Silent movie; workshop five.

In this workshop we had to choose one of the ideas we had for a sequence and plot it on the five second timeline from start to finish so that someone would be able to tell what the gradual movements are within the sequence. We were told that we didn't nescessarily have to colour each keyframe in and could colour the significant keyframes in to show colour as this would save a lot of time but would still make the storyboard understandable. Due to the fact my 'S' ended up in pretty much the same place at the end of every second I also didn't include the rotation on the last three lines because it was clear what was going to happen each time. I only included keyframes of how the water level would change because this is a key difference all the way through. 

Throughout all of the workshops we have gradually learnt how to storyboard correctly so that it can be understood clearly in terms of the direction ideas are going in. 

Silent movie; workshop four.

This was the workshop where we began to think more realistically about the amount of keyframes each sequence would need to show the movement properly from start to finish. We were also introduced to framing in this workshop because when you start working in after effects there is a frame set out so you know where you content will fit within the screen. This process of drawing out the frames was quite time consuming but benefitted us a lot because it began to bring the sequence to life a little bit more and gave us greater understanding. Using the framing system meant that we could indicate when something would be off the screen and what section of the type this would be. I also began thinking on a more personal level about how my sequence would start and also end as seen on the photo of the second sheet. 

As a test for wether these storybaords were clear about how the sequences worked we took these sheets into a mini crit and paired up. We had to let our partner look at our sheets and explain to us what was happening without interrupting. Most of my storyboards were clear and my partner got them correct but I made a few notes of things I needed to alter that didn't really work. Some of these things were elements such as the fact the sequence on the second screen starting black and ending black didn't really make sense when black was not to be seen anywhere else in the sequence. 

After effects workshop three.

Keyframe interpolation using illustrator paths.

- Interpolate; to insert between fixed points.

To change from a smooth point to a corner point the convert vertex tool is used.

To work with interpolation you have to select a keyframe and click animation > keyframe interpolation.

If you click linear and OK it turns the curved line into a straight path with a point. 

If you click the diamond you can add another keyframe wherever needed. 

Select all keyframes and go back to keyframe interpolation > Hold (no change). The line goes straight and there is no dots.

The diamonds take on a different shape depending on what properties they are given.

Each layer remains at its position until the next keyframe. 

Create a shape in illustrator, copy this, go back into after effects, enable position keyframing and click paste. The shape used will create a perfect path. 

Choosing the above options means that the shape orients along the path. 

Create a solid which is to the size of the workspace then choose a shape and drag it into the work area, this creates a mask and vector shape which gives different options to change. 

You can manipulate the mask by moving anchor points. This change can also occur with keyframes so it is animated. 

To make something reveal, create a mask over the artwork then create a start and end keyframe, go back to the start and drag one side of the mask across the artwork. 

Toggle switches that there is no room for are found here. 

Choose alpha matte which specifices where the dots are seen. This is applied if there is a background and text layer seperately. Another possibility for transparency. 

To make the word blink have a second keyframe where the opacity goes right down and a third where it comes back up and then hold the keyframe interpolation. So the speed of the changes are the same, you can space the keyframes equally apart. Select all keyframes between the first and last, rove across time in keyframe interpolation and the keyframes space themselves out equally. They also change from a diamond to a circle. 

Silent movie; summary of last workshop.

What is a keyframe?

A key frame is a point on the timeline within which change happens wether it be a slight change or a dramatic one. Keyframes are used in certain ways to communicate the motion the designer is looking for. 

What did I learn from the previous workshop? 

- Some form of mathematics comes into play with storyboarding. 

- A change may not have to happen quite so regularly to communicate an idea. 

- Storyboards are better to understand when cut up and stuck as one huge line because you can gain greater understanding of whats happening. 

- Storyboarding is quite important before taking ideas into software because you gain greater understanding of how and when the word will move. 

What problems did I encounter when working with timelines?

- I didn't write the times down for when changed ocurred in the second sequence and I needed these to place the frames correctly. 

- Due to the fact my sequence was 59 seconds and not a rounded time, it took a while to divide this up and place it on to my timeline. 

- I had to come up with a system to make it easier to understand where frames began because sometimes there was a few around the same area.

- It made sense to me but did it have to make sense to anyone else? 

How do my own sequences work in regards to what I have done today? 

- Faster sequences will need a lot more keyframes to communicate the rapid change the word will have. 

- Slower sequences may need less as they are more gradual movement.

- I need to collect all relevent information for my sequences before creating them so I will know exactly how they should work. 

- My sequences will have less keyframes than the one I explored because my time for the full sequence is shorter. 

Silent movie; workshop three.

The image on the right shows mainly what we had to do within this workshop. We had to decide wether we were going to use one of our given words or both of them. I decided to use both because I felt that I could maybe come up with five good ideas rather than using the one word and getting stuck towards the fifth idea. We then had to produce five ideas for each of the sequences and I decided to use different fonts so that my sequences would be varied. I wanted to keep all of my ideas quite simple yet effective so an audience would know exactly what they were doing. These ideas were working well so far because they all looked different. We were also told to annotate these ideas because storyboard sometimes arent so self explanitory and draw arrows to help show the direction things would be travelling in. 

We then had to go away and come up with five more ideas for each of the five sequences using only black, white and one other colour as stated on the brief. Initially I thought this would be quite difficult because you tend to get a bit stuck towards the fourth of fifth idea but the use of colour could make each of the sequences look different and you could also try and represent speed to differ the sequences. Coming up with these ideas in stages has really helped me because you don't realise how many ideas you are actually coming up with until you look back on it and realise you actually have quite a few storyboards you could begin to develop even further. I found it harder to work with a single letter because when you have more than one you could seperate these to represent the word. 

Once we'd completed the five ideas of each of the five sequences we had to choose our favourite five that we could then go on to develop. Once we'd chosen them we had to plot them on a five second timeline using the frames we'd previously drawn to show where these movements would occur on the timeline, because they wouldn't nescessarily be spread out equally or be at the beginning or end. Doing this showed that some of the sequences need more frames than what I had been working with as all of the sequences were incomplete so next I needed to move on and work out exactly how many frames each sequence may need. 

Silent movie; workshop two.

After the previous workshop we were told to choose a kinetic type sequence on youtube and take 25 screen shots equally apart from any point in the sequence that we choose and also 25 screen shots of where we think significant changes happen in the sequence. We had to print these screen shots out postage stamp size but were given no indication of what we would be doing next with these. 

When it came to the workshop we were told to draw 5, 60cm lines and split these up equally into 10 second sections. 

In the first task we had to plot the 25 screen shots we'd taken equally apart on the timeline, they didn't nescessarily have to be on he first line, they could be spread across all five if thats how we felt it worked best. At this point I realised I hadn't gathered all the relevent information because I hadn't taken down the time that I took each of the screenshots at and I needed this to plot them on the timeline. I'd also made it more difficult for myself because i'd chosen a video that didn't have a rounded time such as 60 seconds so I had to sit and work out equal timing for my particular time. This taught me more so that time is very important when it comes to looking at sequences and should always be a relevent piece of information that you take note of. 

With the second sequence I also hadn't noted down the point in which i'd take the screenshots so I had to go back on youtube and look at this so that I knew where to plot the images on the timeline. We had to do the same thing in which we drew 5 lines 60cms long but this time we were told we might need scissors. It soon dawned on everyone that we could cut the timeline out and stick it together so that it was one long line. Once we had stuck all the images onto the timeline and put this up on the wall, we saw it was a lot clearer in this format to see what was going on in the squence, it could also probably help us understand the timescale better. 

One of the questions that came up once we'd stuck all this work on the wall was do the timelines make sense and I commented saying that 'it does to me'. One of the most important things I then took away from this workshop was that as long as the storyboards make sense to me it doesn't matter to anyone else because i'm the one person that has to work with this. 

Silent movie; workshop one.

We were each given two words which we had to go away and research in time for this workshop.
My words were float and spin. I had to find for each of these words;
20 relating words.
20 definitions. 
20 objects. 
20 situations that relate. 
20 appropriate typefaces - small, medium and large versions of each typeface. 

During the lunch break before this workshop began we were asked to use the fonts we had collected, choosing one letter, to represent each of the words. This task was set to get us thinking about how you could use a font to visually represent a word and got is in the right frame of mind for what was to follow. I actually found this task quite difficult because i'd start drawing an idea and then realise it was quite similar to one i'd previously done. We really had think outside the box and try and be a little less obvious with this task, the fact we had different scales of each font made it easier because you could come up with more interesting ideas. 

With the storyboards on the left, we had to place the letter we were using in different frames each time instead of just the beginning, this was to get us thinking about the motion path something would take to get to the point where we had placed this letter. This actually worked quite successfully because although the ideas are quite similar and simple, due to the positioning of the letterform being different each time, each sequence has a uniqueness to it. 

With the storyboards on the right and also these ones above we were given certain characteristics to focus on such as the letterform being bold, scale and particular anchor points. We were also asked to think about how the sequence begins each time, does it always have to begin with the letterform or can it begin with a blank screen? Although this task seemed difficult at times because you didn't want to repete a sequence you'd already created, it was quite good because being told to follow certain characteristics on each sequence helped the ideas vary so we were begining to get a collection of different ideas we could develop and work with. The fact we were timed on each section of this workshop everytime we were set a task really helped myself a lot because i'd spend too much time trying to make the ideas really creative when at this stage they just needed to be quick and simple so they could later be developed. 

After effects workshop two.

Temperal; the timeline allows you to place things in time. 

Set up for artwork that is to be taken into after effects from photoshop. 

There is an actual film/video preset option that automatically selects the correct options. 

Guides are automatically added and specify safe zones for you to work within. 

There is always the option to get the guides in after effects. 

Always have artwork with a transparent background and save as a PSD.

To import to after effects import the work as footage.

Once imported it will appear in the project section of after effects. 

To add artwork to the composition drag it across to this window.

When artwork has layers it needs to be imported as a composition. 

The layers appear in the project section seperately. 

To add the same position change you can select all of the layers, then move the red line and change the position of each seperate layer. 

To scale all the layers at the same time select them all. 

If you import but retain layer sizes it means you can scale each letter seperately because they have their own anchor points. 

There is also the option for film/video in illustrator to create artwork with a frame. 

When you intially change the size of the text it blurs. The button with three circles in after effects can apply motion blur to the artwork for emphasis on the movement. So the artwork is no longer blurry you can click the sunshine button so the artwork becomes continuously rasterized and it brings it back into focus. 

This option gathers all the files together that the piece of video needs to work. It creates a new folder with all of these files in. 

After effects workshop one.

This is how after effects looks when you first open it up. 

If you lose windows click window > workspace > reset 'standard'

To start work select new composition.

Pal is the UK video option. 

These options are more for video rather than animating. 

The page set-up changes slightly once you press OK. 

The number values that are yellow with a dotted line can be changed. 

Once you add something it appears here as a layer. 

You can give the object a certain duration within the timeline. 

If you drag the red line you can quickly see how the graphics will play out. 

To move the object on the screen click and drag it. 

To playback the whole sequence hit the space bar. 

To playback with music these controls are used, this is also the best way to playback. 

To get back to the beginning of the sequence use the home key (arrow pointing to the top left).

To alter the quality of an image select the auto tab. 

By shortening the grey bar you can focus on specific areas so it doesn't play for the whole time when you hit space. 

You can transform a shape by clicking on the arrow next to a layer and the arrow next to a layer and the arrow next to trasnform.

If you click position, move the time bar along the time section and then move the shape it creates a line and drops a new keyframe onto the timeline. 

The keyframe diamond shape is movable by clicking on it and dragging it. 

If you select over the keyframes and press ALT you can drag them closer to each other but keep the sequence, this is useful if you want to make playback shorter and keep what you have done. 

If you press the key with a wave and backward comma on it you can zoom in on certain windows. 

If you click on a layer and press certain keys such as P, certain transformations appear, in this case position. By selecting all layers you can transform them all at once. 

If you select a layer and press I this will bring to you the beginning and O the end. 

The U key opens any animated layers. 

You can click on the anchor points so the shape doesn't juse move in a straight line. 

By clicking the pen tool you can opt to make some of the paths have a point instead of being curved. 

To export the animation click 'add to render queue' > 'format options' > H.246 (suitable for blogs) > 'output to' and then it will go whereever you specify it to. Finally click render. 

Good is... evaluation.

1.  What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them? I have a greater understanding of print as a whole in terms of how certain processes work such as die cutting and foil blocking and I now know how I can apply these to my own work if they are suited to the brief I am working on. I have knowledge of the most suitable print processes to use depending on wether or not I am creating design for mass production or a smaller print job. I haven’t really applied these to my own work in a literal sense but I have proposed them so that if my product was actually created this is how it would be but this shows understanding of the methods and the fact I am able to explore design for print in a mature manner. I have also had my first client interaction during this module with the visit to Team printers. This has been quite important as this year I am likely to be talking to many more clients so I am more aware of how you interact with these people and this is also a company I can add to my contact list for future reference. I also feel as though I have been a lot more experimental throughout this module, trying things that I haven’t really before such as packaging and bag construction. Although this is quite a small factor I feel as though its a step in the right direction. These products have worked quite well within my design work because the results I have got are quite a sophisticated response. One of the quite significant things for myself is that i’ve developed my skills in having conversation with tutors. This has been really useful because it has made me feel more confident with my ideas and I have been given guidence where needed.  2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process? Through the things I learnt about design for print when researching for my booklet, taking part in workshops and also on the print visit I become aware that the colour used is quite important because when the artwork goes to print someone checks over it to make sure the colours are correct because colour can look different on screen to what it does when it is printed out. Due to what I had learnt I made sure to use pantone colours in my design so I knew exactly what I would be getting, this was my starting point in a sense because my artwork is quite simplistic so colour made up for that. Stock also links to the colour and effects how it will look so this was also a massive consideration with my own work because I didn't want the colours to change. Stock has informed my design development because I had to test different types of stock in order to find out which one(s) would work best. Special finishes are also something that I have proposed for most of my final pieces and this has informed my development process in the sense that it would round everything off nicely at the end giving a sophisticated response.  3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these? I have become a lot more experimental with the final pieces I create in terms of the range, instead of just sticking to things such as posters i've worked more with 3D elements throughout this project. To capitalise on this in future I will try and incorporate something new that I haven't tried previously into each project and even if this doesn't work then at least I have experimented with it and learnt a new process. I feel that my final pieces show that my illustrator skills have become stronger because the responses I have created are quite neat and i've also learnt a few new illustrator skills. To capitalise on software skills in general i'm going to try and learn some of the shortcuts I currently do not use, this will make the design process somewhat quicker and will generally be a handy skill to have. Finally, I feel as though confidence shows through my work because a lot of my design previously tended to be on white backgrounds and not very experimental in terms of colour but this time my work seems quite different to the design I was producing last year. This shows confidence in terms of the fact i've been willing to take more a risk and work a little out of my comfort zone. 4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future? I haven't really experimented with stock enough throughout this module because I was creating a range of products i'd automatically thought they should all be on the same stock to link together but this is obviously not the case. My bag and packaging design should be on card rather than cartridge paper to make them a bit more durable  and possibly even of higher quality. In future I will make sure that I experiment a lot more with stock before making a decision about which one I am going to use therefor it won't be a last minute realisation. I also didn't really keep on top of my blogging throughout this module so did chunks of it at a time which meant sometimes I had missed something out or I had forgotten what i'd already done or was yet to do. In future I will blog things as I create them so I can constantly look back on the decisions I made rather than trying to decide why I made them at a later date. A few parts on some of my designs didn't print out properly when it came to my final prints such as there being a gap between letters, although this is not a massive issue it is a bit disappointing because I was sure i'd checked them before transferring them to my memory stick. In future I will re-check this artwork when I bring it up on the mac in the digital dungeon before hitting print. 5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these? - I will blog as I go throughout my project because this will help when I am making design decisions and constantly remind me of why I made certain choices. It will also be less to consider when i'm coming to the end of a module and I can concentrate on final pieces. - I will experiment more with stock when it comes to printing a final design during the project then I can be sure the stock I have chosen is the correct one for the piece I have made and make sure I have plenty of time to re-print onto a different stock if needed. - I will come in more during my studio development time on a friday and saturday because the times I did this during this particular module I got quite a lot done and it made me feel less under pressure because I was making the most of the time I had left to complete my work. - I need to do tasks within the same week that I am given them because during this module I didn't prioritise them as such so when it came to the end of the module they had built up and it took me a while to get through them. - In future I will have my presentation boards printed in the digital dungeon because for this module I printed them in the mac suite in halves and due to the cropping the printer automatically gives around the edge they haven't fit together properly. If I print them in the digital dungeon I am likely to get a better result and will reflect good alongside the rest of my work. 6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas:  (please indicate using an ‘x’)   5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor 1 2 3 4 5 Attendance x Punctuality x Motivation x Commitment x Quantity of work produced x Quality of work produced x Contribution to the group x The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.