Should I go for Sclera lenses or just do it post production?

[Beastskull]

I'm quite new to video production, and I can see that my question is a bit vague. But I still hope it is answerable.

I am planning to do a music video with demon eyes effects (complete black eyes) in it. I have seen some tutorials to make the effect in After Effects using keyframes, and it looks a bit time consuming. Sclera lenses can make the same effects, and costs from 59 to 100 euro on Ebay. I have also seen them going for a lot more in lens shops. But I'm not really feeling safe about getting them online from some random Ebay seller. The ones of higher quality are also a bit expensive.

How are these types of dilemmas usually handled in the industry? Would've been great to hear some advices from someone with some experience in video production. Would this usually be solved with real lenses or effects?

 

[directorik]

Welcome to indietalk.

How are these types of dilemmas usually handled in the industry?

These types of dilemmas (cost vs. time) are handled by making the
difficult decisions. What is more important to the filmmaker and what
is realistic for the filmmaker. It's not easy.

Using AE is (as you know) time consuming and can often look very
obvious. The more skilled and experienced one is using this method and
the more time one has the better the effect. Using lenses can cost more.
And it's wise to buy from reputable dealers. After all, you're asking an
actor to put something in their eye. There is no general answer. YOU
need to do what is best for YOU. Sometimes money just isn't available
or worth. Sometimes the expense is worth the saving in time.

I suggest you do a 20/30 second test using AE. See how long that takes
you and if you are happy with the results. If you the time needed is
acceptable t o you and it looks the way you want it then you have your
answer.

 

[Asad J]

Echoing everything rik said. Personally, I like to leave the least amount of tweaking possible to post-production. But it's a question of balancing budget / actor safety / post-pro time.

I think doing the dry run is a great idea. Get the effect taken care off by the same person who'll be doing it on the project. That way you can figure out if time / money spent on post is the way to go or the money / risk of safety doing it in production are more your thing.