Project conclusion

AM50372-7

Creative and Enterprise - Project conclusion

Neil Ratcliffe

Self-directed project

We were directed to design projects that fitted into our focus skill set. The project should cover the following ideas:

Generate ideas

My initial plan was to create something short but of high-quality. I also wanted to develop something that would fit in with my new business, a software sales website. I decided to create a short animation/ident that would prefix video tutorials, of the products I would be selling.

Develop ideas

At this point I had to form what I was planning to do, how my planned animation would come together, what areas would I like to investigate, and how they will connect together. To assist in the development of ideas I used online video resources like vimeo. This helped me fully form the direction in which I wanted to go and how I would develop the final outcome.

Present proposal

I now had to present my ideas to the class and my tutors, so they fully understood the project and the direction in which I wanted to take it. I created a PowerPoint presentation, which introduced them to a little background, the level of quality I wanted to achieve and what I was planning at that point.

Reflect on out come

The final area of the project was to reflect on what we had done and how we would change it next time, what improvements we might make and identify areas in which we can improve. This is part of this document.

Initial plan

Initially I was going to use light and transparency within Cinema 4D, and examine how these could be affected by colour. This would inform the direction of the animation and how I would put it together. Before any investigations really took place, I became very interested in how to create more organic elements. I started to investigate how I could incorporate this within my animation. I looked at physical real world ways and software options to create these effects. I concluded that both options were viable but by creating the elements in the real world and recording this would probably achieve faster and just as impressive results. The only issue with the really world option was that it could not be controlled.

Blogging

As part of the project, I tried to record my progression on the blog. From the start I found this a difficult task. With assistance from my dyslexia tutor and a scheduled timetable, I believe I improved this area of my work. I hope that for the next project this will stand me in good stead from the outset. I also believe that when used correctly, the blog helps me to rethink my ideas.

Planning

To create the look I was after, I had to investigate which software I had to use and whether it would be viable or how I could achieve this look by recording it in the real world. I also had to decide how I was going to put this together and in what sequence. The best way in which to do this would be to create a storyboard. This is something I did not do but believe it would have helped to structure my idea. I also had to take into account rendering times for the 2D/3D software I was using and how this would impact on my deadline.

Creating

The first step in creating the animation was to model in 3D the RGB tools logo. This was to be taken from the 2D graphic. This started off with sketches and then further development within 3D software. This logo model became the core element to my animation.

The second element to my animation was the organic ink in water effect. Out of the two software programmes that I could use to create this effect, I only had the one (Red Giant Particular) and the other (Dpit for Cinema 4D) was beyond my budget.  After experimenting with Particular I discover it couldn’t create fully what I had envisioned.

The next stage was then to try and record the ink in water effect. I created a stage (see image below) with lights and used my camera on a tripod. It was important the stage was lit well as I wanted to bleach out the background so only the ink would be pick up by the camera.

I filled a transparent container with water and dropped in ink from above. I filmed from just below the water line, filling the screen. I also mixed some acrylic paint with water and using a plastic syringe to squirt this into the water. Both methods created great results. The only issue I had was the camera used an auto focus and as the water became darker, the camera focused on the reflection on the front of the container.

Creating the environment

As I started to assemble all these items into one file in Cinema 4D, I felt it needed a little more. So I decided to create an environment for the element to sit in. I started by creating a basic room with lights and a window at the back. This didn’t feel quite right, so I went on the hunt for an image for a real environment. I found a picture of an old Russian tile factory and set to replicating this in 3D. See the result below. This was not used in the final render, as using the lights in the way I wanted added to the render time and I could not afford this at this point of the project. 

Once I had rendered out my footage, I used the ink in water footage with my 3D models and combined the elements in postproduction. I edited the elements of animation to a piece of music I had chosen. I decided on a short sting, it starts off slowly and then explodes. I felt this matched the footage and added to the intensity of the piece.

Final Product

rgbtools.co.uk intro video 1 from BeeBlu on Vimeo.

Conclusion - what I would do different next time

One of the main areas in which I struggled with was time management in terms of how to fit the project in, not just round my personal life but my new self-employed status. I was also in a position where I was starting two businesses. The project was designed to sit along side rgbtools (one of the new businesses) but the time it took to set up encroached on time that should have been committed to the project. I think I had just taken too much on, but I think with better planning next time I will remove some of the stress.

One area that has changed the outcome of the project was the rendering time of the animations. Even though I have a powerful computer, to achieve the quality I was after I think I’ll need to look at ways of speed up this process. One possible option is to use a render farm. This is something I’m investigating for my next project; the only possible issue may be the cost.

I don’t think I’m quite finished with the ink in water idea. I have only today received a better camera for filming. I will reshoot my ink in water footage in an attempt to increase the quality of the final animation. I would also like to explore further the idea of the environment for housing the logo. More to come I think!