Hi

I'm quite new to video making, and I'm looking for some free software that I can make digital videos better with. I like shooting things like star wars or lord of the rings spoofs and fan films, and battle scenes. I only have a few people for actors, and I wonder is there anything I can do to sort of digitally "clone" soldiers to make it look like an army? Or perhaps create digital horses? Also, I'd like to edit the background and put in some artwork for the background and that sort of thing. Any advice please?

Thanks in advance