A place where projects and pieces get a second chance. Let’s face it, you can NEVER actually complete a project. There is always something you wanted to incorporate into it, but due to time constraints and deadlines you had to make a professional choice of what made the cut.
This is where FlashBacks come into play! Either a piece needs to be updated and have a fresh look for the client, or I had some free time and wanted to get to the features (which haunted the back of my mind) that I couldn’t fit into the project deadline. Step by step decisions and revisions for all…
VERSION 01 | June 2007
A Motion Graphics piece that sets the tone and mood for a bi-weekly podcast focusing on issues regarding Homeland Security.
My first take on 3D in Motion Graphics (well 2.5D). So I really wanted to emphasize this with extreme camera movements. Looking back at this project I know now that it was too much. Also I think the lack of shading and depth of field made me animate in an extreme fashion.
VERSION 02 | May 13, 2010
Fast-forward three years. I am much more familiar with a true 3D environment (I am comfortable in Maya, and Cinema4D) so I want to update the viewpoints opening with a smoother flowing piece.
Started to block out the the scenes and create the camera animation. The elements on screen are not animated (yet), I want to focus on composition and overall tone of the piece first. Here goes…
VERSION 03 | May 24, 2010
VERSION 04 | July 7, 2010
It was a good idea to wait until I got the animation locked down and approved before texturing and lighting so I can focus on the important parts of the piece and skip over the parts that will not be visible. The texturing process was a little tricky because I originally was using a standard light setup and the textures looked good in that particular setup. I decided to use a Global Illumination approach in lighting and while it produced a more realistic look overall, the materials were altered a little.
VERSION 05 | July 20, 2010
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for revisions. Most of the changes are timing and clarity issues. During the last revision meeting people wanted to see more of the midwest flyover. They really like the billboard signs popping up so I re-timed the flyover and allowed more time and also added additional billboards to the composition. Also, I noticed when the laptop opens to the video wall it seem a little too hectic and cluttered with all nine videos so I decided to open up to one video and have the rest follow. I added a nice polished look to the video that simulates power up of the video. I cleaned up and correcting some of the textures so they pop out better in the composition and also reduce render time.
VERSION 06 | July 29, 2010
Nice, after the last revision meeting I feel that there will only be minor timing changes in the future. I went in and added a lot more polish to the scene. Adding a time lapse video of clouds to the skydome really added texture and depth to the background element without detracting from the main content. I also added some depth of field by using the depth pass from Cinema4D as a base and changing the focus in After Effects to bring out certain pieces during the animation. Using depth of field can be a strong tool to make the viewer follow a certain story progression with the elements on screen. I was finally able to adjust some of the audio score from the original version to match the new ending. Originally, there was a lot of build up in the audio because it was synced to the animation, but now the piece has more of a softer ending. I took out some of the audio effects to match the current animation.