Evaluation

The idea of this brief was to create a piece of video, an ident for a channel of our choice from the list we were provided with an to incorporate visual effects and motion graphics. I first chose to do an ident for channel 4 on the fear season, after thinking of the idea for a little while I decided that this was not what I wanted to do and changed my idea to the Sci-fi channel due to how I could see more scope for using visual effects. I chose to use maya to create my spaceships because i felt as though I had enough knowledge to use it for modelling, but I didn’t feel I was comfortable with it. After creating the model I rendered it, then exported it, which is where the main problems with this project occurred. I discovered that animating cameras in maya then putting it into after effects created an effective look, however the first footage I tried it on was too shaky which meant that even with image tracking it still looked well out of place, also lighting it was a nightmare as well due to how in maya I was trying to emulate the position of the sun in the footage but it is very difficult due to how to view it you have to render then import and if it’s wrong you have to go and change it in maya then re-export it and see if it fits.
When I went out to shoot my new footage I went prepared with a tripod so the footage would be stable, also I had in mind the fact that I needed to note the position of the sun and the fact I needed to be aware of the camera movement as well. When I was using this footage I found that it was far easier because there was very little camera shake which meant I could concentrate far more on ensuring the lighting and movement which makes the overall composition look far better.
I found the most useful part of this module was the fact it taught me that planning is far more important that I first thought and that I really like after effects. Also I took a lot of knowledge from creative cow tutorials which really helped.

Typography & logo

For the type i began by looking at different fonts, i decide on a font called Alien Encounter which is very x-files like. I then did some tutorials into text scrolling and lighting and more advanced effects. I decided that using a glow and blur effect combined with a layer mask creates the best effect.


I also used the sci fi logo took it into illustrator created an outline with the pen tool so it's vector then brought it back into after effects where i added a light beam to it to make it look more like the scifi channel's own logo.

Maya In video

This video examples the fact that if you don't use a tripod footage especially when zoomed is very shakey. In after effects there are ways that you can stabilze the movement but i feel like that is one thing too much to do in the time constraints. Also i have had to modify my original idea, in a crit it was suggested i take it more like a news shot as these are slow panning shots. I am still going to use the Bridgewater Place building just i will use a tripod and have my idea as doing a shot of the building then a UFO flies out the top and when it gets closer to the camera it cuts out. Below is the actual footage that i will use.

3D Maya

I decided to use maya to create the spaceship, i have very little knowledge of how to use it so it is a challenge. I started by modeling a ship.



After making the ship i exported it and placed it into after effects, animating it in maya. I found it very hard to match the movement to the video due to how it is very shakey, also it is very difficult to light 3d to match the video. I used masking to let the ship pass behind the trees, one thing which i have realised is that lighting the 3-d is made easier as is animating if i film my shots from a tripod to give stability.

Sci Fi ident research

Tutorials

Considering that some of my footage was shot without a tripod it is quite shakey, i went on to the internet and did a tutorial in motion tracking and motion stabilisation.

Location shots

These are some buildings which i thought would suit the purpose for my video, i have decided that a video with minimal movement is best also that a tripod is an essential.
These are shots of a building behind West Yorkshire Playhouse, i thinks it's called quarry house. I thought of this as an option due to how it looks sinister and has a strange feel to it with large dark glass and a strange structure on the top.




This is Bridgewater place it's the largest building in Leeds and is 110m tall.

Storyboard and Animatic

The building which i think would be best to use and the one which i have drawn in my storyboard is called Bridgewater Place and it is the tallest building in leeds, which means that the footage of a UFO coming from there may be more realistic due to how it's very large and very imposing upon the surrounding buildings

SCi Fi idea

I decided due to how i wanted to use maya again that i would make an ident for the sci-fi channel. The idea that i have is to film a shot of either a building or skyline and then for a UFO to appear and move around the screen, then for the camera to be knocked to the floor (just the view not the actual camera) due to a hand trying to stop filming. I plan on shooting in Leeds city centre, weather permitting on a reasonably unclouded day. If the weather is not fantastic i plan on shooting footage anyway but i will then have to concentrate more on lighting the UFO accurately.

I began by getting imagery and examples of idents used on the sci-fi channel, below is the logo which i took into illustrator then used to create a vector image with the pen tool. this meaning it won't pixelate at any size.

After effects

Having never used after effects before these are a few effects that i tried out, i think the ease of creating some of these effects is unbelievable. Obviously these are only simple effects but i think that applied correctly they will look highly professional.

Idea

Initially the idea i had for the fear season was that someone most probably a female would be reaching for a magazine on a high shelf shot from a high shot looking downwards showing a screwdriver resting precariously, cuts to flashback of housemate setting it up like that earlier. Then cut to a side shot, cuts to black when she starts pulling the magazine, then cuts to her on the floor laying from side angle then pans round to top shot. She is laying dead her body is crumpled into the shape of a channel 4 logo.

Idents

This brief is to create an ident for a well known channel, using the visual and typographical effects were are to be shown in tutorials using After effects. I originallty planned to do Channel 4 which is an ident for the fear season, the work i started towards this is below. I however changed my mind due to how i was more intersted in using special effects which the sci-fi channel gave me more of an option to use with the series being on UFO's.

Channel 4 Ident Videos

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eVAgXbgFReQ CITY SCAPE
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_9PhF2S5UVk TOKYO
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=DSwEjmV8VVk PIGEONS
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pkw-RaAyYVE HAY
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=N6Sk18jPCCc URBAN STREETS
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=UeAFh-n6YNI HIGH RISE ESTATES
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7z0qMb8YNI PYLONS
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eCf2FVbnrOU ROAD SIGNS
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=jL9lRn6ridg DOCKYARD
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rYkBgRdcQUk ALIENS
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bZEbv7tTVnk ROLLERCOASTER
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=PXgl7eWTS-I GENERIC IDENT