project 1 - motion control - place

Intro:

This assignment will assist you in getting familiar with Adobe After Effects. The objective is to introduce the After Effects interface, timeline, layers, and import methods. Through readings, discussions and examples, it also establishes a vocabulary for moving image art based on traditional film camera techniques as well as the components of content and form in moving image art.

Creative Concept:

The SUBJECT of the first assignment will be a place that you choose. Select a "place" to visit and spend some quiet time observing its unique characteristics. Try and identify any clues or aspects of.

• Class, Race, or Gender
• Political Associations
• History
• Ownership
• Community
• Natural Dynamics
• Ecology/Human Intervention

Capture digital images of your place to construct a short animation. Don't frame all of your shots the same.

Shoot in landscape orientation

Manipulating Form:

Consider the following camera distances:

• Extreme Long Shot
• Long Shot
• Medium Shot
• Close-up
• Extreme Close-up

Consider the following camera angles:

• Low
• Eye-Level
• High
• Worm's Eye
• Bird's Eye

Consider the following when working with motion:

• speed
• velocity
• distance
• animation curves for slow in/slow out

Process:

• Color Correct or Enhance your images if needed, keeping a naturalistic feel.
• Create a New Project in After Effects
• Create a Composition in After Effects: HDV/HDTV 1080 (1920 x 1080).
• 30 FPS
• Composition Settings
• Import your still shots
• Import your image sequence (separately)
• Make 2 Animated Scenes following the guidelines below
• Render your Compositions and present in class for critique and discussion

Version 1: Standard Camera Edits

Follow the SHOT LIST EXACTLY for timing, camera movement and transitions including

• Tracking and Craning shots should be VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL ONLY
• Wipes must be exactly horizontal or vertical
• Digital Zooms must be realistic
• Straight cuts must be the entire frame
• Singular Camera Movements only

Make sure to:

• Fine tune your animation (Ease in, Ease Out, Graph Editor)
• Render your animation
• Render Settings - rendering with After Effects

VERSION 2 - (NON STANDARD EDITS - EXPERIMENTAL EDITS - EXTREME EDITS)

• Make up your OWN TIMELINE for camera movements, timing and transitions
• Explore non-standard and extreme edits (camera movement, speed, rotation, etc.)
• Maximum length of 30 seconds
• Fine tune your motion
• Render your animation
• Render Settings - rendering with After Effects

Parameters

• ALL original source images (new images only)
• no effects, filters, presets, expressions,
• no video, no sound, no text

Resources

Adobe Keyboard

Shortcuts used in class

Format:

Your final shorts will be in the following format:

format: H264 (.mp4)

size: HDV/HDTV 1080 (1920 x 1080 pixels - square pixels)

frame rate: 30

video encoded as: H.264

What to Turn in:

• put all of your assets used in one folder > right click (compress) to create a .zip > whatever_your_files.zip
• firstname_lastname_place_01.mp4
• firstname_lastname_place_02.mp4
• whatever_your_filename.aep

Submit your file to D2L Assignment 1

Criteria For Grading and Evaluation: