasp on it, going from simple motion graphics to full blown sky replacements.
He started Video Copilot in 2005 with the idea that he could make a little bit of money in between his freelance visual effects projects by selling design products and project templates. Video Copilot got off the ground by providing free After Effects tutorials through the online creative community, Creative Cow. Subsequently, through a Creative Cow DVD program, Video Copilot published and distributed it’s first product, “Serious Effects and Compositing” for After Effects 7. It was a huge success due to it being the first product to delve into VFX training that others had left untouched, such as green screen chroma key.
Video Copilot has since published over 100 free tutorials on its own website, alongside offering several products designed to enhance a VFX artist’s capability to do his or her job. The freely available After Effects tutorials work to generate interest in the program, thereby creating new customers for their products.
Tutorials
Video Copilot's free tutorials are the cornerstone of its business model. The very first tutorial was a sky replacement, posted on January 6, 2005. Since then 103 After Effects (along with Cinema 4D and Autodesk 3ds Max) tutorials have been posted, including the addition of After Effects: Basic Training, ten tutorials designed to give a basic understanding of the software. The company offers tutorials in motion graphics, color correction, sound design, and many professional quality special effects. Andrew Kramer records his tutorials with a Dual quad-core Xeon @ 3 Ghz. 4 gigabytes of RAM, a Raptor hard drive and a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTX. He uses a Neumann studio mic to record the audio and Camtasia Studio to record the video.
Community
Video Copilot has fostered a worldwide community. Their tagline is “Engineering VFX Knowledge” and they continually offer training and products to professionals and hobbyists in over fifty countries including Brazil, Pakistan, Switzerland, Vietnam, and Serbia. In the United States specifically, Video Copilot has become a VFX industry icon, garnering the respect and admiration of countless professionals and amateurs alike.
Some professionals claim to have received demo reels from prospective employees with exact copies of Andrew Kramer’s Video Copilot tutorials being presented as their own work. This has led to an ongoing debate within the community as to how important originality is. Some even go as far as saying that the tutorials fuel plagiarism, while others contest that it is simply the fault of those who copy the tutorials.
Products
Stock Footage Products
- Action Essentials 2 (2K and 720P) - A compilation of stock footage essential for compositing.
- Evolution - A compilation of high quality enhanced design elements designed for professional video work.
- Riot Gear - A collection of 150+ pre-matted visual elements including paint, ink, grunge, tv noise, and more.
- Video Streams HD - Pre-made animated video backgrounds.
- Real Clouds
Plugins and Presets for After Effects
Along with multiple free presets, Video Copilot offers
- Twitch - A Plug-in for After Effects that “twitches” footage using operator controls. In other words creates randomness and chaos to create dramatic visual effects.
- Film Magic Pro - Cinema style color corrections for achieving enhanced movie looks.
- Optical Flares - VCP's latest plugin for creating realistic lens flares and reinventing the look of digital lens flares.
Music and Sound Effect Products
- Pro Scores - Collection of professionally composed music and sound effects made for film soundtracks.
- Designer Sound Effects - Collection of 500 Sound FX and other audio elements.
Training Products
- Serious FX Training - Best selling After Effects training DVD.
- The Bullet - Integrating 3D with After Effects to create large scale visual effects.
- Series One DVD - Compilation of tutorial 1-65 along with presets and Basic Training.