Final Post

Putting design into motion opens up so many doors for new opportunities and means of expressing an idea. It was critically important to learn AfterEffects; it is such a powerful tool – although the application also has its own limits in terms of manipulating truly 3D objects. But learning this app starts putting my mind into a different frame of thought when trying to move things with the illusion of depth (ie depth cues, focal point, etc etc).

The print half of the design world is focused on capturing a still shot of something well composed and visually appealing. Motion design is more about creating a string of well composed and visually appealing objects that the viewer can remain fixed upon. However, it still builds upon the basic principles of what good design would look like, and many of the elements in motion parallel the design elements in print, whether it be good typography or a compositionally strong screen.

Although the concept development behind the 3-minute sequence wasn’t new – brainstorming, creative brief, storyboarding, etc. – things definitely played out differently once the graphics were built on screen, rather than paper.

I definitely found this course as an eye opener. In fact I can confidently say that I’ve learnt more new things (designing in motion, learning new applications) in this course alone than I have all year. It was worthwhile!

The Digital Designer/Filmaker: Overcoming Motion Sickness

The article begins by restating what we already know: cheaper technology has allowed for the democratization of what was once an ‘elite ‘practice (filmaking); the Web has further accelerated the exposure of more DIY design and film; and that the Web has become the primary breeding ground for the cross-breeding of both practices. The author also mentions how the role of director and editor are slowly becoming interchangeable with the proliferation of digital film.

Real estate websites have online tours where users manually control pre-shot cameras through homes. Potential homeowners have an an enhanced impression of the home with this greater sense of realism. Innovative ideas have changed online advertising, since the most memorable Burger King launched their SUBSERVIENT CHICKEN in 2004. Having said that, there is little disagreement in the author’s statements.

That statement brings up one particular United Nations website. The informational webpage describes the different standards of living in different parts of the world, and the user can navigate from place to place through a world map. Clicking on any one location expands more and more in-depth information about how people live in a region, and in what kinds of homes, determined by the wealthiness of that family and the country. The website is brought to a whole new level by the integration of film: not only are their very well-designed informational graphics to illustrate the kinds of homes families live in, a short 15-second video is also attached to each home to further emphasize the drastically different environments others live in (for example, one video has a family of eight live in a shack with haystacks as beds and a brick fireplace). Without a doubt, film is rapidly finding a place in design, much like how graphic design had carved out a place in film decades ago (in movie intro sequences and credits, for example). The link…can’t find it anymore unfortunately.

PROJECT 1: Creative Brief 2

Creative Brief TWO

1. Title – Animals
2. Overview – Still captured animal crackers are brought to life as they happily march in the shape of the number that is respective to the time of the movie. As the counter goes down, some animal crackers are eaten while others run away in fear, until the last one is eaten up in two or three bites! At some point close to the end a shadow resembling some kind of monster will approach the remaining animals to bring up the anticipation even more.
3. Goals and Objectives – to put a quirky, humorous spin to the popular animal cracker snacks in a ‘faux horror’ style video, so that we can all appreciate our deliciously not-too-sweet snacks more after watching it.
4. Audience – people that can appreciate a parody of a horror film and have eaten or at least know of animal crackers.
5. Key Message – ideally it will be a film that will be so memorable that just the mere sight of a box of animal crackers will evoke the images of this short in the viewer’s mind. Essentially, to make the audience humorously consider how animal crackers would react if they were fully sentient beings with minds and feelings of their own.
6. Content Planning – All content can be captured with video, but it will probably be easier and more effective to composite photos and sound together into a motion piece. A box (or two, just in case) of animal crackers is really all that is needed.
7. Schedule – Week 1 (Jan 7) – Week 2:
   Complete creative brief and storyboards
   Buy a box of animal crackers
   Week 2 (Jan 14) – Week 3:
   Refine storyboards
   Borrow camera from labs (if necessary), capture content
   Begin editing
   Week 3 (Jan 21) – Week 4:
   Finalize editing
   Output to DVD
   Complete documentation
8. Bibliography – relevant sources used in work
9. Visual/Conceptual References

Storyboard can be accessed here.

*I also had an alternative concept of a man preparing to go on a DATE: he would groom himself before a mirror, get his bouquet of flowers, chocolates, spray cologne, comb his hair, etc. etc. and the video concludes when he meets his date. Although the concept itself is very enticing, it seems too hard to convey the idea within ten seconds, and it requires too many jumps in the film such that the viewer might not understand what is going on.

PROJECT 1: Creative Brief 1

Creative Brief ONE

1. Title – Lottery
2. Overview – A person begins scratching a PICK 10 LOTTO card. Each circle scratched will reveal the number respective of the time, i.e. scratch the circles to reveal 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 and then 1 at the respective time. By the 5-second mark a voice will say under their breath ‘no way!’ to express disbelief; after the two empty seconds a shot of the person’s eyes widening cuts to the person getting up and screaming with joy at winning the lottery.
3. Goals and Objectives – to bring the audience along for a short and increasingly suspenseful ride up to the point where comic relief will release the viewers’ attention.
4. Audience – an adult or more mature audience that will understand and relate to the kind of suspense you get when you get a chain of lottery numbers right in a row. They will get the most out of the ecstatic reaction of the protagonist in the end because these viewers, too, would want to be in that character’s shoes … and win a million dollars.
5. Key Message – by halfway at least, the audience should have gotten the gist of the video and know where it’s headed – the protagonist will reach the ‘end’ when he scratches out the ‘1′. Knowing that it is about a lottery, this video really shifts the emphasis towards the reaction of the protagonist after realizing he won; the audience will look forward to it. How will this person react when he wins a million dollars?
6. Content Planning – All content will be captured with video. I will most likely need to buy quite a few lottery cards, one of my theatre friends to be shot in the film, and a lot of editing (to splice the numbers that get revealed in the proper order, at the right time)
7. Schedule – Week 1 (Jan 7) – Week 2:
   Complete creative brief and storyboards
   confirm actor’s help
   Week 2 (Jan 14) – Week 3:
   Refine storyboards
   Borrow camera from labs, capture video content
   Begin editing
   Week 3 (Jan 21) – Week 4:
   Finalize editing
   Output to DVD
   Complete documentation
8. Bibliography – relevant sources used in work
9. Visual/Conceptual References – “Bingo”

Storyboard can be accessed here.