LAUAN503 - Weekly Presentation 1

For this module we were required to create a presentation showing all of our work so far. I presented this first presentation.

I think that this presentation is a good representation of how much work we've done.

LAUAN501 - Study Task 7

Rationale

Essay: For my essay I will be creating a script that will be used as a basis for my voice lines for my practical response - a video essay showing how animation can improve / change music. 

Research: For my specific research, I will conduct a survey and get as many people as I can to answer through it in order to gather data for my research. For my exploratory research, I will also be looking at many different music videos, as well as articles and interviews to use in response to my essay. So far I have found many articles and created my survey for people to respond to.

Practical Outcome: For my practical outcome I will be creating a short title sequence that bears a resemblance to 1980's MTV title card and logo animations. I will also be creating a video essay with different clips playing in the background, as well as different visual effects to create a VHS 1980's MTV aesthetic.

I have not done much for my practical, but I have created some sketches that will aid in my practical, specifically the title sequence.

Essay Structure

For the written segment of my blog, I have created a structured body of text to help me write my essay more efficiently. Some of these things may not appear in the actual essay due to to much words and information, and some new things may appear. This is a general outline of what I will be writing about.

Study Task 6

Practical Responses

For my practical response, I plan to create an analytical video that will be used to voice my reasoning, opinions and research that relates to my topic. Because of this, the written segment of my topic will be a video script that I will use to read off. The video will include some after effects animations to make it more visually interesting, which also related to my topic question - how visuals and audio synergise. 

I will also create a short and simple animation that will be shown within the video. This animation will include visuals that will respond to a certain emotional sounding music piece which will illustrate how visuals can improve the experience of music.

A few sources that I've found which will help with these topics include videos and articles that will assist me in script writing and video editing. It will also help create my animation.

How to write scripts

Tips for creating analysis videos

https://support.techsmith.com/hc/en-us/articles/214788157-Tips-for-Creating-Your-Analysis-Video

'How to Create a Killer Animated Music Video'

https://blog.dozmia.com/how-to-create-an-animated-music-video/

How to Make a Youtube Video

How to Animate Music and Sound

MTV Animation Adverts

Study Task 5

In this study task, we were required to write an introduction for our written part of our research topic.




I approached this by asking myself various questions:

What am I looking at?

• Animated music videos, and how audio and visuals syngergise for maximum impact.

• "What do I mean by 'maximum impact'?" - How accompanied animation can enhance a music experience by creating interesting and compelling visuals to evoke more emotion from a piece of music, and thus make it more enjoyable than simply listening to the song

• "Why animation? Why not live action? Is there a difference?" - I will be exploring the differences in appeal between live action and animated music videos. I propose that animation is more effective because there is more freedom of expression.

How and Where will I look?

• Social Media: I will be looking through Youtube, Twitter and other social media platforms to observe the different reactions to animated music videos. I will look at freelance artists who have been commissioned to create animated music videos and note down how they created their projects.

• Articles: I will read various articles in order to research the origins of animated music videos and how significant these early stages of animated music videos are. I will note their effect on animation on music videos as a whole. I will also triangulate these articles in order to make my own conclusions on how animated music videos become iconic.

• Interviews & Podcasts: I will listen to podcasts and interviews of different music groups in hopes to understand their reasoning behind using animation to accompany their songs.

What am I aiming to find?

• I aim to find whether animation is significantly more effective at synergising with music for maximum impact than using live action or no video at all. I also aim to find how animated music videos become so popular and why more bands and music groups are using the format.

What have I found so far?

• Origins of animated music videos: I have discovered what many consider to be the first animated music video; Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Accidents will happen. I have read a source that explains what the song is about and how the animation accompanies it.

• Commissions: Many music groups commission animators to animate many music videos for their songs. Many examples of this include Caravan Palace and SIAMÉS.

• Narrative: Music groups like Gorillaz use animations in their songs to tell a narrative of the virtual band. I have read sources of the origins of their expanding universe and how it's had a tremendous effect on the music genre as a whole.

• Sending a message: Some bands such as Linkin Park, Pearl Jam and Freak Kitchen use animations to further emphasise the message their songs send. Notable examples include Freak of the Week, Breaking the Habit and Do the Evolution.

My Predictions:

• Using a questionnaire and generally studying the reactions to different comparisons of animated music videos and live action / no music videos, I predict that people will find animated music videos more appealing and interesting than just listening to music or watching live action music videos. 

Practical Outcome?

• An analysis video to voice my findings and opinions.

• A short animation to illustrate my points.

LAUAN503 - Weekly Blog

I have been focusing quite a bit on my space-themed backgrounds for my group project. While my other team mates have been focusing on animatics and models, as well as storyboard, I have been focusing my creative talents on doing background illustrations for the short film. Here are a few I have worked on so far:

Saturn:

I have used a reference of saturn in space to construct this background, as well as a scene from my teammate's animatic.

I have used the colours and adjusted them to fit

the colour scheme of space.

Solar System:

I based this background off a similar concept art I made at the beginning of the year. I used various references such as typical space backgrounds, as well as a specific reference for mars.

I think I can improve upon the different space-like backgrounds by adding more vivid colours such as the one above to make space a lot more appealing.

Earth & Moon:

 

• In this depiction of earth I decided to make the backgrounds a lot more vivid in colour since it's closer to the sun. I also made this decision to contrast it against the now polluted earth, which is very important to the story of the film.

References:

What went well?

• Fairly well represented astronomical entities (Planets, asteroids, space etc.)
• Good lighting.
• Decent shading on the planets and space oddities.
• Good colour schemes.

What to improve?

• More detail to the space backgrounds
• Finish City-scape colouring, shading and lighting.
• Make more space-themed backgrounds.

LAUAN503 - Weekly Blog.

This week I have been progressing with my background artworks in order to have them ready for production during the process of next week. I have been focusing on 1 cityscape artwork as well as various space artworks.

City Scape - (W.I.P)

For this background, I have been using various different city-like scenes from other animations and photographs to construct this city wide shot piece. I have used an animatic based on my group partner's animatic short.

Animatic:

Resource Images:

I have used all the colours and building structures from these images as reference for my city-scape to make it as vivid as possible while keeping it industrial and washed out.

LAUAN503 - Backgrounds

In the past week I have been working on more backgrounds for my group project. I have been using my colleagues' animatics to create vivid and dynamic landscapes (cityscapes) for our animation.

Space /w Pluto.

This background has been quite simple in terms of design, however I struggled to find a good way to colour and shade in everything. In terms of cinematography. the planet and asteroids seem well placed for the animation that follows.


Cityscape Wide Shot (W.I.P)



The Cityscape Background is currently a work in progress, but I have been blocking them out in shades in order to grasp how the foreground, middleground and background will contrast with each other, creating depth.