Motion Graphics and Compositing / Project 4

8.6.2023 - 14.7.2023 (Week 10 - Week 15)
Moey Jo Min (0350567)
Motion Graphics and Compositing / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Project 4: Abstract Motion

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Jump Links

• INSTRUCTIONS
• Project 4: Abstract Motion (Progression)
• Final Project 4: Abstract Motion  (Submission)
• FEEDBACK
• REFLECTION

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INSTRUCTIONS

Project 4: Abstract Motion

For project 4, we were required to create an abstract themed motion graphic with the knowledge gained in the previous projects. 

Fig 1.1 Proposal (14.7.2023)

Fig 1.2 Storyboard (24.6.2023)

Fig 1.3 Partial Footages (25.6.2023)

This is a screenshot of some of the footages that I had taken. I shot the footages mostly around the neighborhood. It took me about 5 days (not 5 whole days hahah) to collect all the videos that I want. I went out of storage for two newly created Google accounts, and I still couldn't have all the videos uploaded from my phone. What I did is to transfer the files directly to my laptop with a USB cable. It was a lot faster than uploading the videos to Drive. 

Editing

Fig 1.4 Color Grading Scene 1 to 5 (25.6.2023)

I planned to make the scenes that represents frustration black and white, which Mr Fauzi also gave the same suggestion. 

Fig 1.5 Scene 8 Original Footage (30.6.2023)

This is the original footage that I shot for scene 8. I found the green fence at the foreground distracting, and it is breaking the aesthetic of the scene. 

Fig 1.6 Scene 8 Content Aware Fill (30.6.2023)

I tried using the content aware fill to get rid of the fence. It turns out quite decent, but there are some noticeable flaws when the video plays. 

Fig 1.7 Scene 8 Added Gaussian Blur to Surrounding (30.6.2023)

To make the minor flaws less visible, I made a mask tracking the butterfly and blurred out the surrounding using the Gaussian Blur effect. I got my friend to look at it, and she didn't notice it without me telling her, which is what I want to achieve. 

Fig 1.8 Rotoscoping Scene 10 - Attempt 1 (27.6.2023)

I did some basic editing for the animatic. For the scene on a swing, I rotoscoped the legs for the transition to the next scene. 

The first attempt actually failed because the frame rate of the footage is different from the sequence frame rate. I thought it was an issue of the dynamic link, so I exported it and imported it into Premiere Pro, and it didn't help. 

Fig 1.9 Rotoscoping Scene 10 - Attempt 2 (27.6.2023)

I made my second attempt on rotoscoping this scene with the correct frame rate before I started, and it worked. I spent two or three hours on editing this scene. 

Fig 1.10 Editing Scene 11 (26.6.2023)

This is a time lapse of the flowers blooming that I recorded outside my house. Since it is outdoor, the lighting flickers a bit as the sun rises. I tried color correcting each frames, but I thought it will take unnecessarily long time to do it. So, I tried to add a film video overlay on top of the footage, as vintage films have the flickering effect. I think it turns out quite nice, so I will go with it. 

Fig 1.11 Animatic - Progression (29.6.2023)

There wasn't class on week 13 as it was a public holiday. I came up with the animatic but without the audio, because in my case the audio is not completely necessary have to sync with the video perfectly. To make the process smoother, I planned to add the audio once I am done with the visuals. Mr Fauzi provided me some suggestions, one of them is about the cat scene, it looks out of topic. I got another cat footage that is more visually aesthetic, so I changed it.

Fig 1.12 Scene 1 Scribble (5.7.2023)

Fig 1.13 Scene 1 Animation (5.7.2023)

I created the scribbles in Illustrator by drawing random lines using the brush tool and imported them into After Effects. To make the graphics follow the cars as the cars move, I used the "Track Motion" under the "Tracker" panel, then parent the graphic layers to the tracker. 

For the graphics, I animated them with trim paths to create the drawing motion. I also added turbulent displace effect to create the hand-drawn texture. 

Fig 1.14 Scene 2 Animation (5.7.2023)

For scene 2, I added graphics to represent noise of people walking on the street. Initially I wanted the graphics to the onomatopoeia of the footsteps, 

Fig 1.15 Scene 3 Animation (5.7.2023)

Fig 1.16 Scene 4 Scribble Walk Animation (5.7.2023)

The walk animation is drawn frame by frame in Adobe Animate, three of them from three different angles. I intentionally drew the walk animation in the rough sketchy style to match the overall art style. 

Fig 1.17 Scene 4 Motion Tracking (5.7.2023)

I added the walk animation on top of the LRT footage by motion tracking it. I also manually keyframed the size and position of the walk animation at some parts, so that it looks more realistic and precise. 

Fig 1.18 Scene 4 Blending Mode - Pin Light (5.7.2023)

I only used the footage with the walking animation on top in the composition originally. However, one of the walk animations I drew is rather cartoonish, and it actually looks a bit too excited to be in this scene. So, I tried to cut between the scenes, making the walking animation flickering. Then I thought that it should have more contrast between the original LRT footage and the footage with the walking animation. Thus, I changed the blending mode of the video, and it turns out surprisingly nice. 

My idea behind this is the feeling of being too stressful and tired, to the extend of not being able to differentiate between the reality and daydreams (well, maybe not that intense, sounds a bit exaggerated here.

Fig 1.19 Scene 4 & 5 Transition - Lens Distortion Effect (4.7.2023)

I discovered the lens distortion effect when I was randomly clicking open every effect panels. I added an adjustment layer and applied the effect for the transition between scene 4 and scene 5. It turns out quite cool. I like the distorted image which kind of fits the idea of the project. 

Fig 1.20 Scene 5 Scribble (4.7.2023)

Fig 1.21 Scene 5 Motion Tracking (4.7.2023)

I scribbled in Illustrator with the brush tool and pasted them into After Effects. The scribble lines are animated using trim paths, and I added Turbulent Displace effect for the hand drawn look. I motion tracked the corridor footage and placed the scribble animation on the walls, floor, and ceiling. 

Fig 1.22 Scene 8 Graphic Animation (5.7.2023)

I used trim path to create the animated lines around the butterfly. 

Fig 1.23 Scene 9 Graphic Animation (5.7.2023)

I created the graphic animation for this scene with circles, and played around with scale and opacity transformation. The animation of the circles kind of reminds me of orange soda, giving the scene a chill vibe. However, I felt that something is not right here, but I didn't know what it is. 

Fig 1.24 Scene 11 Scribble Animation (5.7.2023)

I drew the scribble animation for scene 11 in Adobe Animate frame by frame. The process was quite fun, as the style is meant to be sketchy, I didn't have to worry about getting the perfect strokes. 

Fig 1.25 Draft 1 - Progression (6.7.2023)

I managed to get the video 80% done on week 14, but I haven't added the sound effects and audio. Mr Fauzi gave me some suggestion on how to improve my work. 

Fig 1.26 Adding Texture (10.7.2023)

Mr Fauzi mentioned that the graphics pop out too much from the footage, as the quality of the vector is higher compared to the footage. He suggested that I overlay a texture on top of the composition, and try out different blending modes to see if which works the best. 

Fig 1.27 Scene 3 Covering Text on Building (12.7.2023)

I covered the text on the building with a grey color rectangular. I applied a noise texture and some gaussian blur to the shape layer so that it blends well with the building. 

Fig 1.28 Scene 4 Covering Text on LED Sign (12.7.2023)

I decided to also cover the text on the LED sign, as it somehow distracts me the more I look at it. I motion tracked the footage and put a solid dark grey color on top of the text. There are parts of the footage becomes brighter because of the sunlight. So, I also animated the brightness a little, to make it blend in better. 

Fig 1.29 Sound and Video Attribution (13.7.2023)

These are the sound and videos that I got online and used in this project. 

Final Project 4: Abstract Motion

Fig 1.30 Final Project 4: Abstract Motion (.7.2023)

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FEEDBACK

WEEK 12

General Feedback:

Complete at least 80% during week 14, don't worry about the deadline. 

Specific Feedback: 

I can proceed with my proposed idea. I should focus on the playfulness and storytelling. 

WEEK 13

General Feedback:

*No general feedback on week 13

Specific Feedback:

The cinematography is good. For the first scene, cover the text on the billboard. The cat footage seems out of topic, the rest is good. Try to put some text or poem as narrative to make it more interesting and have a good storyline. 

WEEK 14

General Feedback:

Don't keyframe when you can parent in After Effects. After Effects is for keyframing, once done with the keyframes, render the video and composite in Premiere Pro. Use the right software to execute. The concept is the more important aspect 

Specific Feedback:

For scene 1 and 2, overlay a texture on top, so that the vector don't pop up too much. Cover the text on the building with either a plain solid color or graphic, so it won't distract the viewers to read it. The LRT scene with the effect is nice. The corridor scene seems too long, add some text in the center. Instead "Hey! Take a break!", use a quote from someone. The graphic for the butterfly and cat scene is unnecessary, it looks commercial. For the cat scene, try rotoscoping the cat with color and make the background black and white, then reveal it. It is not necessary to be motion graphic in my case, it is more on the compositing side. For the sound, I can combine music and sound effect to enhance the mood. 

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REFLECTION

This project is quite different from the previous ones as I am using real life footages, instead creating graphics and animating them by keyframes. During the ideation process, I was a bit lost because I was not very sure what exactly are the requirements. After going through few days of thinking, I finally came up with this idea. 

The next problem that I faced was to record the appropriate and visually appealing footages. The footages that I planned to shoot mostly depend on luck, which I totally regretted it later (but it was a great opportunity that I got to take some time off to not stare at my laptop screen all day, and I discovered many lovely things that I didn't capture on my phone). I started by filming the time lapse of flower blooming before coming up with the storyboard (because the flowers are nice and I wanna include them :D). I recorded for two times. The first time, I woke up at 6.30 a.m. to record, and it was gloomy so that the flowers won't bloom when they should bloom. The second time was around 7.15 a.m., it was still gloomy but better. However, the battery of my phone drained at around 9 a.m. and I didn't manage to shoot the full time lapse of the flowers blooming. I spent a few days to gather all the footages, and ended up only using around 3% of all the videos I recorded (hahah), but I really enjoyed the process. 

When it comes to editing, I realized that I am not very familiar with using Premiere Pro. Luckily there are plenty of YouTube tutorials that can help me to achieve the effects that I wanted. I had to work around a few Adobe software, including Illustrator, After Effects, Animate, and Premiere Pro, which the shortcut keys could be confusing at some times. Looking at the outcome, although it is not perfect, I feel that all the time and effort that I put in have been paid off.