DVB301 - Kinetic Image and Text Assessment 1 - Annie Liang - n11028041

Digital Design and Production

All assets were made in After Effects except for the 'Mine' heart, made in Adobe Illustrator.

Before animating, I first imported the audio into the file and added markers into the timeline at the particular parts of the song that have scene changes or require accurate timing to execute.

I began with the beginning of the chorus. Precomposing different effects set to different composition settings (readjusting the resolution) made for a dated, CRT TV effect. The blurred letters, pixelated lines and waving effect were combined to execute this.

Next, I made the error pop up boxes within After Effects using the shape tools. Then I precomposed them and layered them on top of each other.

The transition to the next scene requires the error box to be cancelled. I created a mouse vector within After Effects which I animated its position using keyframes to 'click' on the X button.

After creating the MINE heart in Illustrator and importing it into the project, I turned on the 3D vector option. This then allows for rotation on the Z axis which I used to perform a spinning transition.

To be reflective of Y2K imagery, I added drop shadows to the majority of the text within the video. The transition to the next part of the song is a swipe down. I added a drip/smear effect to have the heart appear that it is dripping and the camera is following the action. I positioned the initial drip locations and altered its magnitude to create this effect.

A reoccurring effect within the video is visual elements 'bursting' on screen. The effect was achieved by easy easing the frames to be faster at the beginning and gradually slow. This effect was used on shape layers such as the stars and hearts. To feather the shapes, gaussian blur was added as an effect. This made it look similar to a burst of light.

The conclusion of the video has Ariana's voice 'glitch' and to visually depict this, the video proceeds to glitch and cut out. Adding a digital glitch effect, I key framed at the moments her voice glitches and set the seed to random values. This ensures that the glitch effect varies with each shake.

To have the screen twitch, I added the wiggle effect and had the same timing with the glitch keyframes. This was applied to both the text and background. There was additional noise added, to make the screen blurry and distorted.

I changed the frames to be easy ease. Opening the graph editor, I set the speed for the screen twitching to be the fastest at the marked points (when the voice glitches and the glitch effect randomises). This makes the twitching seem spontaneous, adding to the static and irritated effect.

I love when videos loop. Therefore, I created the 'turn on' and 'turn off' effect older TV have. I did this by unlinking the proportional scale and have the y-axis collapse first, proceeded by the x-axis.

To create depth and to simulate a heart exploding, a shadow heart was added behind the text. I duplicated the vector twice. I set one to the blending mode 'add' and the other to 'multiply' to lighten and darken the two respectively. Blurring the two and upscaling them act as an echo to the main text. They were then key framed to have a spontaneous burst (graphed to be faster at the beginning). To make the main text stand out more, a glow effect was added that shines.

Adding depth and more details to this scene. I wanted to make it look like it explodes into a galaxy. The CC Star Burst effect was added and modified to fit the dimensions of the video.

The galaxy effect was finalised after adding a glow effect and blurring with gaussian blur. This changes the stark effect to resemble soft stars floating in the galaxy. The frame freezes and the blur increases when the pop up boxes appear.

The text was then added onto a line. A mask was created in the text layer. The text floats on screen, the first line, followed by the following lyrics. They align in the centre on the words "the stars they align."

Similarly to the transition above, the text was masked to a line. The line weaves up and down to 'intertwine' the text. The text moves along this mask. The anchor point also moves, following the text by sliding its position.

When Ariana Grande sings, "mind", there is a layered echo effect. Similarly to the previous echo effect, the background text is magnified and added a shadow depth. However, for this echo, there is tracking on the letters. So as she sings "mind," the letter seperate on beat.

The final transition I worked on was the rotation. The anchor point was positioned at the bottom of the composition so it would rotate on this point. The rotation points were key framed and the speeds were set. Motion blur was added.

Final Video

Motion Design Elements

Letterform Characteristics:

Three notable typefaces were used throughout the video. One was a pixel monospace typeface, reminiscent of retro technology. This typeface was used when references to technology was used as it does not have the best readability. For example, at the beginning when the CRT TV 'turns on', the typeface is used here. Again, during the browsers popping up, it is again used.

The next notable typeface is a calligraphy typeface. It has an italicised, cursive appearance that expresses femininity. It contrasts nicely with the sans-serif typefaces (typeface 3) which is a bold, weight heavy, 'racer' like typeface. It is only used once in the video has it lacks readability when in sentences. The typeface (used for 'divine') is used for heavy emphasis due to its uniqueness and rare occurrence in the video. It appears at the very end of the video, before the video 'glitches out', again, adding a contrast within the very smooth and dynamic video.

Distortion:

The use of blur and fracturing is used in the video to create depth and distortion. When the browsers pop up on screen, the background is blurred, simulating computer screens that blur the background when an error message appears. Additional blur techniques include motion blur on moving elements. Motion blur adds an element of realism (as it simulates objects moving too quickly on camera), adding for less stark transitions and an easier watching experience. Other blur added is on shapes to feather them. By doing so, it looks like soft light, adding to the sensual mood of the song.

Fracturing the words can be seen at the end of the video when the text 'glitches' out. As aforementioned, it contrasts the fluidity of the video and matches the glitch texture added to Ariana's vocals at this part of the chorus. This also accompanies the story of the video, as after it 'glitches' the video cuts out.

Elaboration and Formal Characteristics:

The use of glow, shadow, colour manipulation and scale were all combined to show the principle of elaboration and the illusion of depth. There is an opaque drop shadow on the majority of the text. However, these two scenes required elaboration as they are significant moments within the video. By adding an echo effect, the word is further emphasised. The glow makes the text stand out as the shadows simulate an echo, repeating the word over. The upscaling of the word also draws more attention to it.

Composition:

The majority of the text has an alignment to the centre to maintain readability. Having the majority of the action happening in the centre of the screen allows the viewer to focus on the visuals without being distracted or searching for visual cues.

A design element used was the Z Rule. As English reading viewers, the eye naturally follows a Z shape. This was used during the browser pop ups scene, where with the addition of laying 'pop up' boxes, has the eye follow a natural pattern.

Depth and Dimensionality:

The use of drop shadows added dimensionality to the moving text. Not only does it fit the nostalgic aesthetic but makes the text visually stand out amongst the background.

Direction, Orientation and Rotation:

These principles were used predominantly when transitioning from one scene to the next. By having a change in direction, orientation and rotation, it maintains the action and engagement of the viewer. The different uses of all three key characteristics build for an overall more entertaining video. By changing these characteristic's properties, the pacing of the music and matching the intention of the lyrics can both be maintained. For example, rotating 'watch me take my time,' can be symbolic of a clock.

Layering:

The most evident part of layering is shown when the pop up boxes appear. It places priority on the text that is layered on top of the others, ultimately ending the scene with a big browser overshadowing all the other boxes.