Introduction
For this project we had to create six 4 second videos which would be posted on Instagram to advertise our course ‘Creative and Cultural Industries’ i.e. ‘CCI’. The videos had to represent the course in its best form, using a theme to express its core values.
The visuals needed to be vibrant, engaging and pleasing to our target audience. Our viewers are future national and international students who are interest in studying the arts at university. In the initial brief for the project, the word ‘creativity’ was repeated often, so our ideas had to be bold and follow an imaginative theme.
Video Specifications
Each video had to have a unique art direction and animation technique. As a reference, we were given the ‘Skittles Pride Day campaign: https://blinkink.co.uk/projects/skittles-compilation‘. The Skittles videos are wild and memorable, which consequently sparked initial ideas for our project. Each video needed to be one of the following: stop motion, cartoon animation, motion graphics, animated collage, motion type, etc.
Group Selection/ Brainstorming Process
As a class we were given the choice to work alone or in small groups of two/ three. When considering potential work partners, I thought about the requirements given and how I’d like to work with new people to explore fresh perspectives etc. I chose to work with two teammates from the class who proved to have a proactive mentality and a number of interesting initial ideas.
To begin, we had a meeting to brainstorm our thoughts and rough plans for the project. Our lecturer instructed us to work on the logo and slogan for the project, so we spring-boarded from this and ideas began to flow.
The Theme/ Slogan
After filling pages of possible routes to take, we decided to follow the theme of ‘growth’. Words like ‘growth, creativity, exploration, boldness, culture and risk’ were discussed, but we believed to the concept of growing was the strongest topic to explore. In this course, we are having to grow and to step out of our comfort zones to complete tasks and assignments. Creativity is the key to CCI, and the willingness to grow comes with it.
Continuing on from this, our group also mentioned how creativity comes with being bold and ‘out there’, so we wanted to include another word to compliment this idea. The world ‘wild’ came into mind, as we thought about flowers and growth. Flowers are wild and are difficult to tame, they are beautiful and unique. They also need their space, and time to bloom. We began to write the many possibilities for our slogan with these words and eventually we concluded with ‘Grow wildly’. The slogan is short, bold and represents our depiction of CCI.
Logo ideas
Following on from deciding on our main theme and slogan, we drew our ideas for the project logo. Considering the theme of flowers, growth and being wild, we researched online/ in books for artists who have explored the ideas.
On my side of the research I looked at references from websites such as https://99designs.co.uk/inspiration/logos/flower and https://www.freelogodesign.org/logo-ideas/Floral-logo-design.
The artist ‘Rotred’ on 99designs has created the logo ‘sentiment’ which is a very simple yet effective design. The colour orange is eye-catching and visually pleasing, which is what we wanted for our logo. For the artist alexmyth™, I appreciated the positioning of the text with the logo. The layout is clear, professional yet engaging.
After looking at numerous examples of possible logo layouts, each member of the group designed separate ideas along the same theme. We came together to consider each idea, and chose the best aspects of each design to create the final logo.
The process continued on into our later stages of the project as we were indecisive about the final idea, however eventually we created a strong final product.
Our final logo is a combination of all of our previous ideas, and reflects the main purpose – to express growing wildly. The colour yellow, taken from the main Kingston University logo, connects the course to the university. The wild-flower was taken from experimenting different ideas together, and the decision to place the text next to the logo was inspired by artist research (such as alexmyth™).
During this process we had constructive feedback from our lecturers, and they gave promising responses to the ideas and extra help with the layout of the piece. They mainly emphasised the point of making it SIMPLE and to not over complicate the idea. The struggle we had in this process was with the simplicity of the logo, we wanted the flower to connect with the course and not with another, e.g. a gardening/ science course. The lecturers could understand our difficulty regarding this, but they said as long as we stuck with the concept of growing wildly, then the overall product will be strong.
Storyboarding 10 Ideas
In the grouping process at the beginning of the project, we were informed that due to being in a group of 3 we would have to create 6 videos (2 each). Other class members didn’t have this challenge, so we had to think of ideas quickly and efficiently to make the project a success. Considering the video specifications, we brainstormed initial ideas for our 4 second videos. Always following the theme of growing wildly, we wanted to incorporate flowers and movement in each piece.
Each member of the group wrote propositions and references for each idea. I was particularly interested in making a stock frame video using pictures to create a narrative. Prior to the project, I explored the many facilities Kingston University has to offer. The new section to the KSA campus has 3D workshops, photography studios etc, so this helped in opening-up the many possibilities for our video creations.
Inspiration List of Books and Artists
Our initial ideas were good, but not great… as our lecturer pointed out, and we wanted them to be great! We needed to push the idea of being ‘wild’, so we researched more whacky techniques to support our narratives. For our stock frame video, I was particularly inspired by Peter Gabriel’s music video from Sledge Hammer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJWJE0x7T4Q ). The technique from this isn’t realistic, but believable and interesting to watch. This sparked new ideas for the project, following the route of ‘not realistic but effective’.
During our brainstorming process we thought about how they would practically be achieved. We considered the facilities needed, and began to decide our plan-of-action. I was accountable for booking the studios and organizing meetings for the group. This process was very enjoyable as I find organizing people and planning schedules rewarding. We managed to book two days in a motion graphics room for our stock frame animation projects, and two days in the video/ photography studio for our other projects.
The 6 Videos
1 – Flower Stock Frame Animation (SHIRLY)
Plan: Create a stock frame animation clip of a flower being drawn wildly.
Action: Set up the stock frame equipment, draw the flower whilst recording frame by frame (25 frames per second), and save the video. Then edit video on Adobe Premiere Pro with special effects.
Duration: 2 hours
Reflection: Due to the video being our first stock frame animation project, the process took longer than anticipated due to learning about the facilities and familiarising ourselves with the tools.
The group member who drew the flower used a previous sketch as a reference in the video. We initially wanted the drawing to look fluid and wild, but in the end we chose to use a more ‘shutter-like‘ style to play with the gittery stock frame movement.
After the filming, my teammate edited the file on APP and gave the video its finishing touches. She said the process was challenging yet rewarding, and as a group we believe the piece overall has proven to be a success.
2 – Animation clip, man with flower – adobe illustrator (KATIE)
Plan: Create an animation clip on Adobe Illustrator (AI) and Adobe After Effects (AE) of a man interacting with a flower, and as a result grows dramatically
Action: Draw initial sketches on Photoshop of scene, then import file into Illustrator and create shapes over (so file is in vector form). Import file into Adobe After Effects and research method in order to create a moving animation clip of man interacting with flower growing. Render file into MP4.
Duration: 2 hours
Reflection: I was responsible for this project, and it was a big learning curve in my development. I was offered help by a motion graphics designer who walked me through the animation process. I pitched my idea and explained my expectations for the final result.
The designer explained how to use the different tools on AE, and left the creating to me. So I initially designed the scene on IE and put each element/ shape on different layers. I carefully considered the colour palate, and the size of the character and the flower. After this I imported the file onto AE, and continued the process on the program.
Using the program AE was quite mind-boggling at the beginning as there are many processes to take in order to create movement in the scene. Each shape had to be connected to another in order to link parts together. For example, with the character I created, I had to connect the legs and arms to the main body, the eyes, nostrils and mouth to the face etc. I did this to ensure that when I commanded the shapes to move, they would move together and not separately.
The time-line was fortunately only 4 seconds long, so the animation was short and effective for that amount of time. There were 3 main seconds of the mini-clip: the man with a flower, then sniffing the flower, then the flower growing dramatically with the character reacting in a shocked way.
The end result was rewarding, and I am pleased with what was achieved. The feedback from lecturers and fellow classmates was positive. I would like to further my knowledge of this use of animation in the future.
3 – flower invasion – stock frame animation (LUKE)
Plan: Create a stock frame animation clip of a person being invaded by flowers. Then edit video on Adobe Premiere Pro with special effects.
Action: Take initial photos of a persons face with a sequence of different expressions reacting to the invasion. Print and cut-up photos of face and of yellow flowers.
Set up the stock frame equipment, move photos of mans face reacting to the flowers taking over whilst recording frame by frame (25 frames per second), and save the video. Edit work on Adobe Premiere Pro with special effects.
Duration: 3 hours
Reflection: As a group we found creating this video the most interesting as we were testing out different techniques with combining photography, stock frame animation and editing on APP together. Our main reference, as mentioned before, was from Peter Gabriel’s music video from Sledge Hammer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJWJE0x7T4Q ).
When taking the initial photos of the model, we had to ensure the expressions were adequate for the movement of the flowers. We took many different sequence photos and ended up with a strong selection. The preparation for the stock frame animation section took a while as we had to print, cut up and place the images in the right positions. Overall the primary stock frame video turned out successful and we worked well as a team.
My teammate wanted to use a similar technique to our previous stock frame animation piece by playing with the staggered movement of the photos. He chose to use a filter on APP that accentuates this effect.
The final video looks well put together, and shows the narrative that we aimed for.
4 – Card Game – Live video + AE (KATIE)
Plan: Create a black and white video of man playing with deck of cards who eventually deals a card with an animated yellow flower growing from it.
Action: Book photography studio and set up equipment to film. Take film of man playing with cards on a table and lifting a final card to the screen. Export the video into MP4 and edit the file on AE. Import yellow flower logo into AE and create a path so the flower follows the card when lifted, and grows quickly. Render file into MP4.
Duration: 3 hours (filming and editing)
Reflection: This has been an interesting challenge combining two techniques together (filming and editing on AE). The initial filming was an eye-opening experience as we were working with new equipment and had to think about light levels, size of the frame and other factors. We worked well as a team, and the videos we took were a success.
When we went through the video selection phase, we had to filter the videos with the cleanest shots and strongest narratives. During the videoing process we tried using comedic facial expressions and shuffling – but in the end we kept to a cleaner narrative by making the models expressions basic and not over complicating the video.
Due to the videos length being 4 seconds, it was challenging to include the exact visual we wanted. For instance, the flower animation had to be very short and instant whereas initially we wanted to have it grow in a more gradual impacting way.
Challenges aside, we think over all the visuals are effective and clearly represent the main theme and message we are promoting.
5 – Flower Shot – Live video + adobe (LUKE)
Plan: Film a visually impacting video of a person acting like James bond, eventually shooting flowers at another character to represent creativity.
Action: Book photography studio and set up equipment to film.
Take film of a person with gun in front of them, in a ‘James Bond’ angry pose, making sure gun is almost directly in front of the camera creating tension. Follow on the scene with another person getting shot, but with yellow flowers and reacting in a shocked way.
Export the video into MP4 and edit the file on APP. Choose an appropriate effect to emphasize drama and colors. Using editing tools, create a path for the flowers to hit and fall off model. Finally render the file into MP4.
Duration: 2 hours
Reflection: Before the practical filming process, the brainstorming ideas showed to be positive and impacting, however the overall visuals were not as shocking as I had imagined. Due to this being our first time using AE, the ideas in our heads were difficult to practically achieve. The flowers were meant to shoot out of the gun and bounce off of the character.
My teammate who had the initial idea for this video wanted to follow a James Bond style with the camera angles, and I fed back to the group how I believed the colourful editing takes the drama away from the video. However in the end we pursued the colourful images when considering our youthful student target audience, and taking into account that colourful visuals are more enticing for the age group.
6 – Flower Mouth – Live video + adobe (SHIRLY)
Plan: Film people with flower exploding from their mouths
Action: Film multiple people with air in their cheeks, and then blowing out dramatically. Edit videos on Adobe Premiere Pro with flower coming out of the mouth.
Duration: 2 hours
Reflection: This video is visually appealing and shocking at the end (with the short audio clip). Initially we wanted to edit the videos so that a puff of flour came out of the mouth, but unfortunately our team member wasn’t able to achieve the technique after trying it out many times on Premiere Pro. So we decided to keep the idea simple and use our iconic flower instead of flour.
In the end the video has proven to be a success and the sequencing of each clip flows well together.
Audio Recording and Editing
For our jingle, we booked a recording studio and experimented with different sounds in order to find the perfect accompaniment for the project. We previously brainstormed what sounds were appropriate. Sounds such as water-droplets and rustling leaves were considered in this process as they connect with growth and nature. During the recording session we worked together to create many different samples to choose from using different materials such as buckets, paper, noises from the mouth, water. It was an enjoyable experience as we bounced off creative ideas, and worked on the software together.
After filtering through the audio clips, we eventually chose the water-droplet sounds. Water is the element that feeds plants, so we believe that it symbolises how CCI feeds us with knowledge that we need to grow wildly.
Final Editing
After we edited two videos each individually, we came together for a meeting so we could refine and and put all of the work together.
We structured the videos in size order as we had 3 portrait and 3 landscape videos. This made the video clearer and more digestible for the viewer. At the end of the 28 second video we added a slide with our flower logo, slogan and jingle, and then a second slide with the KSA logo and our call to action ‘Check us out @CCI_KSA’.
After this process we began to prepare our powerpoint slides and planning a brief idea of how to present our work. As a team we were able to give an equal amount of effort into this project and the communication building up to the pitch was very clear and constructive.
‘Flourishing into your true colours takes risk and courage. We believe CCI offers a solid foundation for students to grow from through WILD experimentation and working for professionals in the industry.
A section from the presentation
Our concept follows the GROWTH (development) in a students life using the symbology of a yellow flower.’
Link to Instagram story
Summary and reflection
This project has been an insight into using new software and editing programs. It has been very beneficial learning about how to create different types of animation.
KatiesBlog 
