This video explains why using motion graphics in a presentation is a good idea. I found this video when trying to find a good definition of motion graphics to make sure I didn't create just another animation.
00:00-00:02: Logo- The logo has a small amount of motion graphics which is colourful, fun and the motion is well thought out.
00:29-00:39: The idea of bringing animal biscuits to life is great. This seems like a fun video and I wish it was more than just a clip on a showreel.
http://motiongraphics.nu/showreel/tape-production-postproduction-reel/
This video doesn't seem to have a narrative other than to show the detail that you can put into shapes but I do find it interesting and creative.
This video flows really well from one clip to another. A great example of how well it flows is at 00:35 seconds when the aeroplanes journey line turns into a timeline. The colour scheme matches the topic and even though the sky is green at one point, it really doesn't matter. The video is another example of how simplicity is often better.
Motion Graphics Presentation
Group: Hannah P, Michaela, myself.
After searching for a motion graphics to present, we decided to examine American Express- Blue Dot.
We found this motion graphics interesting so we decided to gather information about it. We didn't want to do a generic and boring powerpoint presentation either so we decided to think of a more exciting presentation.
The information we gathered:
- Brand Philosophy- Inspirational as well as Aspirational, likeable yet offering superior service.
- Who made it- Ogilvy & Mather UK, Dennis Lewis and Andy Bird, production was by Kuntzel & Degas, they also made the title sequence for 'Catch Me If You Can'.
- Where it was shown- UK, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Argentina.
- When it was shown- 5th October 2009-Dec 2009
- Motion Graphics and American Express- This was the first of many motion graphics adverts that American Express have come to love using.
- What is the story behind the advert- The world would be a better place if more of the untapped potential in it were to be set free.
- Art or Advert?- What is the videos purpose?- It is an advert to sell a product, therefore it must catch the eyes of viewers and make them want to buy it.
- Why Hannah likes the video- There is such great flow through the advert, every object and shot goes smoothly from one to the next. I love the way it goes from the blue dot at the beginning all the way through then it appears again at the end. It gives the piece more meaning and narrative.
- Why Michaela likes the video- The bold change from their previous adverts is admirable. I like the narrative of the advert, if you look at a single object it can have 1000 meanings if you put the thought into it.
- Why Elysia likes the video- It feels interactive even though it isn't and it feels personal. The sound and music catch the consumers attention and draws them in. The movements are organic and seem real.
Case Study
The Blue Dot advertisement for
American Express is a great example of a motion graphics. Made by Oglivy &
Mather UK,
Dennis Lewis and Andy Bird, production was by Kuntzel & Degas who also made
the “Catch Me if you Can” title sequence. This is obvious when you have seen
both because the videos are similar in aesthetic and simplicity. Sometimes
getting the best aesthetic often means going for a more simplistic approach.
Given that American Express is a very well known company, I would assume that they would be increasingly interested in continuing to get the attention of younger consumers. The video uses a variety of colours that work well together and seem like they would attract the younger audience they would need to attract. The images used are basic and well thought out, these too seem like they are trying to attract a younger audience. The video tells me that the target audience would definitely be the younger generation (18-30 year olds) that would be able to use the services provided by American Express. I believe the video is success in terms of getting the attention of their target audience. However, I also think that older audiences would also give this advert their attention too since it is not what I would describe as an everyday advertisement. By this I mean that until you reach the end of the advert, this video seems to be more like a piece of art, it is more entertaining and is visually, audibly and creatively stimulating.
The music is upbeat and catches
the audiences’ attention and the interesting and unexpected sounds draw the
audience in. The video flows smoothly from one object/image to the next using
short but colourful and interesting clips, this helps keep the audiences
attention.
They use an iconic voice (David
Tennant) to attract even more viewers. By using a number of different symbolic
images they reach out to people from a lot of different races and backgrounds.
The narrative flows well from
start to finish, it starts with the blue dot and ends with it too. This brings
the viewer on an adventure but gets back to the point by the end. Everything
that is shown in the advertisement; every image, sound and icon links perfectly
to the tagline “Realise the potential”.
Museum visit
During the museum visit we were supposed to look for an item that we could base our motion graphics on. During the first time I visited the museum, I didn't choose an item due to a number of reasons. The first was that I had a presentation in the morning and was relaxing from that and another reason was that there was a lot to look at and to choose from. I did however take a number of pictures of items to look at later.
After a little while, I decided to focus on a life mask of Horatio Nelson.
Research on life and death masks
Death masks are clay, wax or plaster
casts of someone’s face, taken to preserve their image shortly after death. In
antiquity, this was done often following a death to identify rank or standing,
to use in funerary rites, and to perfectly preserve the image of honoured or
eminent people.
Life masks are casts taken of a
living person, and as with a death mask, a cast is made from a plaster coating
that forms the mould from which busts and reproductions can be made.
Sometimes casts of hands were done in
place of masks in cases where the face had been damaged by death.
Famous Masks
Tutankhamun- the distinctive golden mask of King Tutankhamun
is recognizable around the globe and is symbolic of an epoch and culture.
The creation of death masks moved from being
exclusively for royalty into the realm of notable or respected persons, such as
German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, Italian poet Dante Alighieri, and French
philosopher Voltaire.
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| Beethoven |
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| Dante Alighieri |
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| Voltaire |
U.S. President Abraham Lincoln had two life masks made – one in 1860 and another shortly before his death in April 1865. Casts of his hands were also made. Abraham Lincoln Online writes of the artist who took the first cast, Leonard Volk, on how he created a priceless legacy, “Virtually every sculptor and artist uses the Volk mask for Lincoln ... it is the most reliable document of the Lincoln face, and far more valuable than photographs, for it is the actual form."
Even death masks of the historic
common man resonate with us in modern times. One of the more well-known death
masks is dubbed “L'Inconnue de la Seine”. French for ‘the unknown
woman of the Siene’, the alleged death mask was a plaster casting of the
face of a beautiful, young, unidentified woman who had drowned in the Seine
River in Paris in the 1880’s. A mortician thought the girl’s beauty and
expression so mesmerising that he had the cast made to preserve her forever.
Her enigmatic smile is often compared to that of the famous Mona Lisa. So
fashionable was the death mask that it became a popular cultural icon,
reproduced in art, fashion, and literature. Her face is the basis of modern CPR
rescue dolls – Resusci Annie.Another website I found useful was a website that listed death masks of famous people. This was useful when I needed to collect examples.
http://www.elistmania.com/still/20_death_masks_of_famous_people/
How to Make Masks
I decided that I would make a How-to video to show people how to make life masks. To do this I needed to research how to make the masks.
Materials:
• Roll of plaster impregnated gauze strips
• 1 Cup of DRY Plaster of Paris
• 2-3 plastic or paper bowls
• warm water
• petroleum jelly (or other suitably thick cream/moisturizer)
• scissors
• paper towels
• cloth head band
• cover up drape sheet (or old shirt.. I use an old bed sheet)
• clean up soap & towel
• mirror (hand mirror for client, or hanging mirror if you're doing
yourself)
• instant camera (opt'l) – very interesting to capture a photo while
"being plastered"
• table and comfortable chair ( I use a high chair for clients so I
can easily move around them while standing up)
Got your materials? Well then: Ready, Set, GO!
- Start by putting a wide head band on your client (or yourself if your making your own mask). Try and cover the hair line all around face as well as possible.
- Apply a good even coating of petroleum jelly to the entire face –being sure to put extra along hair line, on eyebrows, eyelashes, and lips.
- In one of your plastic bowls, put about 1/2C (8 tablespoons) of warm or cool water and sprinkle in about 1/3c (5.3 tablespoons) Plaster of Paris (Always add plaster to the water, not the other way around). This light plaster/water mixer makes a smoother finish (and a faster set time) for the plaster gauze strips.
- Dip one plaster strip at a time into the water/plaster mixture and apply to face. Make sure each strip overlaps with previous strip and smooth into close contact with face with your fingers. Let the subject know when you are about to cover the eyes or mouth, taking care to smooth the wet strips into place so you get a good mold without poking too hard. When all areas of the face have been covered (2 layers is usually fine for most places with a little extra layering along the outer face line and jaw line..
- Finally, I add a little more plaster to the water bowl (so its a thick cream texture) and I work to really smooth and finish the mask.
- Taking off the mask- Start by having your subject move his/her mouth and face around inside the mask once it is set up and rigid (about 12-15 minutes or less); then untie the head band and slowly begin to rock the two jaw line sides of the mask with both hands;and gently (slowly) pull the mask down and away from the face.
http://artofmaskmaking.com/Making-Your-Plaster-Mask.html
The first attempt-Cousin
I decided to start with my cousin since she has a smaller face. I wasn't able to cover her eyes or mouth because she made a fuss. Overall I think she was a good subject for my first attempt just to see how it worked and how much plaster to put in. Also it helped me see how fast the mask would set.
My second attempt- Me
My second attempt at making the mask was my first attempt at my own mask. It proved difficult but it showed me how it feels to have your face covered in plaster and when you can tell that it has hardened.
My third attempt- Aunt
I was able to do a full face mask on my aunt but left the nostrils clear (for obvious reasons). The nose and mouth came out quite good but the eyes were not. After seeing the mask i realised that I hadn't put enough pressure over them like I had my own.
These first 3 attempts took place within the same afternoon. Looking at the masks altogether I noticed that I needed to use more plaster to build the masks up more and smooth the plaster more to show the detail of the face. I also need to leave two nostril holes instead of the entire underneath of the nose.
My Forth Attempt-Dad
After showing my attempts to my mother she suggested a few different techniques of making face masks. Unfortunately she seemed to want to get it done before we had started so things didn't run as smoothly as they should have. This attempt seemed more like winging it than a method. One technique that did work well was using a spatula to spread the plaster on the face. However, using just water to stick the gauze to my dads face didn't work as well as the gauze dipped in plaster had in my previous attempts.
Although it was rushed and did not quite follow instructions, the mask looked quite good at the end.
Scripting my work
Creating the visuals for my work
I liked the idea of creating my own visuals. To do this I took pictures from the internet and then traced the outlines of each image. This meant i had the shape I needed and then all I had to do was do the shading myself to make my images look aesthetically pleasing.
Storyboarding my work
Evaluation
Making Masks
To make a how-to video you have to be able to understand the process as well as know it. That is why I made sure to try to make my own life masks.
The first attempt-Cousin
I decided to start with my cousin since she has a smaller face. I wasn't able to cover her eyes or mouth because she made a fuss. Overall I think she was a good subject for my first attempt just to see how it worked and how much plaster to put in. Also it helped me see how fast the mask would set.
My second attempt- Me
My second attempt at making the mask was my first attempt at my own mask. It proved difficult but it showed me how it feels to have your face covered in plaster and when you can tell that it has hardened. My third attempt- Aunt
I was able to do a full face mask on my aunt but left the nostrils clear (for obvious reasons). The nose and mouth came out quite good but the eyes were not. After seeing the mask i realised that I hadn't put enough pressure over them like I had my own.
These first 3 attempts took place within the same afternoon. Looking at the masks altogether I noticed that I needed to use more plaster to build the masks up more and smooth the plaster more to show the detail of the face. I also need to leave two nostril holes instead of the entire underneath of the nose.
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| From left to right: Cousin, Aunt, Me |
My Forth Attempt-Dad
After showing my attempts to my mother she suggested a few different techniques of making face masks. Unfortunately she seemed to want to get it done before we had started so things didn't run as smoothly as they should have. This attempt seemed more like winging it than a method. One technique that did work well was using a spatula to spread the plaster on the face. However, using just water to stick the gauze to my dads face didn't work as well as the gauze dipped in plaster had in my previous attempts.
Although it was rushed and did not quite follow instructions, the mask looked quite good at the end.
Scripting my work
Masks have been used for disguises,
protection or entertainment for thousands of years. The whole point of a mask
is to conceal the face, however there is one type of mask that is used to
reveal the face. These masks are called life or death masks. Both of these
masks are very similar, life masks are usually taken to make a sculpture bust
of a person and death masks are taken to preserve the image of a person after
they die. Life and death masks are made from clay, wax or plaster.
To make your own life mask it is best to
use plaster. You will need a number of materials including;
Gauze strips
Plaster of Paris
1 or 2 plastic bowls
Warm water
Petroleum Jelly
Scissors
A Cloth Headband
An old towel or sheet
A chair or stool
The first thing you need is a volunteer.
Once your volunteer is sitting comfortably
on the chair or stool, you need to put a headband on them, covering the
hairline. Make sure all their hair is away from their face.
Then you can cover them with the old towel
or sheet so that they don’t get dirty when you plaster their face.
Apply a good amount of petroleum jelly to
the entire face
Now you need to start mixing your plaster.
In one of your plastic bowls, put about ½ a cup of warm water then add 1/3 of a
cup of Plaster of Paris.
Mix it together then start dipping the
gauze into the mixture and adding to the face. Make sure the gauze isn’t too
wet or the plaster will start dripping down your volunteers face.
Start from the outside of the face and work
your way in, making sure to smooth the gauze so that you can see the detail of
the face.
When you get to the eyes and the mouth make
sure your volunteer closes both. When you get to the nose, make sure you leave
the nostril holes open so your volunteer can breath.
When the whole face is covered, add a
little more plaster to your mixture. It should feel like a thick cream now. Add
this to the face, making sure to smooth it around to show the detail.
Once the thick creamy plaster is put evenly
over the face, it needs a little time to harden.
This shouldn’t take too long. You can test
if it’s dry and hardened by lightly touching the mask. The volunteer should be
able to feel the mask hardening.
Once the mask has hardened you need to get
it off of your volunteers face. The first thing you need to do is get your
volunteer to move their face around inside the mask. Then take off the
headband. This should loosen the mask more. Slowly rock the mask from the jaw
line sides making sure not to pull the mask. Once the mask is loose, make sure
your volunteer has no hair stuck to the mask. You can then take the mask off.
Congratulations! You have made a life mask.
All that is left to do now is clean up.
Creating the visuals for my work
I liked the idea of creating my own visuals. To do this I took pictures from the internet and then traced the outlines of each image. This meant i had the shape I needed and then all I had to do was do the shading myself to make my images look aesthetically pleasing.
Storyboarding my work
Making a life mask- Motion Graphics video
Like most of my class, for weeks at the
start of this project I really didn’t know what to do. I had some items in mind
and had pictures of them but I didn’t know how to make them into a motion
graphics. It was only two weeks before the deadline that I found out what I
wanted to do. After I found that out, the project ran pretty smoothly. I tested
making masks myself so that I had personal experience of what I was telling
other people to do (in the video). Then I just had to figure out exactly what I
would put in the video. For that I thought about it for quite a while. I
finally decided that the easiest was for me to make a storyboard was to first
make a script of instructions etc. Once the script was made, the storyboard
came easily. Then once the storyboard was made, I was able to create the video
quite easily.
I drew most of the images I used myself as
I found that they would look how I wanted them to look. Overall I think the
whole video turned out very well.
My only downfall in this project was that I
was still editing on the day of submission, thankfully I was just able to
submit the project in time.
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