Over 1 year later... it has taken me this long to learn Maya and specifically learn FX animation. This specific project took me a total of 2 months from beginning to end to complete. I learned a lot along the way, realizing there is much to do to achieve the correct look. Working with Matchmover, Photoshop, After Effects, and Maya, one small 3 second clip takes a lot of research, fun, and hard work (not necessarily in that order.)
I posted my works in progress.
01) http://vimeo.com/23031712
Trying to establish the timing of the meteors
02) http://vimeo.com/23713376
Working on the overburn trails
03) http://vimeo.com/24277759
Working on the fiery meteor explosion
04) http://vimeo.com/24453769
Looks good but I need to add more tension
05) http://vimeo.com/24670796
Need to add one more explosion
Need to add the final details in After Effects
Final