FX Question

[mrbender]

Hi.

This summer I am shooting a short film. In the climax a Vancouver land mark is going to be destroyed in a explosion.
The ideal location for this is the lions gate bridge:
  

I have absolutely no talent in FX and I was wondering how much would it cost for me to get the center of the bridge to explode and fall into the water. I intend to use that exact photo. Also where would I find someone willing to do it.
 
Thanks, Mike

[JackDaniels]

Just do it practical bro

[ShadowSky]

Animating the water would probably be the hardest part... I guess it would depend on how good you want it to look.

If you wanted to do it yourself, you could make it look fairly good with just Photoshop and Wondertouch ParticleIllusion (using their free trial) You could start by cutting out the part of the bridge you want to fall in the water, making it a separate image. Use clone brush to fill in the missing piece behind where the bridge way.

Rotoscope the separate image in your editing software so it falls the way you want it to. Export the file (unfortunately PI does integrate with other software)

Animate the explosion, smoke and water in ParticleIllusion. The website has tons of emitter files for you to experiment with and find the right fit for your scene. Export that...

Then back in your editing software, you can add camera shake, color correction, anything else to make it look more realistic.

With some creative editing, you'll be able to sell the illusion pretty well. This isn't the only way to do it, but it's probably one of the cheaper routes. Good luck =)

Just do it practical bro

=D

[mrbender]

Thanks Shadow Sky I'm looking up that program now!

[ShadowSky]

If you like the program, I could even recommend the emitter packages that might work best for your project. They're all free downloads, but sorting through their archives can be a harrowing experience when you're looking for something specific lol

[GM Finney Productions]

If you want to make it look good, dont just use that ONE shot, use multiple angles and close-ups etc.. to give it a cool effect.
I would use some good explosion stock footage for THAT wide shot of the whole bridge but as for the bridge falling into the water, im not so sure.

[mrbender]

I have the shot finished and I'm just about to start shooting! I'm rely exited for this film! Thanks for your help!