Sound

  When Cory and I were working through the thematic elements of our piece, we already knew we wanted something dynamic and fresh. So we turned to the realm of the electronic for inspiration. What we found is that, for one, we wanted Dub-Step, and also that unlicensed Dub-Step is terrible. So we searched onward through youtube, to creative commons , and even so far s to reach out to popular Dub-Step DJ Skrillex, but no luck. It just so happened day of final audios, killer tracks came out with a Dub-Step album, and it was good. We then mixed that to our time and to our interview tracks, and we had a working audio track.

   In the coming work sessions we refined a lot of the audio to fit cues that we needed to hit the dynamic feel of our boards. Conversely, we changed a few of our compositions to meet the audio. Whatever really made the piece its best.

More Material

In trying to create dynamic elements we hit a lot of bumps in the road when it came to getting a good environment to capture the ink drops. Issues like glares camera shakes and auto focusing reared their heads a couple of times. But we did find ways to side step these. Re-shoots and tricky music editing cleared up most of the problems and left of with some pretty great set pieces.

SFF Materials

  For the Sarasota Film Festival my partner, Cory Fanjoy, and I are working on a project that really combines the tactile and digital in very dynamic way. So in order to get started with those we took some footage of ink drops, blots, and runs to use as elements.

LIGHTS!!!!

20 THINGS I KNOW ABOUT AFTER EFFECTS LIGHTS …

1-Which type of light would be best to replicate a bare light bulb?

A Point Light

2- How do lights affect 2D and 3D objects differently?

2D layers are not effected by lights.

3- What is Ambient Light?

An ambient light evenly illuminates in all directions.

4- How is an Ambient Light different from a Source Light?

An ambient light evenly illuminates in all directions, while the source has a definite cone.

5- What is a Parallel Light, and why would one use it?

A point light lets you aim the light rays and is very helpful in getting even illumination while still having an effect based on the angle of the light and layer.

6- Describes what happens to the illumination of an object as it moves away from a light.

The light looses intensity.

7- What happens to a layer as it rotates away from the light source?

8- Describe a light's Cone Angle.

The angle at which light moves from it’s source.

9- How do I move the light without moving the POI?

Hold down Command

10- How do I move BOTH the light AND POI at the same time?

11- Which type of light is the ultimate 'FILL' light?

            Ambient Light.

12- What does the term 'Diffuse' mean?

The spread of light receiving layer

13- What does the term 'Specular' mean?

Reflective properties

14- Can a precomp layer cast shadows?

15- What are the 5 requirements that must be met for shadows to work?

1) A nonambient light must be aimed at two layers.

2) The light must have it’s “Cast Shadows” on

3) The layer casting the shadow must have it’s “Cast Shadows” on

4) The receiving layer must have it’s “accept shadows” on

5) Space between the layer casting the shadow and the layer receiving the shadow.

16- As objects get closer to the layer receiving it's shadow, does the shadow get sharper or more diffused?

Sharper

17- If a layer's  'Light Transmission' is set for 100%, how does that affect the layer?

18- A 'GOBO' is like a stencil placed in front of a light.  Does the layer have to have an alpha, or can the luminosity of the image work?

The layer does have to have an alpha channel

19- Adding lights really slows down the render of a scene, what are 3 things that you can do to speed up visual feedback?

            Pre-Comp, Resolution, or size of the comp.

20- Can I adjust the brightness intensity of a light below the value of 0?  What happens if I do?

             Yes, It takes light out, even from other sources.

Photo First Pass Critique

My critique was very constructive.

I need to fix the consistency of speed between the car and the ball, I need to move the boy back and thus the opening shot, as well as to check the curves of the shot. Having the ball and the car different speeds creates a very noticeable discrepancy in the movement that pulls you out of the scene. By moving the boy back, I can create a more interesting composition throughout as well as having more background to work with. I can see all of these working really well. 

A few notes that I expected, and have been working on, was the quality and edges of the layers. A full resolution and some more time with in Photoshop should smooth that out. Nothing too crazy, but  very helpful.

Art Network

    Final Comp of my ART Network logo. What I started with was eventually a refined comp in my final  pass. People seemed to like it.

Time Warp!

    These are my images I picked for the camera study. Shorpy is a great site. Look at all that resolution. 

 

   I chose this one simply because of the imagery and the story it could tell. Romantic comedy breakup scene? Probably. But I also liked the simple movement I could imply with little buggy and walking woman. 

 I picked this image only because of how layer rich it could be. Specifically the counters, and to a smaller extend, maybe the people themselves. A slow pull from down the walkway to a full shot could look really great if I can work out really clean layers and maintain a sharp image. I can imagine it used in an old worker's rights sort of documentary. 

  

•     This interest was of interest to me just for animation possibilities. The boy, the ball, the street, the cars, and the buildings can all be layered. I’d love to tell an all-American story of a boy and baseball. This could be a really great action shot with subtle movements with the boy and the ball.

 
    I chose this image because at first glance it reminds me of an adventurous rapscallion exploring the docks against his parent’s will. Upon further reflection, I see it more of a desperate struggle to survive, as this child seems very drowsy and tired, which a story I’d like to tell. My only withdraw about selecting this one is how out of focus the background is and the layering and animation problems that may evolve from that. But other than that, I would layer 4 or 5 times separating the boy and the dock with the man on the right with the boats in the back with the far background.

Ideation

To be a leader/innovator in the field

            Rising

Make a difference

            Flipping

To create the unseen

            Building

To inspire

            Spark  

To Succeed

            Light

_A white screen is the foreground in which the logo is set. The logo is a mask opening up background footage that will always change depending, or not, on the tone of the ending show.

 _Various objects fill up the logo in various ways ranging from a liquid-ish paint to the growth of nature.

 _Quick half a second shots from the show are treated to be a solid color overlayed flash through the screen as the logo fades from the background as the transition of shots ease in and fade to a solid.

 _Paint, or other means of art, are thrown down on a white background. They pause, and or sucked into the middle and fade out as the art network logo fades in and comes to full with a pop and lock.

 _The logo forms from simple shapes, growing from a base on the blank background. 

Look at that sweet Luma Matte Transition. Made From this:

Luma Matte, boi-o.

 GRAPH 1 - The red line stands for the Position of an object along the X axis.

If the POSITION of the object is at the location 10 in X at frame 0, and at the location 80 at frame 60 (60 frames is 2 seconds)
Where is object positioned at frame 30?

HINT:  The RED straight diagonal line indicates that this is a linear motion.  Halfway through the time, the object is halfway
through the motion.    The  GREEN horizontal line indicates that there is no motion, because the value for the green line never changes over time.

At 45

________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 2 - The red line stands for the POSITION of an object along the X axis.

The objects position value doesn't change very much at the beginning of the animation,
then towards the end, the values change quickly.   Does this graph represent an ease-in or an ease-out for the first key?

HINT:  When we think about ease in/out, it's best to think, "Ease Out of a Keyframe, and Ease In to a Keyframe"

An Ease-Out.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 3 - The red line stands for the POSITION of an object along the X axis.

The objects position value change very quickly at the beginning of the animation,
then towards the end, the values change very little.   Which keyframe (first or second) has the ease in applied to it?

HINT:  When we think about ease in/out, it's best to think, "Ease Out of a Keyframe, and Ease In to a Keyframe"

The Second.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

GRAPH 4 - The red line stands for the POSITION of an object along the X axis.

Describe the motion and direction of a ball using this graph for the X position.  

HINT:  Use frame numbers, and proper terminology such as linear, deceleration, acceleration.

Left to right with it Accelerating in the middle.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 5 - The red line stands for the POSITION of an object along the X axis.

Describe the motion and direction of a ball using this graph for the X position.   Note the value of the first key.


From left to right with deceleration in the middle.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 6 - The red line stands for the POSITION of an object along the X axis.

Describe the motion and direction of a ball using this graph for the X position. 

NOTE: The handles have influence on the curve.  The longer the handles, the more influence. 
The shorter the handles, the less influence.  The handle is always TANGENT to the curve at the keyframe.

Starting at the right the ball will shoot to the left, decelerate, and accelerate back to its origin.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 7 - The red line stands for the ROTATION of an object around the X axis.

Describe the direction of the rotation of the ball using this graph for the X rotation.  Use frame #s to help in your answer.

NOTE:  The handles are always on the 'outside' of the curve. That's because the quickest way between points is
a straight line, the handles pull the curve away from the straight line.

The object holds for 15 frames, rotates slightly forward decelerates and rotates backwards.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 8 - The red line stands for the SCALE of an object on the X axis.  (The Y and Z scale is at a constant 100.)

Describe the scale of the ball using this graph for the X scale.  Use frame #s to help in your answer.

NOTE:  The handles can be broken to achieve an abrupt change of speed like in the graph above.  To 'break' a handle, you can
click on the PEN tool in the tool bar, and select the CONVERT VERTEX tool.  (Looks like an upside down V )

The object scaled at -10% steadily increases scale for a second, immediately stops and eases out and accelerates ‘backwards’.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 9 - The red line stands for the POSITION of an object on the X axis.  The green is the POSITION on the Y axis.

Describe the motion of the ball using this graph for both  X and Y position.  Use frame #s to help in your answer.

HINT:  Negative values in Y translate the object upward.  Positive values translate the object downward.

NOTE:  Red is the color given to the X dimension of the transformation... Just like the red arrow indicates the X axis.
Green is given to the Y dimension of the Transformation.   Blue to the Z dimension.

The object is moving left right constantly until a second in where it immediately stops and eases backwards, all the while moving upward.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 10 - The red line stands for the POSITION of an object on the X axis.  The green stands for the POSITION on the Y axis.

Describe the motion of the ball using this graph for the X and Y.  Use terminology and frame #s to help in your answer.

NOTE:  You can modify the handles on more than on keyframe at the same time.   So be careful when you are selecting keys
that you don't mistakenly adjust handles on keyframes that you didn't intend.

 The object moves constantly to the right for 15 frames and essential bounces in the opposite direction all the while it ascends gradually levels and descends slightly.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 11 - The blue line stands for the ROTATION of an object around the Z axis.  The object is the pendulum on a clock. 
The anchor point is at the top of the pendulum so it swings back and forth like you would normally see.

Describe the motion and direction of the pendulum using this graph for the Z rotation.

NOTE:  To have smooth transitions across keyframes, make sure your Handles are perfectly horizontal.  (like above)   
You can hold the Shift key down to keep the handles horizontal.   The last key should have had a horizontal handle to ease into the final position.

The pendulum swings backwards and forwards 3 times while slowing down.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 12 

Describe the motion and direction of an object if this graph was for the POSITION of an object.

NOTE:  Color determines the dimension!

The object moves from left to right consistently while it moves forward and backwards on it z axis all the while it descends.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 13 

This graph is impossible to create in After Effects, why?

NOTE:  Use AE and try it out.

The Z-axis can’t have two values at the same frame.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
GRAPH 14

This graph is a good representation of 'overshooting' a keyframe?   How does this graph represent the 'overshoot'?

NOTE:  If you don't know what 'overshooting' a keyframe is check out some traditional animation books.

The object reaches its final x value moves past and comes back to it, very gradually.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 15 

This graph represents the Y position of a bouncing ball.  Will this make for a good bounce?   Explain why or why not.

NOTE:  The name for this type of curve is call BEZIER.  Pronounced:  bez ee ay    (After Frenchman Pierre Bézier from Regie Renault) A collection of formulae for describing curved lines (Bezier Curves) and surfaces (Bezier Surfaces) , first used in 1972 to model automobile surfaces.  Curves and surfaces are defined by a set of "control points" which can be moved interactively making Bezier curves and surfaces convenient for interactive graphic design.    ["Principles of interactive computer graphics", William M. Newman, Graw-Hill]

No, the apex of arc isn’t centered, creating an awkward decline from the top.
__________________________________________________________________________________________

______

GRAPH 16 

Would this graph represent a good animation for the Y position of a bouncing ball.     Explain why or why not.

NOTE:   When you have the layer selected, and you are in the Motion Graph editor, you can see the motion path (line of connected dots)
in the composition window update instantly.

No, it’s upside down and the bars aren’t horizontal with the arc.


________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 17

If you had to 'fix' this graph so it would be a good bounce in Y, what would be three things you might do to fix it?  

Hint: Use the term Parabola in your answer.

I would move the 3^rd key frame to be at 70 at the 30^th key frame, I would extend the right arm of the 2^nd key frame to create a more believable curve, and raise the value of the 4^th key frame.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

GRAPH 18 

You've animated a ball bounce by hand, so you remember all the challenges of creating nice arcs, squash and stretch, good spacing.
And knowing a bit about how to read graphs, describe what you think the three curves represent.  What do you think the green curve
and the red, and the blue curve represent.


________________________________________________________________________________________________


Question 19

Why would you NOT use the keyframe assistant > Easy Ease to create all your animation?

I’m better than that. It’s lame.
________________________________________________________________________________________________


Question 20

Why is it so important to Separate Dimensions on a transformation when you are animating?

It gives more control.

____________________________

____________________________________________________________________

1)  Your director has just given you a project to combine three videos from very different sources.    Source 1 appears to have every other line in the image offset, especially with objects that are moving fast. This was shot at 30 frames per second.  Source 2 is a PAL video.  Source 3 is an HD video shot at 29.97 fps.     
What would be the first question you would ask to be able to successfully complete this project?

"What format would you like the final format in."
What name is given to the process of bringing together sources of different formats and making them all the same format?

Conforming.

Why does Source 1 have a 'combing' effect, and what do you have to do to be able to use this footage?

Its interlaced, and you need change the fields.

2)  You just sent your client a finished AE project.  The video was requested in Standard Def.  The client says that the animation looks stretched out.  Their round logo looks squished.  You have to do it again.What would be the first place you would look to find answers to solve this problem?

The source stats in the Project window will show all the details of footage.

What are two possible settings that might have caused the problem?

The Square pixel aspect, or the Region code.

Do you have to re-animate it?

No, just re-render.

3)  The project you just completed was thrown back on your desk.  Your technical director is frustrated because the logo you created is not keyable.  The background that should have been transparent, isn't.    

Where do you check to see what was actually rendered? 

Render setting in the Render queue.

What should have been the render settings to make the background transparent?

RGB+ Alpha.

How could you have checked this before you rendered the animation?























A square button at the bottom view window.

Good things:

  Project info
  Composition Settings
  Footage Interpretation

Mixing footage of different aspect ratios can be fixed with these. Changing fps and the pixel aspect ratio can be changed in these settings in the project window and such. Conforming the footage can also do some fantastic things like removing the combing effect on certain interlaced file types.

Explorin sound 1B

So for this exploration I'm going with the eery, melodic tones of The Hive. My first thought was of a disparaging scene of a dark overwhelming void with cuts of severely blurred object to break it. Also, I'd like to play around with the idea of trimmed, pin like, shapes to create a tension onscreen to match the sound. Thirdly I'd like to look at how the the it might react to dim lighting but with color , but still with dredging slow crawl to push the tension.