Power Trip

Power Trip is one of my favorite songs by the artists J. Cole and Miguel. It has a very relaxed and emotional feeling to it and zones me out every time I listen to it. This video displays typography to go along with the song and it's done in a very creative way. The lyrics are shown on the windshield of a car driving through a city during a rainy night. The lyrics are animated perfectly with the song, giving off a very urban feel. They appear and disappear creatively by being wiped away by the windshield wipers as though the words are raindrops. The video is extremely simple but it managed to capture my attention throughout the entire song.

Typography & Motion Graphics After Effects Tutorial

This is a basic tutorial on typography that I thought is really easy to follow along. Typography is such a fascinating use of animation, you can create and do just about anything with it. The way it all flows together is almost like creating its own story, its so interesting! There is so many examples of it on YouTube that I definitely recommend checking out.

The Recipe - Kendrick Lamar - Lyric Video

Lyric videos are interesting to me because there are so many different ways that you can connect the typography to the theme of the music. In Kendrick Lamar’s lyric video for “The Recipe”, the typography is very simple but it works perfectly with the song. The lyrics are also easy to read, which is nice because many lyric videos today get so carried away with the animation that you can barely see the lyrics. This inspires me to do more with typography in the future because I have yet to really work with it in my projects. It’s nice to have these lyric videos for inspiration. 

Typography : Suit & Tie

I have yet to post about an animation that involves typography. Recently in the music industry, lyric videos have become more and more popular. At times the lyric videos seem more like music videos than lyric videos, but they still capture the idea of typography. The example of typography that I chose is Justin Timberlake's lyric video for Suit & Tie. The video displays the lyrics cleverly by sneaking in the words into different parts of the video. It's an example of a very creative lyric video that is pleasing to the eye. I hope that lyric videos continue to display lyrics in a creative way as the music industry continues to evolve.

Typography

Typography is the technique of arranging and designing written language/word to make appealing when displayed. It is its own art form. Especially as seen in this video it’s incredible how you can animate words to create a story. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this video, seeing where each word would lead me. I loved the little details at the parts of the “chemicals being breathed in” and “I feel it in my bones.”  It's incredible how much time goes into such little detail that people tend to leave unnoticed. I now have a new appreciation for title sequences in TV shows and films, and how much thought goes into the process of deciding the font, coloring, and movement. Next time you are watching something on TV, make sure to notice the title sequence, because it tends to reveal a lot about the program.

Composited Typography

One of my favorite kinds of motion graphics is the use of text. Previously, I had written about some awesome Kinetic Typography, but I left out the whole idea of Compositing Typography! This idea of Tracking the Cameras Movement and adding in poignant text that relates to the Message.
I find the message is much stronger when the main ideas are highlighted with motion graphics. I know I've seen this in many different places but most recently, I've run into videos by Prince Ea:

Perhaps you've seen one or two of his videos. His videos perfectly demonstrate what I was talking about. I think the paring of Text, Slam Poetry, Cinematography, and Music combine to give messages a whole new dimension.

Many of Prince Ea's major projects have been in collaboration with Motion Graphic Artist Hodja Berlev and as it turns out most of his work is in After Effects. I find what he does really fascinating, and I think getting the chance to watch over his shoulder may be one of the coolest experiences.

I think this team in general, is doing a lot of good in the world of social media, and I think that if I could just be a part of what they're doing, the experience would be awesome. I would love to help them spread the words they're saying, and maybe even help in a larger more physical way.

This is the kind of thing I would love to do.

Kinetic Typography

I have always loved watching the creativity of kinetic typography projects. Kenetic typography is the idea of taking words and animating them.

FROM PAPER TO SCREEN from Thibault de Fournas on Vimeo.

For the most part these projects are timed to music:

or sometimes music videos:

Some projects have some really interesting messages and tell really beautiful stories:

ChildLine: First Step from Buck on Vimeo.

But I think that this style of media is the most powerful because it forces your audience to read and watch you message in a one of a kind way. Similar to the way Prezi adds interest to a presentation, Kinetic Typography makes any poem, lyric, or written work come to life in it's own way.

Motion Graphics Designs!

I ran across some videos today with very cool motion graphics designs. I thought that these videos would be useful to everyone! (There is even one with a 3D bird) 

Typomania Festival: this short was made in attempt to popularize the typography culture and was aimed towards designers, illustrators, and animators. Notice the 3D birds at 0:28 seconds. 

                   Take a Look:   https://vimeo.com/68512678

Social Media Awards Ceremony Opening Titles

      I enjoyed this video because the fairytale story about the competition between social media comes across flawlessly to the audience. However I'm posting the video because its primarily composed of animated shapes, expressions, several layers, and text (nothing that we can't achieve as After Effects beginners- or atleast i think.) 

               Take a Look:  https://vimeo.com/76510274

Cinco Radio Buenos Días 25 Aniversario:

   This animation piece was made to celebrate the 25 anniversary of Cinco Radio, a local radio station in Puebla, México. Every single aspect of this piece was amazing and is a goal for any graphic designer or animator to accomplish (not to mention the intricate and spot on detail of the hands!) 

            YOU NEED TO SEE THIS:  https://vimeo.com/77067342

Till next time, 

Krystal . 

   

    

Typography

I'm nearly done with my Rotoscope/Green Screen project and have been thinking about my name project lately. I found this McDonalds commercial on youtube that shows a good use of typography. Typography creation is a really creative way to advertise and entertain viewers. In this specific example the creator plays with the words and how it appears. For example the word BIG is bigger next to the surrounding words. Same is done with the word tiny, it appears smaller next to the surrounding words.
What is the purpose of typography? Well this technique draws in the attention of viewers and allows you to put an emphasis on what really matters in your advertisement. The purpose is to also give a clear understanding of what the product is. From this commercial I got right away that I could get a flavorful sandwich from McDonalds at a very low price.



This commercial is a bit different from the previous one. Pepsi uses it's logo in place of the letter "O" and "0"
Another great way to advertise is to put your logo in every possible location. This makes it extremely easy for viewers to remember your logo.

To see more cool examples click Here.

Opening Titles - The Kite Runner

This is a very simple but powerful opening-title sequence directed by Ben Radatz at MK12. It is really appealing to me because it is an example of a very economical approach to design that works very effectively. The title animation for Kite Runner presents the credits moving around space and being connected through moving brushstrokes that relate to the typography used throughout the piece. It is simple but nonetheless efficient and while being aesthetically pleasing it also clearly connects to the cultural theme of the film.


MK12 // The Kite Runner: Opening Title Sequence from MK12 on Vimeo.

I can see many of the things we learned in class being used in this piece; variations in opacity, camera movement and the general animation of the brush-strokes  and letters although extremely well crafted seems to be very straight-forward as to the way they could've been made, specially if using after effects. It is nice to see that as the semester went by and we kept exercising what we learned I can now look at some of these title-sequences and figure out how they were made and even try it by myself.

Evolution of the Title Sequence in Cinema

         Many of us reading this blog may only of ever known the spectacular opening title sequences in the motion pictures we grew up watching as kids. This week I thought since we are starting our title sequence projects it would be only fit to provide a short evolution of the title sequence in cinema.

Beginning of Title Sequence in Film

         Film titles made their earliest appearance on screen during the silent film era. These were called film titles or letter cards and had to provide only the essential information to the audience. Often times these film titles or letter cards were created by a lettering artist who collaborated with the script writer and director. The biggest film studios had the funds to afford typesetters and therefore employed their work in production of title cards as well. Soon after the incorporation of typesetters in film the typography of the letter forms not only in motion picture but also advertising seemed to match the art movement of that time (ex. art deco, expressionism, etc...). Additionally sans-serif along with the art-nouveau style is an example of classic horror film text used in the film portrayed below.

Also the main title from D.W.Griffith's "Intolerance" (1916) considered one of if not the greatest film of the silent era. 

Title Sequence Progression

           As film became more popular their titles progressed in a vernacular sort of manner., especially do to influence of the Nazi's and the World Wars.  Animation slowly worked its way into movies and became a common additive to the opening credits. Here is a look at the oldest feature-length animated film "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" by German animator Lotte Reiniger.

Additionally here is the first mickey mouse cartoon in 1929 with its main title "Plane Crazy."

The incorporation of audio didn't immediately revolutionize how film titles were created until a man by the name of Oskar Fischinger came around providing insight on the relationship between motion graphics and title design. The first real score visualization product is seen in Fischinger's film "Studies" as he anticipates the motion graphic effects by Saul Bass in the title sequence "The Man With the Golden Arm" (1955).

Another example of score visualization by Susan Bradley in "Monsters, Inc." (2001)

Refining the Title Sequence

           With figures such as Saul Bass, Pablo Ferro, Maurice Binder and Richard Williams arriving in the 1950's innovation of the traditional title sequence went through a complete transformation as studios began creating for television. Here is a look at some of these artists works.

Maurice Binder and his famous 007 opening title sequence (1967)

Saul Bass and a still from "North by NorthWest," his first film with legend Alfred Hitchcock

It might be argued that the title sequence has lost its typography during this phase of evolution nonetheless many believe it has put more emphasize on the imagery behind the credits.

Future Development 

With the development of technology came the advancement of computers and therefore the integration of film and future. Consequently while this technology isn't always bad many in the industry fear that future artists will rely on progressive technologies unaware of the actual creative process. With Pixar and Disney currently at the forefront of this development the studios have almost branded there style with the hundreds of their storytelling title sequences. Here is a revolutionary title sequence for the film "Se7en"created by Kyle Cooper that was named "one of the most important design innovations of the 1990s."

A look at Susan Bradley's closing credits for Pixar's "Ratatouille" (2007)

Throughout the history of motion picture film titles have evolved with the time, fashion and the film industry. Although these sequences may be much more intricate then that of the silent film era the function of the titles  serve the same purpose as 100 years ago. As any great designer knows intriguing the audience in the first seconds of the film can be the deciding factor between success or failure for remainder of the motion picture.

MAKING the MOVIE BETTER!

A unique insetion of design for a movie or television series can become a symbol for the story.

The below video is a series of interviews with successful motion graphic design artists. 

 

Within the PBS interviews there is conversation of Kyle Cooper and his "game-changing" production of the Opening Sequence for Se7en. Cooper said that a good introduction is like a courtesy to the audience, for it means the creators are going to try as hard as they possibly can to entertain the viewer. Cooper's Se7en opening was a thought provoking intro that related deeply to the psychopath and his journal he keeps throughout the film. 

 

 

Jim Helton and Charles Christopher Rubino’s story they tell at the ending of Blue Valentine is proof that there use to be love in the character's relationship. It is heart wrenching for you had just watched their dramatic break up, making the viewers follow the characters in their emotions.

 

 

Lastly, Zombieland motion graphic designer Ben Conrad, inserts text into the story, creating a light hearted feeling during this graphic scene. By using a simple font and creating a simple concept, the humorous mood is set for the rest of the movie.

 

 

 

 

Karin Fong is Awesome

Karin Fong, one of the founders of Imaginary Forces, is recognized for her work with film, television, ads, and even video games.
Fong began her career with a job on the production team for The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) under the command of Kyle Cooper. Cooper then took Fong along and created Imaginary Forces where they both remain working.
One of Fong's first independent projects was Dead Man on Campus(1998).

This title sequence shows similar attributes to previous work with Cooper, for she used 2D animation and quick cutting motions. The movement is comparable to the Sure Target tool we learned in class on Thursday.
Fong since has done amazing work on title sequences such as television series Boardwalk Empire (2010) and films Rubicon. 

 

Fong made title sequences for movies like Cat in the Hat, 102 Dalmatians, Charlotte Webb, The Pink Panther 2, and Ray. He as also done work on Ads for Herman Miller, Target, Honda, and God of War. 

Click here to see Fong's Demo Reel

Cool Typography

I just wanted to share something I ran across on Vimeo. It's more like an advertising video. But I think the way it animates the words and objects in the video just flows really smoothly together. There are so many cool videos like this if you go to the Vimeo website and look under staff picks. However, the Vimeo media player as we all know has some technical difficulties.

Eckert Caine - Bridge from ale.pixel on Vimeo.

If you go to New Orleans

Ok, brace yourself for a blog post that is only mildly motion graphics related but something I feel everyone should know. I’m not sure if any of you heard but last week the 5 (or 6?) police officers accused of murdering innocent civilians on a bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina were finally charged. Although they were charged with wrongful use of a firearm and not murder and it took 7 years to finally prosecute them, better late than never I say. The killings of these innocent people are not the only things Katrina related that the government has taken more than too long to fix.

This past January I went down to New Orleans with a group of 17 other students for a week long service trip. Coming back from NOLA each of us was hoping to find a way to use our media skills to share with people in Ithaca what we learned about some of the many misconceptions of the disaster that occurred in August of 2005.  Hurricane Katrina was not what destroyed New Orleans, the storm actually past 5 miles South East of the city. The real damage, which caused up to 15 feet of water in some places, was caused by a failed Federal levy system. This levy system whose construction started in the late 1960’s, was only supposed to take 15 years to finish, instead they never finished. Because of the broken levies many areas were flooded, and while most of New Orleans has since been cleaned and repaired, areas of historically lower income, such as the Lower 9^th Ward, look as if the storm hit yesterday. I’ll leave it to you to form your own opinions about why this happened and what it means, but you can see how this could be seriously upsetting to many people. I and many of my friends who were on the trip with me, were very shaken by this. Myself and my good friend Connie Honeycutt decided to make a testimonial style video about what we learned down there. After learning how to use after effects I decided that it would also be beneficial to do a typography animation to go along at the end of the video, because sometimes reading the words yourself can be more effective than listening to someone talk. However, for some reason I can't get the video to upload on here so I am just going to pop it in the dropbox folder Arturo made. If you want to learn more about what really happened, come see me and Connie as well as 4 other friends present about what we learned and screen the entire video at the Whalen Symposium this upcoming Wednesday!

I thought I'd focus on typography for this post because of our assignment for class. After reading though some previous posts on typography on this blog, a recent viral video came to mind. A lot typography videos I've seen are almost always purely digital but the video that came to my mind was actually a cool combination of typography with live-action video.

I don't exactly agree with this video but I appreciate how it used typography to enhance the message they were sending out. It's a great example of how seemingly simple animations can make a video really powerful. After browsing through the website of the video's production company, I found out this video was made with the Final Cut Pro suite, although I'm sure it can be done in Adobe After Effects as well.

simple typography

I was scrolling through random typography and motion graphic reels, and this came up! it is very simple, basic, and kind of boring ha

I really don't know exactly what this was made for or who exactly the artist is, I tried looking him up and came up with this website and his tumblr. Since most of the info was in French and I do not understand the language, Google Translate could only help so much so all I could find is that he is graphic designer from Georgia (state in Europe).

It seems as if he creates unique and interesting images for a living -- some with quotes and sayings, others with just vectors and shapes. the above video was only one of three posted on his website and the only one that was obviously created digitally (unlike the others, which might have been filmed)

my point here is that this flow of words and audio really seems easy, that anyone can pick up AE and create this! obviously it might take some time (especially for beginners); the description of the YouTube was "my second typography animation ... i'm new to AE"

hope this makes sense and you thought was worth watching too

Motion Graphic Typography

I was looking into some different uses of typography in a motion graphics sequence when I came across a video that had a pretty simple design but still managed to look pretty cool.

It had a nice layout of characters in the video, and the pacing, tempo, and flow of the entire video worked nicely. The video in its entirety is featured below:





I was even more encouraged when I looked at the artist's portfolio and saw not only that he was a student himself (in Australia), but is proficient in AfterEffects, which I'm assuming he used to create the sequence. For the artist's website and entire portfolio, click here.

Exploding Typography

The first project in our motion graphics class has to deal with typography, so i decided to search around on vimeo.com to see if i could come across one that i liked.  This exploding typography was exactly what I was looking for.  I really liked how he created the effect to explode into dust particles and fly away at the end, so i decided that I will try to recreate the effect and use it in my name typography this weekend.

Exploding text:

Tutorial:
CLICK HERE for the TUTORIAL

For those of you who are unfamiliar with VIMEO, it is a great video-sharing website that you can upload, watch, and share videos with thousands around the world. check it out.

Inspirational Typography

I was searching the internet for some last inspiring videos for the end of the semester, and I stumbled upon this quirky, but really well-executed, music video. It's almost entirely made up of 3-D typography (some of which take from some rather famous introduction segments that you'll recognize) and goes through many different styles that could be used in the future projects. With so much going on in this video I think it's a very good example of how art repeats itself and how artists pull inspiration from their predecessors. The video is quite quirky but really visually motivating. Enjoy!