Lespants recently asked me if I’d like to collaborate on a “How To” video for the Emerging Filmmaker Program at Howcast.com. I was kinda blah about it at first- until he suggested putting my new After Effects skills to work. Seeking any opportunity to use my favorite game for good, I jumped on it.

Howcast is a pretty cool How To site which has hundreds of neat video tutorials. Things like How To Pick up a Flight Attendant and How To Look Hot While Playing “Rock Band”. This is not your father’s How To website.

It all gets wrapped up in their standardized packaging. They provide a basic script, a VO track, graphics, and access to a music library. Leaving us to shoot it any way we want.

We downloaded How To Do a Flea-Flicker. (Grammatically incorrect title. Should be: How to RUN a Flea-Flicker) Christian shot it in front of a green screen on HD with our friend Noah Starr filling in as the entire team. Then I edited it and ran it through After Effects; adding backgrounds and motion graphics work. It was fun to see it all come together and it helped me perfect my FCP to AE to FCP workflow.

Have a looksie… Hopefully you’ll dominate this year’s family pigskin pickup game.