How to create light wall of letters?

Question

I want to create the typical light wall effect, that is often seen in music videos. But not only the wall. I want to display text letters using those flash lights.

Probably I'm missing the right keywords as I did not find a tutorial on this yet.

I'm aiming for something similar to this template: http://videohive.net/item/lights-flashing-3/5882600?WT.ac=item_more_thumb&WT.z_author=HK_graphic

Of course I could just buy it, but I especially want to learn while creating.

So, should I create a layer mask from text, and let eg a flashlight wall footage shine through? Or could I as well create a single flashlight (or take footage), and arrange it in a way that it will form letters?

How can this be done?

Answer 1

I think Trapcode Form or Particular is probably the best way to do this. It allows you to easily set up a grid of objects (in 2D or 3D). In this case you'd make a 2D set of objects, then mask them with your text within the plugin settings.