Visuals
My final kinetic typography video.
Project Statement
For this project, students will use time and motion to express and communicate action. A goal of the project is to acclimate students to animation in After Effects and use the concept of play as a method of experimentation with the dynamic relationship between type and motion. Design elements should consist of a singular typeface, full color, sound effects, and strategically implements motion to communicate meaning. You will have the opportunity to add a sound effect during the final phase of the project.
Process
Preparation: Make a list and select three action verbs that begin with the same letter as your first/last name.
Phase I (Ideation): Choose a typeface that best expresses/complements/contrasts your chosen verbs. Sketch & use Illustrator to experiment with various typefaces before deciding on one for each verb. Sketch 50 ways in which your verbs could be visualized as single-motion frames.
Phase II (Iteration): Choose one verb to move forward with. Propose 3 unique animation directions for the chosen verb. Sketch five (5) refined frames for each proposal (15 total).
Phase III (Storyboard): Select one of your concepts to refine and create a full storyboard.
Phase IV (Production): Finalize your animation sequence in after effects.
Reflection
I began my process by trying to pick verbs that were strong action verbs, something that I could translate the action in more than just one way. I think this process was for the most part very successful because when it came down to picking my final word, blow, I was able to create multiple concepts pretty easily for that one word. At first, I also kept my concepts limited to what I thought I would be able to do in After Effects, because I was nervous about not knowing the software. However, I discovered that After Effects are really not all that scary once you get going in the program and I was able to build upon my limited concepts and expand them to more challenging ones. If I were to do this project over again and face my nervousness with After Effects, I would look up way more tutorials. The tutorials that we watched for the class were helpful to get the foundations down; however, it was not until the end that I went to Google to try to solve what I wanted to create, and I was wildly helpful in creating effects that fit my specific needs. At first, my nervousness about the software got in the way of my process; however, I was able to overcome that roadblock. Being willing to ask for help/look up information for help was a very big learning moment. I already know the importance of asking for help; however, it never crossed my mind that I could ask for help by Googling my problem. This learning moment was powerful because if I would have “asked for help” earlier in my process then I would have avoided a lot of frustrations. Simply just being able to push my concept further brought me the most satisfaction. Being able to push past my struggles and then extend my creative thinking was a great feeling for me.
