Blue Monday - New Order

The cover and the code.  Thought it would be neat to use the colour code he developed to spell 'Peter Saville'

Cover history

UAG

The Alphabet Colour code 73 BLUE monday

And

Once I have worked out each letter I created each one as a separate layer in Photoshop so than I could animate the change from the original to spell Peter Saville.

peter-saville-new-order-colour-code

After Effects workshop 5

• Additional key framing techniques
• Simplifying compositions by 'grouping' layers together
• How to add sound to the compositions.

Can apply these techniques to any layers

Working with accelaration and decelaration

Easing in and easing out

Select the first keyframe

Animation menu

Key frame asst.

Ease out to accelerate away from he key frame

To ease in select last keyframe

To ease in and out select both first and last key frames then select Easy Ease

Using the Graph Editor

On the toolbar select Graph editor

Gives and opportunity to change the speed 

Can deselect keyframes using handles

Can use purely the Graph Editor instead of easing out/in

Pendulum

Select solid layer then double click elipse to create a elipse

Consider how the object will rotate around the acbchor point

Use the Pan behind tool (y) select anchor point then move as appropriate

Simplify compositions using multiple layers and groups

Parent/Child relationships

Allows you to link layers together

Ensure the layers are positioned how you want them to appear

Establish parent/child relationship using the parent drop down menu next to the layer switches.

The drop down menu shows each of the other layer names.

Select the parent for each layer as relevant

The child layer can be animated independently however always bound to the parent.

Reminer- to get object to follow path - AUTO-ORIENTATE

Can use Rove across time for key frames

Nesting Compositions inside each other

or can create a new comp then nest into a 'main comp.

Audio

Sound files  -AIFF or WAV

File/import/open

fixed length

use RAM preview to playback sound

Ensure when add to render queue that audio output switched on as below

After effects workshop 4

 Creating text directly in After Effects

Type tool
Click in the Composition window


Can format text in Character pallet


Double click on lyer to select all text


The anchor point is not in middle of layer but at the bottom left corner, This is the centre of rotation.

Can reposition the anchor point to the centre using the "pan Behind' tool manually move the anchor point to the centre.  Short cut 'Y'

Source text option

Source text allows us to change the content and /or the format of text over time.

Activate source text by clicking Stop watch

Creates Hold frames (square shaped)

Can you this to make text appear alomg...

Also can use to change colour, font, font size,style

To remove keyframes - move time indicator to end of key frames then press stopwatch.

Animate property

Can animate all usual transform properies.

plus fill colour, tracking and line spacing

Position - Now have two positions one in transform and one in text.

RANGE SELECTOR

Specify how much of text is effected by teh animation

eg

all moves

o % 

100%

Only half moves

50%

100%

Other options

If for example change start to 40% and end to 60% effect just the middlw section

Can use 'offset' value to move the text eg set keyframe at -100% and one at +100%

This creates a Mexican wave effect.

Advance Options

Units  val uses % or Index for Start and end values

Give more control can specify the number of characters

Based on -  Characters or Characters excluding spaces

or Words or Lines (eg if working with Paragraphs)

Mode - Overlapping characters that are different colours (blend modes)

Amount-  Changes the amount of the property u have changed Can go positive and ngative above and below the line.

Smoothness - Interpolation - Does not show the movement if 0

Animate on Scale

Animate select scale

Each character scales around its own anchor point

This applies to scale and rotation

Use more options - To chnage how scale applied.  USe Acnchor point Grouping - choose from 'Character, Word, Line and All

So for example change the SCale %

Range selector - use characters in Advance menu (not %)

Create offset keyframes with '-' and '+' values

Add additional properties to the animator

Adding Spacing - Select Tracking

Adding another property to the animator - Colour - fill colour RGB

Can use the Advanced property - Smoothness - if reduce to o% then will restrict the change to just one character - dont fade out.

After Effects tutorial

Tips with Sound

• Can be purely ambient, literal or for narration.
• Reinforce the graphics
• Decide what you want to communicate through the graphics
• Avoid songs which already have strong visual associations unless deliberate.
• Importance of synchronisation
• Rock is hard to animate to

After Effects importing sound

Import MP4, drag and drop into composition,  can key frame volume in and out.  If Waveform goes into the red/tellow is too lound reduce DB

Use Ctl8 to mark out beats on Sound Track.

Aiff/wav not compressed whereas MP3 and MP$ are.  Keep same format.

Other tips

Dont use 300dpi resolution images in AE as will slow everything down - too large . Use 72 dpi.

Composition Label layers in Photoshops to ensure they are clear in After effects.

Finalising the Design direction and content for the Top Ten

The content was not about a 'top' ten as such it was more identifying links between iconic Graphic designers and artists of album covers.  They would each be represented by one iconic album and an easily recognisable soundbite. 
The priority was to be accurate with the links between the designers which would be conveyed through the order of the Moving image.  The music used was off the albums represented.

When making the decision about who to choose I went for either the most historically iconic or for more present day designers the ones who are operating succesfully in the Design world.  Some were practical choices in terms of I had the albums so could scan the artwork in and also use the music.:




1. Andy Warhol - Sticky Fingers.  Track Brown sugar  

2. Peter Corriston - Led Zepplin Physical Graffiti Track - Kashmir - Ditinctive beat, recognisable.
Link to Rolling Stones as he designed 'Some Girls' 

3.  Hipgnosis - Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the moon.  Track "Money" again distinctive beat and sound.  
LINKS -Both Hignosis and Peter Corriston have worked on both Led Zep.albums

4.  Barney Bubbles- Ian Dury Hit me with your Rhythm stick (originally Elvis Costello Armed Forces however this image lent itself to 'move' more)  

Links with Pink Floyd through sixties counter culture, performing at Middle Earth and UFO clubs.

5.  Malcolm Garrett - Buzzcocks - Ever fallen in love (Considered Duran Duran but liked the connection that he used a pastiche of Marcel Duchamp's  Fluttering Hearts  to create the hearts) 

Links with Barney Bubbles as worked with him briefly at Radar records. Both Malcolm and Peter Saville cite him as a huge influence on them.

6.  Peter Saville New Order - Blue Monday. 

Links with Malcolm Garrett as they are friends and studied at Manchester Poly together

7.  Mark Farrow - Pet Shop Boys Actually - Track - Its a sin

Links with Peter Saville as they both worked at Factory Records. (originally was going to use the Spiritualised pill packet cd but this track was more recognisable and fitted with the electronica from New Order.)

8.  Ray Lowry/Pennie Smith The Clash London Calling Track London Calling.  

Links with Barney Bubbles - sixties counterculture press Frendz and International times  .  Pennie Smith said it was Barney who encouraged her to pick up a camera.  This was one reason I originally planned to use a 'map' visual as there are two links to Barney however I was able to 'rewind the footage in After effects which proved really effective.

8 Ben Drury and Futura 2000 - Unkle Psyence Fiction Track -Remix of Ian Brown Falling (off the album and worked well with planned moving image)

Link - Futura 2000 was a Graffiti artist who toured with the Clash in the USA providing spray painting backdrops as they performed.  

10. Ben Drury - Dizze Rascal - Bonkers  Linked to Futura through the Mo Wax label and subsequent projects.  

Liked the idea of using this track as it brought the Designers and music  up to date.