Motion Design Love

In The Frame: Sparkle Media

Matt — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:00:49 +0000

So, tell us a little about yourself, who you are, where you work now and how long you’ve been in the industry?

I’m Glenn, currently creative director at SparkleVFX & before that managing director at sparkle media. My current role as creative director see’s me back with hands on work and directing of CGI for live action and animation. I’ve been in the industry or over 10 years, time lies when your having fun.. I remember working in AE 3!! you don’t know how good you have it now!!

What made you go into motion graphics/ how did working in Motion graphics come about?

Motion Graphics and Visual FX found me, i didn’t really choose it. I started out life as a graphic designer dabbling in motion during the late 90’s. Early part of 2000 i moved to Australia and worked in Design/motion agency. A few twists of fate later i was working on some a few feature films being baptised by fire along the way. I tried to go back to print design but it no longer had any interest for me, new things in motion had started.

What do you enjoy most about working in motion graphics?

The challenge of being presented with a shot and figuring out how we can achieve it using the desired tools. My new and current role allows me to to work with great directors, listen to what they want then propose how we achieve that without compromising the integrity of their shoot or product.

What do you enjoy least about working in motion graphics?

Apart from tight deadlines people who don’t understand what we do but feel its their god given right to tell you how to do it, just because you use cinema 4d doesn’t make you a 3D modeller for example. 3D modelling doesn’t happen over night. My co-creative director at SVFX (Glen Southern) has been modelling for over 20 years, anything regarding 3D I take my direction from him so you can imagine how annoying it is when some one under values who says a models wrong.

What has been you biggest highlight in motion graphics.

I’ve a lot of huge highlights, worked around the world on film/TV/ interactive productions yet i think my best is still yet to come. Feature films and tv are always great but can get mechanical so i’d say 2 of my prouder moments was the opening of the Liverpool Capital of Culture, huge video and stage production to an audience of 30,000 people. That was a big rush knowing all your work was be admired and such a huge stage. The second was on a return visit to Australia filming for 3 weeks on 2 separate jobs, a TV commercial and a production with the Sydney Theatre staring Cate Blanchet & Joseph Fines. Green Screen, 3D, animation, projection!! Huge job. It was eventually shown to an “A List Celeb” crowd in Geneva, i nearly fell over when i saw a TV clip of Kevin Spacey saying “wow.. the visuals where amazing”. It kind of ended that part of my career and time to move onto the next

What skill do you think a Motionographer needs?

A strong design background never goes a miss. Being able to assess a project and think of a way to accomplish it. And not to panic, it’ll all get done in the end.. its only a bunch of still images that need to move.

Is there any advice you’d give to an aspiring Motion graphics artist?

Know your strengths, dont ty and be a jack of all trades. Most of the people i know who are the best at what they do specialise in just a few areas.

What are your future plans in Motion Graphics?

This weekend I’m off to the depths of Wales where i’ll be on set for 3 days directing & Supervising VFX on a horror film. The film contains elements that give compositors/3D artists shivers.. Werewolves!! mainly HAIR!!! Glen’s already built the Werewolf which looks great, now we have the problem of shooting on 4.5k plates and creating moving hair within the shots.Its a big challenge and we only have approx 5 weeks of post on those scenes

So, Nuke and Realfow are your main software of choice, what do you like about it?

Nuke & Realflow and my current software of choice, there just great in our pipeline. It used to be After effects but recent years has seen it slow down and slow your machine down. Only this week AE has crashed my mac 20 times on one day.. apparently it doesn’t get on with 10.6.4. In a production environment you can’t put up with this, so where already seeking alternate options

If you would like to see more of Sparkle Media’s work then view the reel below or if you would like to contact Sparkle media then you can email at info@sparklevfx.com or on twitter @sparklemedia .

Sparkle* Reel 2010 ComputerArts Magazine Version from Glenn Maguire on Vimeo.

In The Frame: Dan Lucyszyn-Hinton Welcome to a new series on Motion Design Love. For...
In The Frame: Hugo Goudswaard So, tell us a little about yourself, who you...
In The Frame: Scott Gordon So, tell us a little about yourself, who you...

3D Thursday 5

Matt — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:00:36 +0000

It’s Thursday, more 3D goodness from 3D thursday! This week we have videos from gavin shapiro, Alexandre ADA, Berk, Benjamin Potts, wack and 5dotfive.

Enjoy the inspiration and let us know if you’ve seen a video that you think deserves to be included.

CMYK from gavin shapiro on Vimeo.

KIT KAT / ULTIMATE BREAK from Alexandre ADA on Vimeo.

··™ HD Trailer from Berk on Vimeo.

Mograph Video – Final Uni Project from Benjamin Potts on Vimeo.

Cinema 4d from wack on Vimeo.

Business Arabia Intro – CNBC Europe from 5dotfive on Vimeo.

3D Thursday 4 Thursday again, and more 3D Thursday! This week we have...
3D Thursday 3 Third 3D Thursday? Third time for more inspirational 3D...
3D Thursday It's time for a new series of inspiration on Motion...

In the Frame: Philip Szrama

Matt — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:04:21 +0000

So, tell us a little about yourself, who you are, where you work now and how long you’ve been in the industry?

My name is Philip Szrama, I am 25 years old and have 1 year left in my Masters program in Computer Graphic Design (3D Motion Graphics) at Rochester Institute of Technology. I live in Rochester, NY. I have been a freelance designer for about 4 years. I have been creating motion graphics for about 2 years. I will be attending SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles in July to meet with the industry leaders including Pixar and Dreamworks.

What made you go into motion graphics/ how did working in Motion graphics come about?

I got into Motion Graphics for one simple reason, passion. I love creating ideas that come from the heart and mind and show them in a visual animated form. I used to do a lot of 2D web graphics for many websites and I got to the point of doing that work where I said ” This would look amazing if it was moving.”

What do you enjoy most about working in motion graphics?

My favorite part of motion graphics is seeing my idea come to life. Of course it is a lot of work and many hours spent up at the computer, but the minute you see the final render it makes it all worth it.

What do you enjoy least about working in motion graphics?

My least favorite thing about motion graphics is over exposure. There comes a time when you have spent so many hours editing and reviewing your work that you either can get too detailed or not know if there is something wrong. It happens everyone once in a while and that is why I am a huge advocate of critiques from people who you trust to give their honest opinion.

What has been you biggest highlight in motion graphics ?

My biggest highlight in motion graphics would have to be doing a project which involved a lot my friends and my financee`. It was great to be able to do a project with the people that have supported you from the start.

What skill do you think a A Motionographer needs?

The biggest skill a motionographer needs has been a question that I have asked my self many times. Knowing software is really only like 20% of making a project great. The other 80% is having a great idea and being able to convey that story well to your audience. Telling a good story will always make your work better than anything else will.

Is there any advice you’d give to an aspiring Motion graphics artist?

My best advice to a Motion Graphics artist would have to be, never lose your inspiration. I am constantly looking at other people’s work, whether it is motion graphics, music, or writing to find something that inspires me to create. Always keep your mind open, have a great imagination.

What are your future plans in Motion Graphics?

My future plans as a motion graphics artists is to work a lot with Particles, Dynamics, and Match Moving. I would love to work for a studio that has a great vision but, also knows how to use talented people the right way.

So, After Effects and Maya are your main software of choice, what do you like about it?

There are actually two programs that I love, 1. Adobe After Effects 2. Autodesk Maya (3D). Together they are a good combination. After Effects works great as a compositor and 2D animator, Not to mention the UI is very easy to learn and master. Maya is a powerful and complex 3D program. I use it to model, simulate dynamics, texture, animate and render all of my 3D work. It can be trying at times because of how complex it is but, there is nothing I have used that can compare to the overall performance.

Is there a particular motion graphic piece you would recommend to someone else?

There is a piece that inspires me over and over again as I work. There are so many but this one I can go back to and it gets me motivated to create. Vanishing Point -Bansajo- http://vimeo.com/8837024

To find out more about Philip, See his showreel below or visit his website to found out more.

Show Reel 2010 from Philip Szrama on Vimeo.

In The Frame: Scott Gordon So, tell us a little about yourself, who you...
In The Frame: Fawad Mehrzad So, tell us a little about yourself, who you...
In The Frame: Dan Lucyszyn-Hinton Welcome to a new series on Motion Design Love. For...

Nice Type Tuesday 21

Matt — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:00:44 +0000

It’s Tuesday, If you haven’t heard already, it’s Nice Type Tuesday! This week we have videos from OddOne, Dosdecadatres, zka11, clemento and Giant Ant Media

If your a fan on Nice Type Tuesday then why not subscribe or check out more type related videos on the Nice Type Channel on Vimeo curated by Matthew Buchanan.

Kreislauf – Gottfried Benn from OddOne on Vimeo.

Chemistry for life from Dosdecadatres on Vimeo.

Alphabet from zka11 on Vimeo.

macro kingdom II from clemento on Vimeo.

DOXA Documentary Film Festival “Animated Bumpers” from Giant Ant Media on Vimeo.

Nice Type Tuesday 20 It's Nice Type Tuesday and it's Nice Type videos! This...
Nice Type Tuesday 10 I'm sure your looking forward to this next installment of...
Nice Type Tuesday 11 It’s Tuesday again and its time for Nice Type...

In The Frame: Jimmy Weber

Matt — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:00:12 +0000

So, tell us a little about yourself, who you are, where you work now and how long you’ve been in the industry?

My name is Jimmy Weber and I’m a freelance motion designer from Denver, Colorado. I’ve been doing motion design for about three years but have only been doing freelance full time for the past seven months. I graduated from the University of Colorado Denver majoring in Writing and Directing Film. While I was in school, I spent most of my education making horror movies while learning motion design on my own. I’m very proud to say I’m a graduate of the Andrew Kramer/FXPHD/Greyscale Gorilla Academy.

What made you go into motion graphics or how did working in Motion graphics come about?

I’m very passionate about filmmaking and have always been in love with great title sequences. When I was in film school, I discovered it would be extremely difficult to make a living being a camera operator or crewmember in Denver. So I started teaching myself motion design hoping to land steady work in that field.
When I wasn’t working on films, I watched tutorials and learned After Effects and Cinema 4D. I created the title sequences for my movies, friends’ movies, and other random projects. Eventually, I started looking for work on Craigslist. After a year of doing smaller jobs for various clients around the country, I got an internship at Digital Kitchen Seattle. At the end of the first week at DK, I knew this is what I wanted to do forever.

What do you enjoy most about working in motion graphics?

I love how broad it is. Motion graphics can be anything from hand drawn animation to 3D animation to stop motion. There are no rules or boundaries. I also enjoy taking people on a journey through an alternate universe in just a few seconds with some shapes and words. When I’m making a film, I lay out all the rules and regulations making the audience understand the characters. With motion graphics, I can just jump right into the deep end of the pool and get to the good stuff.

What do you enjoy least about working in motion graphics?

Initially, I worried that dealing with clients and fast turnaround times could be issues. Fortunately, I haven’t had many difficult clients and the turnarounds have only challenged me to work more efficiently. The one thing I don’t like is determining what to charge for each job. The transition from the part-time job during college that paid $8 an hour, to asking for $200-$400 a day was terrifying at first. There are a billion tutorials on how to fix the Temporal Interpolation in After Effects, but there isn’t a single one on how much to charge a client.

What has been your biggest highlight in motion graphics.

Interning at Digital Kitchen Seattle was a pretty big deal for me. DK is one of the best design studios on the planet, so to work there shortly after I started designing was amazing. The people there are so helpful, creative, and inspiring. I’ve also been doing a lot of graphics packages for Fox Sports Network for the Colorado Rockies. FSN has been really supportive and the Producers at FSN basically let me do whatever I want. I’m also a Rockies fan, so it’s really fun to see my work while watching the games.

What skill do you think a Motionographer needs?

Obviously, learning the theories of Color, Design, and Typography is extremely important, but I am a big believer in learning the software. Some people will tell you that software changes constantly while design principles don’t, but you can’t get your work done if you don’t know your tools. Spending too much time and energy learning on the clock is trouble, especially if you’re working from home and don’t have any coworkers to answer your questions. I make certain I know my way around a program before I start using it for a job.

Is there any advice you’d give to an aspiring Motion graphics artist?

Watch Nick Campbell’s video “How to be Creative and Get Paid.” (http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2009/02/presentation-how-to-be-creative-and- get-paid/) I pretty much followed his rules step by step and I’ve had steady work since I got out of college. The key is to have a reel shorter than a minute, a website that’s easy to navigate, and links to both posted everywhere. If your stuff stands out, work will come to you faster than you’d imagine. Also, do not fall in love with anything you design. Most of the time, the thing you love most about a piece is the first thing a client wants to change. Your job is to be a great designer and make compelling art, but at the end of the day, they’re paying you to make them a product. So gladly make the changes they want and move on. You can always put that cool thing in your reel or on your site.

What are your future plans in Motion Graphics?

I’m heading to Washington DC to work with Shine Creative for the next three months. It’s political season and I’ll be helping them generate a lot of campaign commercials. It’s going to be challenging and very exciting. After that I’ll come back to Denver and continue doing freelance. I hope to work with more studios in Colorado and meet more local designers. I don’t plan on working anywhere full time or starting my own studio anytime soon. I really like the “few weeks on – few weeks off” schedule.

So, Cinema 4D is your main software of choice, what do you like about it?

It’s so much easier to move around and work in 3D. There’s a lot more keyframes in 3D and the compositions get more complex, but Cinema 4D is really intuitive. I’ve tried 3D Max and Maya, but I always felt like I was programming a computer. Cinema 4D is geared to motion designers and it’s a blast to play with, let alone use it for work. Maxon is doing a great job and it won’t be long before Cinema 4D is taken very seriously throughout the 3D community.
Is there a particular motion graphic piece you would recommend to someone else?
I watch a lot of HGTV so I see Buck’s commercial for Sherwin Williams (http://buck.tv/library/sherwin) almost every commercial break. Every time I see it, I can’t get over the technical mastery of it. It’s beautiful, inspiring and uplifting.
Also, I like anything Gkaster makes (www.gkaster.com). Sometimes I don’t believe he’s a motion designer but a Wizard who has managed to capture moments from another dimension.

Website: http://www.JimmyWeber.com

Reel: http://vimeo.com/7078710

Jimmy Weber – 2009 Motion Graphics Reel from Jimmy Weber on Vimeo.

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JimmyTheGhost

Email: JimmyTheGhost@gmail.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JimmyTheGhost

In The Frame: Scott Gordon So, tell us a little about yourself, who you...
In The Frame: Fawad Mehrzad So, tell us a little about yourself, who you...
In The Frame: Dan Lucyszyn-Hinton Welcome to a new series on Motion Design Love. For...

Nice Type Tuesday 20

Matt — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:00:00 +0000

It’s Nice Type Tuesday and it’s Nice Type videos! This week we have videos from Soh Jian Cong, Vít Zemčík , Jump Studios, clemento, Steven Wood, paralelo zeroand ON THE CHASE!

If your a fan on Nice Type Tuesday then why not subscribe or check out more type related videos on the Nice Type Channel on Vimeo curated by Matthew Buchanan.

LevelUP Camp Registration Publicity from Soh Jian Cong on Vimeo.

Brockmann in Motion from Vít Zemčík on Vimeo.

HDD (Home Dissatisfaction Disorder) from Jump Studios on Vimeo.

macro kingdom II from clemento on Vimeo.

“Good Omens” end title sequence from Steven Wood on Vimeo.

mcpc from paralelo zero on Vimeo.

The Shock of Peak Oil from ON THE CHASE! on Vimeo.

natura from paralelo zero on Vimeo.

Nice Type Tuesday 21 It’s Tuesday, If you haven’t heard already, it’s Nice...
Nice Type Tuesday 14 It’s time for more type related motion graphics inspiration!...
Nice Type Tuesday 11 It’s Tuesday again and its time for Nice Type...

3D Thursday 4

Matt — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:00:49 +0000

Thursday again, and more 3D Thursday! This week we have videos from Raul Villalobos , Dirty Cheap Creative, Konx-om-Pax, Stupid Studio, Julien Pietri | Waste and Jordan Scott.

Enjoy the inspiration and let us know if you’ve seen a video that you think deserves to be included.

Disarraygun from Raul Villalobos on Vimeo.

An Ordinary Day at Dirty Cheap Creative from Dirty Cheap Creative on Vimeo.

Twin Portal from Konx-om-Pax on Vimeo.

Dirty Fashion Show from Stupid Studio on Vimeo.

Lost in my head from Julien Pietri | Waste on Vimeo.

Terms & Conditions from Jordan Scott on Vimeo.

3D Thursday 3 Third 3D Thursday? Third time for more inspirational 3D...
3D Thursday It's time for a new series of inspiration on Motion...
3D Thursday 5 It’s Thursday, more 3D goodness from 3D thursday! This...

$100 Gift Certificate from Rampant Media Design Tools Giveaway Winner Announced!

Matt — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:46:45 +0000

It’s been a short while since the giveaway ended, and if it hadn’t have been for a couple of video shoots then this posts would be sooner, but it’s my pleasure to announce the winner of the Motion Design Love giveaway in conjunction with Rampant Media Design Tools! If you didn’t see the giveaway before i’ll just give you all a quick reminder of what was on offer and a bit about Rampant Media Design Tools.

If you haven’t seen Rampant Media Design Tool’s yet then i’ll give you a quick overview. Have you ever been thinking, “on no, i really need to get this motion graphics piece done for my client’s deadline tomorrow” but you need some textures, vector elements or other elements to make it look good and get it done? We’ve all been there, “if only i had some elements already made for me i’d be able to meet that deadline!”. Well this is where Rampant Media Design Tools step in!

Rampant offer a number of pre made textures, vectors, motion graphics and visual effects elements on their store. Go to their online store to see the full line up of what they offer. I’m sure you’ll be impressed and even of you don’t win the $100 gift certificate it’s definitely worth investing in some anyway so you can create some great motion graphic pieces and meet those all important client deadlines!

Have a look at the videos below for a preview of some of the elements and also a video where the elements have been used.

Rampant Media Design Tools – Shib McGuffin Ink Example from Rampant Media Design Tools on Vimeo.

The Winner!

OK, i’m sure you all want to know who the winner was, well it’s my pleasure to announce that the winner of this giveaway was Deborrah Glenn-Long.

Congratulations to Deborrah for winning and i hope you have lots of fun with whatever you buy!

Giveaway: Win a $100 Gift Certificate from Rampant Media Design Tools That’s right, we’ve got our first giveaway on Motion Design...
In The Frame: Sparkle Media So, tell us a little about yourself, who you...
In The Frame: Dan Lucyszyn-Hinton Welcome to a new series on Motion Design Love. For...

3D Thursday 3

Matt — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:00:31 +0000

Third 3D Thursday? Third time for more inspirational 3D then! This week we have videos from Markus Vad Flaaten, Into Mania, beeple, Jeremy Boschung, EJ Hassenfratz and Stupid Studio.

Enjoy the inspiration and let us know if you’ve seen a video that you think deserves to be included.

Viasat Channel Branding from Into Mania on Vimeo.

pacha long pan from beeple on Vimeo.

CREAMEETING.CH 2010/07 from Jeremy Boschung on Vimeo.

PixelCorps Logo animation from EJ Hassenfratz on Vimeo.

VH1 – Dans (2009) from Stupid Studio on Vimeo.

3D Thursday It's time for a new series of inspiration on Motion...
3D Thursday 4 Thursday again, and more 3D Thursday! This week we have...
3D Thursday 2 It’s 3D Thursday and it’s time for some of...

In The Frame: Kay Tennemann

Matt — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:00:53 +0000

Well in a change from the usual format of ‘In The Frame’, this time we have a video interview with Kay Tennemann of mostyle.tv. Check out his video interview below or check out some of his other pieces on this post or on his Vimeo.

In The Frame: Dan Lucyszyn-Hinton Welcome to a new series on Motion Design Love. For...
In The Frame: Scott Gordon So, tell us a little about yourself, who you...
In The Frame: Hugo Goudswaard So, tell us a little about yourself, who you...