Update on My Projects

Ta-da!

This blog will be an update on the two projects I'm working on. The first one is a title sequence for my Program Development project, and the second will be a motion tracking one.

For my Program Development project, Turnt Trivia, I'm making a stop-motion animation where a person opens a beer bottle, the cap flips in the air, lands on a table, and then it's revealed that it says "Turnt Trivia" on it. Here's what I've done for it so far:

• bought some brews (duh)
• ripped the labels off
• painted the caps blue (the color of our logo)
• bought some wire, a mini hot glue gun, cork board, screws, L beams (finding those was quite the adventure!) and some other fun stuff for the project

Can't even tell it's Blue Moon

I'm going to animate tomorrow for a couple hours and I hope I only have to do this once! 

For my third project, I'd like to do some sort of motion tracking with face swapping. No matter how many times I do it, face swapping with another person is always hysterical to me.

HILARIOUS

I want to make a very short film (less than a minute long) where I walk up to a funny poster on a wall and open snapchat to swap faces with it. After the swap though, my face gets stuck on the poster, and the face from the poster is stuck to my body, which walks away.

I gotta say thank you to our wonderful TA Mike, who helped me conceptualize this. Next, I'm going to draw some sketches and storyboard it out.

Looks Like Animation, But Isn't Animation

I was trying to find something to blog about when I stumbled upon this video of paint mixing. Yeah. That sounds weird, I know. But watching paint mix is so much more fun than watching paint dry!!!!!!  (Lol). The experimental piece is by a French artist named Thomas Blanchard.

Memories of Paintings from Thomas Blanchard on Vimeo.

You can animate anything you want, but there are some things that look just as good (if not, better) when they're not computer graphics. I think it just depends on what the animation is for and the feel of that particular project. For my Program Development project, I like the feel of a stop motion animation for the title sequence because it shows right from the get-go that the show will be fun and entertaining.

This video is very relaxing to watch. It also reminded me of the Joshua Light Show's piece from 1969, and I wonder if Blanchard was influenced by their work at all.

Blank Canvas...

Since we are all braining storming on our title sequence projects, I came across once again another video that is both a beautiful title sequence and inspirational. Blank Canvas is a show that features artists and their passions and dedication to their respectful craft. The color is phenomenal, and the graphics are great as well. The placement and timing of the video with respect to the audio is all well done, and is a lesson to all of us that a title sequence is much more than just an introduction. It is a representation of what the audience is about to witness, a representation of the show or film. A great title sequence makes way for a great show/film. 

             

                   Blank Canvas from Ayhan Cebe on Vimeo.

With respect to the title sequence,  Blank Canvas, with your knowledge of the film/ show that you all are thinking of erase the old title sequence and create a new one on a blank canvas. 

Till next time,
Krystal

Adam Levine covered in paint

Well, we all got out of class less than 20 minutes ago and I am really excited to get started.  For those of you who don't know me, my name is Courtney.  I hope to one day work for a children's entertainment network, which is why I felt that this class would benefit me.  I mean, what kid didn't grow up on animation?

However, my post is not exactly kid friendly.  A "remake" video that would be extremely fun, but a little messy, would be the "Love Somebody" music video by Maroon 5.  If you haven't seen it, here it is.

The best part, I found a behind the scenes video.  It looks extremely messy but really fun.  

With some lessons on how to use After Effects, I hope that I can imitate this video.  It doesn't look too difficult, just some chroma keying the paint.  I hope you guys (especially ladies) like this video and behind the scenes footage. 

Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall

Since discussing what the class can do for our projects, I have been looking up different music videos with lyrics.  I think this project is a great way to showcase the lyrics of a song.  Last year, when I was filming a music video for another production class, I came across this music video by Coldplay.  I like how they incorporate some words but also drew pictures on the wall as well (ex. trees, hearts, music notes).  I have always wanted to do something similar to this, and now I can with the help of AfterEffects!  I have been on a stop- motion kick recently, so of course this video has stop motion!

Another part of this video I love is the use of glow-in-the-dark paints.  The colors are really bright and capture the audience's eye.  This video also plays with the textures of buildings and bricks, giving an additional layer of interest.  At the end of the video, paint splatters are animated so it looks as though paint is on the screen.  The combination of stop motion, animation, and video keeps the audience wondering what is coming next.  It is interesting and engaging until the very last drum set.

Bringing Color to Life

With the end of the semester, I'm getting super forgetful, so sorry this is late. Also, this post isn't really motion graphics related, but I found it a few weeks ago and immediately knew that I should share it.  A creative studio Dentsu made a short film of paint sculptures using sound vibration (it was actually an advertisement for a Canon printer because Dentsu is mainly an advertising agency). The sculptures, which is basically paint splashing is amazing, and because of the way the paint moves in relation to the sound, every moment is different. But the video of the process is what I was actually fascinated by. So much work went into this film, from the creation of the rotating platform to the tiny speaker they used, to even how the paint was going to move.

Stop Motion WITH PAINT

I have come by a few pieces from BLU when i have been stumbling and was excited to see that he created a new one.  This one was created in Argentina, Uruguay.  I was searching all over to try and find out how long these projects, but was unsuccessful.  I can only imagine that this must take months to paint and produce.  This takes dedication. Enjoy!

                                                       Check out more of his art HERE