MMc401.4 – Graphic Design & Illustration: Storyboarding (The Great Gatsby)

Motion Graphics

 

 

MMc401.4 – Graphic Design & Illustration

Motion graphics are graphics that use video footage and/or animation technology to create the illusion of motion or rotation, and are usually combined with audio for use in multimedia projects. Motion graphics are usually displayed via electronic media technology, but may be displayed via manual powered technology (e.g. thaumatrope, phenakistoscope, stroboscope, zoetrope, praxinoscope, flip book) as well. The term is useful for distinguishing still graphics from graphics with a transforming appearance over time without over-specifying the form.
Computer Generated Computer Graphics

The term motion graphics originated with video editing in computing, perhaps to keep pace with newer technology. Before computers were widely available, motion graphics were costly and time-consuming, limiting their use to high-budget filmmaking and television production. In the late 1980s to mid-1990s, expensive proprietary graphics systems from British-based Quantel was quite commonplace in many television stations. Quantel workstations such as the Hal, Henry, Harry, Mirage and Paintbox were the broadcast graphics standard of the time. With the reduced cost of producing motion graphics on a computer, the discipline has seen more widespread use. With the availability of desktop programs such as Adobe After Effects, Discreet Combustion, and Apple Motion, motion graphics have become increasingly accessible. Modern character generators (CG) from Aston Broadcast Systems and Chyron Corporation's incorporate motion graphics.

Animation

Elements of a motion graphics project can be animated by various means, depending on the capabilities of the software. These elements may be in the form of art, text, photos, and video clips, to name a few. The most popular form of animation is keyframing, in which properties of an object can be specified at certain points in time by setting a series of keyframes so that the properties of the object can be automatically altered (or tweened) in the frames between keyframes. Another method involves a behavior system such as is found in Apple Motion that controls these changes by simulating natural forces without requiring the more rigid but precise keyframing method. Yet another method involves the use of formulas or scripts, such as the expressions function in Adobe After Effects or the creation of ActionScripts within Adobe Flash.




Storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer in the form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence.
In animation and special effects work, the storyboarding stage may be followed by simplified mock-ups called "animatics" to give a better idea of how the scene will look and feel with motion and timing. At its simplest, an animatic is a series of still images edited together and displayed in sequence with a rough dialogue and/or rough sound track added to the sequence of still images (usually taken from a storyboard) to test whether the sound and images are working effectively together.

This allows the animators and directors to work out any screenplay, camera positioning, shot list and timing issues that may exist with the current storyboard. The storyboard and soundtrack are amended if necessary, and a new animatic may be created and reviewed with the director until the storyboard is perfected. Editing the film at the animatic stage can avoid animation of scenes that would be edited out of the film. A few minutes of screen time in traditional animation usually equates to months of work for a team of traditional animators to manually draw and paint all those frames, meaning that all that labor (and salaries already paid) will have to be written off if the final scene simply does not work in the film's final cut. In the context of computer animation, storyboarding helps minimize the construction of unnecessary scene components and models, just as it helps live-action filmmakers evaluate what portions of sets need not be constructed because they will never come into the frame. Animation is an expensive and labor-intensive process, so there should be a minimum of "deleted scenes" if the film is to be completed within budget.

Often storyboards are animated with simple zooms and pans to simulate camera movement (using non-linear editing software). These animations can be combined with available animatics, sound effects and dialog to create a presentation of how a film could be shot and cut together. Some feature film DVD special features include production animatics.

                              

Illustrating a Classic Novel: The Great Gatsby(My set of 6 Illustrated Photographs.)

The images below are what I did for the Summer project (Illustrate a Classic Novel).
I decided to use photography with written text over the top with - arguably - some of the most memorable quotes from the novel.


























































































Brief from the Summer Project


I have decided to work into the illustration side of things on the computer, instead of just taking the images and editing over them on photoshop.

I definitely want to improve my editing and designing skills on illustrator so I will be designing my storyboard with that thought in mind.





I am to develop a 20 frame storyboard for a 15-30 second animated motion graphic, based – loosely - on my summer project assignment. I am to pitch my storyboard to a specific audience and to practice the development process required to produce a final motion graphic.

For now, I am going to research more into the different techniques. I am planning to research into and consider how I will use a combination of moving images, text and audio to illustrate my chosen storyboard.


http://motionographer.com/2014/06/05/gergely-penny-dreadful-portraits-dracula/

Gergely Wootsch’s 3 short animations which includes the origins and facts about “Dracula”, “Frankenstein”, and “Dorian Gray” use drawn out/written animations which are quite creepy looking. The animations are used to promote showtimes moody new drama/horror “Penny Dreadful”. Gergely Wootsch directed this evocative visual essay about the cultural significance of Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ as told by historian Matthew Sweet – as well as narrating Frankenstein and Dorian Gray.

I love how these short animations have been illustrated and would like to enforce some of the ideas from this into my own story board. I like the idea of having a narrator, and from his/her words I shall interpret them into moving image, either by editing them on illustrator, or just drawing/sketching them out, over and over and show the slight movement of things.


http://motionographer.com/2014/03/26/luiz-stockler-montenegro/

Luiz Stockler's short film Montenegro


Again, I am looking on Motiongrapher and came across this interesting short film by Luiz Stockler. The moral of this short film is about embracing the fact that you're losing your hair and have to come to terms with loving your baldness.

Stockler does create an interesting animation about this but its actually got quite a cute element to it, despite it being quite bizarre. I love the simplicity of the editing in the short film, there isn't a huge amount of detail put into the editing but it actually works better without it.

The section of the short film with the man stood at the end of the pier interestingly gave me an idea for my 15-20 animation; It is very similar to the section in the novel where Jay Gatsby is stood at the end of his pier, staring across to Daisy's pier where you can see her green light shining. Gatsby would reach out to the green light, wanting and craving Daisy's affections.

I definitely am going to consider using the scene with the pier, as that is such a heart wrenching thing to witness and actually, is what the novel is all about; it is about Gatsby pining for the affections of Daisy and it tells the story of his journey to get to her. But of course, things do not turn out the way he had hoped they would.

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I have decided to use The Great Gatsby again in this project – which I also used in my summer project – and am going to take a few key things within the novel and put them into my animation.

For example, there are key scenes within the novel, like Gatsby stood at the end of his pier, staring across the harbour looking at the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock (which is explained in more detail above). The lavish parties at Gatsby’s mansion, with the champagne and the flapper girls in their flapper dresses, feather bowers, short and styled hair, cigars being smoked by the men.

Also, let us not forget that final scene where Gatsby meets his demise.

The easier things to animate would be certain objects seen within the parties at Gatsby’s. So for instance, the champagne being poured, the ladies drinking and laughing, the men smoking. All these things can be used in my animation. Though I know I may not have the skills down to get all this done within the 15-20 second mark.

I wish to maybe focus on a few key scenes, and the one I am going to work on first is the champagne being poured into a flute glass.























My ideas on my storyboard here, show that I have looked into all the ideas from the Great Gatsby, for instance, the idea of women wearing these lavish pearl necklaces and I thought, what if someone were to be holding a necklace, and to then somehow break it and all the pearls individually fall to the floor.

I have shown in my storyboard above that I would have hands clasping the pearls, and then all of a sudden the pearls would break and they would all fall to the ground. Though I had no idea how the necklace could break in this way, I wanted to use a hand grasping at the necklace from a ladies neck but didn't want to go too into sketching/editing a woman's figure.

The pearl idea is a good one, but I do not have the skills yet to edit and create something like this, so I want to stick with something simple.

 

 

I started working in my sketch book and used the outer space to write out my ideas and thought processes whilst designing the storyboards.

I decided to bring forward the champagne idea and develop that, as I think it is my strongest idea so far. My idea is to have the glass in the centre of each shot - whether I will do stop animation, or edit on the adobe sites I do not know - and will have the bottle coming into the shot from the top right; it will then begin pouring the champagne into the glass.

As you can see I began working into the champagne idea with a lot more depth, and tidied up the designs a bit more. I have made annotations around the storyboard but will just reiterate them now.

I wanted the first few shots to be of the champagne bottle as it is quite a powerful opening sequence for the 15 - 30 second animation.

1st Stage of Audio: Will be the typical buzz you get from a party, so all the sounds mixed into one, for instance, girls laughing, glasses clinking, men talking, jazz music playing. All those things mixed into one.

2nd Stage of Audio: The sounds get louder as the glass is becoming full.

3rd Stage of Audio: The glass begins to over flow so the sounds become muffled.

Final Stage of Audio: Gunshot heard over the music then all becomes silent, then the champagne becomes blood.

I know it all needs a bit of work and I have decided to integrate a few other shots into the animation, so not only will it be the champagne shots, it will also include little snippets of other things, like Gatsby stood at the end of the pier, looking out at the green light. Whether I choose to only do this or use other things in it I am not sure, I will sketch it all out and see which works the best in the certain time frame I have.

As I was researching I came across the old Red Bull adverts where thy had the simplistic designs which look to just be simply drown out on illustrator using the pen tools.

Each advert contains a short animation like the one above just including the person, and not including a background (though some do). Personally I prefer the simplistic drawings to the elaborate ones as it helps to emphasise the focus, just on the figures who drink the red bull and gain their wings.

In my storyboard - and later on my motion graphic piece - I shall only be using simple drawn out designs like this one and the Luiz Stockler designs as I think I will feel comfortable sketching out these scenes and then hopefully being able to edit them on illustrator and have them work together to create a motion graphic piece.


Champagne idea change

My original champagne idea was to have the glass over flow, but I thought that idea wasn't that great so decided to change it to this one instead.

In the last few shots/frames I have decided instead, to have the glass filled up, then have the champagne bottle taken away, then after the audio becomes silent, there shall be a droplet of blood which lands in the glass and makes the tipple sound of a tap dripping.

The final few shots are of the blood mixing with the glass and turning it red.

It definitely is an improved idea and I think it adds more effect to the motion graphic as in the novel, Gatsby is shot and falls into his pool where his blood then turns the pool red, so it is quite a bit more symbolic to the novel then the idea before.



Additional Shots of the pier

As I explained earlier, I wanted to incorporate more shots/frames in between each of the few champagne shots just to make it more interesting.

With this idea, I took the Gatsby and the pier idea and added that to my final storyboard idea and thought, maybe it could be a few split second shots. So it could appear to look more like a flashback. This was a rough idea but actually, when I began to work into it, it actually turned out to be a really great idea.

The shots all show a step by step guide to what is happening on the pier, right at the time the champagne is being poured at the party. Gatsby has taken time out from the party and stand at the end of the pier, he then begins to lift his arm and reach out to this green light which shines at the end of Daisy's pier.

But as soon as Gatsby extends his arm out, the gunshot sounds, and the shot/frames returns to the champagne glass, where the blood droplet drips into the champagne, turning the champagne a deep red. This signifies the death of Gatsby, as well as his dream of being with his true love Daisy Buchanan.

I believe this adds to the story I've trying to tell within the motion graphic, as you begin to see other things besides the party sounds and the champagne. You see a man, stood out and staring longingly at the docks towards the green light which personifies his true love, who he knows is only a short distance away. But he cannot get to her or have her as his own.



Final Storyboard ideas with annotations.

 

 

 

28.5 Second in total

20 Frames/Shots

Audio: Party sounds (glasses clinking, ladies laughing, men talking, music playing)

Gunshot sound for a second.
Silence
Blood droplet/Water droplet sound.

Summer Project based on The Great Gatsby
Storyboard/Motion Graphics piece based on The Great Gatsby

 

 

Final Storyboard

 

It all fitted perfectly into the time frame, and hopefully the editing I shall do on a later date will be as good as I planned it out to be.

If I had a lot longer to do this, I may have decided to try and make a short film, focusing on the main events within the novel. Though it is difficult to edit and draw out certain events with such detail, I doubt I could get that done as fast as I would like.

All in all I am really excited to get the editing process started, I've decided to edit it all on illustrator as I believe it will look a lot cleaner on there.

If I do begin to struggle editing from scratch, then I may consider sketching out onto paper first, then either scanning or taking a photo of that sketch and transferring it onto the computer so I can sketch on top of it.