Good Old Days...
July 6th, 2007

Does anyone remember this?

Video Copilot actually launched this month in 2005. I had just worked for a studio here in Los Angeles and remembered about this idea to create training videos for real life production. I started to record tutorials number 1-4 and they launched the site. I was working night and day to get the website together and I never thought it would grow into such an active community. It's fun to look back and even more exciting to think about the future. You guys & gals have really made this place awesome. So THANKS!

Andrew Kramer

Andrew Kramer
POSTED:
18 years ago
124 Comments
I'm taking a trip down memory lane...remembering how much I learned here. I remember the original site! Thank you, Andrew, for all you and your team do!
Oscaryop
18 years ago
Oh Boy, I have no words to say how much your tutorials help me in After Effects. I'm a guy from Venezuela... (In fact my English it's so short)

I found your web page just for casuality and now it??´s in my favorites. So I hope you keep doing tutorials. Nearly I will buy the "Designer sound FX" an the "Rio Gear". Do you send it to my country?

I'm a musician and I'll do my own Videos. I wanna make a Video just with pictures, (any advice is welcome).


See you an remember keeping doing your tutorials, You have Arrive so far

P.D. Can you make the tutorials dwnloadable?. It would be cool for us!!

Good Night
Oscar
18 years ago
Thanks alot Andrew, Keep it up!


One thing though....... We want more jokes!!!!!
18 years ago
Can thank you enough for your tutorial â???¦thanking you dose not justify for your work ......great guy and great work..keep it up
FF360
18 years ago
Just wanted to say thankx for the tutorials... I think it was only 8 tutorials when I first visited the site, and needless to say I was inspired... Keep up the good work!!!
Rob Murphy
18 years ago
Thanks a million Andrew!

Keep up the good work! Love the humour too, makes the process of learning so much easier and a lot more fun!
( ( ( tears in my eyes, i dont know what to say... if i start to talk about Video -copilot, well this blog will be out

THANKS YOU, THANK YOU, AND THANK YOU.

i remember the first time i met this site, its was only 2 tutorials online, no blog, no people, few products. well....

Now, andrew has even forgotten my name, cuss he has thousand of people posting online...

i hope he sees my post... thanks personally andrew! we appreciate, am touched when i saw people appreciating you, its great


i promise you, your reward is coming, the point is, just travel to any part of this world and see for your self that you got families who are ready to accomodate you.

God bless you Andrew. i thank you

tunslike
18 years ago
It makes me want to keep doing more ; )
Mattmatt
18 years ago
Congratulations and well done. Your success is inspiring - how does it feel to be a hero to so many?

Matt
Australia
Erilaz
18 years ago
Andrew,

Here's to some of the best AE training content on the planet. If I ever meet you in person, drinks are on me.
Keep up the amazing content and the random off-kilter humour. You rock man.
Erik
18 years ago
Hi Andrew,

Yes, i do remember the site looking like that. If I remember correctly I was googling for "what do geeks do?" and, for obvious reasons, i ended up on your website. Back then you only had 4 or 5 tutorials up, and didn't add new ones for quite some time. I never stopped checking your website though, and sure enough, the waiting paid off.

Needless to say (by the way: do you own rights on that sentence?), nowdays i'm a VideoCoPilot junkie. I even got my phone subscribed to this blog's rss feed (:

Thanks for all the good stuff, and keep up the great work!

Erik
DUSTY
18 years ago
Thanks to you Andrew! I really enjoy your tutorials. You are the MAN!! I can't wait for Riot Gear 2 !!
Gianni
18 years ago
Hi Andrew...thank you very much...you're the best!!!
Some Other Guy
18 years ago
HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIDEOCOPILOT !!!!!!

Just So You Know, One Thing You should never stop with is to talk yourself away in the tutorials, that what make them funny !!!!!!!!!!

Can`t wait for the next tutorial !!!!!
Chris Smith
18 years ago
andrew, your the man, with a little help from your friends who have helped us people be more confident with using after effects and able to now create things ourselves with more ease and an understanding how to achieve our own ideas. so no thanks to you, and keep going.
KimOhNo
18 years ago
Hey Andrew,

i'm 20 Years old and had become a Tranee for a Video Post Production. Well i was good and got a job as a Digital Artist. And this after a few Month. I did not study anything so i think you for creating this great Tutorials which helped me out with self studiing. I hope thers still much to learn from you in the future

btw Design Sound Fx Rulez!

http://home.arcor.de/bonifacius/el.mov
heare
18 years ago
happy birthday videocopilot!!

thank you ANDREW!!!

hope for a lot more birthdays...
Daniel Reynolds
18 years ago
Hey, I remember that. Now that is back in the day.
18 years ago
i remember the "good old days," but your site continues to improve and be downright incredible
pena
18 years ago
Yeah thanks for everything Andrew! You are the best!
Pierre
18 years ago
Your family is growing Andrew: congrtz man.
And thnx for the bunch of dvd's I recieved recently. Love it.
Move on, step by step, so that we can follow in your footprints...
And yes, a forum would be a good thing to set up, don't you think?
AE is more than a program: it's the pacemaker for our growing family.
Thnx again Andrew.
Par@d2x
18 years ago
Thx to U Andrew, ur work is Great and i love found idea in ur work, wishing u lot of thing
vj
18 years ago
thanks a lot for ur creative help..dear after effects Guru!
Wishing u all the best...(so that i can have the best here)
18 years ago
Thanks for all that you do! ...and you are now know as a descriptive Icon in the tutorial word of our company.. ex: " Sheeze this guy on this Tutorial is no "Andrew Kramer"! zzzZZZzzzzzZZZZzz..
Thanks for keeping us all awake and laughing while working! Your the greatest!

-- by the way can we ask for a up'n coming tutorial about small face tracking... ie: track a close-up face and then using an animated mask from Riot Gear -Reveal_04.mov- under ink_bleads to show skin burning back to show another face.. or bone.. or tissue? or even hands.. etc...

this might be asking too much but would love to see it!
Anson
18 years ago
happy birthday,
video copilot
and you too
master Andrew
Scott Wetherall
18 years ago
Dude.... thank you for Videocopilot.... I check your site almost daily for new stuff... I've only been an After Effects user for little over 18 months... if it wasn't for Videocopilot I would have given up long ago ... thanks so much

Scott
18 years ago
btw what can we expect in the next tutorial? I feel something big is coming.
18 years ago
I tell my friends that if they want to save $30,000+ on film school, just visit Videocopilot.net!!!!
Joshua
18 years ago
Happy Birthday !!!!! videocopilot

and Big thanks to Andrew Kramer for all his works!!!!!
S. Gilbert
18 years ago
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! videocopilot.net

Andrew, anytime your in New York send me an email, I'll buy you and your crew a birthday cake, It's the least I can do. thank you for 2 years of great products and kick ass tutorials. I hope to see many more years with videocopilot.net
victor
18 years ago
Happy Bitrhday..!!!

and Thankssss


Best
Victor -- Indonesia
18 years ago
If you love me pay me 599 US dollars.
18 years ago
comin' right up!
J
18 years ago
since when did Andrew Kramer have groupies....? scary

anyways, congrats
18 years ago
Nice looking forums. I wish I had more time...

Where did the name video Copilot Come from?

Well, think about a copilot... he helps you fly... and this one is in video form. Basically Video==helper. But jets are cool...

Super_Awesome_Video_Tutorials_from_the_future.com was already taken....

Sam, did you get those sandwiches like I asked? ; )
18 years ago
Well done Andrew. I am not surprised you have become so succesfull because your tutorials are amazing, you have inspired so many people and solved so many questions with your tutorials. With this in mind I would be honored if you would like to join my video editing forum. Its all for people who are into video editing, after effects, 3d studio max and all that. and another section on filming, prop making and how to make a professional movie. So if you want to have a look (this is open to everyone) we would love to have you on board continuing your expert knowledge at my site "Video FX Universe" Here is the link

http://s7.invisionfree.com/Video_Fx_Universe/

There is also a staff opening for you too andrew, just leave the bees behind haha
Titso
18 years ago
Andrew, would it be possible for you to make a behind the scenes movie so that we can see how you guys (pro's) are doing it, like making interviews with your crew and showing us how you guys spend the day at your studio, i would realy be happy if you could do this so me and others who are realy into film making, could see it

Cheers from Norway
18 years ago
Man abig thanks oes out to for providing us with such great tutorials..and tips and tricks
God Bless you
n hope that you keep on teaching and giving us such great stuff..always
Scott bishop
18 years ago
Does stefan know the difference between vfx, and sfx? lol
Jeff (NoodleMaps)
18 years ago
I've been coming here everyday ever since I purchased SeriousFX over at the Cow, I believe I had it pre-ordered as well. Not exactly sure of when that was, but been here almost everyday since. The tuts are amazing, well thought out and always seem to teach me something new that I hadn't thought of doing before. It took some things that I was already doing and bumped it up to, as Andrew would say "the next Level" So I keep coming to find that new way of doing something or that new thing thing that I never knew I could do so easily before. Thanks Copilot guys, this site is one I recommend anybody who is working in the production field.
Alexander Jansen
18 years ago
A'-man, you're the best! Thanks for doing this often very dry and boring genre "Tutorial" is, you make is so much more! With some funnny comments, stories, expertise and most importantly of all: with the will to share EVERYTHING you know with us!

I wish you and sam loya and the gang all the best, and may the future bring even more crazy-monkeythrowin-ship-out-of-this-world-funny-and-informative-tutorials!
Sean
18 years ago
Don't ever change your style Andrew! That's one of the big things that sets your tutorials apart from others - the easy going humorous style you employ! Plus your tutorials are always easy to follow and produce consistently fantastic results! So don't change that either! haha..
GaBy
18 years ago
Thanks for the things you teach us all and above all the way you do it !
18 years ago
thank you MAN

greetings from spain.
18 years ago
Andrew,
You really are like Kai Krause! Congrats.
18 years ago
Happy Birthday VCP!

A year ago I bought my PowerMac as an editing computer, and because I was a student it came with a free iPod. So I hooked it up and, being a novice to iTunes, decided to figure out podcasting. For some reason I decided to look up After Effects, and once I saw the assisted suicide tutorial, I was hooked. I thought, HOLY CRAP! Finally somebody made a FUN tutorial that's in line with something I want to do- visual effects.

A year later, I'm happy that this has become one of the leading AE instruction sites. Why? Because it's FUN and practical.

Thanks for kicking ass and taking names, Andrew. I'm sure you feel all gushy after reasing the birthday blog, but man, these tutorials were exactly what the vfx community needed. Thanks for your work and keep 'em coming!

~Pat
18 years ago
Happy Birthday VideoCopilot!! It feels like it wasn't to long ago I was sitting watching your tutorials on your old webpage. Thank you for a really good site!
Best regards Max Marklund.
18 years ago
I know many have said it already, but I just wanted to add my name to those saying "No, thank YOU!" You always manage to make your tutorials effective AND entertaining, which I think really helps the lesson stick. I look forward to many more years of VideoCopilot. Keep up the good work, Andrew.
18 years ago
Yes sir!
Dustin James
18 years ago
is that you Sam?

@Bader Ahmed

I'm assuming it is titled VideoCopilot because he is our Copilot... he helps us... as he learns as well.
Sam
18 years ago
Howdy Doody!
18 years ago
yep thank you so much. You rock!
Bader Ahmed
18 years ago
ya i feel Emotional.

so lets celebrate by Making The Most Challenging Tutorial in AE motion graphics- for this anniversary .

By the way why it is called videocpilot ?? any answer

Cheer
Harry McHugh
18 years ago
wow nice find Patryk Duk. now thats the videocopilot i remember.
Flim by Tim Productions.
18 years ago
HEY MAN YOU FREAKING ROCK MAN I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!! And happy birthday man you deserve a big cake you should teach us how to make a cake in 3ds max yes thats a great idea W00T!!!!!!!
Will
18 years ago
Happy birthday Video Copilot !
18 years ago
HB, but dont u know what day in month is The site launched?
Zack
18 years ago
Yeah you do a great job. I didn't after effects could do so much stuff if I wouldn't have found

Thanks
JonL
18 years ago
By the time i got here you were already on tut number 17.
Cyd
18 years ago
Thanks for all that you have done! ^^
Nico
18 years ago
ANDREW Kramer - love how you say your name in your tutorials. Judging by all this (deserved) adoration, you're onto something here. What with the whole online videoblogging youtube explosion, you could make an even bigger killing if you play your marketing strategies right (hint: get on youtube, become popular, sell more) As a noob, I've learnt loads from you, and have put your products to good use so far. Thanks for the good times, and may there be many more!
Jacob Aaron
18 years ago
Your welcome! Well you didn't let anyone put you down and look at you now! I think you deserve a couple thousand thank you's too. I wouldn't go to anyone else for help. Your tutorials are so interesting to watch and learn. It is fun to listen to your humor.

Just to let everyone know that the lucky 7 pack is so worth getting. I wouldn't pay a Penney less for it.

Well THANK YOU! Andrew, I cant wait to see your next tutorial DVD's, and I'll be buying a copy! Pat yourself on the back. You deserve it.
18 years ago
Happy Birthday! Yes, VideoCopilot.... this was the reason for me to install after effects.. and now its so a huge community. you make fabulous tutorials so everyone can understand you and the program. but i have one critic videocopilot is now more vfx thab sfx! I think more tutorials with fx on real footage like the freeze tutorial were good!

best,
stefan
Ryan
18 years ago
Thanks for making it, you got me into visual effects, i probably wouldn't be able to do anything without your tutorials XD.
Orc Master
18 years ago
Happy Birthday, Video Copilot!

My God, has it been so long already? Time runs fast when one's having fun

Man, what else can I add to the above? You've already been told that you make the most awesome After Effects tutorials ever, that your personality is great beyond boundaries, that the inspiration you give us can't be described with words, and also that Sam Loyah should lick your feet all day long

Oh, well, I guess I can only add that I discovered that I loved making VFX and that I wanted to do it for a living thanks to you, which is a weird dream for a Venezuelan

Now, there's only one question that remains unanswered: Will Sam Loyah be your sidekick when you're Beeman? IDK, just wondering

Luis Medina
Aragua, Venezuela
Scott bishop
18 years ago
Wow i remember that old webpage, its really amazing to see how far this community has come.
Dustin James
18 years ago
hey no problem Andrew...

I'm glad I could be apart of this community... thanks for bringing us together...

are you planning on a weekly tutorial? or bi-weekly?
Magnusfaz
18 years ago
Andrew, I'm from Mexico and I glad to being part of this site. Every day I visit it almost 3 time along the day to see if you post any news.
You are a great man to share the tutorial with us.
By the way, I love your jokes. Tell me what happened with the bee power??
Jasper Wiese
18 years ago
You're the man Andrew. Keep up the good work:>
Misma
18 years ago
Andrew you rowwwck!!!
Please post a forum so we can all meet eachother and post stuff
in time this site will be huuuuuge
Jacob
18 years ago
Haha....I remember the site having that Jet on there
Awesome Work.
Jacob Wall
18 years ago
What an acomplishment! A big thing can come from a little idea, maybe one day HOLLYWOOD would hire you.
Mark
18 years ago
I think we should celebrate. FREE COPIES OF DESIGNER FX FOR EVERYONE!!!! Sorry, just daydreamin' a little there.
Migha CG
18 years ago
Andrew Thank u soo much for these past two years. U have made videocopilot.net am amazing site and we all look forward to just check back and see what u have done!
Thank U so much for making it possible for US! Great job and keep on going!
tesssam
18 years ago
indeed, thank you. you made this all happen yourself. we just love what ever you do. gr. tesssam
18 years ago
Hands down my favorite AE webiste and you are by far the best AE teacher and the most entertaining! Keep up the good work and the good products!
Gary
18 years ago
THANK YOU man, i think this is actually the website that i have visited the most. Your the best inspiration

PS: your tutorials would SUCK without your jokes! --> i love it when you get off track.
Tom
18 years ago
This is an excellent site! I am thrilled that you started it and will be buying some of your products soon. Keep up the good work and thanks for presenting such rich content!
mark
18 years ago
greetings Andrew. I do remember your first creation of videocopilot. I remember the jet on your page as seen in a earlier post of an archived videocopilot page.

Keep them coming and we'll keep on coming back.
mr volkoff
18 years ago
Happy birthday )
Andrew I realy want to thank you for this incredible site. When I got here and saw what is possible to do in AE, I understood that this is the thing what I want to do for life. I still a complete noob, but with some time and your incredible tutorials I will level up my skills )
Keep doing this incredible stuff ))
18 years ago
Your site is completely unique and awesome. We have to thank you for your hard work and your willingness to give us your knowledge. Thanks so much for this site and all the work you do on it. Hopefully it will continue to grow!!!
Drobins
18 years ago
Andrew, I had never used After Effects and then we were doing some simple video editting for a sales meeting and i thought, hey i've used flash maybe i can try out after effects. After 2 days of banging my head against the wall trying to figure things out myself i found creative cow and a tutorial about lightsabres. That led me to your site, I have now become quite an editting and compositing "junkie" because of your tutorials. So thanks.

Patryk Duk thanks for posting that link from the way back machine. the download to the city explosion still worked, which is great for me because i've got a need for that RIGHT NOW! and wasn't sure about how to get that effect.
18 years ago
Yea I really appreciate it. This is where I learned After Effects. I got a job as video editor using Premiere and I did 3D animation too (using Carrara, not that anyone else knows about that program), but I didn't know After Effects (which they bought for me to use). I am still a film student and was taking an After Effects class at the time, but I didn't get nearly as much out of that as I did from doing these tutorials. The tutorials got me used to the interface and helped me understand the software and now I can really do anything in After Effects. You helped me grow into a professional. Though I can do all my own work without anyone holding my hand, I always check out the tutorials just to get another sense of how something can be done (and your work flow is generally better than mine). Thanks so much!
Mark
18 years ago
Ya, I mean, even though I can't buy any of your stuff, you know what? I think that this is a great site, your tutorials are great, your products are awesome, and also, I think that it's great that's it's fairly small because then we get personally attention from you!
18 years ago
Your tutorials helped me be the best in my multimedia class..
Thanks for all your hard work...

Dont stop.
Some Guy
18 years ago
I smell love in the air. Video Copilot became a great community.
Thank you Andrew Kramer and the rest of the Video Copilot Team. You've done a great job. I wish you all the best for the future.

PS: Maybe we can celebrate this with a brand new Video Copilot Forum...
Doug
18 years ago
Hey Kramer, Thanks for helping me to achieve a High Distinction on my University course, Advanced Animation!
Your my Hero!



(Bris Vegas, Australia)
18 years ago
Andrew, please provide us a "uncut" version
Kris S
18 years ago
you really have a good thing going here...You make the best training tutorials on the web. The site is clean. Developing a a great community thanks to your hard work and personality.
(don`t you get tired of all the gratitude and compliments?)
18 years ago
No, Thank you Andrew!

We here at the website, along with many others, have loved your great products and tutorials.

Keep them coming, you're a bloody legand mate!

Cheers!

-Paddymazz, Australia
M@rco H@rtmann
18 years ago
Hi A,
Thanks for the Tutorials , The fun ,The site and The Products
You opened a whole new world for I think most of the users!Personally you helped me in such a big way ..you can't imagine.
I think by the time you will release Riot Gear 2 ... I'm gonna demand a A.K. Statue here in my city )
Anyway keep up the beyond amazing work .. F*#*ing A!
Hear y??¡
MArco
18 years ago
Thank you Andrew, I have learned a lot with your tutorials. You are a great professional. Sorry about my english, I??´m from Brazil.
18 years ago
Well, you getting a bit "off point" and making some jokes makes it alot more fun to watch, I always enjoy watching your tutorials in contrast to most other video tutorials out there with crappy video quality and sound with a monotonous speaker that makes you fall asleep. When I see that you've made a new tutorial, the feeling is like discovering an all new epsidode of Prison Break/Lost/Hereos hehe

// Nick

Paradox Dimensions
Morten Enoksen
18 years ago
Interview would be cool.. WIth Sam Loyah He's becoming a celeb on copilot. & you to of course
Siege
18 years ago
congratulations on the 2 year anniversary
Titso
18 years ago
Andrew, this site is the best training site's i have ever seen and i include training sites for game developing, movie making and VFX, GFX, tutorials for 3d program and such things, you beat them all with this incredible site! Keep it up Andrew
18 years ago
That's funny, I've been coming here for 2 years. I do recall that. I never could get your first tutorial to work, I always screwed it up so how.

How about a Forums for us? I'd love it if you could build that up for the community. Then I could share my stuff with this group of people and get to know some locals here better.

you know ... for the community.
18 years ago
What studio did you work for, what did you do, and why did you leave?
Tfo
18 years ago
Keep it up !
michi
18 years ago
thank you. this site is getting better and better. a video-interview would be awesome; maybe you should do a (nice) short-documentary on how you work, about your friends, your city and so on... i think that would make you even more popular in the www.

yours,
michael
Vienna, Austria.
VinzDenz
18 years ago
Happy Bitrhday

and Thannkksss
Marc.B
18 years ago
Happy Birthday VideoCopilot

Andrew, thanks for sharing all these great stuff with us. A few months ago I didn't even know you, either this great site and today you are my VFX Reference and I pass by the site at least 2 or 3 times a day

You look to be a great person, I love your humour, and I am a little bit jalous of Sam... Sam you're lucky to have Andrew as friend, you must have very funny together

How about if Sam made a video Interview of you Andrew ? We send the questions to Sam Btw, I agree with people above... you need a forum

Thanks for making this great place and being so generous

Cheers,

Marc
Paris, France
18 years ago
Cheers everyone.

I actually remember something else. Someone emailed me about the Blemish Removal Tutorial a long time ago and explained how I got off track for a golf moment. He basically said, I should try to stay on point. I told him, these stories were my way of entertaining myself!

I have a little self control though; there have been some things I've cut out of tutorials because it was a late night and nothing made sense but a good rule for me is when my wife says "You're not going to put that online are you?" That's when I start UPLOADING!

I also like knowing that you guys have to listen to some ridiculous things and that makes it all worth it ; )
gautam
18 years ago
Thank you for being so generous...
18 years ago
Yeah, thanks a lot! I love people who share their knowledge with the rest of the world ans I hope you get rich through the DVD??´s and your work!
Keep it up!
Gonads
18 years ago
I'm agreeing with most of these posts, we should be thanking you. Your tutorials don't only teach us but you keep us entertained.
Andre
18 years ago
Thank you for your great work, tutorials, inspiring fresh and funny art of presenting and your endless energy you put into this community, which I think personnally, rocks

Greeting from Germany.

Btw, today is my birthday!

Andr??©
Yva
18 years ago
I learned so much from you man, I even cryed a few times listening to your jokes. You are original, talented, hard working, funny, good looking... too bad you are married and on the other side of the Earth.
Hope you get rich doing this, you deserve it!

Keep it up!

Yva
Leerlaufprozess
18 years ago
THank you

And by the way: I demand a forum here on video copilot
mac
18 years ago
Hi Andrew,

we all thank YOU!
This site, your products and the tutorials are awesome!
So keep it up!!!!

greets
mac
هاشم
18 years ago
thanks you Andrew for your help and your tut
Nick
18 years ago
Thank You Andrew, its all down to you, So thanks, your a great inspiration to people like me.

nick
Brandon
18 years ago
You need a forum, man.
18 years ago
Big thanks to you Andrew. I've been an editor for a number of years but never delved into After Effects very much because I didn't understand it and it was quite intimidating. I finally decided I needed to learn it, and your tutorials have made working in AE much easier than I imagined. Keep up the good work!!
18 years ago
NO NO NO!!! Thank You Andrew!!!! I think I speak for everyone who has ever bought your products or watched your tutorials, that we would probably not be half as good at video production without your help.
Sandy
18 years ago
Hey!!!! we should thankyou 4 creating these awesome free tutorials. You have been helping us in every possible way, SO THANX to U.

U R THE BEST and I have always mentioned it in my earlier posts.

We guys r always with u and we promise to make Videocopilot more n more popular in the near future.

Warm Regards
Sandy
Hampus
18 years ago
thanks for making it so great! I'm a real pirate when it comes to downloading, but not with your products. I buy 'cause I know I'll get quality. cheers!
18 years ago
Thanks for all that you have done
Johnny Handsome
18 years ago
We really have to thank you, for your help and your great tutorials, im pretty good in after effects and i wouldnt be without you, thank you very much
18 years ago
Yep, It's us that have to thank you, you did the hardest part .

So, thank you!
18 years ago
Good Times!
fox
18 years ago
we thank you
Zsolesz
18 years ago
You have it done Andrew!
So THANKS!