Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTec Level 3Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production

Unit 64 – Motion Graphics and Compositing VideoHA2 – E4 Sting Motion GraphicProduction Log

Name Daniel Hopkins

Date:11/12/13

I used this parachute, collected from Google images ( http://www.i2clipart.com/clipart-parachute-dbec ) to use in my sting. However, as the image would not be compatible in after effects, I used Adobe Illustrator to make the image ‘flat’ and without a background. I used the pen tool to trace around the parachute, to make a new layer which I then changed to purple, using the fill option. The traced parachute then allows me to transform it, by means of increasing and decreasing its size at will. I made the parachute a shade of purple to fit in with the theme of E4.

Date: 11/12/13

This logo is from a vector template located on the college moodle, as opposed to one from Google images. This image has no background and is flat, ready to be used on Adobe Illustrator and After Effects. With this image I can subsequently change its width and height without taking away from the quality of the image. On the right of the screenshot is a picture selected from google images ( http://www.liyl.co.uk/e4sting.html ). The image has a black background which would not be compatible with After Effects or Illustrator, unless it was removed, which could take away portions of the e4 logo on its own.

Date:18/12/13

I got this image from the internet but, in order for the plane to be moved it had to be on its own. Thus, it had to be separated from the background. On Photoshop, I traced around the plane image using the lasso tool. This was a very complicated process as I had to make sure that all of the sky was gone, but no parts of the plane had been removed. Once I had done this. I deleted the surrounding blue area so the plane was on its own. I then put a new background in place, a gradient filled rectangle which was also blue, to act as a sky.

The plane once it had been cut out from its sky background.

The plane with its new, sky background. (Gradient filled shape).

The original Google image of the plane.

The lasso tool, which I carefully used to trace around the plane image.

Date:18/12/13

I needed to create clouds, which would subsequently move across the screen in the clip, to give off the allusion that the plane is travelling through the sky. Like the parachute I once again had to trace the cloud and then fill it. Next, I traced around the cloud with a pen tool I then replicated the cloud several times, to give the sky an array of features and to cover the blue background. As the clouds are all clones of one original image the esting is given an old fashioned animation look and appeal – much in the style of scooby doo when they run past the same objects again and again. This gives off a cheesy comic effect and fits with the overall humourous esting. I used the position tool to make the clouds move slowly across the screen, with one stopwatch at the start and the other at the end. This meant that they would travel across the screen at the speed of the length of the video.

Date:18/12/13

I had to remove the door on the plane as during the sting e4 logos will jump out of the plane. For the door to work in conjunction with the plane during the animation it had to become a new layer in itself, completely seperated from the plane layer. This will make it easier when I import the layers into after effects, as the door layer fits into the plane perfectly and will appear to be one layer. For when the door slides across it will be much easier with the two layers.I also created a black shape, which I put behind the plane’s door hole, so it creates the allusion that it is the inside of the plane.

Add as required

Date:18/12/13

The clouds and plane together in illustrator. This is the last entry in my production blog before the christmas half term.

Date: 08/01/14

Once each component of the esting had been created and edited in illustrator, I inserted them as individual layers into my after effects project. I then moved the footage so it only appeared at the appropriate time. I retained the bare e4 logo throughout to use as a guide. That e4 logo was dragged behind the plane door as it is the original logo to jump. I then experimented with the various controls on after effects so I knew fully what I was going to do.

Date: 15/01/14

We were not in lesson on this date.

Date: 22/01/14

Next, I adjusted the position of the plane door, so that it would slide across the plane to produce an exit for the jumping e4 logo. I selected a position stopwatch for when I wanted the door to begin opening, then dragged it slightly to the left once I had moved the time on a couple of seconds.

When the logo has left the plane it turns into different logos as it is falling, with the parachute gradually opening on them over the three phases.

Date: 29/01/14

The four stages of the parachute opening. I entitled them e4 logo, opening, half-opened and fully opened. I dragged the footage of the latter 3 to appropriate stages of the jump, so they don’t appear until the previous one has gone. To make the previous one disappear, I minimized the opacity to 0% so in the duration of a frame it would be replaced by the next logo. To make the next logo appear I dragged the footage until the time I wanted it to. I moved the position stopwatch in conjunction with the opacity, so that the logos would go in the direction I wanted them to. I did this by selecting a timewatch at the time I wanted the logo to begin moving. I then dragged the logo where I wanted it to go, which created a second stopwatch. This can be seen on the image above.

Date: 29/01/14

A brief problem I encountered was when I noticed a small segment on the side of the e4 logo was missing, making the curve seem straight. I went back into premiere pro (where I imported the picture from) and subsequently found that the layer wasn’t fully in the designated page space. This resulted in part of the page being cut out during the import. I dragged it onto the page and replaced the partially destroyed logo with a full one.

Date: 05/02/14

I noticed the quality of each picture in after effects was generally poor, which resulted in the overall product being slightly grainy. I used the ‘rasterize’ tool which sharpens the image quality and presents the picture in a HD fashion. NOTE: the image on the left is of the e4 logo without a parachute while the one on the right is the final opened parachute.

The rasterize button, which improves the quality.

Date: 12/02/14

For the second logo jumping out I repeated the process I did for the first one. This included changing the opacity on the logos when I wanted them to appear and disappear to replace/make way for the new one. I used the exact same logo pictures as I did for the first one, so the stages of the parachute opening remain the same. The logos took a different route to the first set, so that they would appear directly in front of the screen at the end. They go downwards before the final one opens and brings the logo to the fore of the screen. Like before I made sure the individual layers were in front of the black square but, behind the plane.

Date: 19/02/14

I spent this lesson correcting some mistakes in my esting. This included checking that all of the logos were in the right place and two never appeared at the same time. I also made sure that there were no slight errors in terms of quality of layers and positioning of the things within the sting. The final thing I did while in after effects was make the screen fade to black at the end, leaving the e4 logo on its own at the helm of the screen. I then moved my project into premiere pro, where I added music to my esting. The soundbed was sourced from my college’s website, moodle. The soundbed begins when the door to the plane opens,

which gives it an effective introduction. I used an effect entitled constant gain to make the music fade out at the end of the sting, when the e4 logo is on its own.

The e4 sting and soundbed together in premiere pro.

The final frame of the sting, the e4 logo on its own on

a black background.