Top 10 - Schematic

A really simply schematic for the dvd menu - subject to change as I discover the possibilities within Dvd Studio Pro. I have no end of ideas for theses menus, my only concern is that I'm being too adventurous with some of the things I want to achieve - like a looping video embedded in each menu. Either way I want the menu to have plenty of animated elements and transitions, but we'll see how achievable that actually is as the module progresses.

Top 10 - Running Stickman

Stick man development.

Took a few attempts to get the movement right, but now he's made I can easily repeat that movement 
over and over again seamlessly.

Top 10 - After Effects, Test 1

A quick test in After Effects to see if the poster works as a composition once zoomed in. The idea was to move through the poster as the animation progresses, though I think it will be harder than I first thought to navigate round the poster as it currently is. I might have to move things around once the first zoom is over, to allow the animation to flow smoothly... Doing this will add a sense of disorientation to the video, which could actually work in my favour.

Top 10 - Feedback sheets & Crit Notes

(notes taken during crit)

Top 10 - Storyboards

Initial storyboards

I used the idea of a flowchart to help organise and structure my ideas, getting a feeling for the pace of the animation as well as how all the scenes I want to include may link together.

Top 10 - RATIONALE

The zombie genre has seen a rainbow of different approaches throughout the years, from the old days of green faces and staggered walks, to the modern day rage infested kind and of course, the recent 'zom-com' or zombie comedy that is Shaun of the Dead. Tone of voice will be particularly important when considering the appropriate way to respond to this brief, and I have decided that the idea of a scary zombie has long since run it's course, and the future lies with the black humour of zombie comedy - as much of my research has shown. 


I plan to produce a 50 second animated title sequence for a 'mockumentary' style T.V program detailing the top 10 of zombie survival tips. The program will be shown on the channel Living Tv, as this gives me the most appropriate audience to work with. The tone will be quite sarcastic, mocking the idea of traditional horror or gore genre zombie films. 


The design direction will be determined by my current research into information graphics. Some of the pivotal pieces I have been looking at include the title sequence for 'Euro Trip' and 'Catch Me If You Can', I enjoy the simple approach to each of the pieces, especially the quite twisted humor of 'Euro Trip'. I want to keep the overall appearance of the piece as simplistic as possible, allowing me to push my technical ability within the software and not get caught in the trap of using special effects to mask bad workmanship. 


I feel video and audio go hand in hand, each enhancing the other. I will need to consider this aspect very carefully, as failing to find the right track could ruin everything I am striving to achieve. 

Top 10 - Poster Variations

DVD MENU

After coming up with a quick dvd menu concept,  I decided to animate it as a test to see how the movie might come together - this was really a test in kinetic typography.

Now working in RGB, that yellow has become far more intense, and almost illegible. More consideration over colour is definitely on the to do list.

Movie Season - Change to TOP 10 Brief

As my ideas started to take shape last week, I had the sudden realisation that the Movie Season brief was in fact holding back many aspects of my work, making it difficult to make any progress. My ideas about comedy zombie movies naturally progressed into info graphics and the story boards called for a longer running time than ten seconds each. Also my ideas all focussed around the idents being one continual piece, the fact that they would have to be cut into pieces, interrupting the natural flow of the animation was something I had ignored until recently, when I figured it would be much more relevant to answer the Top 10 brief.

And so, that's exactly what I'm doing.
 - 'Top 10 Zombie Survival Tips' As a title sequence to a one off 'mock-umentary' about a zombie apocalypse.

These two posters I designed almost as story boards. The second one is obviously far better than the first, but both of them explain the story of my project just as a storyboard would. They are subject to change, but the process alone has helped me visualise my ideas, and put them in a logical order. Perhaps an odd way of working, but it's done wonders.

My plan is to use all the elements of the poster in my animation, so lots of kinetic type and diagrams, but I'm in the process of developing a stick man character who will move around the images, and interact with the type to reinforce the message, or make fun of it, or both. Either way this character will be an unexpected comedy edge, he'll have a lot of fun moving around on this deadly serious backdrop.

Movie Season - Clarification

Okay, so off to a slow start as usual. I think it's time I clarified exactly what I'm going to do in this module, hopefully you'll be able to see where I'm coming from if you check my contextual blog. So firstly, I think the tone of this zombie apocalypse season is key to deciding the overall graphic style. I was very much torn between a dead serious approach, and a more lighthearted, comical feel as a lot of the modern zombie hits out there have a comical edge. Upon hearing that about 20% of the class had also picked a horror genre, and a lot of those had picked zombies as an area of focus, I started to think about a different approach... something that would not get lost in the crowd of what is starting to look like a lot of similar animations. So, even after the results of my presentation - where the general consensus was to stay away from a humorous approach - I've decided comedy is the best way to sell this thing.


Visual Material - 
 - newspapers 
 - government files 
 - medical equipment 
 - blood ( use sparingly! ) 
 - weaponry ( keep it lighthearted and comical... eg. A spade )
 - Info Graphics - emergency information - protect and survive cold war booklet.

Zombie Season - Concept presentation

Movie Season - Initial ideas

I have considered the subject of this brief with great intensity, racking my brain for a genre of film that is both funny, exciting, with a good array of visual material for me to work with and something that I enjoy enough to not get bored with after 2 minutes in After Effects. 

There is only one answer really, and that answer is zombies.

Or more precisely, A history of zombie films.

Potential films include - 

• Shaun of the dead (obviously) - 2004
• 28 Days Later - 2002
• 28 Weeks Later - 2007
• Night of the Living Dead - 1968
• Evil Dead - 1981
• Dawn of the Dead (original) 1978
• Day of the Dead - 1989
• Night of the Living Dead - 1990
• Resident Evil - 2001

There are also a series of cult spoofs that go by such names as:

"Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Hellbound, Flesh-Eating Subhumanoid Zombified Living Dead"


These could fit well if I decide to take this down a comedy route.