final product for BDC 192!
The Vampire Diaries Motion Graphic
Artist Statement
Link: http://vimeo.com/54749614
For my motion graphic assignment I decided to create a 10 second title sequence/trailer for the TV show ‘’The Vampire Diaries’’. To really make sure that I captured the vibe of the show, I made sure that my elements were dark, mysterious, and a bit of romance. I believe that my final product captured all those elements very well.
Target Audience
The target audience for this motion graphic is young adults and teenagers from 15-25 years old. Even though this show may attract many more females, I do know that male audiences exist. Because this title sequence does not show any of the characters or voices, it is mainly directed to viewers of the show since they already know what it is about.
Process
This motion graphic obviously took a lot longer than I anticipated. In the beginning I didn’t have a clear idea of what exactly I wanted to create, but I did know that a forest and title would be part of it. I then took a few pictures of the forest by the ravine near my house and Photoshop 3 of the pictures together to make it seem like a panoramic shot. I also needed to darken and add more contrast to the picture to give it a more gloomy effect.
The other elements that were made in Photoshop were the drop of blood and the rose petals. For both of them, I drew them out with the pen tool and added some shading by burning some edges.
In after effects, I added my forest background, which I then added a camera panning across it. The smoke element was added after I edited it a bit to make it rotate and transform. I had to put lots of the smoke throughout the forest to make it more mysterious.
The title – At first I just had the title fade onto a black background and the drop of blood fall, but I knew something was missing. This is when the rose petals were added. Before editing it a final time, I had my motion graphic at 5 seconds and I was given the advice to make it longer since everything went by so quickly. I totally agree with this. With this advice, I made the title come in later so that the rose petals would have some time to fall down without distracting from the title and the blood drop. I think that the 10-second time frame really gives enough time for all the elements to be seen. Instead of just having ‘’The Vampire Diaries’’ fade in, I thought it would be really cool to have them written on screen. I used the effect stroke, and drew over the letters with a pen to create paths for the strokes. I love the look of this effect since it captures the element of ‘’Diaries’’ really well.
The rose petals were very hard to work with since I needed to make sure they all fell gracefully and at different times but still faded out in time. It took me a couple hours to draw their paths but in the end, I am proud of how I did them.
Font
The font for my title was really important. I needed to find one that had a scripted look because I wanted to make the letters look like they were being written on. I found this font on dafont.com, and I think it suits the show perfectly. I added also an inner shadow to the title to give it more dimension.
Design
The overall design of my motion graphic is very simple and straightforward. The forest represents the location where the vampires hunt most of the time, and it is a location used very often in the show. The rose petals symbolize the romantic theme of the show, and it also suits the ‘’bloody’’ element too since they are dark red. Having my title simply come in the middle of the screen and in white demonstrates a written feeling. And finally, the drop of blood just adds to the vampire theme of the show. I wanted to make sure I stuck to the saying – Less is more -. The colours used are white, black and red; all very sophisticated and classic colours. The black is used as the background, so that the white letters could pop out more. Red evokes passion and romance, so it was obvious that I needed to use it for the rose petals and the blood drop.
From the beginning to end, my ideas changed many times. I first started with a 5-second motion graphic and now I have a 10-second one. Many elements were added last minute, but I believe they are the ones that tie the whole thing together. Overall, I really enjoyed this process of creating. It was something totally new and different. I never thought in a million years that I could create something with after effects. My idea evolved many times during my process, and with the help of others I was able to create a quick title sequence for one of my favourite TV shows.
Week 12 – Farewell but not Goodbye
Wow! Cannot believe that first semester is almost over, and that it is my final week in digital media. I remember this past summer looking at my schedule and being a big scared of taking this class. I had no idea what to expect, but in the end I learned so much more than I ever thought I would.
I knew before starting this class that I had an interest in digital media – I always liked designing things when I was younger. And throughout the weeks, my interest in the subject grew, especially when we had a guest speaker come in a talk about Title Sequences. I just think that this whole side of media is extremely diverse and there are endless ideas that people can come up with. Unlike Radio and Television, Digital Media is growing. Everything we do is online now.
On the other hand, after learning all the different skills and steps it takes to create something within digital media, I might have to think twice about choosing it as a career. It is without a doubt a great interest of mine – but I think I may just stick to it as a hobby for now.
My Style – My Photoshop assignment was a poster with many bright colours and bold statements, while my motion graphic seems to be much darker and soft. I knew before that I am the type of person to choose brighter colours over darker ones, so I think that if I ever created something else it would probably be in that type.
I loved looking at all the different design sites out there for inspiration. There are so many talented people that I have learned from.
Skills. I have learnt many things. One saying in particular – Less is more – My professor could not emphasize this more, and I think it is extremely important in mind when creating a project, and even anything in your life.
I know that I will take away a lot from this course. Everything from C.R.A.P to colours can be applied in my everyday life.
AND I know for sure now, that I will never be able to look at a poster, watch a movie, or a TV show ever the same again.
Week 11- Documenting your process
Motion Graphic. When we first got this assignment I was terrified since I have never used after effects before. The tutorials we got were helpful but I was still confused how I was supposed to create something amazing. I knew I wanted to make a trailer for the show ‘’The Vampire Diaries’’ since it is my favourite TV show. The only hard thing was coming up with a concept. From watching the show, I know that the forest is a big part of it since that is usually where the vampires hunt. I decided then to go take some pictures from the forest by the ravine near my house. When I downloaded the pictures, I thought to myself that I probably should have taken a panoramic shot, but thankfully one of my friends just suggested I Photoshop some pictures together to make the illusion that they are all one picture. Afterwards, I had to edit the picture some more to make it seem darker and gloomy.
In After Effects – I wanted to start making a 5 second trailer, so I had my picture and added a camera angle to it would pan across it. To add some more darkness, I added a smoke element to the forest. I made the smoke rotate and move which was really difficult. Then I added a black background to fade in with The Vampire Diaries and finally a drop of blood falls from the p. Playing it back, it seemed as though it was enough, but once I got some other peoples opinion, I knew something was missing. With the help of my TA, I saw a trailer that had some sort of petals falling down. I then thought of adding rose petals in the background with the title. That night, I drew some rose petals in Photoshop and put them into my after effects file. I made them fall down slowly across the screen. I added some music and voila, I had my ‘’final’’ product.
By doing this assignment, I had learned SO much about after effects and I have especially gained LOTS of respect for all types of motion graphics out there! They make them look so easy to make, when it probably takes them weeks. I enjoy working on this program, but also stressful. As of now, I just downloaded the trial version, and maybe later on I will decide to buy the full version.
Storytelling & Transmedia
Storytelling as we talked about in class is a different way to show people our different ideas. With our society today being so immersed in media, we use technology to explain these ideas.
Taking the subway everyday to school is always really interesting. Different faces all the time, and personalities. Something that I think about a lot is how everybody in the subway with me has a different story… I try to guess sometimes what their story could be by the way they dress, act, speak.
Some other stories that I encountered today were advertisements. Right now, the big ads at Bloor and Younge Station are some for a new laptop by Asus. The ads are very straightforward and have a good catch phrases. But I always try and think about the process that must have happened before these posters where finally put up. Someone had to come up with the concept, the artwork, the design… All having different stories. The process that must have gone into creating these advertisements probably have a great story to tell.
It is very common for the average Canadian to get their daily cup of coffee every morning at Starbucks. Have you ever thought about how Starbucks was created? Maybe they have an interesting story to tell… And they do! I am currently reading ”Onward” by Howard Schultz (the creator of Starbucks), and it explains clearly that Starbucks did not become one of the top coffee shops in the world after a year. The story behind Starbucks involves some Italian cafes, some creative thinking and lots and lots of hard work and dedication.
Many stories today are now being told through digital media such as apps. TV shows have created interactive sofwares for viewers to interact during the show. Survivor is just one of the many shows that does this.
I’m sure that in the years to come our world will become even more digitized than it already is today.
Week 9 – What’s your type?
Typography!
I have always have a love for fonts and titles. I just think that the way that some people design them is really amazing. I recently have been looking on Pinterest alot and found some cool designs!
Here is a picture that shows all the different typography used in logos.
Comes to show you how important typography really is in design.
Here are some examples of some good typography uses in my opinion:
1. Twilight -Movie Poster
I recently saw this poster again since Breaking Dawn Part 2 is coming out soon, and realized how great the typography is. It has a script kind of writing, but also some ”whimsical” to it. It suits the movie perfectly since it is a about a world that does not exist. It gives it a magical feel. The typography targets all ages, it is a very clean type but also has many unique elements.
2. Perks of Being a Wallflower -Movie Poster
http://www.redesignrevolution.com/movie-friday-redesigned-the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower-posters/
The other day I saw this movie and absolutely loved it. It is about a boy named Charlie who is a big socially awkward and his experience during high school. He is also a very big writer, which explains very well the type of typography used. It looks very ”old school” and like a typewriter. The book that this movie is based upon is a series of letters Charlie writes to an unknown friend. So the title goes along with the typed up letter theme.
It also gives it a big more of an indie feel which you can tell if you watch the movie. It is based in the 90’s so has an older touch to it. It does a good job at reaching the target audience (young adults) since it still stays true to the theme of the movie but has a big a quirkiness.
3. Perez Hilton -Website Banner
http://www.sayradio.net/extra/blogs_pods/index.htm
Perez Hilton… Queen of all media. I personally visit this site often… and it is all about the latest gossip. The typography used is big and chunky, which I think is smart since with that they were able to add some designs within the letters to give some ”flare”. The theme of the site is not conservative and definitely not simple. The pinkand sparkles give it the Perez Hilton touch. Another aspect to touch upon is the way it is not perfectly aligned. If it was all 1 straight line, I think it would be too boring, and I also believe that it is made to look like the HOLLYWOOD sign in Los Angeles.
I cannot wait to experiment with font during my motion graphic assignment!!
Motion Graphics
Week 8 already! Onto the last assignment: After Effects.
I have never used this program yet, but am extremely excited to start learning about it. I haven’t had the chance yet to play around with it since I don’t own the program at home yet. From what I saw so far in our tutorial, it seems like it will take me a while to get used to it, and lots of time to learn everything.
My plan
I have been thinking about this project for a while now, and still haven’t thought of an amazing idea. I have always liked stop motion and I think it would be really fun and cool to create a teaser trailer with it for maybe a TV show. When we had our guest speaker come speak to us about motion graphic title sequences, I was extremely interested in it and she also gave us some cool websites to check out to get inspiration from.
A really neat stop motion video is the lyric video for Taylor Swift’s ‘’We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’’. I love all the different styles they used, and it conveys the mood of the song just through the visuals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcMn_Eu-XTE
Hopefully I can create something similar to her video!
Poster Assignment
Artist Statement
For my poster assignment I decided to create a poster for The Ellen Degeneres Show. If you have ever watched this show, you know that it will always make you laugh and smile. I wanted to try and imitate those moods into something visual.
The target audience of my poster are viewers of the show already and hopefully attract a younger demographic such as teens to watch the show. The usual advertisement posters for The Ellen Degeneres Show consist of her logo with her posing in it. I do think that those posters are effective, but I wanted to give a more cartoon, younger vibe to my poster. I started out by thinking of the staple items that represent her show the most. The red chairs stood out in my mind the most. But I did not just want to have them sitting there, so I added an other item that Ellen gives to most of her male guest… Underwear. Because of the silliness of the show, the underwear suited my poster well.
I started out on Photoshop and created the red chairs and the underwear first. To do so I used the pen tool to create a path, then fill it with colours. I took a picture from online and created a new layer on top of it to draw the chairs. This step took me a while since I had to create so many different parts of the chair and make sure it was shaded properly.
As for the text, I decided to use a fun bubbly font. I tried using slimmer styles of lettering but the boldness of this font just made all the text pop more. The blue background has great contrast with the yellow and white text. To make the letters stand out more, I added an overlay to give dimension.
I wanted the text on my poster to have a good sense of alignment. I made ‘’Ellen’’ the biggest since it is the main product I am advertising for. I then just built the other sentences on top, and gave them different sizes to make it more interesting to the eye. The background layer of the repeating word Ellen, in my opinion gives the whole poster dimension and ties in well the entire poster.
All the colours together give a great sense of positivity and have great contrast with each other. The yellow gives brightness, the blue represents the colour already given to the show, the red stands out immediately and the white is simple and because I already had 3 dominant colours, I did not want to over do it.
Before designing this poster, I had a totally different idea in mind, but once I started creating the chairs, I knew I had to use them. I had some difficulty drawing them well so that they looked like the real ones on the show, and same goes with the underwear. One thing I learned while doing this project is to make sure to create a new layer for everything, or even start a new page for every element. The goal of my poster was to make people laugh, and smile and want to watch the show. I believe that with all my design elements I successfully created a poster that represents The Ellen Degeneres Show very well.
Motion Graphics
I decided to find out more about motion graphics this week. After having a guest speaker come in our lab class, I thought it was amazing what people can do with this aspect of digital media. The coolest part in my opinion is titles. We went through many in class, but one that I really do love is the opening of the movie Tintin. here is a link to the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MacTBzD2Vu0
This title sequence is just so simply, yet really effective. It flows so nicely together and perfectly describes the movie! With just one simply circle, the artist is able to show all the different stories of these adventures. The colours are also very well chosen. It brings to life the graphics.
An other opening title sequence that I love is the one for Catch Me If You Can. Link:n http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLDyrun_Cc
This opening does the same thing as the one for Tintin – it tells a story. Instead of just having a bunch of credits on screen, it has visuals for the audience. Oddly enough, both movies were producer by Steven Spielberg… maybe he has a thing for cool motion graphics.
In the future of this class and school, it will be a goal of mine to learn to create a great motion graphic! I can’t wait for it!
Lighting and Igniting
Lance Weiler
This past week I was lucky enough to participate in a lecture by Lance Weiler. Before going into this lecture, I had no idea what to expect. I wasn’t even sure who he was. Once the presentation got started I was blown away by his imagination and creativity. He has done everything is the media world from directing movies to online media. His ideas are above and beyond what anybody could ever think of. The project which made the most impact was his Pandemic ”game” at the Sundance Film Festival. He created an entire game based upon a movie he had written, and made the whole thing interactive. The amount of work that must have gone into it is crazy. He thought of every single details! I really wish I could have taken part in that activity.
An other project that he presented was the Wish for the Future. It is a website with a ”time capsule” that holds humans wish for the world. He said that it would be open in a 100 years, which is really cool because then maybe some of the wishes would have actually become a reality.
http://www.wishforthefuture.com
Being able to participate in his lecture was great because it really gave me more inspiration to think outside the box and be more creative with my projects. Nothing has a limit, we can create anything we possibly want. All I wish for is that one day, I could be even just half as creative as he is!
Carina Kresic 