Planning, Production, Development

YCN

Im working with Anthony for the collaborative brief, after advertising myself on the walls of studio 2. I was going to advertise myself in an illustrous way, but the scanners were not being helpful at all, which led me to rush an advert which in my opinion, was horrible. So, despite my curse of technological mishaps, I got 3 replies from Sam, Anthony and David.

These are Anthony's ads, as you can see the design was damn slick, clean and crisp. Unlike mine which resembled a tatty setlist for an 80s synth band.

Irregardless of the personal ads on display, I have the intended ads here. As it bugs me I did not produce something to a high standard.

This was the result of yesterday's rough problem assessment, job assignments to each of us and just a framework for us to develop something more solid for project management purposes.

OUGD202 Evaluation

This module has been the trickiest so far on the course, in terms of having to learn 2 new pieces of software that

were something you cant just jump on and expect results. Since I had never used After Effects before,

I had to try to conevert myself to the structure of working within my worst enemy, time. In the early stages of storyboarding, with no real idea of how long ten seconds actually is, the limitations to that time, and what can/could be achieved within that short space, I was overly ambitious and ended up confusing myself with what I was going to do.

Instead, storyboarding became an easy way to show the start and end of what I wanted to see, not making things majorly complicated for myself, and simplifying all my ideas, which came to a great benefit to me since my initial idea was based around very complex and technical animations. If I had paid attention to the limitations within my first drafts of the idents(storyboards) and what can and cannot be done in After Effects, I think my animations would of come out more polished, and crisper. On the other hand, I think I did display a certain amount of techinical competence with the software, considering that it was something I greatly struggled with, making use of things from the camera, lighting, transformation and stroke effects, but not to overkill the final result.

Then there was the case of DVD studio pro, which was - again - another piece of software just introduced to us on this module. With a few stop starts and confusion, I soon got to grips with it, along with an easy to follow schematic (despite the scrappy drafts) that allowed me to complete the DVD stage in more or less an afternoon. Digital media is something best left alone as I have learned from this module, as it can be decieving, and unreliable. On top of that it requires a level of visualisation and techinical competence that I simply do not have. This is reflected by the uninspiring DVD interaction, since I knew that DVD studio would be something best tempermental with things like loss of files, links etc, I decided to keep it simple, and easy to produce, as to not cripple myself before hand in, and lose a massive portion of time before submission, which could of happened quite easily.

To be honest though I am reasonably happy with the turnout, despite working with the animations for so long, I began doubting them and if they were doing what they were meant to be doing, especially considering that I had to drop the last ident I did since I knew it was not working at all, and relying on working from a storyboard ythat was mean to be backup work and post-developmental.

The research process was something that helped to give me a clearer idea of what I wanted from the animations, since it was very hard for me to get any clear concepts that could be applied in After Effects, and I'm still getting used to the analogue/digital switchover way of recording and documenting, but blogging has now been embedded into my way of recording this past module since alot of the time is spent in front of a screen. Even though I was still leaving myself notes to put this that and the other to better support my work, I know that somewhere, I would of missed out something that would be vital to this project, despite trying to be as thourough as possible on the blog.

My main weakness with this project was not just my lack of know-how in the technical aspects of this project, but my animations lacking the professional look for application to the watershed, this aside, I was very happy with the final design for my packaging, as it tied up the loose ends of the project, keeping the visuals all neat and uniform with each other, which was something I wanted to do from the start, even if I was not completly satisfied with the final outcome, I know I did a good job of making the DVD something to be proud of.

Things I will do differently:

Blogger - 

I think that with the emphasis on blogging for this module was effected by me not being able to take myself away from working on the animations, which led me to alot of late night blogposts, left as drafts with little or no writing on them, and not taking time to make them something that would of given me more marks and helped me alot more.

 Research - 

I found a limited amount of research that was the foundations for something that I started straight away, which dinted the final outcome, as if I spent more time looking into what I could of done in after effects I could of produced something much more professional.

Evaluation - 

This was considered in the blogging part of the evaluation. I have not taken enough time to look at what I was doing, and try to amend it, which was another thing that will lose me marks, since there was emphasis on self-reflection.

Motivation - 

Towards the end of this module, I was starting to get frustrated, and this was havign a major effect on my work towards the end, seeing it as a finish line in a race, not taking the time to ensure all ends were met to a high standard, I need to maintain focus on the objectives and not lose interest.

Neglect - 

I was much sloppier in my punctuality for this module and tended to overwork myself, without giving myself a balance, and ended up really messing up my body pattern, which invariably had a negative impact on my work. I intend to better myself for the next module.

Attendance3

Punctuality 3

Motivation 3

Commitment 4

Quantity of work produced 4

Quality of work produced 2

Contribution to the group 4


Classic example, this was a draft that didnt post on saturday.

Me, a carrot, a steak and Bruce Campbell

Rationale

 - I rewrote this from my presentation and previous rationale - 

I started off the project by digging up all general information on the films that I could find. I started to identify common traits and key elements within my chosen films, I then had a rough idea of what form the visuals would take.

I thought the vectored approach was the right route to take, due to the channel's nature, and to give the films a cleaner edge, relying on the gore being the sole communicator of the intended message. Since I was targeting a reasonably younger audience (16-34), I wanted something that could be appealing to both ends of the target audience.

Each film is going to have an individual ident, as to capture the unique qualities in the films, and also attempting to sum up the films for the season would be hard to do, since they are connected only by their properties, principles, and ideals. Each films has its own flavour, a distinction of difference from each other.

Since I had established what form of visuals would be used, I thought it only logical to keep some form of cohesive, uniformed approach that makes the project unified and easily identifiable as a whole.

I will be using music and sound effects from the films, choosing something that best reflects the personality of the film, something overdramatic, and humorous is ideal.

 In terms of the DVD interface, I intend to keep it simple and easy to navigate - quite like the project - since I have ever used the software, and don't want a headache at hand in.

The Real Deal

The final installment for the brief. I did the voiceover myself. The addition of the texture was something that was mentioned in the final crit, and seeing as though I had intended to do it beforehand but actually never got round to just dropping one in the background to test it.

After I realised it made the final animations look much better, giving them the extra grime they needed to give them that little bit extra, in terms of visual coherence but correlation to the style of the production of the films.

Due to me having gone and rendered all the idents bar this one, you will have to wait till the DVD release (golly that sounds so exciting) since it takes days months and years to upload a rendered video to youtube.

However general feedback not only from the final crit, but from over the shoulder observers was that they were humorous, tech-savvy and the design direction was clear.

DVD finals

 

   

I thought I would do the DVD designs as one big post. Since I was developing these whilst simultaneously building my DVD, I thought it only appropriate to keep it all on one post. These are the dvd screens as they will appear on the interface. 

I changed them since last time, taking out the top left code, and adding a dvd section, but since the dvd is now burnt, due to printing factors, and the fact that I had been working away through the night to get it done.  

However, reassuring myself that I can put the development here has given me a feeling of mild content. Im quite pleased with the turnout, the buttons are all the same, I changed my mind from using the weapons as underlay/overlay buttons as I think it would ruin the visuals as a whole, singling out that page as something more important than the others, which would leave me/audience wondering why the other pages were not made to feel as individual as the others. 

The splatters are all recycled assets, using the same colours as used in the animations, with the exception of some tints used to  emphasize the fleshy tone of the assets. 

I did not use textures for the background, and idd not experiment with it, as I believe it would leave the screens looking less professional, and make the dvd feel cluttered and messy.

The layout was chosen as it was easy to navigate, and read, making the dvd feel complete. I used white overlay buttons that turned red when pressed to keep in with the colour scheme.

 

 

  The final developmental stages of the dvd packaging. I chose the particular method of delivery as a vessel of promotion as I think it best shows the exclusive nature of the idents if they were being presented to the company, by sealing the packaging, I think it reinforces the  idea of professionalism. I will be using either a heavy stock, or printing straight on satin, for both the wrap and the packaging. 

The jewel case I have is red, as I keep saying, the uniform of the project needs to be kept, and a red case will give it a unique touch.

Final Idents

I personally think that the BR one can be signed off now, since the timing is bang on, and the music reflects this, which is the opening and finish for the film. Using the music as a melodramatic, and an overtone of light humour, without upsetting the watershed if it played at primetime.


The Evil dead one just needs texture. thats all it needs.

Derv-D 2

 

 

These are some of the first screenshots from how I intend my dvd interfaces to look. Based on all of my assets and animations, I wanted the running theme clear and consistent throughout. I thought that since we could create dynamic interfaces, with rollover animations and buttons like real interactive dvds, that I should do this. 

Using assets from the films, there would initially be  the weapons highlighting the idents in the movie season section of the dvd, changing colour from white to red when selected.

Whereas the rest of the screens have a combination of splatters as the main navigator/selector, changing colour when selected. The screens are lo-fi, since the majority of the films are on a low budget, and don't have much to them. 

I wanted the screens to reaffirm this. Keeping it clean and clinical makes it easier to navigate, not wanting to overdo it with manic splatter visuals, instead a uniformity that keeps the project as a whole more identifiable. 

I think it will be unnecessary to keep the module code in the top left of the screen, as it is already going to be on my packaging, and it is the module we will be handing in.

The intended recipient/target audience of the dvd would be for promotional purposes, so some way of gift wrapping it would be appropriate, using promotional tools like stickers maybe?

Finally.....

This is the FINAL FINAL FINALLY version of the Zatoichi ident. The sound is a major factor here, using a track from the soundtrack of the film to give the old tale a modern twist, which works fantastically well, since the instrument is a shamisen, more or less an old Japanese guitar makes the overall feel quite cool and funky.

The timing of the sound effects are the key to this idents success I believe, making the animation run smoothly and leaves the audience a gap in which to fill in with their own assumptions, but by keeping the theme of gore present.

This is the one ident I am not happy with. The film itself has so much going on, Im having trouble trying to make this ident my own ineterpretation of the events and key themes in the film. The sound is hard to track, the animation is poor, and I just dont like it. Im going to do something quite naughty and use recycled bits of assets from the other idents, and bring up one of my old storyboards that I didnt publish before.

Here....

Final ident - Dawn of the Dead

I think I really hit the nail on the head for this ident now. The camera adjusted so the zoom is bang on in terms of timing and with the sound added (thanks to the BBC sound library torrent! - cheers Craig) along with the almost magnificent finish of the blood splatter from the headwound making this near perfect.


The only thing I would change is once again lighting and camera, as I think some more depth is needed to give the ident more of an edge.

Morning has broken, like a burst capillary of a zombie....

Really pleased with the turnout of this one, down to the rolling camera as it follows the bullet (although it does not quite keep the bullet in frame) to the information that pops out of the blood at the end.

The only real criticism I have is the frame not being concentrated on the bullet enough, and the camera point of focus when the gun is being fired, the entire thing has to roll smoothly!
It most definitely fits within the season, highlighting the humour of the season, I know what song I will be using for this one, The Gonk most likely.....

I really enjoy watching this animation, but I think it lacks some sort of texture, but I wont be adding one till I know all the animations are more or less done. I think that the sounds need to be redone, as they are not quite in sync with the rest of the piece.
I do think that the colours are fine, but adding some lighting and camera would really aid this visually. It does however stick true to the nature of the season, highlighting THE BEST moment from any (of the) films of my season.

Temper, Temper Temperature.

After effects is burned into my retinas, not just the interface, but the framerate of rendering! Oh dear.

These are two tests that I did for the Evil Dead 2 ident. Not quite in time, and to be fair the lighting is quite poor. The timing of the actual videos themselves is not so good, so speeding them up a little would be the next move.

Still not sure about putting a texture in yet, as I think it would detract away from the idents and the sequence they work in.

All_your_assets_are_belong_to_us.

 

  

  

 

 

 These are the final assets for the Evil Dead 2 Ident.

Those were the Battle Royale ones.

 

  

  

  

 

The DotD ones.

 

  

  

  

  

Zatoichi and finally....