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Voices for Freedom from wearecaptive on Vimeo.

From WeAreCaptive.com

Leo Burnett’s campaign for Amnesty International addresses the silencing of civil activists worldwide. One such activist, Dhondup Wangchen was imprisoned in 2008 for the making of his documentary ‘leaving fear behind’ which describes the feelings of modern day Tibetans regarding Chinese rule and the then impending Beijing Olympic Games.

Following his imprisonment in 2008 a massive wave of unrest tore through Tibet in the form of the rioting of Buddhist monks resulting in the disappearance of over 1000 monks unaccounted for until this day. Dhondup’s story became for us a resounding analogy of a much greater worldwide struggle against authoritarian rule and the use of power to silence the minority.

Synopsis

Leo’s poignant slogan for the Amnesty campaign ‘Voices for Freedom’ was the starting point for our animation leading us to narrate the story of Dhondup’s own discovery and loss of his freedom of speech. It was important for us to convey the identity of Tibet which seems to have been trampled by Chinese rule, as was it seems the identity of Dhondup himself.

Our script was influenced strongly by Bhuddist and Tibetan proverbs which significantly inform the beliefs of the Tibetan people. The narrative involves many symbolic animals which are central to religion and lifestyle in Tibet, the Yak, Tiger and antelope are all Bhuddist prayer animals while the crane is a national symbol in China.

Key to our story was the idea that a single voice can influence thousands of others, represented in our animation as dandelion seeds free with the potential to create a thousand others but on a journey that may also end in an instant. Our final message is that one voice will always prevail through the masses who are silenced to inform a thousand others and in this case the voice is that of Dhondup Wangchen.

For more information, please check out WeAreCaptive.com.

If you have a reel or another piece of work you would like featured on Fuel Your Motionography, send us an email with a link to said work and any contact information you would like included in the article. Check out the rest of the Feature Friday articles here.

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Simplicity can breed the most beautiful results. Using a mix of Red Giant Software’s Trapcode Particular along with some crafty camera work, editing and a fitting song, Ku-Schneider created a an amazing piece for his bachelor project in Media Production, University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, Germany that is very simplistic in design, but a treat for the eyes, none the less. You can see more of his work over at his website, Acht Frankfurt.

If you have a reel or another piece of work you would like featured on Fuel Your Motionography, send us an email with a link to said work and any contact information you would like included in the article. Check out the rest of the Feature Friday articles here.

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Silke Sieler is a motion graphics designer based in Hamburg, Germany who freely admits she loves abstract things, strange details, loud music and lots of ice cream. She promises. It’s a combination of these life loves that brought her to her final diploma thesis produced at University of Applied Sciences Mainz titled Warm Signal.

The concept is simple. In her own words: “A short abstract movie dealing with nature and maritime creatures, metamorphosis and transformation – it connects art and science. Strong emphasis on sound, related to the idea of visual music. The Style is soft but clean, focusing on black & white.”

A simple concept mixed with gorgeous visuals modeled and animated in Cinema 4D, composited in After Effects and further edited in Final Cut has created a beautiful animation that flows to the music of Apparat. It’s both relaxing and awe inspiring. Take your time and enjoy the beauty that is Warm Signal.

If you have a reel or another piece of work you would like featured on Fuel Your Motionography, send us an email with a link to said work and any contact information you would like included in the article. Check out the rest of the Feature Friday articles here.

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A very interesting ad created by Intel to garner excitement for their new 2nd Generation i5 processor, “The Chase” is a high production ad spot that follows a secret agent who has acquired important information as she is being chased by a group of thugs. The interesting thing is the chase takes place through various programs that appear on the desktop of a computer such as a video player, a sequence of pictures, Ascii art in a web browser, iTunes cover flow and so much more. It’s a very creative spot, and props go out to the creative team behind it.

To build excitement around the 2nd Generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor, Intel is launching an action-adventure video titled “The Chase.” The spot demonstrates the performance capabilities of the new processors by creating an action-movie style chase sequence that takes place through a wide variety of program windows on a computer desktop.

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If you want to know how great ideas are formed and how amazing projects can come together, look no further than MK12 and their latest project, Telephoneme.

Inspired by an old 60’s educational video, the wizards at MK12 put their own unique visuals, which includes a custom-made typeface, on a remixed soundtrack from the film to create their latest piece. The results are awe-inspiring, to say the least.

“Telephoneme takes visual cues from The Alphabet Conspiracy as well as other educational films of days past, inspired by the awkward editing & absurd premises that so often defined the genre. The color palette is simple and deliberate, and we also developed a technique in which all the elements were split out into their respective red, green, and and blue channels(similar to how a printer makes several passes of pure color to construct a realistic image). These channels mostly remain superimposed throughout the film, but they sometimes move independently of one another, creating interesting transitional & graphic effects.”

“Because this is a film about the alphabet from a scientific perspective, we spent a good deal of time developing a typeface that was theoretically perfect & balanced. We were less concerned with making an aesthetically pleasing font as we were with ensuring that every measurement was a reciprocal of every other character in the typeface. We also developed a rigid set of rules for how the type was to be set and presented on-screen, making sure that exponents & weights were always carefully considered. It’s not something that’s likely to be noticed on first viewing, but it felt appropriate to the subject matter and also provided us with a visual foundation to build upon.”

At first read you might think they went overboard on the amount of work that they put into their project, but it’s this attention to every detail that makes the company’s unique vision shine through and moves this piece head and shoulders above the rest. It’s also what makes MK12 the go-to company for creating beautiful work that stands out from the crowd.

Take a look at the video (a couple of times) and then go to Telephoneme.tv to read more about the creation of the project and download the font they created (MK12_Chadwick). You can view more of MK12’s work at MK12.com or on their Vimeo page.

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Hello, everyone!

Today I am going to take you on a brief journey through a few commercial pieces that show off insane compositing and camera tracking skills. All three of these videos are pretty dated, with the first being just about two years old; however, it takes the credit for being a pivotal piece in my decision to do what it is I do.

In any good motionographer’s toolbox there is at least a mild knowledge of how to put a decent composite together. Whether it be 2D or 3D, putting our motion and animations into the “real world” seamlessly is something we should all know or at least have a passion to figure out. There isn’t anything cooler than seeing a panning shot of a skyline while a cartoon monster I’ve drawn tears it apart like an adorable child-friendly Godzilla. I will not be trying to explain how any of this is done because, lets be honest, for the most part, I don’t have a clue. I just know I’m inspired by the pieces to take my work to the next level until, someday, I can put a piece like these together. I’m hoping that you’ll take a look and be inspired by them like I have been, then use that inspiration to make your pieces bigger and better, and maybe to try to expand your knowledge and skillset for your craft.

“Gap : Jeans Take Shape – Shilo” from Gerald Mark Soto on Vimeo.

I remember the first time I saw this commercial on television and online. It took a few watches for me to really see what was happening outside of the blatantly obvious asset tracking to the body and the move matching with the camera. I might have been something like ten or twenty views in when I realized that the clothing the talent was wearing was changing from piece to piece. After I noticed that, I kind of felt silly because that is actually the entire point of the piece–to show off all the different articles of clothing that were now available. I just assumed they were wearing the same clothing, then I noticed magicians changed a long skirt to a short skirt and baggy pants into tight pants all while the talent was in full motion. Outside of that, a few great things about this piece was the art itself. The color palette that was used in the assets fit so well with the overall color scheme of the correction and the product itself that once all the camera tracking was added everything fit perfectly. It is an art unto itself to get a perfect camera track in order to make your assets seem to appear as if they belong in your shot. Which brings us to our next piece.

“Taylor’s World” from Brand New School on YouTube

Brand New School should seriously give a class on how they put this piece together. Not about the incredible style; not about the amazing 3D work; not about the gorgeous kinetic animations. In my opinion, the real magic and meat of this piece is the camera tracking and the tracking they did for the phone. I have seen a lot of pieces after this that tried to capture this same feeling of an integrated imagination inside the real world. It is when watching those pieces that I can truly appreciate this piece. Never once do you see any asset slide or move out of place even a single pixel, which is huge. Nothing attracts the eye like seeing something that is supposed to belong in a scene move in a way it isn’t supposed to, and for Brand New School to simply cement each and every asset to the scene is incredible. These guys and girls know what is up and simply created a truly inspiring spot if for nothing more than trying to tell us all how important a solid track and building assets in correct perspective is.

“Jetting Is, JetBlue & JWT NY” from Royale on Vimeo.

I’ll get this out of the way now. This is my second article for Fuel, but as I write more and more you’ll start to notice the names Royale and J.Whitmore showing up on a number of occasions simply because I think the work that this studio puts out can not be outdone. I’m a firm believer in less is more as long as the small amount you’ve got tells the story or projects the idea. Royale is masterful at that. You will never see a ton of overly flashy and overdone trends to try and make their piece relevant. Mainly because they set these trends. I love this particular piece because if you try and picture any one of these shots without the 3D assets that have been added they would seem pretty plain and uninteresting. Not much else to say about this spot that I haven’t already said. Solid design and great tracking. Something great about this one is how well they made these text pieces fit with shadows and similar lighting. I know that is one of those “goes without saying” things, but, again, just something to really look at and pay attention to and use as a comparison for your own work.

I hope that in some way all this was helpful to you guys. Either as inspiration to dive more into this beautiful art or to finally decide to take a look and what it takes to add it to your skillset. I can tell you that once you manage to get that perfect track for the first time and add something simple like a box to a panning shot of your kitchen, you will be so excited to see what else you can do. It’s fun like that.

If you’re just now getting started with camera tracking and compositing, I will suggest starting off small. Something simple like a handheld shot of a scene where you could place an object would be best to get your feet wet. Some of the beginner level trackers have a hard time auto tracking and solving shots with a lot of panning movement unless you know how to use them. When I first started camera tracking I picked up an application from The Pixel Farm called “PFHoe“. It is the baby brother of their other, stronger, application called “PFTrack“. Both are great to get started, but I would say take a look at PFHoe first. It is more user friendly and there are limited things you can do with it which means less opportunity to mess something up. Plus it is pretty cheap. There are a ton of other trackers out there to use if you want to simple Google it and see which one works best for you. After Effects has a built in tracker however it doesn’t do 3D tracking, or at least doesn’t do it well. I haven’t really tried because PFHoe and PFTrack have been so good to me.

If you have done any compositing projects, please post links to them in the comments. I would love to go check them out and see what you have all been up to. I really want to see the community grow and flourish, and a great way to do that is to get involved with each other as much as we can. If there is anything I can do for any of you please do not hesitate to ask me. If I have the knowledge in my brain to help you out, I am more than happy to share with you. Make sure to pass any and every article you dig on Fuel around to all your friends. Lets blow this site up. It is an amazing resource for us all, and could be for all the people that haven’t yet found out about what we’re all doing here.

Be good.
Timmy.

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Hello, and welcome to my first post here on Fuel Your Motionography! We all like looking at great typography in motion, and we all need some inspiration every now and then when working on our own projects. So here I am to preset a round up of great typography in video, whether it’s totally created in After Effects or a 3D programme or combined with live action video, i’m sure each piece will get you inspired and wanting to make your own!

Little Bites

A great video showing some nice simple type goodness combined with some 2D, 3D and pictures.

Space and Air

A nice little video here which combines live action footage, 2D typographic animation with a dash of 3D.

10:10 Climate Change

Some typographic goodness here, this time pure 2D animation.

Hello Brooklyn

This great video which uses ‘Hello Brooklyn’ by Jay Z uses still images and typography to great effect, showing what great stuff can be done just using those simple elements.

Inch by Inch

A great video using Al Pacino’s Inch By Inch speech from Any Given Sunday, done entirely in After Effects and Cinema 4D.

1 A.M.

This is a great video combining live footage with 3D and 2D work in Cinema 4D and After Effects.

NBC Rebrand

A nice video showing what can be done with typography in a more corporate setting in this NBC rebrand, also show a nice combination of stills,video and typography.

t3st urbanMotion

A great video from anibal Carnego, showcasing excellent use of still images and typography.

Ok It’s Alright With Me

This is a great music video with a great style and good combination of live action and typography.

MasterCard PayPass

A great video for Mastercard Paypass with a good combination of simple typography

Justice – D.A.N.C.E

This is a great example of a good combination of motion tracking, live action footage and some great examples of typographic animation.

Cyperaudio

A great example of very delicate and simple typography combined with what look like real footage or at least super realistic 3D.

How We Built Britain

Another nice example here of a combination of 3D, footage and typography.

New York Times: Turkish Edition

This is a great video with a whole typographic city on show, shows some great 2D animation and typography.

Flash on the Beach 08

We’re going back to the old school on this typographic goodness, this video by The Ronin features some type built entirely by hand and videoed, all build by hand.

Zombieland

Zombieland has some great typography both during the intro and through the main movie, definitely worth checking out.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this round up of some great typography in video and i hope it gives you some great inspiration to go away and make your own typographic pieces.  Let us know if you think we’ve missed any great videos that you think should have been included. Enjoy!

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As we draw closer to the end of this year, I reflect on all the amazing works I’ve seen from creative professionals in the motion graphics industry. In this post I’ll be touching on a curated list of what I consider to be some of the most progressive, forward thinking, and well executed work from the motion graphics industry leading professionals. I’ll also be touching on progressive techniques that had a major impact on the motion graphics industry for 2009, as well as progressive digital & tangible tools that have helped, or changed the way motion graphics are produced.

Curated Motion Graphics Work

Starting off, I tried to consolidate a list of innovative & inspiring motion graphics work. It definitely wasn’t an easy task to try and pick any one piece over another, especially since everyone has a different opinion over what they would consider to be amazing. With that in mind, I’ve tried to balance my selection objectively, based on progression, forward thinking, originality, and execution. I hope you enjoy my selection, and continue to support Fuel Your Motionography well into the new year. Enjoy!

Prologue – OFFF 2009 Main Titles

OFFF 2009 Main Titles from Prologue! from OFFF on Vimeo.

Wow – Infinity

Infinity by: Wow from Colorcubic on Vimeo.

Esteban Diácono – Let Yourself Feel

let yourself feel. from Esteban Diácono on Vimeo.

Christopher Hewitt – Contraction

Contraction from Christopher Hewitt on Vimeo.

Sooz / Kultnation – All That Is Solid Melts Into The Air

All that is solid melts into the air. from Sooz on Vimeo.

Onesize – OFFF 2009 Sponsor Titles

OFFF 2009 Sponsor Titles from OFFF on Vimeo.

Rob Chiu – Else Mobile

Else Mobile (The Time Has Come) from Rob Chiu on Vimeo.

Alex Roman – T & S Teaser 2

T&S Teaser2 from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

BranitVFX – World Builder

World Builder from BranitVFX on Vimeo.

Tilt Shift Effect

If I had to say any certain technique had a major impact on the motion graphics industry this year, I would have to go with the tilt shift effect. The tilt shift effect is what ultimately gives real life footage, or more specifically, stop motion footage the illusion of smallness, or small windup toys. And what better way to convey this effect then through one of the industry’s pioneers of this technique, Mr. Keith Loutit [see below].

Keith Loutit – Bathtub IV

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Digital SLRs with HD Video

Ringing in at number three on my list of best contributions to the motion graphics industry in 2009 is Canon, and their Digital SLRs with HD Video capability. A lot of people still don’t realize, the moment Canon introduced the 5DmkII, it completely revolutionized how creative professionals in the mograph industry would produce work in the future. Not only are these dSLR cameras built very well, they’re also relatively affordable, all while shooting in HD video. Although, the real highlight of these dSLRs is the option to change out the lenses, at a fraction of the cost of a normal HD video camera. So you get all the power of Canon lenses (specifically Canon’s L series lenses), with the beauty of HD video. What more could you ask for?

Canon Rebel T1i

Canon 7D

Canon 5D mkII

Florent Porta – Tokyo Reality (Canon 5DmkII at work)

Tokyo Reality (Canon 5D MarkII) from Florent Porta on Vimeo.

Inksie Brand – 7D test film (Canon 7D at work)

7D Test Film from Inksie Brand on Vimeo.

Wesley Kandel – Palladia (Canon Rebel T1i at work)

Palladia from Wesley Kandel on Vimeo.

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A STEREOSCOPIC EVENT BY: ANTIVJ & PRINCIPLES OF GEOMETRY

AntiVJ is a visual label that I’ve recently come to know of and respect. Conceptualized by European-based visual artists; AntiVJ explores the uses of stereoscopy, holographic illusions, projected light and other progressive forms of visual stimuli that really push the envelope on live Audio / Visual performances.

AntiVJ is currently working with Principles of Geometry (a French retro-futurist electronic group), in collaboration to produce & perform a live stereoscopic audio / visual show, featuring 50 minutes of some of the most beautiful animation that I’ve seen in a very long time. Although you won’t be able to fully appreciate the beauty of their stereoscopic animation without experiencing it live (or in an iMax theatre), you can most definitely sample a taste of what can be expected during one of their live performances by viewing their teaser. »

Principles of geometry + AntiVJ: a stereoscopic show from AntiVJ on Vimeo.

To learn more about AntiVJ, or the Principles of Geometry, please visit http://www.antivj.com & http://www.myspace.com/principlesofgeometry. Thanks for reading.

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The overall theme of this curated post is about how typography has been playing a more vital role in the animation, film, and motion graphics industry over the last 5+ years. This is part 1 of what I’m hoping will be a series. For now, enjoy. :)

AUDI “LETTERS” BY: PLEIX

PLEIX is a French based collective of motionographers, graphic artists, and all around visual communicators. Composed of seven individuals, PLEIX has a combined brilliant outlook on life, which (more often than not) tends to show in their work. I was originally introduced to PLEIX (unknowingly) through Warp Records | Warp Vision “the Videos” 1989 – 2004 DVD,  for a music video they did for Plaid, titled: Itsu. The LETTERS piece they produced for Audi is a stunning typographic treatment, comprised of architectural cityscapes, and beautiful geometry. At first glance (those of you who are familiar with their work), you might recognize this treatment to be somewhat similar to their earlier experimental piece, Sometimes, with music by: Kid 606. I, for one, am glad they decided to revisit this style once again, as I’m a huge fan of gravity defying geometric objects, and this piece is certainly no exception.

Please visit http://www.pleix.net & PLEIX’s vimeo page for more of their wonderful work. » vimeo.com/4164690

MORFISM BY: VINCENT VIRIOT

If you’re not already familiar with the works of Vincent Viriot, you should be. Again, another motionographer, typographer, and all around visual communicator; hailing from France, Vincent has produced some stunning visual works, stemming from the ranges of music videos for KAP10KURT, to promotional identity spots for MTV. Interestingly enough, I actually came to know Vincent’s work through a Basement Jaxx music video, titled: CishCash, produced under PLEIX in 2004 (It’s a small world after all). The Morfism idenity spot is certainly no exception to his brilliant work with typography & motion graphics. Commissioned by ONEDOTZERO + MTV BLOOM; this piece initially takes the viewer through what looks like is going to be a very miserable & bleak city tour with an abrasive typographic theme, but before it really settles in, a “morfism” occurs, and what was once a dark, discouraging city, has now been transformed into an inspiring cityscape of encouraging typographic bliss.

For more work by Vincent Viriot, please visit his portfolio at either » behance.net/fmk_7 or http://fmk7.free.fr/

KODAK BY: MARC JUON

I came to know of Marc Juon’s work through my never ending search for all things motion related. If you’ve never heard of Marc Juon, let me be the first to tell you, he’s definitely going to have an inspiring impact in this industry (if not already). Marc Juon hails from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. He began his education through Cal State Fullerton, where he received a Bachelors degree, majoring in Film & Television. In 2006, he received his 2nd Bachelors degree from Art Center, which is where this conceptual piece for Kodak was conceived, and later produced as a student project for his 3D animation class. This Kodak piece is nothing short of fantastic, and rightly recognized as such, especially since he was awarded the Silver Student BDA Award in 2007 for his efforts. What really grabs my attention about this piece is that it truly captures what we all know to be KODAK, while simultaneously incorporating a common idiom, making it all flow together so naturally. His post production work with the type is brilliant as well, and as the end result would suggest, is worth a thousand words.

For more wonderful work by Marc Juon, please visit » marcjuon.com/ & Marc’s vimeo page » vimeo.com/user2011786

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Each month at FYM, we’ll be featuring various themes for our Curated series, work culled from collections of the best films, motion graphics, and documentaries to more focused pieces on influential individuals and studios. I’m excited to kick off this series with a set of motion reels that really caught my attention.

GKASTER REEL | 2009

GKaster is a motion design studio located in France, and was founded by partners Pierre Magnol and Pierre Fabre. GKaster displays an impressive and prolific portfolio, including client work from Apple, LG, MediaTemple, Renault, and Nissan, to name just a few. I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Pierre Magnol recently, and will be posting the interview later in the week. The reel is a stunning and elegant example of their accomplishments, and GKaster remains among my favourite motion studios.

TOCH STUDIO | 2009

Little is known about the young Toch Studio except that their work is rock star smashing. The studio was founded by designer and motionographer Tavo Ponce and is based out of Madrid, Spain. With clients like MTV, VH1, and Diesel, their futuristic-retro stylings are certainly befitting for the trends.

CHEZEDDY REEL | 2009

ChezEddy is a fun and playful motion and animation studio located in Paris, France, founded by Jean-Francois Bourrel and Jerome Calvet. GKaster and many other talented directors are represented by ChezEddy, who work with marquee clients such as Nike, McDonalds, Bic, and Kelloggs.

COLERAN REEL | 2008

Coleran’s work simply blows me away. Before I even knew about him, I knew about his work. He’s crafted detailed and technical interface designs for movies such as The Bourne Ultimatum, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Tomb Raider, The Island, and Mission Impossible 3. For some, his work may be easily taken for granted as it sporadically appears within a movie, but it’s absolutely essential and important nonetheless. Coleran, who currently resides in Ottawa, Canada is also currently working for the software company Gridiron Software designing the UX and UI for Flow, a visual workflow manager. It’s quite possible for me to write an entire essay just on Coleran and his work, but I’ll let his reel speak for itself.

ROKKABOY REEL | 2009

Rokkaboy’s introduction stood out to me among the reels; it was both unexpected (after watching too many reels to count) and a pleasure to watch. Robert Kaniszewski, the brilliant boy behind Rokkaboy, is a designer and motionographer who has been working out of Poland since 2003. Notable clients include Coca-Cola, Bacardi, Volvo, and Nokia.

STATE OF TOMORROW REEL | 2008

What I enjoy about State of Tomorrow is their textural and organic approach to motion design; a nice juxtaposition to the other more glossy and VFX-ed works featured. Interestingly enough, they are the only studio in the list that’s based in the United States; West Hollywood to be precise. Heavily involved in design for retail, such as window displays, store design, product design, packaging and collateral, they certainly have highlighted that in their reel.