Motion Graphics and Compositing / Project 3: Channel Identity

18.5.2023 - 15.6.2023 (Week 7 - Week 11)
Moey Jo Min (0350567)
Motion Graphics and Compositing / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Project 3: Channel Identity

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Jump Links

• INSTRUCTIONS
• Project 3: Channel Identity (Progression)
• Final Project 3: Channel Identity (Submission)
• FEEDBACK
• REFLECTION

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INSTRUCTIONS

Project 3: Channel Identity

Based on the brand we have selected for Project 2: Channel Bumper, we were tasked to create a Channel Identity for the brand in this project. 

Fig 1.1 Project 3 Proposal - Singing Jimmy (1.6.2023)

Fig 1.2 Storyboard (22.5.2023)

The part that I struggled the most when coming up with the storyboard is the transition between each scenes. 

Assets

Fig 1.3 Scene 1 (24.5.2023)

Fig 1.4 Scene 2 (24.5.2023)

Fig 1.5 Scene 4 (24.5.2023)

Fig 1.6 Scene 5 (24.5.2023)

Fig 1.7 Scene 6 (24.5.2023)

Fig 1.8 Editing Audio in Audition (23.5.2023)

The background music that I used is "Bluebird" by E's Jammy Jams on YouTube Studio. It is a jazz music and I think it will suit the animation. As the original track doesn't fit within 30 seconds, I edited it slightly by trimming and stitching some parts. 

Animating

Fig 1.9 Run Animation Attempt 1 - Puppet Pin Tool (25.5.2023)

In my first attempt for the run animation in scene 2, I created the assets in Illustrator and tried to animate it in After Effects using the Puppet pin tool. However, the movement of the joints looks unnatural to me. So, I looked for another way to animate it. 

Fig 1.10 Run Animation Attempt 2 - Frame Animation (26.5.2023)

I prepared the assets of each running pose in Illustrator, but there are some restrictions as I could not play the animation in Illustrator. Thus, I imported the Illustrator file into Adobe Animate to make some adjustments, so that the animation looks better. 

Fig 1.11 Animating in After Effects - Door (24.5.2023)

The challenging part of the door opening animation is the side of the door when it opens. 

Fig 1.12 Animating in After Effects - Camera (24.5.2023)

This is my first time experiencing the camera tool in After Effects. It is only a dolly out camera movement, so it wasn't too difficult to get it right after having some basic knowledge in 3D animation. I would like to explore the camera tool in my future projects. 

Fig 1.13 Project 3 Draft 1 (1.6.2023)

This is the first draft of channel identity. There are several differences from my storyboard, as the idea in the storyboard doesn't turn out as expected. 

Fig 1.14 Scene 1 logo animation (3.6.2023)

Based on Mr Fauzi's feedback, I reused the animated logo from the channel bumper that I created in the previous project. 

Fig 1.15 Scene 3 Amendment (6.6.2023)

For scene 3, I changed the color of the square, and edited the animation of it, so that it frames the boy in scene 4. When the square scales up to transition to the next scene, I made the color change to the color of the photo frame in the next scene, but it is not obvious enough. 

Fig 1.16 Project 3 Draft 2 (7.6.2023)

This is the second draft based on the feedback from Mr Fauzi on week 9. 

Fig 1.17 Amend Scene 3 Color (8.6.2023)

I changed the color of the square to be this color from the beginning to the end, and also edited the color of the background to make it match better.

Fig 1.18 Scene 4 - Eyes Blinking (11.6.2023)

To direct the viewers' eyes back to the boy, I animated the eyes to make it blinking by adjusting the path. 

Fig 1.19 Editing Banana Figure Movement (11.6.2023)

I moved the banana figure slightly to the right at the beginning of the animation, so that it doesn't interrupt the eye flow.

Fig 1.20 Scene 1 - Added Noise Grain Effect (13.6.2023)

Fig 1.21 Adding Fractal Noise to Text (12.6.2023)

Mr Fauzi mentioned that the texture on scene 6 is too contrasting. He suggested to add texture to the text. I tried adding a fractal noise effect to the text layer. The outcome seems weird to me, so I looked for another solution. 

Fig 1.22 Texturing Scene 6 Text - Photoshop (13.6.2023)

 I tried a different method to create texture of the text. First, I colored the text with different shades of yellow and exported the image. 

Fig 1.23 Texturing Scene 6 Text - Illustrator (13.6.2023)

Then, I imported the shaded text image to Illustrator and image trace it to get the texture. 

Fig 1.24 Scene 6 with Textured Text (13.6.2023)

I imported the texture text Illustrator file into After Effects. It didn't turn out nice and it looked quite blurry compared to the original text layer. 

Fig 1.25 Added Animated Texture (13.6.2023)

I decided to not add texture to the text, as I think it might be the typeface being not bold enough to make the texture look nice on it. So, I tried to add an overlay of animated texture to the background. 

The animated texture is by Ihar Ivanouski on Vecteezy (For some reasons, I am not allowed to add the link here). It might not be the best solution, but I think it turns out acceptable. 

Fig 1.26 Missing Effect - Drop Shadow (14.6.2023)

The drop shadow effect that I have in the text for the final scene is somehow gone, and I am not sure what is causing this. I looked for solutions online, but none of them worked. 

Fig 1.27 Adding Shadow Manually (14.6.2023)

As the drop shadow effect is missing, and I couldn't find a solution currently, I had to do it manually. I duplicated the text layer and put it below the original layer. Then, I added a "Black and White" effect and edited the color, and lastly added gaussian blur to the layer. 

Final Project 3: Channel Identity

Fig 1.28 Final Project 3: Channel Identity (14.6.2023)

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FEEDBACK

WEEK 9

General Feedback:

Transitions are very important in motion graphics, get reference from Pinterest instead of YouTube. 

Specific Feedback: 

Overall good job, but need some work on the transitions. For the logo, maybe I can use the animated logo that I did in project 2. It should draw the attention of the viewers. Add transition between timelines. For the square in scene 3, change the color to the frame in Scene 4, so it looks like people are looking at the art works. For scene 4, animate the boy, make it look like the boy is looking at the arts works from his point of view. Put credits at the end, so that people know who the creator is. Don't treat this just as an assignment, contact the brand if I have the chance. 

WEEK 10

General Feedback:

Creating motion graphics is a process, you will have several drafts to get to the final output. pr instead of ae

Specific Feedback:

Still some issues in the transition. The eye flow is interrupted in some scenes. 

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REFLECTION

From the previous projects, I noticed that I am quite weak in transitions. I tried making some improvements in this, but the creativity in transitions still requires some practice. Besides, I also learned that the eye flow of the viewers is important. With smooth eye flow and smart transitions, the viewers will be more attracted to the animation. One thing I felt pity is that I didn't get to create the "mirror-like" / "psychedelic-like" animation in this project. Firstly is because it don't suit the overall art style, and secondly is because I have limited skills in animating it. On the other hand, I challenged myself a little in this project, by trying to make 2D vector layers look 3D (refer to door scene and art gallery scene), which is a good sign and I will continue to make improvements in the future.