Top 10 - Ident storyboards

I intend on deriving my idents from the final title sequence which is why I spent the majority of my time focusing solely on the 60sec animation. I initially thought on having 1 or 2 films per ident and finishing with the channel (BBC three, time, date etc).

However, I have decided to use the idea of having the film reel initiate the ident (much like the title sequence) as this encompasses film in general (and not just Super 8) followed by just one movie. The ident will end with the info being revealed on the 3 beats of the backing track.

I looked at a range of different text / info compositions to see which was the most effective. As the ident ended with 3 strong beats which I have used as markers throughout my title sequence, I decided for the information to be revealed in sync with the track. 

Top 10 - Icon storyboards

A few storyboards experimenting with transitions using the imagery I previously designed in Illustrator. I printed several icons off and arranged them on a storyboard in order to investigate how I could 'morph' one image to another to create fluid transitions.

Top 10 - Storyboards

Some more initial storyboards experimenting with various transitions between imagery - focusing on each individual film. I initially thought of having the Hangover segment as the introduction of my title sequence - with the sun rising and an alarm clock ringing, indicating the 'morning after the night before' and the start of the sequence itself.

Harry Potter 

Deathly Hallows symbol appears, the triangle and line fall out of the frame, leaving the circle to form the lens of a pair of glasses. The other appears from the side of the frame and the pair of glasses form. This decreases in size and a lightning bolt scar appears.

Inbetweeners

Knot of tie appears from the top of frame followed by the tie itself. This leaves the frame on the left (or right) and one bottle appears. This is followed by another 2, followed by several more in quick succession (slow to fast).

Transformers

Dark night sky - possibly stars appear?? The moon appears from behind the viewer and moves to the centre of the frame. An eclipse occurs and the moon soon reappears. A glass helmet window is revealed from its centre and soon forms an astronauts helmet.

Top 10 - Design ideas / Storyboards

Looking at transitions between imagery. I ensured I separated each individual film as to not create a spontaneous animation with no structure. Text will eventually appear alongside or prior to the segmented animations but I decided to focus purely on the imagery for now.

Top 10 - Initial storyboards

I designed the following few storyboards focusing on some of the iconic imagery I collated from the top 10 films of 2011. I have looked at various ways in how I could transform one into another - what transitions I may need to use, thinking creatively as possible.

Hangover > Transformers
Alarm clock > Moon > Eclipse > Helmet > Astronaut

Rise of the planet of the apes > Harry Potter
ROTPOTA Window > Circle > Glasses lens > Two lens' > Frame > Lightning bolt

Silent Movie - Feedback session

Thursday's feedback workshop was extremely useful, both for getting feedback on my work and whether the word was visually communicated effectively and to troubleshoot the queries I had with a couple of my design ideas in particular.

One thing that was noted by Dom and Lorraine was the lack of colour. Although I found it hard to incorporate a colour which would enhance the concept in some way, it was suggested I could use coloured wool/yarn' in reference to sequence 1 and 2 (below). It was noted that sequence 2 was the most effective as Dom understood the concept and believed it communicated well.

I was unsure how I was ultimately going to translate sequence 2 into After Effects as it was essentially a line which formed a word as opposed to animating a word itself. It also used a depth of field as the sequence begun with with the piece of 'string' (yarn) coming into the frame from behind the viewer (lower left) and exiting in the upper right corner. I asked Lorraine and fortunately, there is a simple (more or less) way of producing this outcome. I will need create the word in Illustrator and place the path of the type into After Effects where I could then alter the anchor points.

Sequence 3 was the most self explanatory as it was an immediate response to how I could animate the word 'spin' - simply by spinning the letters (this was similar to sequence 5). The 4th sequence was also received well though the last section needed more frames to communicate the idea more effectively.

Silent Movie - Keyframe Workshop [3]

These are the storyboards I created in response to Lorraine's workshop. We were required to create 5 storyboards based on one word which used a minimum of 5 key frames. A 5 second motion video does not necessarily have 5 frames each at 1 second intervals therefore we had to devise a way of communicating idea across several. 

With some of my ideas, however, I had to incorporate some tweening frames to show how the type is formed (in sequence 2, for example). We also had to incorporate the 'Title Safe' guides in order to ensure our content fit within the frame.

Outcomes

(1) Thread/string which forms the word, 'spin', slowly unravels and becomes a stretched/tightened piece of string. 

(2) Spinning yarn/wool enters into the frame from behind the viewer (adding an interesting depth of field). This enters at a fast pace and begins to form the word, 'spin'. The speed decreases until the word has formed and then starts to leave the frame in the upper right hand corner.

(3) Letters appearing from 'behind' the viewer, reducing in scale as they spin independently.

(4) Sans serf type forming additional cursive characteristics. This is slow to begin with but suddenly increases in speed towards the last second or so of the sequence. The curls immediately fill up the frame, almost out of of control. 

(5) Lower case sans-serif type is set small, in the centre of the frame. Individual letters begin to rotate and enlarge towards the viewer - these vary across the sequence.

Silent Movie - Storyboard Task

We were required to devise 5 concepts and create 5 different storyboards / design ideas for each of these. The first was based on an unravelling piece of spinning yarn / wool. The first consists of the word 'Spin' in a subtle, cursive font which slowly unravels until it becomes a straight piece of string. I looked at reversing this aswell as experimenting with orientation, scale and depth of field.

I then looked into 'spinning' cursive characteristics - either the word forms these cursive details or loses them. I experimented with various formations and how detailed these flourishes are.

A literal interpretation to the word 'spin' is for the word to rotate. I experimented with the rotation of the word itself or individual letterforms. I looked primarily at rotation through space in order to make the movement more 'exciting' as opposed to stationery letterforms.

The following was based on a more abstract idea of having a tornado / twister forming or being formed by the word or letterforms. The first consists of the word 'spin', sat a small scale in the centre of the frame. An oncoming tornado causes the letterforms to spin out of control. However, as we are required to solely use type, this would need to be removed for the final outcomes. I also looked at the lines of a tornado forming the letterforms and vice versa.

These are more general ideas I devised. The second is an out of control cursive typeface retracting its cursive characteristics to form a more legible word. The first is a spinning yarn entering the frame from behind the viewer, forming the word 'spin' and leaving the frame.

Silent Movie - Storyboard Workshop [1]

In this workshop, we were first required to draw a range of letterforms in reference to our chosen words. Our inspiration is to be drew from our source imagery and research. Although we were allowed to incorporate directional arrows in order to indicate movement, the letterforms had to be self explanatory. For the word, 'float',  I decided to primarily use the letter 'o' due to its associations with bubbles and clouds which 'float'.

The letter 'S' has certain rounded characteristics which the word 'spin' can be applied to. I experimented with cursive additions to give the impression the letterform was 'spinning'. I based one design on a spinning potters wheel and another on a tornado. 'Turn or cause to turn or whirl around quickly' /  'A rapid turning or whirling motion'

Change of form, appearance (the visual quality of the letterform itself). 

Lateral / Vertical, change of position, fixed form.

Lateral / Vertical, depth of field, space, dimension, form