CREATIVE HISTORIES - Initial Research

Here is a selection of some of the videos I have been looking at initially for my research. I want to get familiar with different styles and techniques for motion graphics as this is an area that I am very unfamiliar with. I want to look at videos that make use of simple ideas that are well executed as, given the time I have available, I need to be realistic about what I am going to be able to achieve with my very limited skills with motion software. Rather than be too ambitious, I want to create something of good quality so I think it is important to keep the concept fairly straight forward. The examples I am looking at here execute simple ideas very well. My skills at this stage aren’t up to the standard of these videos but I think they give me a good starting point for me to develop my concept.

SPLIT, by Cento Lodigiani, although using very high quality animation, focuses simply on dividing a canvas in half, black and white, and shifting visual elements between the two. The result is energetic, rhythmic and visually engaging. I think this a great example of a dynamic and exciting animation based on a simple initial concept.

Brandt Brauer Frick’s Caffeine, by Dian Diaz and Patricia Luna, is a beautiful short narrative animation. The thing that interests me about this video is the idea of repetition. The characters are made up of only a few frames of animation but when repeated and duplicated over and over again it creates a busy stage full of activity and movement. Perhaps I could use the idea or repetition to bring my won work to life.

Tango, by Zbigniew Rybcznski, again looks at the idea of repetition. In this case the repetition of the characters activities are slowly layered on top of each other to move the stage from what was a rather empty and motionless setting to an area so busy with activity that the viewer can barely see what is going on. Using the idea of layering and repetition to shift the dynamic of the video from calm to chaos.

The Camera Collection, by Antonio Vicentini, quite simply lists a collection of cameras. This simple idea is brought to life using bold colourful and fluid animations to move from one to another. The representation each camera is treated in the same way to give the video a single visual language.