For this online lesson, our focus was on R&D, which stands for research and development. This was useful because soon we would be starting our fantasy brief, which is the first big project that we will be doing. So, why is r&d so important? Well, the first part of it – research – is a vital stage for any project. We research in order to find inspiration and generate ideas, but also to focus in on the audience: what they want, what they like and dislike, and what the previous audience types were for any examples. These are both extremely […]
Author: Tina
Fantasy Animation
The First term at Confetti was more fulfilling than I thought it could be! In what felt like such a short range of time we learned about how to work with several different programs and acquired a multitude of different skills. So, as a way to finally use those skills and combine as much as we could together, we were asked to create a short animation on after effects. The themes for this animation were fantasy, sci-fi and horror, as well as being able to add comedy to any one of those themes. I chose fantasy because I feel like […]
Project Management: Bullet Journal
Planning ahead of time is an important part of college, the world of work, and life and general. I have been doing it for about a year and have found it to be quite an effective method in promoting productivity and keeping things in track. I have recently bought a new planner since my old one wasn’t doing the job for me and I have started the year off on a dynamic note. My favourite part of bullet journaling or just planning out each day with a simple to-do list is that it is quite customisable and personal to the […]
2D Animation – Animating along a path & Trim Paths
Animating along a Path This lesson was about learning another method of animating a shape to move in After Effects. Once the program is open, create a small shape – I did a rectangle. Centre the anchor point of the shape. Then go to the pen tool and empty the fill and stroke so that you can create invisible lines or paths. With the tool selected, create a wiggly line as the path that you want the shape to move. The next step is to open the path layer up, go into contents, shape 1, path 1, open that, select […]
Morphing VFX
Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes (or morphs) one image or shape into another through a seamless transition. Traditionally such a depiction would be achieved through dissolving techniques on film. Since the early 1990s, this has been replaced by computer software to create a more realistic transition. The method we learned involved the reshape effect, and allowed us to morph one face into another in After Effects. In After Effects, import two faces and align them as best as possible on top of one another, toggling the opacity to match the facial […]
2D Animation – Parenting and CC Sphere
We learned two more skills in After Effects. The first, parenting, allows you to link one shape to another, so that it follows it, like a child and a parent. To get our first taste of how it worked, we made a simple animation with two stars in After Effects. First, I animated the bigger star to spin, then I dragged the tether from the little curly-whirly symbol next to the small star to the bigger star. The parent link will show where ‘none’ used to be. Now, when the big star rotates, the little star follows it. You can […]
After Effects Expressions
Expressions are small bits of code that you type into After Effects, to change somethings or animate a shape in a certain way. It is a little bit of software that says that a property is something or gets the property of a layer to do something you want. The two expressions that we learned are the wiggle expressions and loop expression. Loop Expression Create a new composition, new solid and a circle. Using position, transform the circle to move across the screen and back. The goal is to make the animation repeat without using copy and paste. […]
Introduction to the Sony Cameras
Our introduction to the Sony cameras involved going to a nearby park and working in groups to capture some creative shots. Of course, we went through many rules and safety instructions to make sure everything would go as smoothly and safely as possible. Be careful with the equipment Do not use it outside of its intended use It must be used in a way that is not harmful to anyone Any breakage/incidents/loss/thefts should and will be reported to confetti immediately Wear masks, sanitize and don’t touch the equipment and then your face Be mindful of traffic and in case of […]
Representation
Here are the things that I learned in our online class on representation. Construction – This is the way that media text is put together. It is all of the editing and choice of camera angles we see in film. For example, this scene from clueless, in which we see from which angle the producers decided to shoot from, and what would make up the frame in those few seconds. Mediation – The process everything goes through before it reaches the audience. Like how scripts are rewritten, original footage edited and changed, magazine articles proofed and checked, and […]
Perspective Grid Tool
We were introduced to yet another new tool in Illustrator, which involves a 3d viewpoint. The first thing we learned of was what a vanishing point is, which is a point on an image plane of perspective drawing where the 2d perspective drawings of mutually parallel lines in a 3d space appear to converge. In basic terms, it is the point where the lines appear to disappear within the illusion of distance. We also quickly went through a two-point perspective, which is where you can only see two sides of a shape, and a three-point perspective, which is three sides. […]