The video above is an example of motion graphics used for advertising purposes. The target audience is, as is always the case with any piece of advertising, potential customers. It's main aim is to encourage interest in the product, whilst it doesn't give any detail as to what the product is capable of, it gives a good idea of aesthetics and should encourage curiosity, to the point that customers will look further into it. This is a major strength of the piece, another, I feel, is the use of interesting camera angles to grab and then maintain the audience's attention. The use of various angles simultaneously at the beginning is a nice feature, and the pan around giving them a chance to show off the product is aesthetically pleasing. The addition of the laptop opening rather than remaining static also makes it a little more interesting and clearly shows what the product is. I feel that the creator of this piece is a really talented modeller and this model, which was made in Maya, is really well produced, textured and rendered, something that the artist should be very proud of. Whilst the animation may be brief, there is a clear consistent colour scheme throughout which adds to the aesthetics and I feel that whilst it could have been longer, this is a very strong, professional piece.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Monday, 10 December 2012
Deconstruction of motion graphics #7
This is an example of some informative motion graphics, similar to some pieces that I have deconstructed previously, this piece is to accompany the vocals which are the main focus. I think that this is a great example of how ever very simple shapes and dull colours can be used to great effect to create visually pleasing, interesting work. The target of this piece is clearly for companies looking to create some sort of image for themselves, so it's fairly important that the visual aspect is a decent quality. At the same time, it's important that the visuals aren't doing anything too lavish to detract from the vocal and I think that's something that they have achieved. The one thing that I might pick out as an issue is the circle doesn't do anything for a while at the beginning, and although it's important to get that balance between visuals and sound, I think maybe a little something extra could have been added. I also feel just a little touch of colour would have really drawn the viewers attention to certain things, however I think it's a really well produced piece that targets it's audience and does what's intended of it very well. There's good consistency throughout and when the camera pans out to reveal the circle has now become a globe was a very smart and nice little touch. As was the quirky music in the background that added a little more depth to the piece.
Sunday, 9 December 2012
Deconstruction of motion graphics #6
The above video is an example of motion graphics and really good typography. It takes a scene from the film Pulp Fiction and applies good animation skill to make a really interesting and professional looking piece. The first thing that stands out when looking at it is the extremely solid use of timing, synchronising the vocal with the appearance and movements of the words. The next thing is the brilliant use of fonts and text sizes to represent different characters, different ways of saying things etc... for example the words spoken by Samuel L Jackson, who is clearly the dominant character in the clip, are bold, large, they appear quickly and move with real punch. Whereas when the other character in the piece begins to talk, his words are small, they appear shaky and move with a frailty. There is also brilliant use of colour and theme throughout the piece, not only does the colour of the background and the text complement one another, but they change, along with the font, at key points in the speech, most noticeably after the gun shot. The background becomes red, and splattered and whilst the text representing Samuel L Jackson remains the same, the text representing the other character, who has just been shot and is now bleeding, has become more fluid, like blood splatters. This example has a whole host of strong ideas that I can use in my motion graphics pieces, the use of colour, interesting camera pans and most importantly choices of fonts I can apply to this and future pieces.
Monday, 5 November 2012
Deconstruction of motion graphics #5
Hurricane media HTC
For this deconstruction I am looking at the motion graphics used in the advert for the HTC smartphone. However it's hard to ignore the impressive motion graphics employed on the website itself! The main idea of this piece, like every other advert ever produced, is to promote a product, in this example that product is a phone with a range of different features. Naturally HTC would be keen to show off all the different features of the phone and so hired a motion graphics company named Hurricane Media to produce the advert. Hurricane Media specialise in producing videos for large companies, these include adverts for T.V. videos for the internet and even videos for staff, as such they have developed a name for themselves and have produced a number of pieces for large companies including Peugeot and ASDA. The video itself is, unsurprisingly, very well made, the use of the lines to form various shapes representing items that coincide with the applications that the phone is currently using, is a very effective one. It is an extremely subtle, yet aesthetically pleasing visual element that, when matched with the music, create an inclusive and eye catching advert. The various elements that make up the music all shift and change dependant on what is on the screen at the time, for example when the phone appears the music is altered from fairly ambiant background noise, to much more vivid, louder and complex sounds. Although there is so much going along, with the great use of the lines as well as music, it never takes away from what is and should be the main focus of this advert, the phone itself. Naturally the target audience for this piece is potential customers and it achieves it's aims of reaching them brilliantly by showing off all of the phones features, even the various colours that the phone is available in. I really like this piece, it is well made, well thought out and very professional, I struggle to see any areas in which it could be drastically improved.
For this deconstruction I am looking at the motion graphics used in the advert for the HTC smartphone. However it's hard to ignore the impressive motion graphics employed on the website itself! The main idea of this piece, like every other advert ever produced, is to promote a product, in this example that product is a phone with a range of different features. Naturally HTC would be keen to show off all the different features of the phone and so hired a motion graphics company named Hurricane Media to produce the advert. Hurricane Media specialise in producing videos for large companies, these include adverts for T.V. videos for the internet and even videos for staff, as such they have developed a name for themselves and have produced a number of pieces for large companies including Peugeot and ASDA. The video itself is, unsurprisingly, very well made, the use of the lines to form various shapes representing items that coincide with the applications that the phone is currently using, is a very effective one. It is an extremely subtle, yet aesthetically pleasing visual element that, when matched with the music, create an inclusive and eye catching advert. The various elements that make up the music all shift and change dependant on what is on the screen at the time, for example when the phone appears the music is altered from fairly ambiant background noise, to much more vivid, louder and complex sounds. Although there is so much going along, with the great use of the lines as well as music, it never takes away from what is and should be the main focus of this advert, the phone itself. Naturally the target audience for this piece is potential customers and it achieves it's aims of reaching them brilliantly by showing off all of the phones features, even the various colours that the phone is available in. I really like this piece, it is well made, well thought out and very professional, I struggle to see any areas in which it could be drastically improved.
Saturday, 3 November 2012
Deconstruction of motion graphics #4
Where things come from
This example of motion graphics was produced by a student to conclude their bachelor project, it is an advert for a fictional T.V. show regarding how things work. As such, it has no real target audience however it does have certain criteria to fulfil, it must be eye catching, something they achieve through their use bright colours and stylised animation. It must also fit in with the educational theme of the show, for it would be little use to produce an overly exciting advert featuring explosions or guns being fired when the show is on where things come from. It does this extremely well, the clear and intellectual voice over provides an obvious tone for the animation, which in turn by being concise and measured makes the piece look very professional and mature. Whilst there isn't a constant them in the colour of the piece, the style remains consistent throughout and is an extremely strong element, the combination of 3D and 2D is an idea that I may very well use for my own piece in my own way. The only downside that I can see for this advert is that it is perhaps a little too long to be aired on T.V. as it would take up a large chunk of the advertising time, however this could easily be remedied by editing the piece into a much smaller snippet, whilst this may take away some of the context it will still provide viewers with a chance to see this brilliant example of motion graphics.
This example of motion graphics was produced by a student to conclude their bachelor project, it is an advert for a fictional T.V. show regarding how things work. As such, it has no real target audience however it does have certain criteria to fulfil, it must be eye catching, something they achieve through their use bright colours and stylised animation. It must also fit in with the educational theme of the show, for it would be little use to produce an overly exciting advert featuring explosions or guns being fired when the show is on where things come from. It does this extremely well, the clear and intellectual voice over provides an obvious tone for the animation, which in turn by being concise and measured makes the piece look very professional and mature. Whilst there isn't a constant them in the colour of the piece, the style remains consistent throughout and is an extremely strong element, the combination of 3D and 2D is an idea that I may very well use for my own piece in my own way. The only downside that I can see for this advert is that it is perhaps a little too long to be aired on T.V. as it would take up a large chunk of the advertising time, however this could easily be remedied by editing the piece into a much smaller snippet, whilst this may take away some of the context it will still provide viewers with a chance to see this brilliant example of motion graphics.
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Clément Morin showreel
This motion graphics show reel is an example of some extremely professional animation and has a number of exciting and interesting ideas that I can use to inspire my own motion graphics piece. The opening credits especially relate to me as they are in a similar vein to the work I am looking to produce and can be used as reference material.
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Deconstruction of motion graphics #3
Alex Trimpe motion graphics - It gets better
This example of motion graphics was produced by Alex Trimpe an animator who i have previously mentioned on this blog. It is an extremely polished and well produced informative piece designed to be an informal and exciting way to get people thinking about the way in which they act. It has no clear set target audience as far as demographics are concerned for it applies to men and women of all ages and backgrounds. It was produced for a project based on reassuring people that life can be positive even when it may not seem like it. Although it is unlikely that this has, or will ever be used commercially it is finished to an extremely high standard including music produced by circa music, a company geared towards helping to develop music to accompany pieces so that the music slots hand in hand with the animation, advert etc... that is being produced. In this instance the music synchs perfectly with the words on screen, whilst the voice takes centre stage the music accompanies it perfectly, starting a little disjointed it becomes more upbeat when the discussion turns to peace and love. There is also a few examples of other sound effects in the animation, namely the sound of fire, or the crashing symbol when striking back is mentioned. Alex has employed a number of techniques in this short, whilst the typography is kept simple and bold, easy to read, the text flys around, growing and shrinking, appearing from different areas keeping it interesting. The synchronisation with the text appearing whilst the man reads it is a very good point, plus the selection of which words to show and when, as well as when to show symbols, images or nothing at all. The last thing that I wanted to point out was the use of a theme throughout, not varying from the earthly browns, oranges and yellows made this a very visually attractive piece. I'm struggling to find any bad points, this is a very high quality, well made example of motion graphics that I really enjoy.
This example of motion graphics was produced by Alex Trimpe an animator who i have previously mentioned on this blog. It is an extremely polished and well produced informative piece designed to be an informal and exciting way to get people thinking about the way in which they act. It has no clear set target audience as far as demographics are concerned for it applies to men and women of all ages and backgrounds. It was produced for a project based on reassuring people that life can be positive even when it may not seem like it. Although it is unlikely that this has, or will ever be used commercially it is finished to an extremely high standard including music produced by circa music, a company geared towards helping to develop music to accompany pieces so that the music slots hand in hand with the animation, advert etc... that is being produced. In this instance the music synchs perfectly with the words on screen, whilst the voice takes centre stage the music accompanies it perfectly, starting a little disjointed it becomes more upbeat when the discussion turns to peace and love. There is also a few examples of other sound effects in the animation, namely the sound of fire, or the crashing symbol when striking back is mentioned. Alex has employed a number of techniques in this short, whilst the typography is kept simple and bold, easy to read, the text flys around, growing and shrinking, appearing from different areas keeping it interesting. The synchronisation with the text appearing whilst the man reads it is a very good point, plus the selection of which words to show and when, as well as when to show symbols, images or nothing at all. The last thing that I wanted to point out was the use of a theme throughout, not varying from the earthly browns, oranges and yellows made this a very visually attractive piece. I'm struggling to find any bad points, this is a very high quality, well made example of motion graphics that I really enjoy.
Monday, 15 October 2012
Alex Trimpe
Alex Trimpe youtube page
This is the youtube channel of Alex Trimpe, an animator I have found who produces a number of extremely impressive, high end motion graphics pieces. I can use some of these to deconstruct them and look closely at their inner workings, and the others I can simply take inspiration from that will help me when producing my C.V.
This is the youtube channel of Alex Trimpe, an animator I have found who produces a number of extremely impressive, high end motion graphics pieces. I can use some of these to deconstruct them and look closely at their inner workings, and the others I can simply take inspiration from that will help me when producing my C.V.
Deconstruction of motion graphics #2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBJPu1zoSnA&feature=related
This piece was produced by a student studying at Arizona state university as part of their kinetic typography, naturally typography plays a large part in the production of most motion graphics, so I felt that it would be a beneficial clip to deconstruct. Whilst the use of fonts, sizes of text etc... is clearly the focus, there are a lot of nice things about this, including the use of panning, zooming, different camera angles, the constant movement, to keep the piece exciting and especially the manner in which the text is synchronised with the music. The music is clearly the theme driving the entire animation, so unlike other examples of motion graphics where the music is picked on the basis of what they wish the animation to do, the reverse is true here. There is no real traget audience for this piece, in regards to age, gender etc ... but naturally it is aimed at fans of Queen, perhaps those keen to learn the lyrics to one of their favourite songs, it will also be aimed to please the tutor or examiner who will be marking the piece so the animator is looking to show off their best work.
As listed below the video, the person producing the piece has used a number of different software, namely After effects, photoshop and illustrator, by being able to use different software they have produced a much more rounded and complete animation, using each to full potential, for example whilst photoshop may have been perfect for producing good looking text and backgrounds, after effects has the animating capabilities, by combining the two they have gotten the best of both worlds. It appears to have been produced to a fairly high standard, and as the comments mention below the video, it has been aired on the one show when discussing Queen, a tribute to the quality of the piece. Another good point to mention is the use of a theme running throughout, the use of dark green and black creates a pleasing aesthetic, whilst the fonts are repeated in certain areas to offer continuity. The only area where I feel this could have been improved is the use of some more unorthodox fonts in order to add some more life to the piece. Maybe a trip to dafont.com or even attempting to create their own font may have added an extra element to this piece. In my opinion this is a good piece of motion graphics with a number of strong points, the strongest of which is the timing between the text and the music.
Monday, 8 October 2012
Deconstruction of motion graphics #1
This piece of motion graphics was produced for sky sports, in order to promote the football games that will be shown in the coming months. It's main target audience is most likely men, probably ranging from teenagers to middle aged. It was produced by a man called Nick Motture, who's website can be found at www.moocowmedia.com, he has produced a number of other motion graphics including promos and idents for sky sports, BBC etc... He has used a range of techniques in producing this piece, including fast paced music, well timed cutting, zooming, panning etc ... Alternating between motion graphics and actual clips, a theme running through out as well as good use of timing. The loud, bold, yet friendly music used instantly grabs the attention, as this was produced for T.V. It is necessary to be able to make the viewer who may not be paying too close attention to the adverts, sit up and take notice, the fast pace of the music does exactly that. Also the rhythm of the guitar allows the clips to be carefully synchronised alongside the music, producing a pleasing aesthetic. Although the youtube clip doesn't truly do this justice, it has clearly been produced to a high standard, legible to be shown on T.V. There are a number of points that I would pick out to be extremely good about this work, his use of timing is certainly something that stood out for me, the way in which the camera pans onto the next piece of font, then slows down during a break in the guitar allowing a little more time to take in the information, only to transition on quickly once again. Whilst I think it's important to have a theme to the piece, I would have liked a little more change in the colours, perhaps changing the strands in the background to match the colours that the two teams play in, this may have made for slightly more eye grabbing work, however at the same time, I appreciate that it may have detracted from the most important thing, which is the text. In my opinion I think that this is a very high quality piece and has whole host of good points that I can take inspiration from, it is informative, well thought out and eye grabbing, everything that motion graphics should be!
A tutorial on a particle effect
This tutorial may come in handy when trying to produce effective, eye catching texts for my CV.
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