Docudrama Intro

This is a quick re-iteration of the documentary style "DACii" intro. I received feedback that intro wasn't showing the interdisciplinary learning the documentary was portraying. So I tried to create something to was more active and more fun. I also tried to address the issue of docudramas having very dry and static title sequences. They should embrace the fact that they have an entertainment value and aren't purely educational, which the title sequence should reflect. It's not a full title sequence but in reflection on my crit presentation feedback I might leave it as it is and start focusing on my final project instead of continuing to produce media tests.

Crit Presentation

Showreel I created with all the media tests from my honours project so far:

Geometrica Triangles

This is a little fun piece that I threw together just to play around with shapes and music. I used some interesting parenting techniques that I learned from this tutorial: http://ae.tutsplus.com/tutorials/motion-graphics/create-a-geometric-color-explosion/

The song I used is a creative commons licensed song by We Are FM called "Scene 5"

The beats of the music are captured by the animation and movement of the triangles. This could work as a part of a music video or, with the logo at the end, as a network indent. The colours and fast paced music suggest fun and excitement. If projected on a title sequence this piece could well work for a comedy show but would have tie into shots of the characters or the environment to complete the circle. With a more refined logo or title it would also be viable as an intro for an online medium. Episodic online media often show detached title sequences that only rarely reflect the content. They represent an atmosphere, so in the case of a comedy show bright colours and a "catchy tune" would be appropriate production values.

News Title

I have been trying to follow this tutorial to create a news title ala CNN or Fox News but after struggling with the software for two days to overcome a glitch with the plain effector animation to create an animation as described in the tutorial and not getting any further with it, I have decided to give up on this project. It would have been nice to create a 3D logo opening title for a news channel but it's just taking up too much time.

Throughout this process I have also realised that a news title is technically a title sequence for an episodic media but it is not exactly in the same realm as the entertainment media I have been looking at. I will abandon this genre and concentrate on themes that are closer to what I would like to produce as my final piece.

This is how far I have come with the title sequence:

and this is the logo I was going to use instead of "Geracsso 24/7 News"

Talent Shows

I was following this video copilot tutorial: http://www.videocopilot.net/tutorials/shatterize/ to create a title with a visual style of talent shows of likes of X Factor or Got to Dance.

Analysis: It seems a bit fast and would need more build up before it explodes into pieces. In order for the title to be closer to a talent show title it would have to include more than just a logo reveal. Many of the titles I have researched in this genre have a lengthy, anticipation building introduction that used to be the standard for title sequences before the popularity rise of the logo reveal. I created a logo reveal to be able to test my skills and understanding of this genre. If I was to create a lengthy title sequence it would take too much time at this experimental stage and I would not be able to explore as many other areas as I find necessary. I feel that I have come close to what is the visual style of a talent show title. The high contrast of light and dark, the spotlights and fireworks or explosions are reoccurring themes for this genre that have been reflected in my interpretation.

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Case Study: Talent Shows – UK Broadcast Format 

 Britain's Got Talent

     
        Got to Dance                        X Factor                     Dancing on Ice

Although encompassing different avenues of performing arts, these three titles share many visual similarities. The high contrast of light and dark, the spotlights and fireworks or explosions are reoccurring themes for this genre. These types of shows thrive on anticipation and build up of suspense, which is reflected in the lengthy title sequences. They tell the story of the artists that are competing for the crown. They set the scene for the competition and what is involved in the journey to the top. In the case of Britain's Got Talent the variety of performing arts are displayed on Britain's landmarks reflecting the type of entertainment that is to be expected and tying it in with the country the show is distributed in. X Factor takes a much more abstract approach with the "X" logo, presumably a symbol for a star falling from the skies, racing through space before colliding with earth. Got to Dance shows a similar concept as Britain's Got Talent. They show numerous varieties of performance in an abstract way. All these titles have a glitter- and sparkle-effect which is so closely entwined with glamour and stage performance. It rouses excitement and proclaims the extravagance about to take place before the audience’s eyes. The frequent appearance of star symbols are a reminder of the goal each artist is hoping for, to become the next star in the skies. X Factor takes a spin on that metaphor in claiming the next star has fallen from the skies and is now about to be picked from the crowd by the judges. This shows a subtle indication that the judges play a dominant part in the show. The entertainment element does not only lie in the performance but also in the interaction of the judges with each other and with the acts. This also happens in Britain's Got Talent but is not discussed in the title sequence at length.
Most of these shows have a very distinguished logo that rarely changes throughout the seasons. This aids recognition and establishes a lasting relationship with its target audience. This applies to the music, which is an integral part in building the excitement before the start of the show.

DACii Intro Final Render

I have finished the DACii intro. I had to film the side track much slower because I couldn't find a reliable dolly/trolly that would produce a steady enough shot. This compromise allowed for some movement, live footage from the Centre of Excellence and a 3D composite of the DACii logo in the scene. I think it works well and reflects the visual style of a documentary intro title. The 3D logo sits within the scene steadily and moves smoothly with the motion.

DACii Intro Test Render

I've been trying to create a motion tracking intro for the DACii project that incorporates a 3D logo. This is just a test render. The motion tracking didn't quite work, which is why it's so shaky. I'm assuming this is because I used rerendered low quality footage instead of the raw footage.

The logo was inspired by many in the reality TV and documentary genre. It seems very common for this genre to have info graphics tied in with the footage or have a title sequence that mixes live-action footage with 3D graphics. You can see such titles in shows like Sky 1's "Secret Street Crew" [http://vimeo.com/29252708].

I would assume it is popular with this genre because it combines the entertainment factor with reality. There are either facts and figures or logos dotted around the live-action environment, rooting the entertainment factor to something real to remind the viewer that what they are watching has reality value.

This is a little bit better than the first version but still not quite right. I think I'll have to use different footage because I also realised that the foreground is blurry.

3D Type

I've created this 3D type after [this tutorial] on ComputerArts.co.uk in the hopes that I might be able to use it for the opening title of the film project for Lynn and Robin. Although, in retrospective, I don't think I will be able to use it as it is set up in static 3D perspective and wouldn't work with moving footage, I think it was worth while media testing. I learnt how to create 3D type as well as generally how to make types look more attractive and how to use various filters in Photoshop. This will help in understanding logo creation and ultimately build my knowledge of graphic design theory and typography applied in motion graphics title production.

BlackBoxTV animatic

Due to being ill (sinusitis and flu) twice in two months, accumulating recovery time to about a month, I was unable to keep up with my blog posts and especially create much work. Before I caught the flu two weeks ago I had finished a reinterpretation of the BlackBoxTV (youtube thriller show) title sequence. The storyboard and notes on the below scan show the idea I was trying to portray. The video below that shows the attempt of creating that sequence.

I feel that I didn't meet the criteria for this particular genre. It feels like a children's scary stories program but not like a serious show of horror/thriller value. The colours are too vibrant to reflect the old/faded scary atmosphere I envisioned. The build up of suspense doesn't work as I didn't leave enough time for each instance to play out before the next happens. The birds flying up shouldn't be right before you see the black box TV logo flicker up on screen. It was supposed to work as anti-climax (the flushed birds which initially give you a jump but aren't the actual scary thing) and unexpected-expected climax (the TV turning on "by itself"). I don't think this interpretation works for this particular sequence as it's already a bit longer than most online sequences tend to be. It's 4 seconds long, online shows usually have a sequence of 3 seconds and less. If I wanted to make this work I would have to rethink the idea so that I wouldn't have to build up suspense so much. For my next media test I will try a different concept instead of continuing to polish this one.

Original Creature Media Test

The Creature title/trailer/intro I have been working on and of which I have posted a previous edit, you can view here, is now finished or rather at a point where I am going to conclude that particular media test. I have added some light effects for the flickering light to enhance that flickering, I have edited the sound (or had it edited by Matt West) and created a very simple animation of the kind of title logo I would have liked to create if I could spend more time on it.

Before the final version of the title I created a guide with text comments appearing throughout the video to help Matt with the sound cues. This is what it looked like:

Final Version:

Creature Lightning Media Test and Analysis

I created this title sequence based on some of the effects discussed in the VideoCopilot tutorial 97 - Lighning Strike. It's an entirely original sequence that I came up with. It's created in After Effects CS5, the sound effects are from findsounds.com and the font is from dafont.com.


I have applied the the techniques I have researched, evident in most mystery/horror show titles to my title sequence. Although I don't have a specific story for the pretend show's title, I think I have achieved a very close fit for a show of that genre. If I had a story the title sequence could have little details hinting at the show, which would give it more depth. Like the Grimm Title Sequence:

I believe I am at a stage where I understand the motion graphics production values for the mystery/horror genre. I am yet to filter out the differences in production value between distribution formats for that genre, but I think I am getting close. It's time to start thinking about a story for the pretend show I will be making the title for.

Media Test Pro Guide: Titles

I was following a tutorial from the Computer Arts Pro Software skills DVD.

This is the work in progress version.



This is the finished version with some added changes and final touches.

Showreel (test) and Analysis

I've created a short showreel (test) with the projects I would like to include in my future, polished showreel. I used the ink drop and the logo indent media tests that I have created previously. The music is a creative commons licensed song.

The work included in this reel are: E4 Esting, FilmG "True Colours" Kiss Scene, 3D Models showcased in Watertown showreel

The main challenge of this media test was to match the clips up with the beats in the song and create a flow that would showcase enough of each project but not be boring through shots that are too long. The typeface of the contact details in the end could be better. It looks a bit stuck on, which it is and instead of just cutting from one clip to the next, there could be some nice transitions that would show off my motion graphics skills. I'd also like to include more work and a breakdown, explaining what I did in each project.

Ink Drop and Analysis

I created this little animation as part of my media tests, following the same tutorial on Video Copilot as the one where I created the splatter indent. It helped me to familiarise myself with the use of light, effects and layers in After Effects and creating an animation with static images. I still feel that there is much to learn and will therefore continue to create tutorial-led media tests before I can create an original piece.

Logo Design and Analysis

I tried designing a "freelancer logo" for myself. By doing this I am hoping to understand logo and subsequently title design for future productions. I took advice from a tutorial on the Computer Arts website here. This is what I came up with before I gave up, because it wasn't going well:

It kind of looks like a sports logo, Adidas or something. I thought the soft typeface would work with the pseudonym I gave myself. "Geracs" for the first 6 letters of my last name and "So" for the first two of my first name - this used to be my high school PC account name, which I have adapted as a profile name for various platforms (as seen in my blog URL ;) ) - but together with the colours and the swerved underline, it looks very much like a sports logo and not much like a logo for a freelance VFX artist.

I had a look at portfolio pages and logo designs of post-production supervisors and VFX artists on LinkedIn but I couldn't see a "trend" as the tutorial was suggesting to do. I think I have to follow more tutorials on logo design and typography to get a hang of this, before I create a unique design for my project.

Indent - Media Test (3) and Analysis

This is my first motion graphics only animation, I created after viewing two separate After Effects tutorials on Video Copilot (mentioned in an earlier post). It has an eerie atmosphere, created by the black and red colour scheme and the splatter effects. Combined with the dark red colour, it makes the splatter look like blood. It wasn't intentional but I suppose by looking into the horror genre and creating my 2nd media test "creature" I was already in the "horror zone". I realise, however, that it doesn't have that subtlety a sequence of this theme should have. It is too forward, too bold with the colours and patterns. Although it isn't a title sequence for a show intro it still emits a certain vibe but it's doing so in a very forward fashion, which isn't customary for this type of theme. Realising this I have to go back to my research and analyse genres/themes and their visual styles and production values and I want to do that across the three formats that I have already identified for my project: online, broadcast UK and broadcast US.

I am using two broadcast types because these two countries are outstanding for high end TV productions. The US is without a doubt the number one producer of world class TV and the UK has a distinctly different style but is not far off from being as big as the US for its productions. This is why I want to analyse these two formats separately and against each other and also compare and contrast them against online productions as that is becoming increasingly popular for media consumption as outlined in my Digital Media Practice Essay.

Creature with Sound - Media Test (2) and Analysis

With a little help from the brilliant Matt West my raw footage has now got some rough sound added to it. I am rather happy about that! It's not finished yet as it's not matched the way I want the final piece to look but here it is:

This media test is mainly exploring audio recording and implementation with live-action footage but also title design and creating a title/intro for a specific genre, a horror/thriller genre. At this point the sequence doesn't have a logo as I am still working on title design. I feel I don't have enough knowledge about title design for title sequences and for specific themes or genres and have to go back to my research and find out how a script or typeface can bring the context of a story into a title. The audio is still unfinished and has to be adapted but in the big picture, this is what I imagined this sequence to look like.

Media Test 2

I have come up with a second idea I will create as a media test. I'm not sure what to call it. It could be a trailer for a film, or an intro "Lost" style. Probably not a show title sequence as I don't think it would work as a continuous story. Below is the raw footage of the clip that I want to make. The idea is that a girl is running down the stairs in panic, thinking she's being followed, running down a dark staircase only lit by a flickering lamp and just before she reaches the next landing, where the light is much brighter it cuts to black and we hear her scream. That's when the title shows up on screen, as if scratched away by claws revealing the title "creature" beneath.

I am probably not going to use the original soundtrack but record footsteps, heavy breathing, the scream and a buzzing sound for the flickering light. I will have a look on various free audio websites to find animal growling sounds to add for "the creature" and create a logo/typeface for it as well. I might have to colour correct the footage also and maybe add a musical soundtrack but I'm going to see how it looks with the other edits first.

Indent Idea (Media Test 1)

I had an idea for a logo or indent for a pretend production studio by the name of Blue Angel Productions. It would have a mascot; a stylised, blue, vector angel that would fly into view, swish her wand and the letters "Blue Angel Productions" would appear on screen in glitter. This would require researching particle effects in After Effects and creating a simple animation for the fairy/angel flying. I would also have to develop a font or some sort of logo for the studio name. This would qualify as one of my early title sequence tests.

Here a first sketch: