"Real" effects

As some of you have already confirmed, Andrew Kramer from Video Copilot is one of the most knowledgeable AE trainers and he is also fun, something not always true of other "tutorialists"!

From a 2009 interview by John Dickinson

I like this following video because it exemplifies how effects can be created with the simplest of means. I mentioned in class the case of the British design collective Tomato, that when asked the question "what tools (or programs) do you use to create all those cool effects" they responded by saying, "I dunno!, whatever is at hand"

So, the idea here is that you observe the everyday world around you and think what can be used to create your own stock footage of elements for compositing, backgrounds, particles, reflections and so forth. Keep your eyes, ears and mind open but more importantly have fun and enjoy!