In week 4 of the assessment I was choosing between two various project ideas, these two ideas being… 1. A festival promotional video that would reveal a lineup and event information for an audience of festival goers that could resemble the vibe and overall theme of the festival. Idea two was to create an introduction and sport highlights of an NRL game for Fox Sports Australia. Ultimately I chose to create idea two as I felt as though it is a practical and commercialised type of project that I could use in the future.

Design Process:

My design process included a bunch of various steps including background research and similar/ exisiting examples as well as gathering material such as the essential footage and logo vector

In terms of background research I analysed the ways in which Rugby League highlights are projected to viewers when watched back. Noting elements of graphic motion uses throughout the sequences. I too looked further into existing examples of Fox Sports program introduction videos and the ways in which they engage their audiences into the program. Through using fast, sharp and seamless graphical effects, transitions and motional design throughout the sequences.

Taking inspiration from both of these, I knew I wanted to adapt aspects of both these works into my own piece.

Project Development:

At the commencement of the VCD302 course I had a fair knowledge of the After Effects program from editing personal videos in the past. Throughout the course of the semester I came to understand some further important elements that After Effects had to offer and I knew there was still so much to enhance and learn.

As I began creating the beginnings of the compositions I started to realise the significance of basic keypointing in an animation such as scale, positioning, rotation and opacity. Too learning tools on offer that became essential in the project such as the use of the Graph Editor. This allowed a major breakthrough from making rigid and clunky animation to rather a more smooth and seamless sequence in the animations. I also adapted many other techniques through the animator tool which features range selectors and what not, along with some effects and presets. As I learnt more about these seamless and more engaging animation techniques it allowed me to develop my piece to create this idea I wanted to resemble of an engaging and eye drawing piece of work.

Major Work Proposition

For my major work i’ve come up with 2 ideas of what i’d like to create as my motion design final work piece. The idea behind each of them is to create an overall engaging and practical piece of work that could be translated to the real world in a motion graphic sense.

The Ideas

My initial idea was to create a festival promotional video that could be used to reveal a lineup and information about the event. Many festivals around the world these days implicate the use of motion graphics to engage and hype the excitement of a festival to its audience through motion graphic sequences.

My second idea was to create an intro and graphics for a sport channel, specifically an introduction to the Fox Sports channel for the National Rugby League (NRL) within Australia. I liked this idea particularly due to the idea that this format of motion graphics is so heavily used in sports media today and could be used in a real world scenario.

Research & Examples

To begin my research I honed into the first idea of a festival promotional video. To do so I visually looked at how festivals such as Listen Out, Yours and Owls and Field Day used this idea of motion graphics to reveal their lineups and information about the event through their social media’s. Heavy inspiration for this idea derived off of the Listen Out festival lineup and the way in which they used shapes and type within motion to create a vibe and scene of the type of festival the audience would be experiencing.

The research for my second idea was inspired directly from existing Fox Sports introductions to the sport of NRL. The ways in which they use quick yet punchy graphics through motion to lead the viewer into the show. Fox Sports have always had engaging and seamless introductions to their programs and I wanted to replicate this in my own work as well.

Y&O video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yv2iw-i48Q

Fox Sports Promo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DLXE5UMtis

Rationale

The options i’ve decided from stemmed from the previous research i had done and what I found personally intriguing to explore further on. The festival lineup announcements or motion graphic programming for a sporting channel both stood out to me, both in which seeming achievable and technical in their own sense. As the process continues, i’ll be testing both ideas until once concept is decided upon.

Production Technique

The techniques within the production that I will aim to corporate will be mainly centred around text animation, ensuring the use of different key point properties such as scale, positioning, rotation. I’ll also be using animation properties with range selectors, masks, mattes etc.. along with some effects and presets. The biggest challenge for me will be to learn and adapt the 3D motion camera as well.

As I complete the final piece of my motion design it is crucial to reflect back on the achievements that I met from the criteria of the piece. This criteria consisting of various fundamentals such as primary and secondary implementation of these motion design fundamentals. The technical achievement used throughout the piece, finally the overall aesthetic of the design. To begin the course I had a sound understanding of fundamentals of motion design, these being through scaling, positioning, easement and rotation.

Technicality and Motion design fundamentals achieved in the motion design piece that I implemented throughout my design was various factors such as using the tool of masking shape layers to perceive the shape as a moving object whilst also translating into the final composition to be reflective. I used two compositions to create my motion design piece and was able to finalise the entire design in a “main” composition layer. Motion design fundamentals are too key aspects of a final piece as they are the building blocks for motion design frames. I used these primary fundamentals of scale, rotation easement and positioning throughout the entire piece of my design, these features used to move shape layers across the piece. I used scaling and positioning throughout to both introduce new shape layers to the scene and too for various transition slides into a new frame. Scaling and positioning was essential too at the end of my piece which included two rings intwined, they both fade out through the scaling tool to finish the piece. To create these keyframes as seamless as possible I utilised the ease in and ease out features in all my key frames and too used the graph editor to sharpen up the element being introduced. Throughout the piece implementation of trim pathing is riddled throughout the motion design, I used these features as it is an essential way to create a subtle introduction or fade out of a certain shape layer whilst also being simplistic. Trim path tools was a new skill for me that I was able to understand throughout the beginning of the course and further developed my ability with the tool. These tools ultimately enabled the entire motion design piece and aesthetic to be one of smooth flowing seamless motion transitioning that continuously detailed new shape layer features within the frame.  

When I first began this project I had two options in which I wanted to represent my final knowledge of the Task, to either create a singular looped piece that would be split up into around 4-6 divisions on one screen such as the one seen in the Student Examples of Ethan Eades found on Moodle . I too had the idea of creating a continual flowing piece built up of various scenes which is the choice I ultimately chose. I found this would be a better representation of my ability at creating a ‘video’ styled motion piece as well as being an idea style that I could then take with me for future works. I created a draft piece of my motion design which I used to more or less play around and see what I could create based on my skill and ability learn’t as we went. I didn’t find that this draft didn’t exactly “not work” but I decided to scrap this idea as I thought it was not engaging and didn’t follow a shape or colour schemed aesthetic, it was more or less random shapes and positioning put into a  sequence. Through various online tutorials that I watched and also Wes’ assistance I was able to create a piece that would better represent my ability and knowledge of these motion design fundamentals whilst too being engaging and continuously flowing. 

A new creative project that I believe I could achieve or at least would be interested in creating would be introduction motion design piece for say a YouTube video or creating a small promo video that entails different motion design aspects to compliment a video. These are always engaging additions to a YouTube video. A project such as this requires basic fundamentals of scale, positioning, rotations easements whilst also following a crucial aesthetic for the channel it is created for. After finalising this project I feel comfortable in my own ability and skills to be able to do this in the future for a potential client. 

Throughout the creation of my task 1 motion design sequence I enhanced my Adobe After Effects knowledge further by exploring the various fundamentals of motion design. Through aspects of scale deviation of objects in a sequence, time and spacing, easing, colour variations, the uses of layering such as ‘Shape Layers’ and Solids. These fundamental elements of motion design are the building blocks in which I further developed throughout these few weeks to further my skill and ability in creating an engaging and seamless design sequence. 

Through the trailing phase of the project I created two draft pieces of work that entailed these various motion design fundamentals and techniques and narrowed down aspects that I prefer out of both into a final design. I brainstormed some designs through sketches that I wanted to test in the drafts such as transitions or motion of these shapes in the frame. Taking these designs into after effects and trailing them with time and spacing of circular elements, scaling of squares as they appeared in the frame (0-100%), whilst also further developing my skills with trim paths to create an added element to the scale sequence depicting this idea of it being drawn in. I too trailed various colour fading and colour spacing on circles to create a hybrid feel to the frame. Although these were basic incorporative features of the fundamental motion design elements I was able to further my skill and too entail more features to the sequence. 

The fundamentals that I chose to use throughout my piece were primary fundamentals such as scale, positioning and rotation. I too incorporated a new skill obtained through tutorial workshops in trim pathing which I decided to include in my piece as I not only wanted to further my ability at learning further tools in Adobe After Effects but also put it into formative display in the piece. Throughout the piece, whenever I was using these motion design fundamentals I insured to use both keyframe easement and graph editor to snapping which allows these keyframes to become a seamless flowing movement for the viewer.  

Inspiration from the ‘Innovation of Loneliness” was gathered through the sequences use of continual motion, the piece flowed seamlessly and smoothly throughout. I highlighted aspects of scaling techniques used when transitioning a frame such as at 30seconds when the narrator is following onto a new fact that transitions, the circle shape layer is enlarged to fill the entire screen. I too found the motion pieces techniques of formation from one shape moulded into another quite interesting and engaging so therefore entailed this feature into my own piece throughout. These example of motion design became an inspiration of mine in its way of using scaling and positioning to transition shape layers into the scene and/or out of a scene. I enjoyed how smooth it was that you almost didn’t even notice it and was something that remand engaging at all times to me as a viewer. In comparison to my first draft created I found that my piece did not quite fall under this idea of aesthetically continuous for example, I used a variety of different colours as well as random shapes that felt as though didn’t match up with the theme of the project. I also found that my piece was not as engaging in comparison to the “Innovation of Loneliness” as it felt very stiff in my personal use of the fundamental After Effects design tools. I ultimately scrapped the draft as my final piece and decided to try recreate the project in a way that these boxes were ticked for my own personal satisfaction. 

Communicating via motion involves issues of both the “what” is moving across the screen – typographical, pictorial, or abstract elements – and “how” that particular something is moving.

In the ‘Stranger Things’ sequence, the typography used being the primary object, is not only a fitting successor to a revered title design tradition, but a testament to the power of type in motion and the enormous potency of nostalgia. The choice of typeface used in the title sequence of Stranger Things is that of Benguiat as outlined within the article. This choice of type was selected in reference to the deep association of Stephen Kings early 80’s paperbacks the Choose Your Own Adventure series, the dusty, musty touchtones used. In the sequence the What is the primary object in motion, it is depicted for the viewer as smooth sliding transitions that moved fluidly across the camera, being the secondary motion, Fade down transitions with jittered lighting and slight colour fade hints  to create an 80’s slight apocalyptic vibe to the sequence, a direct descendant of iconic Richard Greenberg opening title sequences seen in Altered States 1980 and too The Dead Zone 1983 all in which were designed by Richard Greenberg. These elements were carefully re-designed and re-thought through trial and error to create a sequence for a show that depicts these characteristics of a nostalgic, spooky, ominous 80’s vibe through dusty, musty tones which pays homage to Richard Greenberg title sequence designs and Stephen King paperback styled films. 

Michelle Doherty from Imaginary Forces explains how throughout their curation on the title piece it was a key stage for them to pick out elements from title sequences previously created through that era of the 80’s and highlight mistakes made previously. By doing so Michelle and her small team of designers were able to create a contemporary twist on the 80’s era for the title sequence via visual inspiration, comparison and technical traditions of that time. The uses of light passing through the film and the removal of contemporary ideas of rigid and snappy sequencing of the typeface to a rather seamless and fluid transitioning. Adaption of “fade-downs” of the overall type that then transition to a colour fade of the red tones accompanied with jittered lighting which fit the style of the 1980’s. 

Overall I found this article interesting in the way the designers that created the opening motion design scene for “Stranger Things” created a way of using modern contemporary skill sets and fundamentals of motion design and slotted them into the formerly contemporary 80’s styled Stephen King nostalgic, horror feel sequence. This entire article really opened my knowledge into how motion design is created in a professional scene and the ways in which a team is built up for a sequence for a film opening.