Animation/Motion Graphic (4D)
In this assignment, I will create a music video-styled motion graphic for the band. I intend to make a 2D animation of the 'Alien Head' mascot character that I have created for the band's image. The animated feature will consist of a traditional, frame by frame style; and will be played on loop over live-action footage of metalwork machinery, and dim lighting.
My song of choice will be "SIN" by Industrial Rock/Metal band 'Nine Inch Nails'. The song touches upon self-control, anxiety, betrayal and how one might be feeling during a tragic moment in their life, such as a breakup, avoiding someone to keep their mental health safe, or a death of a dear friend or family member. The subject matter appealed to me as singer; Trent Reznor, had felt all of this during the production of their debut album, and I felt it had almost perfectly displayed the emotions he felt into lyrics. It also lent itself to a lot of chaotic and fast-paced visuals that my imaginary band would look and feel like.
In addition to the footage, I will also be experimenting with type, through both digitally and analogue methods. My thought process for type would be ripped paper, that has been soaked with paint, stuck onto rusted metal. Any extra effects I have in mind, will be green and purple coloured lighting (to match the alien theming). And electric sparks that will be chroma-keyed on top of the machinery footage, but behind the vaguely transparent alien head.
My digital art and animation software of choice will be Clip Studio Paint EX, and for editing I will be using Wondershare Filmora 7. Any additional effects and refinements will be made in Premier Pro and Photoshop.
My song of choice will be "SIN" by Industrial Rock/Metal band 'Nine Inch Nails'. The song touches upon self-control, anxiety, betrayal and how one might be feeling during a tragic moment in their life, such as a breakup, avoiding someone to keep their mental health safe, or a death of a dear friend or family member. The subject matter appealed to me as singer; Trent Reznor, had felt all of this during the production of their debut album, and I felt it had almost perfectly displayed the emotions he felt into lyrics. It also lent itself to a lot of chaotic and fast-paced visuals that my imaginary band would look and feel like.
In addition to the footage, I will also be experimenting with type, through both digitally and analogue methods. My thought process for type would be ripped paper, that has been soaked with paint, stuck onto rusted metal. Any extra effects I have in mind, will be green and purple coloured lighting (to match the alien theming). And electric sparks that will be chroma-keyed on top of the machinery footage, but behind the vaguely transparent alien head.
My digital art and animation software of choice will be Clip Studio Paint EX, and for editing I will be using Wondershare Filmora 7. Any additional effects and refinements will be made in Premier Pro and Photoshop.
Research/Reference Material
My initial inspiration for animating can be found from video games, animated shows and movies, and similar music videos of the late 90s - 2000s era. I find this time period to be particularly appealing to me because a lot of family friendly media was shifting its focus onto the widespread appeal of rebellious behaviour and slightly grittier art styles. This allowed for a lot of animated media to experiment and play with their linework and colour choices. For my animations, I see this as my exact preference in drawing or animating, and a very satisfying way to find my visual voice, so to speak.
Notable Animation Styles:
- 2D Animation (Pencil test, digital, cel.)
- Stop Motion (clay, figurine, live action.)
- 3D Animation (Blender)
- Motion Capture (Microsoft Kinect, Webcam)
- Rotoscope
- Cut Out
- Typography Animation
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Video reference for editing and visualising the outcome of the motion graphic.
Sketchbook Development
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Practical Effects Development
When thinking about the idea of animating, I wanted to really try and push the idea of 4D being an integral element. So I decided to take my notes from the previous assignment on album covers and apply it to this one, to see how closely I can link 3D and 2D today, which I found was a fun challenge to take on. My initial idea was to use a mini projector to play my 2D animations on a wall, but I felt like it would be better to see them being played through a small stage/set that I would create from materials such as cardboard, tape, acrylic paint, and glue. The finalised result of this model would be a "Gates Of Hell" styled door (Not unlike something from the DOOM video games that share a similar style of sci-fi and dark fantasy), that is holding together a decayed building structure, with holes and visible damage to the walls. There would also be set details like a broken test-tube container, and a small generator where I would project my animations onto. The final result proved to be an enjoyable experiment where I used a lighting source to angle where I would like certain textures to be shown onto the model.
Digital Development
Taking what I had already jotted down and sketched up from my sketchbook, I had taken to my preferred art/animation software of my choice; that being Clip Studio Paint. In CSP, I hand drawn and animated every frame of the alien head, and coloured it with solid colours to contrast against the backgrounds that would be textured and more overly detailed.
Once my animations were complete, I then opened an editing software that I am very familiar with called: Wondershare Filmora 9. This editing software allowed me to do a grand majority of the special effects and compile all the clips together with ease. I also keyframe animated the doors that get sucked in to the portal halfway through the video, and played with chroma key/green screen effects to create an old film aesthetic to the 2D animated sequences.
In the finishing touch phase of making the motion graphic/animation; I took the base video, and edited the lyrics on top with software that was recommended to me from a session called: CapCut. I found animating the lyrics with their presets to be very beneficial to the project as it allowed for more flexible movement than what Filmora could offer.
Once my animations were complete, I then opened an editing software that I am very familiar with called: Wondershare Filmora 9. This editing software allowed me to do a grand majority of the special effects and compile all the clips together with ease. I also keyframe animated the doors that get sucked in to the portal halfway through the video, and played with chroma key/green screen effects to create an old film aesthetic to the 2D animated sequences.
In the finishing touch phase of making the motion graphic/animation; I took the base video, and edited the lyrics on top with software that was recommended to me from a session called: CapCut. I found animating the lyrics with their presets to be very beneficial to the project as it allowed for more flexible movement than what Filmora could offer.
2D Animation
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Typography Experimentation:
Dirty Ego
Angel Wish
Realvirtue
OpenClassic
Copperplate
Dirty Ego
Angel Wish
Realvirtue
OpenClassic
Copperplate
For typography and text elements, I experimented with a wide array of fonts that would give off an old timey, vintage feel. Because the set that the animation takes place on is a destroyed laboratory that's has a few medieval inspirations, such as the doorway. I eventually decided on Dirty Ego for primary and Dead Kansas for secondary. The font will be manipulated and twisted around the vortex and static background animations to give the feeling that this is what lies behind the door, and eventually revealed when the door gets sucked in.
The Final Result:
And here is the final result, a chaotic and sporadic shot of alien imagery and a lot of hours sank into animation. Please enjoy!