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Type in Motion — Project 2

written statement

For project 2, I worked on visualizing a clip from a TED talk by Sam Chase on Mindfulness. I felt inspired to explore visualization for the audio section near the end of his presentation, where he summarizes his concepts in a connected thought process. Thus, my concept was to communicate this in a kinetic typography piece, by working with the succinct concepts he was delivering, and closely capturing the variation in tone. Visually, I wanted to express the smooth and composed voice he maintains. I also find the way that he delivers the speech really interesting, as it is segmented into four sections of thought, and he continually builds up the concept in his narration.

Since the entire slip is driven by the voice of one person speaking, the concept of this animation is to capture the variation in his voice and further illustrate the concepts on mindfulness, emotions and the human mind through the use of kinetic typography. The goal of this piece is to create something that can be interpreted differently and be more personal to each viewer. I wanted to capture the visual organization to his thought process, and make the viewers reflect during the thoughtful breaks in between. I believe this gives a lot of room for experimentation of typography and adding on to the meaning of the concept that is already being communicated in this segment. 

I feel like the overall tone of the speaker is smooth and calming. A sans serif immediately comes to mind as it communicates in a very direct manner, and produces a smooth and easily readable appearance. There is also an opportunity to use the simple geometry of letters as shapes in this kinetic typography project to make this a more interesting piece. Additionally, I want to focus on creating space of the words that are being said through purposeful motion in the type, as well as introducing some elements that are unexpected to the viewer to add visual interest. Audio info TED talk link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNfKCM92OWM The section that I am going to use is 9:28-10:03 script

Storyboards 

Above is the initial sketches I did visually how I would organize the text and the layouts that I would use. I also tried to think about text animations for a more meaningful motion approach.  Styleframes

Visual Inspiration I think I was definitely inspired by a clip shown in class, on Plato’s philosophy, as it was heavily text driven and the black and white colour scheme made the text stand out even more. Thus, I also wanted to make mine a black and white colour scheme as I felt that, similarly, it will help to create more visual depth to the words themselves. 

Technical inspiration Found on vimeo and youtube

In this project, I was required to look more closely at the storyline found within great motion pieces, and the story behind it. I found these three videos to be the most inspiring for my project as they place heavy emphasis on kinetic typography to emphasize the storyline.   Workflow Sheet

Title of Project: 

The Power of Mindfulness

Length/Duration: 40 seconds (35 second sequence + 2-seconds of black and a 3-seconds slate)

Aspect Ratio, Image/Frame Size, Pixel Aspect, Frame Rate etc...:

Frame rate: 24 frame/sec Frame Size: 1920x1080 Frame Rate: 24 Assembly Software: Adobe After Effects

Audio: (9:28-10:03)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNfKCM92OWM 

Output:

Quicktime Movie, H.264 file (uploaded to Vimeo)

Approach:

The approach will be focused on effective motions of type to communicate the concept of the speech. This piece will be heavily based on text expression, since number of fonts used and colours will be limited to focus so viewers can focus on the type.

Your Project Summary/Description:

The sequence is from a TEDtalk on mindfulness by Sam Chase. It is near the end of his presentation and where he succinctly wraps up the important concepts. It forces the audience to listen to the words he is saying and reflect upon it. The animation will focus on the subtle but important changes in tone and pace, and expressing the concepts contained in this segment.

Visual Elements:

The animation will use a black and white palette, to make the expression in the type more impactful. The colour palette use will likely be a white text on black background, as that will help focus on the narration.

Software/Hardware/Materials Requirements: 

Adobe after effects

Adobe illustrator 

Audio trimmer for MP3 file

Technical Research/Anticipated Problem Areas:

Since the clip is rather calm and contains subtle voice changes, the challenge would be relying on my own interpretation of it and effectively emphasizing those subtle tone changes to have more impact. Research will include looking at a multitude of various clips that accomplishes this, and learning from the organization of the storyline.

Rough cut

Reflections I feel like with this project I got to learn the most about an actual type sequence production, which I couldn’t have achieved without learning the basics of type animation first in the exercises. Everything that I have learned really helps me to see an animated piece differently, and developing a storyline for an animation. This project helped me to learn a lot about creating with the rule of thirds, building up the storyline, and finding ways to utilize words in a clever way. Overall, I feel like this project really allowed me to be able to properly execute motion pieces better, and I would really like to experiment with a more expressive audio clip next, with a more playful approach. 

Final Sequence

Resources Some helpful tutorials used

Rising/Falling Text - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YBEUnlmnAs&list=PLm96ow3DtRwoiVdbm5WrtawrjnPSQVlo8&index=4&t=0s

Kinetic typography tutorial - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSKOBNMjaQY&list=PLm96ow3DtRwoiVdbm5WrtawrjnPSQVlo8&index=5&t=2417s

Letter Blur - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0_l681zoCs&t=419s

Thank you Breck for all of your help this semester! :) 

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Exercise 3: Wordflow

Written statement

For this exercise, I had the opportunity to use flow and movement of typography following the narrative of a health mart pharmacy advertisement. Since the goal of exercise is to work on the kinetic typography expressions and sequence, I decided to focus on this aspect. The branding is kept a similar style, although I tweaked the colours and changed the typeface to Avenir Condensed, as it is friendly while allowing the typography to be bold and easily readable for the commercial.

The idea I had for this exercise is to create a clean and friendly appearance, while communicating the concept of convenience and trust throughout. The goals that I had in mind was to use simplicity in creating effective expressions. I also wanted the commercial to connect to the actual brand, so I did a quick research on the company, and decided that a professional and caring appearance would be the best route to go.

Sketches

The process first started with me listening to the voiceover a couple of times to get down the tone and expression of the words lines being narrated in the commercial. The things that I noted were the steady pace, the timber of the voice, and the words that had greater focus. Although I wanted to go with a more illustrated approach at first with a name tag flying in and prescription bottles to illustrate the idea of refill, I decided to use something more simple and focused on type in the storyboard mockups.  

Storyboards

Creating the storyboard in illustrator, I decided to focus on the expression of the typography, and tying in various segments of the speech that matched up when certain words were repeated.

Tutorials 

Text Animators - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1_p2qQf_Ts&t=2203s Sync motion to audio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcj6EFCwPkE

I also watched a tutorial on the revolving text effect, making the text appear as if it were rotating 90 degrees side ways to reveal the following word. I thought this would be a nice effect to make the content more engaging, when used sparingly throughout the video. However, I ended up going with the text bounce approach as it creates more unity throughout and works better with the the smooth narration.

Additionally, since this was the first time for me to sync motion to audio, I decided to watch a video on the proper steps to do so. I found the instructions shown in the video to be really helpful and important in planning out the flow of the narrative sequence for project 2.

Final video

https://vimeo.com/371844580

Reflections 

Overall, I am satisfied with how this turned out as I didn’t have previous knowledge of creating motion to match an audio. This was a good introduction to kinetic typography and how to analyze a voiceover in greater depth. Through looking at the tutorials on the type animator tool and other effects, I’ve learned a lot about animating for a larger section of text.

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Project 1: Film Festival

written statement

FIN is a film festival based in Halifax, which showcases the work of both international and local filmmakers. It is a film festival with a rich history and is currently embracing a new perspective of contemporary film festival. The audience of this festival is artists, film makers, industry leaders, the Halifax community. I was inspired to create a promo video that captures a fresh perspective while using a calm and muted colour palette in the final version. The font that I used is “Object sans” - it is a contemporary typeface with a refined rounded style, making it suitable for creating a friendly and welcoming appearance for the title sequence. 

When thinking of visual inspiration, the first ideas that come to mind when thinking of this festival is playful, energetic, local arts, bold, unique voice, dynamic movement. While brainstorming, some other similar festivals that come to mind are: the Vancouver International film festival, San Francisco international film Festival, and the Glasgow film Festival. These are all events that has a coastal and contemporary feel to them, while having an unique voice in the film community. 

I decided to take an approach that animates the title and event description in a smooth reveal sequence, using the mask approach. I also played with the movement of individual type forms in the second sequence, using the letters that form the word “FIN”. I then used a softer visual style in the geometric building shapes that appear in a similar flowing sequence. I was inspired to use the buildings from looking at images of artworks of the Halifax cityscape. 

week 1: Moodboards 

While browsing for visual inspiration, I came across two possible options for the colour palette. The first one is more bold and energetic, while the second is more youthful and calm. I decided to go with second moodboard as it captures the soft and calm aesthetics that I was going for. 

Week 2: Developing styleframes

Although, I was initially drawn to a colourful pastel look, with a bright blue and taupe colour, I eventually decided a refined cool colour theme will work best for the festival as it helps to communicate a calm, seaside inspired look to it. 

Week 3:  Creating Storyboard Mockups 

This is the storyboard I put together. The colour palette is inspired by the shades of blue of the harbour side in contrast to the vivid orange tone of a sunset. I had initially wanted to incorporate a few imageries at the beginning, but decided to focus on animating the typography instead.

Week 4: The rough cut: https://vimeo.com/368849055

The feedback I received in the class was to build on the look of the buildings rising from the horizon line, and applying it as a possible thematic approach throughout the video. Additionally, upon discussion with my instructor, I decided it would work well to animate the logo of the festival as it had a geometric look to it. 

Week 5: Refined animation: https://vimeo.com/369288895

In this week’s refinements, my goal was to create a more cohesive video flow by applying the same thematic approach to visual movements throughout, and also animating the logo at the end of the video. 

Technical Inspiration 

Tutorials Reveal text - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X1ogQfpQQM Animation curves - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG19fyRcOkA&t=295s Keyframes & Graph Editor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTGViL5v8cA&t=697s

Reflection 

This project was a huge learning experience for me in terms of working with a concept in video format. It is also the first time that I created an after effects project, aside from the two exercises completed in class. I think it was a really great opportunity for me to try out a thematic approach to a type sequence. Now reflecting on the process, I think I was mostly inspired by too many visual styles at the beginning and didn’t thoroughly think about how I would apply one throughout, which I now see created a huge problem for me when trying to think of a sequence. Overall, I’m glad to have this learning experience and getting feedback from my instructor to work on the thematic approach of the motion piece. 

Music

Organisms by Chad Crouch - https://icons8.com/music/author/nordgroove

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Exercise 02: Arthentric

Exercise 2 Final - https://vimeo.com/364259883

Concept:

Artisan • Authentic • Eccentric Arthentric is an art show which focuses on new concepts, individuality and supports the brands of local artists. This is an event geared towards the minimal, experimental, and playful contemporary artist. I wanted to create a sequence for a art show and exhibit as I feel like it will allow me to try some sequences and storytelling with shapes and letters. The three words I chose are Artisan • Authentic • Eccentric, and they create the word Arthentric. I decided to use a fun and experimental colour palette to express this idea. Additionally, I wanted to work with velocity curves and quirky movements to express this concept.

Definitions:

1. Artisan: (noun) - a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. Artisans practice a craft and may through experience and aptitude reach the expressive levels of an artist.

2. Authentic: (adjective) - conforming to an original so as to reproduce essential features. Authenticity is about presence, living in the moment with conviction and confidence and staying true to yourself (medium).

3. Eccentric: (adjective) - unconventional and slightly strange. technical - of a thing not placed centrally or not having its axis or other part placed centrally.

(noun) - a person of unconventional and slightly strange views or behavior.

Typeface: Big Shoulders Text Bold –   The typeface is a condensed American Gothic typefaces. I feel like it worked best for my word as it allowed it to be easier to read and better to work with as a title sequence.

sources - https://medium.com/personal-growth/the-5-key-ingredients-of-an-authentic-person-259914abf6d5

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The top storyboard (concept 1) is the sequence I ended up going with. Concept 1 uses shapes to represent the idea of crafts and using vibrant colours to communicate this. I feel like this would be the more fun direction to work with, and representing the concept of artisan and eccentric.  Concept 2 uses line elements to show the details of works created by artisans as the main focus of the sequence. the colour palette for this would be muted as it has a more elegant feel to it. 

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Ex 01: Kindness

Exercise 1 Final - https://vimeo.com/361256024 draft 1 - https://vimeo.com/361240375 Envelope idea - https://vimeo.com/361240127

Concept:

Giving kindness; The focus of this concept is to communicate the universality of a small act of kindness. I wanted to express the feeling of giving and receiving kindness through this concept, as it produces a positive experience for both individuals. The hand is used as a symbol for the giver, which represents warmth and generosity. It’s an emphasis on the willingness to give kindness to someone, out of good will to a stranger or to someone whom we have a close relationship with. Additionally, it also communicates the warmth and care that the recipient feels. It encapsulates the happy feeling we all experience when receiving kindness from someone, which often catches us by surprise. A small act of kindness can make a big impact, as most of the time, it will inspire someone else to pass on the kindness.

Definition: 1. Kind behaviour, kind feelings; a kind action 2. Kindness is a noun with both measurable and immeasurable uses – refers to undertakings of generosity or hospitality / general feelings of goodwill or friendship.

In countable form: refers to a particular action   In uncountable form: refers to overall friendliness or warmth (source: macmillan)   3. Kindness involves giving, helping, caring, and emotional connection, to benefit other people and to spread positive emotions. (source: medium) Origin: The word Kindness comes from an Old English word which means nation, produce or increase. It later represented the noble deeds or courtesy. The first recorded use was in the 14th century. (source: macmillan) Nuances: small acts of kindness, spontaneous kindness (to a stranger), planned act of kindness (to a friend, customers.etc) emotion: surprised, thankful/grateful, happy (those receiving kindness) thoughtfulness, care (those giving kindness) other meanings: Kind deeds, kind feelings, quality or habit of being kind (source: etymonline) contemporary use: small acts of kindness   The kindness of a stranger Typeface: Chivo Bold –   The typeface is chosen for its evenly distributed weight, even curvatures, and details in the letter forms, which allows the word ‘kindness’ to be read with speed and comfort. source: http://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/kindness https://www.etymonline.com/word/kindness https://medium.com/kindlab/the-many-shades-of-kindness-df562e531b3b

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