After Effects Session 2

Key Frames 
Layer Properties 

Key board shortcuts
P = reveals position property 
A = Anchor point property
R = Rotation
S = Scale 
T = Opacity 
O = It takes the time marker to the out point of the current layer
I = In point 
U = Reveals all animated properties of a layer
Hold down shift to add additional properties.  

Click a layer and hold command to select multiple layers. 

RAM preview: playback 
Hold Alt: Either first key frame or the last. Relative positions are remained but you can make all the layers quicker or slower depending on what you would like. 

Interpolation = When working with position. 

Tool Palette
8th Tool from the left = pen tool
Convert Vertex tool = to create straight lines

Photoshop: 

Open up Photoshop
Presets: Film and Video
Size: PAL D1/DV Widescreen Square Pixel (same as After Effects) 
Background Contents: filled with pixels - White/Black or transparent
Inside both guidelines: title safe zone. Keep all text within the 2 rectangles. 
Within the first rectangle: Action safe zone. No action happening outside. 

Saving:Photoshop/JPEG/ TIFF
Quality: The best 
To preserve transparency save as a photoshop file
and the layers check box is checked 

Back onto After Effects: 
File - Import - File - images 
Drag into composition menu 
When importing the transparent document look on the Import As menu. Import As - Footage. 

Finder - Users - Shared - assets  
always working in pixels 
height - 576
image - canvas size

can work with any size image 
make it the largest size that it will be. So when you make it smaller it has no loss of quality.

negative rotation = clockwise
positive rotation = anti clockwise 

Save all your images in a folder before beginning a project so that they are all together. 
File - Dependancies - collect files 
It will make copies of everything so that it makes it easy to bring everything together. Useful when moving to one computer to another. 

Studio Brief 3: Printed Pictures

Above are the notes and ideas that I made during the briefing on this new brief. I made these notes in my moving image sketchbook as haven't yet bought a new one yet. 


I preparation for the screen print induction I made some thumbnail drawings of some possible ideas. 

During the induction to screen printing I took some photographs along the way to help me to remember the process for when I create my own in the future.

This is the practise image that we all had a go at printing. 

I think that today went well and feel like I am confident enough to have a go at printing my own images now. 



Next I wanted to try out how to lino print. I drew some designs in my sketchbook before drawing straight onto the lino. I wanted to include my motifs and for them to work as a set.

                                                           

I chose to go for these compositions because I liked that they all had the same framing.

 

After cutting them out I actually thought that they looked a bit too simple and dull and generally wasn't happy with them. Therefore I wanted to start again. I wanted to create something with a bit more detail and more interesting to look at.I went back over my sketchbooks and and actually was drawn to the very first drawing that I did in my visual journal of Poirot. I know that it went against the idea of using my motifs and working as a set but I thought that this could look really interesting.

Here are some photographs I took of the process along the way:

I really enjoyed the whole process of lino printing and I am pleased with how the final images turned out. I wanted to keep the image simplistic so wanted to stick to black and white rather than involving colour. I didn't actually intend on the extra lines in the background and on the portrait but it was where I had not cut them out properly. But I really like the effect that this has given. Gives quite a vintage old look which is what I want to portray; with Agatha Christie's books all being set in the past.

After having an induction lesson to screen printing I wanted to have a go at doing my own screens with my own images on. Looking back at the designs that I did originally I chose to go for this candle and drew it onto A3 paper ready for screen printing. Though once I drew it out I felt like that I didn't want to use this design. I just really wasn't keen on it. 

Going with the feedback that I received in the Visual Journal, I got a lot of positive feedback towards the collection of poison bottles that I drew so have decided to have a go at screen printing them. In the visual journal I had purple colour on them so want to stick with that therefore I would need to use two screens. 

All the screen prints came out with this faded look I think that was due to maybe the type of paper that I used or marks on the screen but I do like this vintage look that it has given.  

     

STUDIO BRIEF 3: PROPOSAL REVIEW.

Comment on the content of the proposed project:

-       Use either screen print or lino.

-       Repeat patterns of my motifs

Comment on the proposed formats/ products of the project proposal:

-       Home ware/textiles. Particularly like the idea of making tea towels and cushions. The reason I want to look into doing home ware is because the book I am focusing on is set in a big manor home.  

-       Possibly sew into my prints.

Comment on 3 strengths that you have identified in the proposal:

1.     The format and content both relate to my author and her books.

2.     Repeat patterns can be placed on a range of formats. I can also experiment with types of material.

3.     My development work has helped a lot with my progress of ideas.

Comments on 3 things that you feel need further clarification or consideration in the proposal:

1.     I need to decide whether lino or screen print would be more appropriate.

2.     Have a look into media/materials/cost

3.     Experiment and explore mixed medias. Such as sewing onto my prints. 






After talking with people in my groups and writing a proposal I have a lot of a clearer view on what I want to create. I have made a board on pinterest to get some inspiration. As you can see on there there is a lot of lino prints and home ware objects such as tea towels and cushions to also help me visualise what my prints could look like in context. 

Follow Rosie Fairholm's board PRINTED IMAGE BRIEF on Pinterest.

Contextual Reference

Poirot Title Sequence from Margaret Hayford on Vimeo.


I found this Agatha Christie animation. I am not keen on how graphic the animation is but I do like the idea of zooming into different scenes. 

Practise Animation Sequence

agatha christie animation test from Rosie Fairholm on Vimeo.

Studio Brief 2: A Moving Image

For a good way to introduce us to the prospect of having to make our own moving image. We got into groups and broke down what the process would look like using simple shapes and movements. In the one we created below the hands represent a slow moving image; the arrow would be a fast moving image, also the arrow considers how we can use the space by going off the page aswell; the explosion shape is showing how you can play with size and scale; and finally the square is a metamorphosis as is evolves into a rectangle. I think doing this today did in fact really help me. To begin I struggled to get my head around what we were doing but as we were making it I gradually understood and now I can see clearly. 

In preparation to our induction to the Dragonframe software I have picked one of my motifs to make into a moving image with. After listing a few ideas I have decided to go for the poison bottle with bubbles floating above. I wanted to go for a very simple moving image to learn with as I know that I do struggle when it comes to learning new computer programmes so will learn better if I simplify what I am trying to create.  

Here I drew a few different poison bottles to help me decide which one would look best. 

Next I have tested out different colour combinations and textures to help me figure out which poison would look best in the moving image. 

I decided to test out on some tissue paper to see what kinda of effect it would give. I also had a piece of paper underneath the tissue and think that it has come out with a really lovely effect. however, I don't think that this effect would work with what I want to create as there is too much white space. But will remember this in future. 

I really liked the texture of the tissue paper so wanted to investigate a bit more with some other colours. The photo on the right was where I placed the tissue paper on a light box as thought that it might make the colours illuminate and be more vibrant. It did do that however through photograph this didn't translate well and in fact made the colours look dark. 

I decided that I definitely want to go for the colour purple but wasn't sure which colour to combine it with. In the end I have decided to go for red; this is because I feel that red clashes better with the purple which makes it a lot more eye catching. In addition, red also connotes death and murder which is the message I am trying to portray. Whereas, orange and purple seem to blend to well and look a bit duller together than the red and purple. 

Finally I combined my colour choice with the chosen poison bottle. Which I think looks more like a test tube but think that it works best. Though I think that I next want to test out what it would look like if I cut out the shape of the bubbles and poison as I think that it would look a lot neater and less blotchy. 

I found an App to create animations on so I made a little practise one to get a feel for it. 

Dragon Frame induction animation

This is a thumbnail storyboard of how I want my practise animation to be. I am keeping it very simple as I don't to make anything too confusing for the induction.  

I drew out lots of little practise mugs using references from images and chose which one I liked best to use for the animation. 

In preparation for the induction I made all the parts that I would need. I made some more colour for the poison using Brusho like I used before to make the poison and cut them into the shapes of the pouring. I made this below so I could visualise how the pouring would look. In addition I made the mug using newspaper as it looked a bit too simple in just fine liner, I felt that the news paper added a bit more quality to the overall look. Also, I chose to use newspaper over any other texture/paper because I felt like it related to the story of what the animation is telling - Pouring poison into a coffee mug which therefore someone will be murdered which is a typical topic to appear in a newspaper.  

Using my App I wanted to have an idea of how I wanted it to look like before I make it on Dragon Frame. 

Our next task is to create a 48-60 frame animation using the lightbox to help us draw each frame. And then we will put them onto Dragonframe and After Effects. 

First I drew out in thumbnail my idea of what I want to have in my animation and how I want it to go. 

Next, I have made slightly bigger thumbnails as I wanted it to be a bit clearer for myself to see. 

Throughout I was using the App to get an idea of what it will look like. 

This is a quick drawing of an idea that I thought of after so I wouldn't forget. But now looking back on it I think I am going to leave this idea. 

I began my light box drawings using fine liner. I drew 24 frames but really felt that they weren't good enough. I feel like they look very plain and flat and rather dull. Also, I think that the quality of the drawing could be better. 

So next I have started again and drew them using pencil. I have taken a bit more time on the drawings. I have drawn 6 frames but I'm still not happy with them and think that they need bringing to life more. 

Proposal 

I intend to Propose: 

A 60 second animation that sets the scene/mood of Agatha Christie's book The Mysterious Affair At Styles. 

The content will focus on: 

All of my motifs will be involved in some way. Begin with the candle in the dark to set an eery mood. Then that will form into the magnify glass to suggest a mystery which then zooms into an eye (unknown to who the character is, not to give anything away; which also reinforces an air of mystery). This then forms into the poison bottle which then is poured into the coffee cup. 

I will be aiming to communicate: 

My aim for my short animation is to communicate the main plots of the book. 

To an audience of: 

Any fans or readers of Agatha Christie's work.

Looking back at the thumbnails that I created I think what made them look more engaging was that I had colour involved too. I have decided to go back to the 24 frames that I had made originally and add colour into them to see if that improves them. 

I am so much happier with having colour within the frames. I think that using pencil crayons work really well as they add a lot of added texture and movement to the animation. I have gone for a black background as I want to keep the intangible mood of mysteriousness, eery and dark.  

 Very pleased with the progress that I have made today. Here is an animation that I made on the App of todays work: 

MORE FRAMES: