STEP 1: Create your star-spangled backdrop
Start with the Boris RED Cylinder track and apply a movie file of the U.S. flag waving to the Face track. This concave flag serves as the backdrop for the arena. To give the open more texture, I like to create a convex "video screen" in front of the concave backdrop. In this case, it showcases a fireworks movie I had prepared previously. Next, add your station ID. To show my TV station logo (ABC 15) I nest a matte key animated logo.
STEP 2: Give depth and impact to the backdrop
To give the waving flag some depth, create a larger convex Boris RED Cylinder and place it in front. Next, apply a pre-made "Cellophane Waves" movie to this Face track. Set the material of the Boris Cylinder to Glass. In my original, I also set the Cellophane Waves movie to the Bump Map track, accentuating the depth of the waves. The border of the frame is created by applying a Boris RED Levels/Gamma filter to the Cylinder track and then using the Boris Pixel Chooser to darken only the peripheries. You can use Pixel Chooser to create similar borders with other filters you might apply. I named this "Pane" track.
STEP 3: Make a dramatic entry
Duplicate your new track and save it as another file. I duplicated the "Pane" track and saved it as "Fab 4." I replaced the Face track with the event’s logo graphic (with alpha channel). At this point, turn off the Bump Map track. You want the event logo to make a dramatic entry and be in sync with the announcer. To do this, slide your most recent track, in this case, the Fab 4 track, to appear past the 6-second mark and add a Boris RED 2D Particles Advanced filter. Set the Boris Particle X at 1000, Velocity Variance at 24.65, and Custom Shape to "Star." At the first keyframe, set the Scatter to 42.25 and Frame Size to 4. For a little fun with your logo, try this: Reduce the logo at this keyframe to a red, white and blue speck, which I’ve done under the "b" of the "abc15" logo. At the second keyframe, a few frames down from the first, keep the Scatter at 42.25, but increase the Frame Size to 100. This blows the logo into little pieces. At the third keyframe, further down the timeline, maintain the frame size at 100, but set the Scatter to 0. By doing this, you can reign the explosion back in and reform the event logo. By maintaining the Star shape, the logo takes on an interesting video-wall texture.
STEP 4: Integrate the sponsors' logos
This piece calls for sponsor logos to be integrated into the look and feel of the opener. A "Glass" Material Cube (a cuboid, really) is a great way to bring them in. Arrange the 2D graphic logos inside the Cube by XYZ position, and wrap it all up in a Boris 3D Container.
STEP 5: Fly your hosts
The show hosts also need to be represented in the opener. First, duplicate the "Pane" Cylinder track once again and rename it; I’m calling it "Hosts." Reposition the Cylinder in X, Y and Z space and add a photo cutout of the event hosts to the Face track. Set the Apply Mode for the Cellophane Waves track to Hard Light, with Opacity at 78. The Materials settings for the Hosts Cylinder were tweaked for optimum reflectivity and shine. Finally, nest all the elements into a 3D Container.
STEP 6: Complete your stage
To complete the virtual set, I often use plug-ins. In this case, I added a night sky in the far background with Tinderbox’s Nightsky plug-in. Some exaggerated Twist and Azimuth movement enhance the dynamics of the open.
STEP 7: Add more fly throughs
With the virtual set built, set the Camera to Orbit and create a fly through. The camera enters the arena, flies toward the video screen and catches the fireworks and the event logo formation. It then dips down to meet the event hosts and comes to a halt at the far side, near the sponsor logo panel. Time your fly through with the announcer’s audio track.
STEP 8: Add an explosive finale
All the elements of the opener are now complete, but every fireworks show needs an explosive finale. To do this, add the Boris 2D Particles Advanced filter on the entire composition at the point in the timeline where the camera comes to a complete halt. Increase the Scatter amount from 0 to 10 over 20 frames– it gives the piece a "Soft Burst" explosion. The rest is up (or in this case down) to gravity.
Your Guide
Vivek "Vik" Narayan

Investigative and Special Projects Editor
KNXV/ABC 15
Over the last 15 years, Vik Narayan has post produced commercials, TV shows, short films, and long-form documentaries on systems ranging from Avid and Final Cut Pro to Quantel Editbox and Discreet Fire. He is the Investigative and Special Projects Editor at KNXV in Phoenix, AZ. Vik has multiple awards to his credit, including six Emmys.
Vik Says Keep in Mind…
The City of Phoenix, where I work for a local affiliate, was getting ready to host their annual July 4th celebration, dubbed "Fabulous Phoenix 4th." I was asked to create a 15- to 20-sec open for the live broadcast of the festivities, which included a rock concert and culminated in a fireworks spectacular. I had to figure out a way to feature all the sponsor logos in the open. My plan was to combine regal patriotism and explosive fun in a 3D arena. It was easy to do on the Avid with my combined RED, AE and Photoshop toolset (with a nice Tinderbox plug thrown in).
After you get past the initial learning curve, you’ll find Boris RED incredibly powerful extension to your NLE. Sophisticated Pixel Chooser tools let you apply filters that are region-, channel-or value-specific. RED also lets so-called "non-3D" editors, like me, work with real-3D objects with intuitive ease, right out of the timeline.
KNVX/ABC 15
www.abc15.com
515 N. 44th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85044
ph. 602.685.6356
vnarayan@abc15.com
Support Gear: Avid Xpress (Meridien-based), Boris RED 4, Adobe After Effects 6.5 and Photoshop CS, Tinderbox Nightsky plug-in