After Effects: A Journey for Clean Energy December 7, 2009
Posted by samuhagedorn in Assignments, Interesting photos.Tags: After Effects, CERF, Clean Energy, Energy, Final, Final Project, Sam, Solar, Visual Literacy
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Back-up Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ReiJ5OSmlQ
The Cause: In the Fall of 2009, a group of students, faculty, administrators and alumni came together to establish an endowment for clean energy at American University. The fund was named the Clean Energy Revolving Fund (CERF). The goal was to build some solar panels and encourage the school to use the energy savings to purchase more clean technology. Currently, student leaders are trying to recruit more students to join CERF’s Facebook group and have more information about ways to help bring clean energy to American University.
The Project: A thirty-second spot that can be played at group meetings, on ATV (student-run television station) and as a Youtube video to be placed on the Facebook group’s page. The video discusses the merits of CERF, ways for students to be involved and create a logo and tagline for the campaign.
After Effects: My personal goal was to practice After Effects. After conducting a little research on the motion graphics software, I discovered that Adobe After Effects is very powerful software that has real-world applications and job-prospects. I learned some basics of After Effects watching tutorial videos on Lynda.com. I accessed the program in the New Media Center and the Anderson Computer Lab. After Effects is meant to combine multiple forms of media into a coherent video package– and this project embodied that goal. During this project I used Photoshop, Garage Band, iMovie and Picasa.
Pre-Production:
The Script: I started by working on a script for the ad. I wanted to cram as much information as I could, while still fitting inside the 30-second limit. I used some of my experience with radio to help get the time right.
I wrote out a paragraph of text, that covered the main points I wanted to cover. Because I had to include three different ideas– what CERF is, why its a good idea, and how students can get involved– I basically had to devote one sentence to each idea. I shortened sentences like “buying energy from carbon-intensive power companies” to “buying carbon-intensive power”. After repeated revisions to cut down on the number of words, I put together a usable script. I then recorded the audio for the track using garage band.
The Visual Design: I then brainstormed the visuals. The logo unified the concept of an endowment growing over time with environmental causes. Thus it captured both aspiration and structure of the campaign. I think it’s a great example of a well-planned boilerplate. I then thought about using photoshop to show examples of what CERF could do– by combing pictures of solar panels with recognizable buildings on campus. I wanted viewers to be able to see in their minds what the project could do. To combine the elements, I settled on a chalkboard, because every student has experience with a chalkboard. I believe this was the weakest part of my visual design as it did not have a strong relationship with CERF or the environment. Time constraints definitely influenced that decision.
Production:
The Visual Execution: Let’s start with the logo. I drew the leaves on photoshop, and I think they look alright. In hindsight, I should have textured the body of the leaf more, as it the final leaf looks too much like a solid color. In my opinion, the animation in the logo came out especially well. The way the leaves enlarge, curl up and move come around makes them seem like they are growing. Subtle changes in the colors on the tagline and CERF add dynamics. I’m very happy with how it came out.
The chalkboard was more difficult. I initially was planning to animate the board using After Effects (there’s an effect called fractal noise that is very useful), but it didn’t look very good. I learned that it’s much easier to take a picture and import textures than to try to animate them. So I shot the chalkboard in video. I carefully wrote the text on a whiteboard. Then I filmed the entire chalkboard, using a dolly (converted from a projector cart). My biggest complaint is that its not very exciting, and the video sells After Effects short.
The pictures of the solar panels and the tuition are okay. The edits are a little heavy-handed, and could use some more blending. If you look really closely, the lighting on the pictures is different (I limited myself to royalty-free stock photos, which narrowed my selection, but means I won’t have a lawsuit if CERF actually uses this project). I think the elements could benefit from more blending, but I kept overdoing it and losing clarity. I would have also liked to have seamlessly blended the photoshops into the chalkboard footage. The idea was to draw “masking tape” to stick the pictures on the chalkboard. The tape is not really successful, but I’m not sure it needed to be.
Post-Production:
After Effects went well: Looking at the finished project, I think there’s a lot that went right. I barely scratched the surface of what After Effects can do, but I loved how easy it was to import new compositions into a larger project. But beware! It does require some planning ahead of time– I had to redo my work after I picked too large of a framesize. I wish the software cost less than $1,000, because I would like to experiment with it over break. To use After Effects well, I need to have more experience with the various techniques, because the controls on each animation use slightly different terms, so getting an animation to work is not intuitive. I had a good experience using After Effects and know that as I use it more, it will become even more powerful.
The video did not meet my aspirations: I had hoped the video would come out looking a little more professional. I hadn’t realized how tough creating-content was, because each photoshop took a lot longer than I had planned. Originally I intended to animate the chalkboard, but abandoned the notion after several attempts. It’s much easier to manipulate images from cameras– in the future I’ll try to use software to manipulate images, not create them from scratch.
I’d like to use someone with a more interesting voice. The audio could be enhanced with more expressive phrases and a deeper voice.
The video feels rushed– like its trying do too much in a single 30 second announcement. I had set out three ideas I wanted to convey– what CERF is, the benefits for AU, and how to get involved– and that may have been to ambitious. However, I especially like the animated logo at the end; the video has a smashing finish.
Scavanger Hunt Redo December 6, 2009
Posted by samuhagedorn in Assignments, Class notes.Tags: Common, communication errors, Frustration, Group Project, Group Projects..., Redo, Revision, Scavanger Hunt, Visual Literacy
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Professor Farhat:
“Jesse, Chris and Sam,
I understand that you first made the video with the impression that it had to be one single story. I will give you my comments regardless of that, for the purpose of this exercise. I see that you have put extra effort into editing a 2nd video and will take that into consideration.
-Your first shot works.
-As mentioned in class your 2nd shot is too wide to be a medium shot and I would rather you chose colors that are saturated in your subject instead of just increasing the saturation in the camera or in post.
-Same thing for your 3rd shot, it starts by being a Full shot or Wide shot and then transitions into a Medium shot at best but it’s nowhere near a Medium Close Up
-your 4th shot is good as well, but why not cut before the camera gets all shaky?
-5th shot is good, but again, you should have cut before the camera starts to move.
-6th shot works very well.
-7th shot works.
Overall good job.
Total: 85+ 3 pts for creating the 2nd video = 88/100″
Today I found out that my group had followed your recommendations and recut the video. They just neglected to tell me. But that’s not what frustrates me. What makes me mad is that they didn’t follow my suggestions for different shots to use. So here’s the recut project my group did, along with two shots that I would have used if I had the footage (the tape and digital copies are at Jesse’s apartment).
Here is the revised video:
Here’s a backup link: http://www.youtube.com/user/samtnp#p/u/2/cLt4HbI1yXg
Here are my edits:
2nd: I think this is mislabeled– I know Jesse put a color filter on it, but I don’t think its that saturated. I would have gone with the shot at 1:40 on this video. I would have labeled it as “Pan. Perspective (Chris looking down before jumping)”.
Backup Link: http://www.youtube.com/user/samtnp#p/u/4/FwbQBp6ZemM
3rd: If I had the footage, I would cut the beginning and very end of this footage, so that the camera wouldn’t move. I have no idea what that’s there. I also think it’s a little bit closer than a regular medium close-up, its more like a medium close-up plus.
6th: In the “revised assignment”, the shot doesn’t look like a low-angle shot. When filming, we were down a flight of steps, but it didn’t translate to camera. A good example of a low angle shot is at :16 in this video, which we submitted for the narrative-version of this project.
Backup link: http://www.youtube.com/user/samtnp#p/u/4/FwbQBp6ZemM
That’s all I have to say for now.
Visit to the National Building Museum December 5, 2009
Posted by samuhagedorn in ASPP, Interesting photos.Tags: architechture, Art, Form and Movement, National Building Museum, Phlip Trager, photograph, photographer, skyscrapper, Visual Literacy
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I had never been to the National Building Museum before. The building is astronomical– it’s as large as a European cathedral and has such a mix of architectural styles. It has a vaulted roof, maybe a hundred feet tall, and large bay windows that fill the building with bright light and deep shadows. The ceiling is lined with a row of busts, and Corinthian columns fit onto Roman arches with a red brick exterior. A plaque near the entrance says it used to be the Pension Bureau, but its hard to imagine it being anything other than a testament to America’s unique blend of architectural styles. I snapped a few photos, I’ll post them up here.
After standing dumbstruck in the lobby of the museum for about fifteen minutes, I remembered why I had come downtown. Up on the second floor, there was a glass door to the gallery. When I came in, it was just myself and the curator– the sound of my footsteps echoed around the photographs.
It was almost ironic how stationary the photographs were. Philip Trager had captured buildings and people in the most dynamic ways, and here they were frozen on a wall, in a hundred year old building. Before coming, I had no idea who Philip Trager was. I googled his name, so I knew he was a photographer who usually shot buildings and dancers– but that was about the extent of my knowledge. As I looked at his pictures of the New York skyline, or a colonial house in Massachusetts, I realized I’ve seen many imitations of his work. His photos move– the clouds are churning, the angles are dynamic, and there’s something about the depth of field that just draws you in.
It wasn’t until midway through the exhibit that I found out why his photographs so much more interesting than all the rest. The museum displayed a proof of one of Trager’s photographs. It was covered in silver notes, reminding the artist to brighten this spot, and deepen over here, and up the contrast on another. This was all before digital computers– so Trager would work in the darkroom, meticulously manipulating the chemicals to develop the perfect shot. Next to the draft-copy was the final photograph of a house in Massachusetts. I thought the picture was dull, but the craftsmanship was undeniable. Philip Trager didn’t just take photographs; he made them.
As I sit down and write this, there are two shots that particularly stand out in my mind. The first was called Arthur Aviles and it focused on a man leaping and twisting through the air. The shot looks at the man’s head, arms and legs– it’s difficult to describe because it’s an unusual setup. The man is doing gymnastics and flying toward the camera at the same time. It’s a powerful photograph. I wouldn’t mind it as a poster.
The other is of a front step in New York City. The sun is shining at an angle, so the stairs are partially obscured in shadows. The stone handrail flows in an S-shape that seems to dance along the street. Even though the photograph is all concrete, marble, and iron ornamentation, my eyes were drawn to the movement of the city. I thought it was great. The title is West 122nd St (it would make a great example for a powerpoint about the dynamics of a curved line).
When I had finished looking at the photographs and jotting a few notes down, I left the gallery. I’d forgotten how majestic the main forum was. I think that’s about the best compliment that I can give– Philip Trager’s work made me forget where I was.
——————————
Philip Trager’s Form and Movement is on display at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. until January 3rd. Trager is still taking photographs, and teaches classes at the Maine Photographic Workshops in Rockport, Maine.
Film Noir in Casablanca November 17, 2009
Posted by samuhagedorn in Assignments, Class notes.add a comment
Casablanca is not entirely film noir style, but it has several scenes that use film noir’s techniques to create a depressed, drained feel. One scene in particular, when Rick is deeply depressed, demonstrates some of the key elements of film noir, relying on high-contrast lighting, flitting shadows, and cynical moody characters.
After Rick’s has closed for the night, Sam comes to try to get Rick out of his doldrums. They talk and Rick asks Sam to play his love-song. The scene ends as Rick’s mind drifts back to Paris. The scene is 37 minutes into the movie.
Lighting- In class, film noir was described as using “low key lighting, where deep shadows contrast with sharp light from a single source”. In the film, the room is very dark, Rick’s white tuxedo standing out vividly. The light comes from the left side of the screen, and illuminating one side of Rick’s face. The deep shadows give the scene an even moodier tone.
Shadows- There is a spotlight that sweeps through the scene. It comes from the left side (where the other light comes from). In class, we discussed shadows cast by Venetian blinds– in Casablanca, the spotlight performs a similar role, generating an ominous mood.
Characters- Film noir is often has character roles. Up to that point, Ilsa is like the manipulative woman. In the scene, Rick is like the cynical detective (even though he’s not a detective). He exhibits a range of moody emotions. As he drinks, he is clearly hurt. Humphrey Bogart’s voice is also the classic noir sound.
Scene shot breakdown:
| Shot # | Type | Movement | Description | Timing |
| 1 | WS | none | Establishing shot of exterior of Rick’s Cafe at night. | 4 sec. (dissolve) |
| 2 | MCU/WS | Push-out | Rick drinking at bar, Sam and Rick talk | 36 sec. (cut) |
| 3 | MCU Rick | none | Rick talks about Ilsa’s return. Asks Sam a question. | 10 sec. (cut) |
| 4 | MCU Sam | none | Sam answers, “my watch stopped” | 3 sec. (cut) |
| 5 | MCU Rick (tighter than last) | Rick talks. “of all the gin joints…” | 15 sec. | |
| 6a | WS | none | Rick asks Sam to play their song, the two debate. | 20 sec (same shot) |
| 6b | WS/MCU | push-in | As Sam plays, camera closes in on Rick, Sam’s back still in shot. | 15 sec (same shot) |
| 6c | MCU/CU | push-in | As Sam plays, camera goes in closer. | 8 sec (soft dissolve to Paris) |
Treatment November 16, 2009
Posted by samuhagedorn in Uncategorized.add a comment
He stole so I could Live
A petrified man in a suit scratches his head and croaks in the phone, “I’ll get the money,” and the line goes dead.
(flashback) In an office cubicle, the man in a suit is typing at a computer. He is working on transactions, moving money from account to account. There’s a picture of the man smiling and wrapping his arms around his son. He glances at the picture and furrows his brow. The phone rings, he quickly grabs it. As the man stares wildly around the room, glancing at the picture of the son, a woman’s voice says; “Mr. Earnest Hall? This is Trista from Kaiser Insurance. Your last payment had insufficient funds. This is a business, Mr. Hall. We’re going to have to put a hold on Ben’s treatment until we have your payment of $15,000.” Ernest focuses on the picture. He croaks, “I’ll get the money,” and the line goes dead.
The clock jumps into the afternoon. Ernest is at his desk, with a list in front of him. The first 2/3 of the list are crossed off in thick, black marker. He’s talking on the phone, “Mark, I need a favor” and “Ben’s sick, could you loan me some money”. None of his friends will help him. One by one, he crosses off the names on the list. His face is pained, his lip quivers.
A supervisor’s voice wafts over, “Ernest, have you finished transferring the ACME money?” The man instinctively resumes typing. He is typing out wire transfers. As he finishes a transfer for $15,000, his fingers stop. His eyes drill onto the number. His hand trembles over the enter key. He punches the button. His eyes flit back and forth.
At night in his apartment, Ernest paces. He holds up one hand and the other, as if debating against himself. He lights a cigarette. In the ashtray, the cigarettes pile up as he continues to pace. In a fetal position, he looks at the camera as if he has made a decision. He nods slowly.
The next day in the office, he types in ACMEs name and transfers $15,000 to Kaiser insurance. (fade to white)
(white screen) Doctor is saying, “the operation was very successful, Ben should have a full recovery.” Ernest says “thank you doctor”. Echoing footsteps. the doctor says, “I think he’s coming around now. I’ll leave you two alone” echoing footsteps, the sound of a door opening and shutting”.
(phase in from white to the perspective of Ben in a hospital cot looking at his father)
Ernest says “Oh Ben. I love you so much.” He hugs his son. “Be strong, be strong” Ernest says. There is a knock at the door. It is a police officer. The cop says, “Ernest Hall?”
“Yea… let’s…” his voice sounds hesitant, but gains confidence, “let’s do it outside. I don’t want my son to watch”.
The man locks eyes with his son, slowly walking out of the room. Their hands slowly pull apart. He walks out of the room, followed by the police officer. The door slowly closes. (black, credits). #
Video Scavanger Hunt November 9, 2009
Posted by samuhagedorn in Assignments.Tags: Bender, Chris, close up, editing, excitment, film, library, long shot, medium, pan, parking garage, suicide, Video, Visual Literacy
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Our group had a lot of fun shooting our video. The man (Chris), climbs up to the top of the parking garage and looks mournfully out at the world. (When we shot it, we planned to have the man commit suicide, but the footage didn’t quite convey the meaning).
Here are some of our clips, arranged to demonstrate that we know our shots.
Here is the mini-film we edited. My thanks to Jesse for his wonderful skills in video editing. You’ll see what I mean.
Title Sequence: Fight Club Wows with $ensory 0ver[oad October 26, 2009
Posted by samuhagedorn in Assignments.Tags: blues, brad pitt, edward norton, Fight club, greys, movie, organic, sci-fi, society, title sequence, whites
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To see the Fight Club title sequence, click here.
Movie Description: Fight Club is a psychological thriller about a schizophrenic man (Edward Norton). He unhappily works as an insurance claims adjuster. His devil-may-care alter-ego (Brad Pitt), convinces him to begin a fight club. Over the course of this movie, the main character’s mind continues to deteriorate, as the fight club continues to grow and adopt a militant objective. This film is creative, dynamic and a highly critical look at mainstream society.
Title Goal: An exciting introduction to get the audience pumped. The whizzing camera-shots along neurons help deliver the theme of the movie about how “real” mental thoughts can be. It’s frenzied and energetic, and the visuals are engaging. By the end, the viewers adrenaline are pulsing.
Music: The music is uptempo and pulsing. It begins with a bubbling gurgle, a old violin chord, and a massive cut to heavy metal. There is a large variety of noises– gurgling, electric shrieks, guitar cords and record cuts. The music is alarming in tone, with a repeating “warning chime” sound. It adds to the frantic scene the visuals are creating–
Visuals: The shot zooms out from the surface of a single neuron, encompassing the brain, out to the main character’s forehead. As a first time experience, the opening shot is confusing. After a few seconds, it begins to be recognizable as something organic. Part of the confusion is the very limited color pallet– blues, greys and whites. It has an almost sci-fi feel, yet is clearly organic. About 20 seconds in, a viewer starts to recognize brain-cell shapes and understand that the shot is inside a brain. After viewing this many times, I think the black jets at the start of the title sequence are adrenaline, and the camera is following the path of the thought through the nervous system to the main character’s face. The long, tube-like nerves would be the occular nerve.
Typography: The font flashes brightly white and then fades into a grey cloud. The font is science fiction– block letters, with cutouts on the B, D, and C to give a sense of motion. The left side of the letters tend to be cut out– which gives the eye a sense of movement from right to left. While the letter is boxy, it’s italicized so it ads to the sense of movement. The text flashes on the screen and uses a dynamic font, so it seems to have a great sense of movement. Plus the text is on the screen for a short length of time, if you blink you might miss it.
Photo Essay on China and Pollution October 25, 2009
Posted by samuhagedorn in Interesting photos.Tags: China, enviroment, mess, photograph, photographs, pollution, waste
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I found an amazing collection of photographs about China’s enviromental catastrophe. I love how the essay progresses. First, it captures the pollution with disturbing images. Then, it progresses to the human cost of that waste. It’s very powerful.
Check it out.
Poster Project October 19, 2009
Posted by samuhagedorn in Assignments, Interesting photos.add a comment
Sam Hagedorn's Poster Project
The atom image was imported from a wikipedia atom model. I then used photoshop tools to change the colors to green. The text was grouped together to bring the focus ot the message “nuclear is green”.
Analysis: Movie Poster October 17, 2009
Posted by samuhagedorn in Assignments.Tags: Darko, Donnie, Donnie Darko, Drew Barrymore, Emphasis, Farhat, Frank, Jake GyllenHall, Jena Malone, Movie Poster, Movie Review, Patrick Swayze, Poster, Rabbit, Skull, Visual Literacy
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Donnie Darko Movie Poster
Donnie Darko, the dark and surreal film, had a fitting movie poster. There are several design features that help to convey the tone of the movie, the actors in the movie and the motif.
The emphasis of the poster is the impression of a rabbit’s head (for fans of the movie, his name is Frank). The rabbit seems sinister– skull-like and smiling. The blueish color is ghostlike and cold. The viewers eye is drawn to the rabbit because the background is a simple black.
When a viewer looks closer, the onlooker realizes the rabbit is composed of many pictures. The actor’s faces are arranged to meld into the rabbit image. The sharpest picture is the one right about the rabbit’s left eye– it is of the main character. The others are blurrier and softer. The effect emphasizes Jake Gyllenhaal among the other actors and actresses.
The next object on the emphasis hierarchy is the title of the movie. “Donnie Darko” is written with an intriguing typography. It blends several techniques together. The font has serifs, which are usually used to depict more formal text. The words have a wave in them (look at the bottom of the letters– they aren’t straight). I think this gives it a sense of movement. The words are also blurred in the background (a blurry shadow). It makes the text seen rather dynamic. I also think its interesting that the text is the only thing that is white in the entire picture– but the text is so narrow that it’s focus is secondary to the rabbit.
At the bottom is the legalese. It’s written in a grey, low-contrast font and boxy letters that seem blend the writing together. An onlooker doesn’t really read it. Plus, audiences expect the legalese to be at the bottom– so they have experience ignoring the tiny writing at the bottom.
On the whole, this is a very effective poster. The image of the rabbit sticks with a viewer.
