Tadpole Title Credits

On the Trollback website, I came across the title credits to Tadpole. I found these title credits to be very simple and very interesting. Throughout the piece the text comes in as if it's floating in the wind or maybe in the water since the title is Tadpole.

The background is scenery passing by as if someone was taping outside a moving car's side window. It goes by so fast and there is so much green, that the letters appear as if they are floating along in the breeze only to reveal names of actors and crew members.

The letters are all scattered as they start by passing over the first set of words. (it's hard to read what they say because the viewing window is so small.) As the gust of letters fly by, they transform the first sentence into another set of words. This is a very effective transition between text.

The text repeats this transition although it doesn't always do the same thing, and if it does, the amount of stray letters differs every thing. The different effects (that are somewhat similar) help keep the piece correlated and fluent. Every once in a while we get a glimpse of some scenery which includes a lake. This is how we know that the green movement that we are seeing scenery in the background.

The text is quite simple. It looks like it's just a plain serif font in white. It's a good choice because they wouldn't want to use anything too extravagant. The text is small so that it doesn't overpower the screen and also allows the longer statements to fit neatly on the screen. When the name of the movie comes up the font doesn't change much. It's larger than the other pieces, but doesn't fill the whole screen. This keeps the title credits flowing nicely without throwing off the viewer with a giant title. We can still recognize that this is the title without it having to take up every space available.

When there are times where there are two lines of text (towards the end), they use the title of the person in all caps and the person's name in standard sentence mode. They also had the title moving one way and the name moving the other. This separated the name and title effectively while still keeping them together.

I found this set of title credits to be well done with using minimal amounts of effects. It's simple and it serves it's purpose. As the viewer, I knew what I was reading and what title went with which person. It was a good inspiration for me to look at things a little more simply every once in a while and the every thing doesn't have to be so complicated.

Spark: Role Reversal

Returning to the Spark Site, I found an animation called Role Reversal. It's located in the work menu under show packages. I found it very simple and complex at the same time. The whole piece is based on a man and a woman who are just laying (I think) next to each other and pieces of color and clothing begin to switch. It looks like it's for a show that reverses the roles of a spouse or friend (or something) to see how the other one handles. (Just a guess.)

It starts off with the two people: a woman in a long skirt, a shirt, a jean jacket, heeled boots, and hair down, and a man in pants, shoes, a shirt and a blazer with short hair. They are each broken up into four pieces from top to bottom. These pieces begin to change. The clothes become the other's clothes.

They keep switching around showing different combinations (kind of like paper dolls) as they move from the middle of the screen and then to the left. There is even a tiny version at one point in the animation that's in the righthand side.

As this is all happening, there are thin rectangles that run along the whole screen going from left to right. These contain colors from the clothes and are also moving around. This gives the animation balance so that the focus isn't just in the center. It also connects the colored outfits with the white background along with the additive of movement. They also subdivide the four squares on each person so there are even smaller uneven rectangles that contain different pieces of clothes.

The words Role Reversal appear about 4 times as the animation progresses. Three of the times they are smaller. One of the times it is white over the people, and the last time it appears it is large, orange and very bold. This is obviously the title and the main focus at the end. It is more towards the right because the picture is on the left, but because of the bright color and the bold quality, and not to mention the letters that change to find the right ones, all make this stand out. Something else that makes it unique is the R in Reversal. This R is backwards. Even though it isn't in its typical form, we, the viewers, can still read the words because we recognize the rest of the letters. It gives the title a little personality.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention. As I watched this animation for the 7th time, I noticed something I had not noticed before. Maybe it was because of the smaller size viewer or maybe I'm just totally mistaken, but it looks as though at the end, the girl ends up with short hair and in the man's clothes and the man ends up with a wig of long hair and in the woman's clothes. It's hard to tell because it's so small. Maybe my eyes are bad and they just ended up on the side that the other is on, but I have a feeling that it's the former.

It's very creative and slightly humorous. This could indicate that this particular show may have some laugh out loud moments besides getting the message across about "a day in my shoes." Either way, this animation was very clever and fun, not to mention simple and effective.

EyeballNYC - Kids Choice Awards

On the EyeballNYC site I decided to analyze the Kids Choice Awards for Nickelodeon ad. You can find it in the menu under Nickelodeon and it's the second clip. First of all, this ad is very fast paced and is full of movement from all directions. This accurately defines the audience in which this ad is geared towards: Kids. The basic shapes that are used in the animation are waves, stars and circles. The colors are blue, red, green and yellow. Very bold and fun colors. Kinda like kids.

It starts of with a reddish background and there are silhouetted dancers and skateboarders which move along with the animation. The music has an electronic feel which fits in with the hip hop dancers.

Throughout most of the animation, the stars represent the floor or ground. They may have used stars for numerous of reasons. First, they kind of look like the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I believe this show is taped in LA so it seems fitting. Also, there are always stars (actors and actresses, musicians and comedians and athletes) who appear at this event. The stars in the animation could be somewhat of a subliminal message reminding kids that there will be stars there. And lastly, it could be representing the fact that the kids are the stars of this show. They are the ones who choose the winners and they are the ones who make up the majority of the audience. I think that maybe a combination of all of these are what led the animators to choose the stars and their position in the animation.

I like how sometimes the camera zooms into dancing or cartwheeling figures which dissolve into another color and make the transition into the next background for the next scene. It's a neat effect and makes a clean transition while keeping the animation moving.

In one scene the circles make up clouds and there are two dancers on the clouds, there is the wave shape going down, stars hovering around and in the background there is a radial gradient of yellow that makes it look like the sun. Just by using shapes like these gives the illusion that these people are dancing in the clouds. I believe that the whole animation is done in mostly flat color.

In the end, the logo comes up which reads Kids Choice Awards 2004. The little orange blimp says Nickelodeon and orbits the top of this logo. The movement of the blimp draws the eye to the network name. Two other things move in this logo, both very subtle. The o in choice is a spikey ball thing (I'm not sure of the name) and it spins. This is pretty much positioned at the center of the logo which also draws the viewers attention to the center. Lastly, each number of the 2004 are in little circles. These circles pulsate, becoming larger and smaller. The subtle movement of these pieces draw the viewers attention to specific parts of the logo.

Spark Website

I browsed the Spark website and looked under works and then show packages. There, I found the Getaway USA ad. I found this one to be interesting so I decided to blog on it. To start, there is a background of a city at night with all the lights glowing. On the bottom of the screen there is a small globe that stays pretty stationary throughout the animation. There is a video layer that has bright lights flashing making it look like cars headlights or maybe rock concert lights spinning. This already gives you the feeling party-like nights in the city. (The music is also upbeat and popular sounding-like maybe club music.)

It then cuts to two ladies in a car. One is smiling very widely. Apparently she's having a good time. Underneath this shot are words (its hard to make out exactly what they are since the viewer window is slightly small.) I think they say USA in bold red letters (the more important info) and then Getaway in a small size underneath 7 little diamonds, squares, and circles which represent little highway signs. I believe they have little arrows on them and that's why I believe them to be signs. They also rotate sometimes giving a little animation for focusing on the words. A shot of the globe comes back briefly.

It then dissolves into a picture of a man with his horses. I guess this clip is for the country lovers. Again the signs are in the picture, providing continuity, however, these signs are on the top and the word getaway is next to it on the left. The font and style of the USA in the previous slide is there, but this time it also reads Getaway. This kind of links the two clips together. The globe comes back for only a split second again.

Following the globe, is a picture of a person standing near a big cliff in the desert somewhere. Again the repeating of the signs and the small getaway word is in the picture. This time the signs are above the red USA (which is like the first shot of the women in the car) in the bottom left hand corner. The small getaway word is stationed in the center at the top. The camera goes in for a close-up shot of the person next to the cliff. The extra text detail remains the same.

This brings us to a shot of a beach with a person standing very far off. Over the beach clip is a giant (or looks like a giant compared to the perspective of the person) American flag billowing in the wind. We have the signs and the words again. getaway is above the flag in the sky and the signs are above the person's head. Two women (one holding an American flag) come in over this scene on the far right. They're laughing and having fun. This continues to set the mood of enjoyment while on a getaway.

Throughout the piece I also noticed that there were occasional random lights like the beginning ones in other clips. This gave some fun motion to the shots and kept it continuously flowing. It helped to add a flare of excitement to the piece when most of the shots had minimal movement.

At the end, the globe comes back and it is then clear that the globe is actually on the front end of a car hood. It's not moving but the car is. The camera is stationed on the car so it looks like the only movement is the road going by. I didn't notice during the short globe clips in between the other pieces that it was on a car. It's neat because it ties in the traveling getaway by not only using the little globe, but also the car driving. It's very clever that they used this instead of just a globe sitting on the screen. Over the globe, there is a logo that says Getaway and then in a box next to it: USA. This is centered and large which indicates that it is important information that the viewer should remember. The signs are back in the bottom right of the screen. Again the signs pull the piece together and is the continuous factor in the whole piece.

Hewlett Packard ad

I came across this ad for Hewlett Packard on the Hillman Curtis website. It is a very simple ad because it only uses text, photos and one clip of animation. It starts off with an animated 3d version of an old garage which rotates 360 degrees. The narrator starts explaining how the garage was where Hewlett and Packard started their ideas. The animation fades to a photograph of the old garage. It's centered which brings the focus to it even though it is small.

After that, light blue text appears on a dark blue background. Only one word comes up at a time and most of them are incredibly fast, too fast to read on your own. However, the viewer knows what it said because those words are spoken through the narrator moments before. The words stop on garage and another old picture of the garage fades in the background.

A black and white picture fades up and then soon after another piece to the picture (a man working in the front) fades in to complete the photo. This kind of gives the picture a 2d feel using layers.

The animation continues and talks about the inventors. They do this by continuing the quick moving words in the center of the screen. This time it stops on inventors. Two pictures of men sit right above this word. Underneath is a white box, which after a few moments, reveals the phrase: " The most complete Radicals." The pictures fade out and into another picture of the men as the words hang around for a while. This transition is effective because of the overlapping information. It's a continuous flow between pieces. It keeps the eye busy and keeps the animation constantly moving. This word fade over picture technique continues as the animation moves along.

Next is a picture of two people carrying something toward the camera. The animator tried to get the effect of movement using the flat picture. He or she did this by making a cut out of the two people and placing it on top of the picture. They made this cut out larger in size so that it appears that they were moving toward the camera.

They use another technique of movement with a still image in the next scene. A picture of a man (taken from the waist down) holding a brief case is being used. It's a side angle and as they fade the picture using 3 stops across the screen, it gives the illusion of the man walking across the screen.

The rotating model of the garage comes up again and is used as a background for some more text that follows the narration. As the narrator continues, a black and white picture of people working comes up with pieces missing. These pieces are filled in completing the whole picture. This draws the audience to pay attention to the detail and what the picture is. The most important people in the picture are at 100% opacity while the background people aren't as strong.

It ends with a colored picture of the garage and the words "inventing the new HP" then "want to come along?" This gives some interaction for the viewer because it asks the viewer a question. It's a question that only the viewer answers. It's a decision. The last thing that appears is the HP logo on a white background. This is important to place at the end because the viewer will remember it.

Throughout the animation, the color scheme was black and white (for most of the pictures) and different shades of a bluish purple. By keeping the colors coordinating and consistent, the viewer is able to focus without having an array of colors keeping them distracted. This bluish color is also the color that is found in the HP logo.

Web Motion: Adobe Studio Motion Brand Ad

I made my way to the HillmanCurtis site and found this Ad for Adobe. First, the animation starts of in a banner-like shape (an elongated rectangle) and a black background with a woman's (let's call her Anne since that name appears in the title) head shot in the middle. This image stays in the exact position for the whole entire clip. The animation that is taking place is located around Anne's head.

The animation part are sketch drawings and words that depict the purpose of the piece. All of the words and pictures are in white and resemble chalk drawings. It starts off with the words "Idea 1" written in and an arrow pointing to the woman's head. Instantly it is crossed out and then the words Idea 2 are written underneath it. This step repeats, revealing idea 3 and an arrow on the other side of the image. The crossed out words then zoom forward and fade away as the next section draws in. The "idea" portion actively expresses what the mind is thinking when inspired. Ideas would flow in and out of your mind quick enough to dismiss one when a better one has entered.

Little light bulbs come twirling in (still in the hand written type) followed by giant block letters that read INSPIRATION which is divided in two where Anne's head is still positioned. A little crown is drawn upon Anne's head which represents (I think) the emotion that overcomes you when you're inspired and have come up with a splendid idea.

After a little while the words "Publish anywhere" come up. After just long enough to read it, the word "any" is crossed out and written above it is the word "every." Small stars are drawn in afterwards. By focusing on the word anywhere, the creators were able to get an important message across which hopefully inspires the viewer. They want to make it known that you should go out and show your ideas to everyone and everywhere possible. They are encouraging the viewer to get up and go with the idea that was founded.

Next, hand drawn city buildings pop up from the bottom and the words "Enterprise Enpower" fly by with a propeller. By animating these words in such a way, the creators were able to draw attention to this little word airplane. Instead of using a drawn airplane with a banner floating behind it with the words, the creators used the words as the plane. This takes a common idea and turns it into a more creative and exciting way to display what they have to say. This is another example of showing that creativity is worth expressing.

At the end, the buildings (randomly) sink back down off the screen and the word Adobe comes fading up in all caps and a brighter white than the subtext. This draws the viewers attention to the more important part of the last scene. The letters are very sketchy and certainly not perfect like most computer text would be. For instance, the E is not at all drawn with perfection. I think that the reason they chose to use this kind of lettering, is so that people understand that ideas and creativity comes from the mind, not the computer. The only way we will get the creativity and art we see is by thinking it up ourselves. Adobe is just a tool to help us express ourselves and sometimes inspire us.

Underneath the title text which spans across the screen even slightly under Anne's head, is the subtext which reads "Revolutionizing the way the world" on one side of Anne, and the other side reads "engages with ideas and information." The subtext summarizes what the ad's purpose is. This part is slightly grey so that it is read after reading the word Adobe. It is also written slightly slanted and almost going up the right side of the window as if the person had really been writing and ran out of paper space.

I also noticed after multiple viewings, that Anne does move slightly every once in a while. She blinks her eyes so subtly that I never noticed the first couple of times watching it. This is very effective because it shows that there is life in her and she's not just a jpeg. Also, it is so subtle enough that it doesn't distract the viewer away from the more important information found in the animation.

Imaginary Forces: Ray

I went back to the Imaginary Forces Website because I really liked their pieces. I picked the title film credits to the movie Ray.

First of all, throughout this piece, there is a black background, and through the first half of it, there is smoke that either overlays or masks the video that is playing. It starts off with the close up of the smoke and words fading in. There is no music playing in the background which gives the scene an interesting feel. Then it cuts to hands that make their way to the piano keys and begin to play a jazzy kind of piece.

As the extreme close up of the hands play, the smoke continues to billow as an overlay. When the key of the music changes, the angle of the camera also changes. It is now an overhead shot of the hands playing the piano. Still, the smoke is moving giving it a cool effect. However, in this case, I think it's serving more as a mask, or maybe it's just highlighting the places where it is the lightest.

A microphone (an older model) comes straight down to the camera. This gives a sense of the time frame this movie is taking place. There is no smoke, but the two lines of text in this part move closer together (moving: top to bottom and the other bottom to top). Instead of a fade in like used with the smoke, they chose to have the text move in a way like the microphone.

The next scene shows an extreme close up of an ashtray (looks like we found where the smoke was coming from) and in the background (not in focus) is (who we think is) the piano player. This transitions into the smoke alone again. Then a quick cut to a foot stamping in time. Next is a pan down a drumset cymbal being played as the drums come in with the music. Again, through all this, the smoke is moving over the video.

Some more close ups appear of the piano player's shirt, his hands playing etc. The title credit words are fading in. They are all golden yellow. Also, they seem to show an effective typography. The more important words are larger and, interestingly, in all lower case. For example, they wrote "A taylor hackford FILM". Taylor Hackford is in all lower case, but is significantly larger and thicker than "a" and "film." This helps the audience focus on the important name rather than the information that isn't as important.

There are some more shots of the drumset, the piano players shirt, and hands (all close ups.) There is no smoke during this part and therefore the text lines move towards each other rather than fading in. I thought this was a very subtle change, but also very effective.

A shot of the hands playing from overhead is the next scene and as the scene zooms out it shows that it is the reflection from the sunglasses that the piano player is wearing. Once zoomed out to show the full glasses, the word Ray comes in as if it is being drawn. This not only shows us the title of the film, but it also identifies the mysterious piano player. We assume that he is Ray. As the face turns slightly the video fades to black leaving the golden letters there alone on the black background: very bold and very clear.