Boris Continuum Complete 7 AE brings over 200 filters to Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro. Version 7 features 11 new filters including a 3-way color grade filter with built-in keying and masking tools, a new video noise reduction tool, a spline-based warp filter, an audio-driven keyframe generator, a new OpenGL particle engine, and still and video morph technology. In this session, Paul Ezzy will highlight some of these amazing new features.

Paul Ezzy is an independent filmmaker and videographer. Trained formally as a filmmaker, editor, and actor at NYFA and the Rockport Photographic Workshops, Paul also has degrees in Education, Chemistry, and Psychology. His choice past-times include creating visual special effects, art, and video games.

motion

nailgun* We’ve all seen their work. With a list of clients that could easily span this entire article – you’d have to be living in a cave to have not seen some of the projects they have created. Specializing in broadcast design, their clients include almost every network imaginable including: A&E, ABC News, Animal Planet, Cartoon Network, CBS, Comedy Central, ESPN, Food Network, Fox, HBO, National Geographic, Nickelodeon, Showtime…you get the picture.

With a strong belief that great art derives from making creative choices – and sticking to them, veteran graphic designer Michael Waldron and editor/animator Erik van der Wilden co-founded motion graphics house nailgun* in 2003 and since then have guided the young company to its lofty status as one of the industry’s most respected broadcast design houses.

storyboards for the 79th annual academy awards

Michael began his career as art director at NewsChannel6, Richmond, VA and left there to become creative director at The Diecks Group, New York. His work has been recognized by awards from Graphic Design USA, PROMAX/BDA, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Type Directors Club and ID magazine, to name a few.

Eric van der Wilden came from a completely different background. An All-American soccer player and former professional actor, Erik gradually migrated to broadcast editing, animation and design, and founded Vandyink in 1996. He later worked for The Diecks Group as Director of Editorial and Animation, where he met Michael.

The rest is history. And an amazing history at that. Their award roster includes honors from the BDA, New York Festivals, Type Directors Club, Emmy Awards and the Promax Judges Awards. nailgun*’s work has been featured in several publications in the US, UK, Asia and Europe, as well as in the books After Effects in Production: A Companion for Creating Motion Graphics (by motion09 speakers Chris & Trish Meyer), Broadcast Design (Daab, 2007), The IdN 15th Anniversary Edition (2009) and in 2010 will be included in the title, Visual Effects Artistry (Drate, sched. pub. 2010).

As nailgun* evolves, the studio continues to foster the same spirit that has brought it to this point. In an industry that is ever-changing, they continue to adapt, inspire, imagine and most of all, together, hold fast to knowing no limits.

This year, the two co-founders are going to do just that at motion09 – inspire. Tuesday evening, October 13, nailgun*’s keynote presentation will be all about broadcast design. And then, get ready for an amazing experience Wednesday morning as Michael and Erik offer a 3-hour intensive in this year’s promotion series. This series provides attendees to opportunity to work interactively with top-talent in the industry on a specific project. Watch the motion09 conference website for details on nailgun*’s interactive promotion presentation.

speaking at motion09
Michael Waldron and Eric van der Wilden will be two of the ‘rock stars’ at motion09

10.11 – 10.14 2009 | abq | nm
motion | experience inspiration

………………………………..
author: Elaine Montoya
motion.tv
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copyright: © 2008 – 09
motion.tv

motion

From the landmarks of Las Vegas to the screens big and small, audiences around the world have enjoyed Karin’s work. Karin directs and designs for a wide range of projects, spanning the worlds of fashion, entertainment, advertising, live-action direction, art, experience design and environmental installations. Whether directing military soldiers or stop motion claymation figures, Karin’s work carries a unique stamp.

Karin is is one of the founding members of  Imaginary Forces – an award winning visual effects firm with a reel that includes some of film’s most impressive work including Terminator Salvation, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Pink Panther 2, Ray, Definitely Maybe and Charlotte’s Web to name a few.

One of their recent projects was for Terminator Salvation (view motion.tv article). The piece was entitled “Machine Vision”.  In this project, their challenge was to conceptualize how the Terminator robots would see the world. Imaginary Forces broke down the visual spectrum to design Machine Vision, developing the language of these special effects sequences. Using new tools for IF, such as a depth cameras that breaks down footage into data point 3-D imaging, Machine Vision creates a terrifying new take on these killer robots.

On the lighter side, Karin directed the title sequence for Sony Picture’s The Pink Panther 2.  Her efforts did not go unnoticed. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert said of the titles: “I was smiling all the way through the opening credits of The Pink Panther 2. They made me miss the golden age of credits.”

Karin’s interest in pushing the boundaries of cinema has resulted in creating film and video installations for a variety of architectural and theatrical sites, including Las Vegas, Lincoln Center, and the Los Angeles Opera. Meanwhile, her expertise in both live action and design ultimately led to directing television commercials for such clients as Target, Honda, Sears, and Herman Miller.

Her work in designing television titles earned her an Emmy Award for Masterpiece Theatre’s American Collection and a nomination for the hit NBC series Chuck.

Karin Fong is a director and designer based in New York City. A native Californian, Karin studied Art at Yale, with a concentration in Graphic Design. After successfully creating an animated alphabet book for her senior project, she began her career as an animator on the WGBH television program Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? From that point forward, Karin was hooked on creating work that combines live action, design, and animation.

Recently named one the Top 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company magazine, Karin has had work in the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, Artists Space, and The Wexner Center, as well as in numerous publications on film and design. Currently, Karin is on the faculty at the Yale School of Art where she teaches in the MFA program.

motion09 welcomes Karin Fong to the stage!

speaking at motion09
Karin Fong will be one of the ‘rock stars’ at motion09

10.11 – 10.14 2009 | abq | nm
motion | experience inspiration

………………………………..
author: Elaine Montoya
motion.tv
………………………………..
copyright: © 2008 – 09
motion.tv

someone to be proud of

This year, the motion graphics, broadcast design, and vfx industries have someone to be proud of: Karin Fong, of Imaginary Forces. Selected for her diverse portfolio of film titles, commercials, and experience design projects, Karin has garnered numerous accolades for her work, including awards from the D&AD, ADC, One Show, and an Emmy.

on machine vision

One of their recent projects was for Terminator Salvation (shown in the clip above). The piece was entitled “Machine Vision”.  In this project, their challenge was to conceptualize how the Terminator robots would see the world. Imaginary Forces broke down the visual spectrum to design Machine Vision, developing the language of these special effects sequences. Using new tools for IF, such as a depth cameras that breaks down footage into data point 3-D imaging, Machine Vision creates a terrifying new take on these killer robots.

@imaginary forces

Under Karin Fong’s leadership, Imaginary Forces, best known for its innovative movie titles, has expanded into new territory: commercial work for companies such as Microsoft, Pepsi, and Target, and design experiences for architectural spaces like the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the redesigned Lincoln Center. “Our essence is in film-title work,” says Fong. “But it’s through that concentrated effort that we’ve been able to expand our brain trust into multiple mediums.”

Fong is a master of cinematic storytelling in a compact space; her work in The Pink Panther 2 inspired film critic Roger Ebert to recall “the golden age of credits.”

kudos!

motion congratulates Karin Fong for being selected one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People!

speaking at motion09
Karin Fong will be one of the ‘rock stars’ at motion09

10.11 – 10.14 2009 | abq | nm
motion | experience inspiration

………………………………..
author: Elaine Montoya
motion.tv
………………………………..
copyright: © 2008 – 09
motion.tv

motion

If you’re a fan of reality television, then you’ve no-doubt seen pixelation – the technique networks often use to hide questionable content. McDonough is known for utilizing this technique in creating the branding for Fox Reality Channel’s original programming.

Brilliant in its simplicity, the pixelation concept represents one of Fox Reality Channel’s largest strategic branding efforts to date, giving them a truly identifiable look for their original content that, according to Lorey Zlotnick, Senior VP of Marketing and On-Air Promotions for Fox Reality, will serve as the visual core for network originals.

Boston native, McDonough is the Creative Director and Founder of PMcD Design – an award winning New York based broadcast design firm with a reel that includes work created for Starz Crash, branding for FOX Reality Channel, TLC and a host of clients including ABC, NBC, ESPN, NGC, Starz, Encore, PBS and WNET.

Most recently, McDonough designed and produced the promotional package for Crash, the first original series created by Starz.

The package needed to convey the essence of the show. The characters have diverse backgrounds – with different destinations ahead, and lives that collide. The series, based on the Academy award winning feature film, features Dennis Hopper among the ensemble cast, and is shot on location in New Mexico.

Elements for the promo package were created using custom footage shot with the Phantom super high-speed, digital camera. This footage included super slow motion (1000fps) sequences of glass shattering and metal twisting, time-lapse footage of the Los Angeles skyline. The show’s logo is projected over myriad surfaces and layered throughout the specialty footage and graphic elements.

PMcD Design provides all phases of broadcast design development – including graphic production, film direction, music/sound design and corporate image.

“PMcD brings an unusual creative process to each project by developing focused partnerships with our clients”, said McDonough. “Every project is given a unique signature that addresses the branding, marketing, and packaging needs of a corporate identity that is competing in a rapidly changing and converged marketplace.”

With every project, PMcD assembles a specialized team of design and production personnel from a rich and diversified talent base to ensure that the right tools and talent are synergistically joined to the right job. The creative team is involved in every facet of design and production ensuring a consistent and original approach from concept development to final execution.

PMcD Design is part of LORI PATE+, a transmedia branding and design group. PMcD continues to create and produce imagery for most of the world’s best clients.

motion09 welcomes Patrick McDonough to the stage!

speaking at motion09
Patrick McDonough will be one of the ‘rock stars’ at motion09

10.11 – 10.14 2009 | abq | nm
motion | experience inspiration

………………………………..
author: Elaine Montoya
motion.tv
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copyright: © 2008 – 09
motion.tv

how did you get into motion graphics?

TM: I started out as a musician, then got into desktop publishing after working on a music magazine. Working with After Effects was a natural next step because it was kind of a tie-in between music and print—but it was much more interesting than print. This was in the early 1990s, when there was a lot of interest in multimedia and interactive CDs. The Internet wasn’t quite there yet—but obviously something new was happening. And it really fascinated me. Just as desktop publishing had eliminated the need for typesetters, I could see the same thing happening to big post houses with very expensive equipment—because here was this little program that could, in some cases, do more tricks than they could.

CM: When I started working with After Effects—we were using it from version one, and beta testing it when there were just a half-dozen beta testers—I knew it would revolutionize video production. It was an exciting time, because until that point it had been, “we get to do this work because we bought the gear.” Now it was, “we get to do this work because we can afford a computer and we’re creative.”

when you get a project, what’s the first thing you do? what’s your approach to problem-solving?

CM: First, you have to consider what the client is trying to communicate. Is there a mood they’re trying to get across?

TM: Or is it information?

CM: Are there facts or concepts they need to convey?

TM: Or is it just eye candy? A lot of jobs just need to look pretty and animate to the music. While the music should never dictate what the visuals look like, it should dictate how they animate. So it’s very important for the client to pick the music before you start the animation. But as far as the visual look, there’s no hard and fast rule. Every job is different.

CM: It’s very tempting in motion graphics just to focus on the eye candy aspect. But you really need to start with the purpose of the piece.

TM: Exactly. On Web sites, you can do a lot of flashy animations but you really have to stop and ask, who’s the customer? How will they use the site? How will they get in and out of a page? How many words should be on the page? If you’re doing an opening graphic or animation for a crowd that’s moving around, it will be different than one you’d do for a crowd that’s seated. A seated audience is captive; you’ll have their attention for about a minute before the host comes on. You really do have to take everything into account.

CM: It’s not about, “Is it a cool graphic to watch?” The question is, did it serve the client’s purpose? At a trade show, for example, you need to grab someone’s attention while they’re walking down an aisle, you want to drag them into your booth. In a movie title you’re trying to get the viewer in the mood for the film and what they’re about to watch. For that, a subtle distortion, like the effects we did on the title for Cold Mountain, is more appropriate.

TM: When you’re doing a title for a movie, it’s not as creative as people might think. There are a lot of restrictions on what you can and can’t do. For example, the title can’t be bigger than the biggest star’s name. The sequence of names, and whether a name gets its own card is really important. I can’t just shuffle titles around, or put two names on a card.

CM: It’s an interesting contrast between the Web and film. Film is an older industry; there are a lot of set ways of doing things that you have to learn—as opposed to the Web where a lot of it’s like, “we’re making this up, folks. Let’s see what works.”

in your book After Effects Apprentice, you break everything down into simple steps, which helps remove the intimidation factor for a new user.

TM: That’s why we wrote the book. Our big book, Creating Motion Graphics With After Effects, is a little intimidating. It was written for people like us, not video editors or Flash users who just need to know enough about After Effects to get the job done in their world. High schools were using it to teach After Effects, but it’s not really appropriate for that. So we decided to do a book for beginners that covered all the core techniques and used fun examples. It even has some 3-D and advanced material, but it stops short of being overwhelming. People coming from a background in print or video editing can be a little intimidated by working in 3-D. We try to get them over the fear factor and show how, with minimal investment, you can really change the look of what you’ve created. After Effects doesn’t do full-blown 3-D, there’s no modeling. You’re just moving layers in x, y and z, and adding glows and highlights with the camera. The After Effects 3-D world isn’t really full 3-D.

CM: You’re not making dinosaurs, you’re just making information more interesting.

TM: We like to show people that 3-D isn’t all that scary. We teach shortcuts, tips and tricks that let you move around in 3-D space more easily, and make working in 3-D much more enjoyable. But moving into 3-D isn’t something you do in your first week with After Effects. You need to get all the 2-D basics down first. 3-D it really is more for the intermediate user.

TM: First, you find out what it is you need to teach. And then you find some way of explaining it. A lot of it is based on jobs—we try to teach things that you have to do over and over again. We don’t teach things that you did once for a very strange client on a strange job that you never need to do again. We don’t want people to spend time learning something they’re never going to use on a real job. And we really try to break it down. Especially on Apprentice, every exercise is done in three or four pages. There’s no huge, long exercise where, by the time you’re finished, you’re not sure what you learned. The other secret is, don’t try to make a tutorial out of a real job. Real jobs are really messy. Our orientation is to prepare you for a career in using this program and these tools. We believe in keeping the focus on the core techniques you’ll use on a daily basis.

CM: There’s no need to show every single nook and cranny of a program if you’re never going to use it on a real job. We’re really into a user-to-user way of conveying information. I think it’s a difference between treating users as artists rather than programmers.

TM: Exactly. Our approach is, you’re an artist and you want to learn this. We actually joke that our books are for lazy, busy artists. We want the quickest way and the shortest way to do something.

how and when did you decide to write books about After Effects?

CM: Motion graphics people and After Effects users in particular are a community. It’s always been a pretty tight knit community, particularly in the early days. The first few After Effects books were written by people who didn’t use the program. They were authors who saw an opportunity and learned enough to get a book out there, but they weren’t users. In fact, one of those authors emailed us and said, “I see you’ve been writing articles on After Effects. I’m doing a book on After Effects, but I don’t actually know how to use it. Can I just reprint your stuff?”

TM: I turned to Chris and said this is ridiculous. We have to write a book. At that time, between 1998-2000, post houses were starting to take After Effects seriously and hiring people to work with it. We were afraid they were going to have a bad experience with people who just didn’t really know enough

CM: When a user doesn’t know how to use a program, it’s easy for a client to think it’s not a good program.

TM: We didn’t want After Effects to get a bad reputation because people weren’t using it properly. Also, people coming to After Effects from Photoshop or video editing didn’t know anything about the technical side of using After Effects, of outputting to video with non-square pixels and working with frame rates at 29.97. In the early days, some of the video cards only ran at 30 frames a second. If you have the technical stuff down pat, you can be more creative. You’re not worried about whether the frame rate is right or whether you’re adding three-two pulldown.

CM: We tell you enough technical information so that it’s not a mystery, so that users can understand it enough to know what the technical settings should be—then they can go back to being an artist. Showing people stuff that’s tripping them up—that’s been our driving force in doing the classes and books. It’s hey, this causes us trouble, let’s share it with everyone else so it doesn’t cause them trouble too.

speaking at motion09
Chris & Trish Meyer will be two of the ‘rock stars’ at motion09

10.11 – 10.14 2009 | abq | nm
motion | experience inspiration

………………………………..
author: Lilian Dregalla
Working Story Creative
………………………………..
copyright: © 2008 – 09
motion.tv

Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.

how did you transition from fine art to motion graphics?

I’ve always been an artist, sculptress and painter, so thinking in terms of composition and color is very intuitive and natural for me—and all self-taught. I didn’t go right into motion graphics, I went from doing fashion illustration to illustration to advertising to graphic design, all the disciplines. Primarily, my work is pop art.

you can’t really split your art into fine or commercial art, because it comes from the same source.

Yes, absolutely. As an artist, my work continues to grow through the means and media we use to portray the messages our clients want heard. There is a fine-art quality in my commercial work—with the typographic choices I make, or if I use a particular brush, it’s not because I’m trying to “create a texture.” There’s nothing wrong with that, but my choices aren’t decorative; I’m creating a texture that is necessary, as I would do on a canvas, or a patina on a sculpture. My approach to composition is the same, using the intentional juxtaposition or deconstruction of elements to create a message.

the brand identity you developed for Animal Planet’s national R.O.A.R. campaign (Reach Out. Act. Respond.) was strong because it was so simple.

Yes, it was very simple and clean. We wanted to promote Animal Planet’s non-profit R.O.A.R. and at the same time, connect the campaign back to the network by using their on-air talent. So it achieved two goals without feeling unnatural. I live my life that way; I don’t do anything that doesn’t feel right.

to capture the essence of a brand or product, you need to get inside its culture and inhabit the perspective of its target audience. It’s a bit like method acting.

Yes, exactly. I’m very open, I’m a great investigator, and I love to explore. My approach is to get close to the brand and the product, to get in tune with the message and keep it really clear. I’m very passionate and confident about the work I do, so what you see comes out very boldly, regardless of whether it’s soft or aggressive in spirit.

how do design ideas come to you?

I try to be clever with things. I think really fast, and ideas come to me immediately. I might explore alternative ideas but the first one I think of is usually it.

when you’re an artist, it’s like there’s a switch in your head that’s hard to turn off—you’re always seeing the world through the filter of your art.

Oh, it’s crazy. I want to design the whole world. And I’m a nut about details—there are times when I’ll be working with a composite artist, and I’ll ask, ‘can you just cut down one-and-a-half frames?’ They’ll look at me like, ‘what, are you, nuts? You almost get neurotic about details, colors and shapes. I don’t remember who, but someone said, “Art is a subconscious madness expressed in terms of sanity.” It’s so true. I sleep with it, I wake up with it, it’s there when I’m redoing my apartment. My desk right now looks like an abstract expressionist piece—but when I organize the shelf it looks like a pop-art still life.

how do you solve clients’ design problems, what is your process?

Each problem is different, though I actually don’t like the word problem—I try to keep words like that out of my vocabulary. But trying to find a solution for how clients present themselves, how they brand themselves, is very elementary and instinctive for me.

the title sequences you did for CourtTV really captured the brand and conveyed its point of view.

Gavels, scales and lady justice are so cliché, but my feeling was, CourtTV needed to own it, they needed to own her. That’s how we created that package. It’s no longer on the air, but it did have a long shelf life, which is pretty amazing in broadcast design. We just finished another project for CourtTV, doing the launch for Star Jones’s new show.

are design ideas triggered by feeling, movement, music, color…

It’s everything; it’s combinations of things. It could be the most bizarre thing that just gave me an idea, or it could be at a location where you’d least expect it.

what tools do you use?

Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, film and video cameras, sketches. Tools are supposed to help you—but they can also hinder if you count on them alone. Back when we used Quantel in broadcast design, you only had a paint box, so now yes, having Adobe is wonderful. But you’ve got to use the tools God gave you first—then enhance your idea with the tools Adobe made for you. Then you’re set.

Without ideas and concepts driving them, tools are just…tools. But there’s a tendency to fall in love with sexy new technology and tools because they’re bright, shiny and new.

Do you think a painter falls in love with a brush? He’s doing his job with the brush. He’s gonna love what he did on the wall, but it’s not like, ‘Oh I love this brush, without this brush I’d be nothing.’

title sequences serve as a form of branding—can you offer some insight.

We just finished doing a title sequence for the IFC documentary Indie Sex. Title sequences are packaging and branding for a film or documentary—you want to tell the story, you want to entice. You want to draw the viewer in and leave an impression—when you watch Almodovar, or any of the James Bond movies, you remember the opening title sequences.

you’re brand Zona Design with the tag ‘Design Made to Move‘. What’s behind this?

Design Made to Move is the way I approach every project, it’s the culture of ZONA Design. I’m Latina, I grew up dancing, I’m physically expressive, I really am motion active. Design Made to Move is obviously literal motion, but it’s also about impact and moving emotions—or moving retail merchandise. It’s many things, and it’s not just motion graphics; Design Made to Move can also be a printed piece, or an advertisement. It’s the mantra of ZONA Design.

previous motion speaker
Zoa Martinez was one of the ‘rock stars’ at motion07

10.11 – 10.14 2009 | abq | nm
motion | experience inspiration

………………………………..
author: Lilian Dregalla
Working Story Creative
………………………………..
copyright: © 2008 – 09
motion.tv
Note: There is a rating embedded within this post, please visit this post to rate it.