Week 4 Rotation – Motion Graphics
Single Page PDF Submission
Initial Thoughts / Mindmap
Screenshots
Finished Video
Analysis
When given the prompt “Connection”, I instantly started thinking about how throughout the past year, the way we connect with one another has changed, with the pandemic being a catalyst for this process. This made me think about how reliant we are nowadays of the internet in order to build connections with our community. During the brainstorming process, I realised how that was quite a sad reality and decided to build some ideas off that. I ended up going with “Idea 3” which shows the plug being pulled on the internet, panning over to a character in mild distress, in order to emphasise how much connection means to us, and how nowadays it can be that easy to be cut off from others.
Throughout the process of making the graphics in After Effects, I struggled quite a lot, as I hadn’t used the program before until class. This caused me to break down my idea slightly, making it simpler so that I could do it in the time frame. I used some of the techniques taught in class such as “Trim Paths”, “Squash and Stretch”, whilst changing hues, opacities and moving the objects around using various tools. I also tried using a limited muted colour palette so that the colours looked more cohesive together whilst reflecting the mood of the storyline. In addition to this, in order to make the animation more effective, in Premiere Pro I added a variety of copyright-free sound effects. I tried to make the sounds seem a little overbearing as I feel the online world can be a bit too much at times, as there’s so much going on at such a rapid pace constantly.
Overall, I like the idea, as well as the colour palette. However, I do think the animation is a little too simple due to my lack of experience with the program. If I were to do this again, in a longer time frame, I think I’d go for a more ambitious concept that used a larger range of techniques and effects available in the software. I would also maybe develop the storyline further to make the graphic longer and for there to be a bit more depth.