Andrew vs Alvyn

Alright, remember that video I was talking about in my last post, "Andrew vs Alvyn"?
Well, Blogger has a 100MB video file size limit, so I had to compress my video in order to post it here.

I used Windows Movie Maker to compress the video from 308MB to just 31.9MB.
And as for the format, the video changed from AVI to WMV.
Oh well...

Because of this, the quality of the compressed WMV version of "Andrew vs Alvyn" is not as good as the 308MB AVI version...
It's a tiny bit blurrier, but the image quality is still tolerable, I guess.
Here it is:

Andrew vs Alvyn

Well, what do you guys think?
This is my first time actually making a lightsaber duel, so it's not that perfect...
Any constructive criticism from anybody is welcome!

It took me a substantial amount of time to make this video, because the lightsabers in the video are not presets. Point being, there are several processes involved in making the lightsabers. It's not just about simply selecting a preset and plopping it on the video.

Here are the processes:
1. Rotoscoping - Creating and adjusting the main core of the lightsaber.
2. "Rotobeziering" - Adding a subtle curve to the tip of the lightsaber while it's fanning out at high speeds.
3. Applying the glow - Creating adjustment layers in order to create the nice glowing effect on the lightsaber.
4. Applying the obstruction masks - In my opinion, this is the most tedious part. This involves applying masks that block the lightsaber from view whenever the lightsaber is not supposed to be seen. Behind someone's head, for example.
5. Colour Balance - This is the fun part. Adobe After Effects actually lets you tinker with the three main colours, which are red, blue, and green. Using these 3 colours, you can make the lightsaber any colour you want. For "Andrew vs Alvyn", however, I decided to use the two simple colours, red and blue.

That's pretty much it.
After that, it's on to post-production ( converting the files, adding sounds and music, etc ).
And that's all there is to it.
All it takes is effort and determination...

Well, I guess this is it.
I'm gonna go and try to upload "Andrew vs Alvyn" on YouTube, and later Facebook.
Please do not forget to provide some constructive criticism, because I still consider myself to be an amateur and have yet to learn all the skills involved in this kind of VFX thing.

May the Force be with you...