About the Author- FINISHED STINGS

Since Wednesday I've managed to completely make a sting each day, which I really didn't think I'd be able to do!

PROCESS:

Storyboarding:

- I found it really useful to visually put down my ideas and explore the mechanics of them alongside the software parts
- Next time I will ensure my storyboards are completed including proposed AE tools before I start production, to avoid designing on screen

Software:

- For each, I started with a psd. of everything which would move independently in different layers, ensuring I stuck to the 1080 format
- Each psd. had three different backgrounds, which I altered using hold keyframe opacity every half a second
- I used royalty free sounds for all of them from FreeSound

Puppet tool

 - Initially I found the puppet tool really difficult trying to place keyframes, but once I stumbled on a video tutorial (Below) I simple held down command and followed a static arc to make movement one pin at a time.
- Works really well to create a smooth movement as if from an animal
- Found it after making my first sting- could have been useful!

Pacing and speed

- I spent a lot of time working out the correct pace and timing, as it gives such a huge feel to the stings, I wanted them to be calm but a bit ethereal, which I think I achieved

- I also needed to really consider the speed of the text writing, as I didn't want it to be too slow, yet it needed to be easily followed

Bubble fade

- Although I try to avoid it as much as possible, I found myself designing on screen for this project a little, as when faced with the reality of certain choices, such as fading bubbles, I found they made it too busy, so I took out/altered the movement of things as I worked

Type

- This is by far the most exciting part to me! I watched a simple tutorial (below) on how to make type appear as if being written, and I really loved the outcome

- I using the pen tool fairly easy, as it is similar to in Illustrator, which shows how transferrable the skills I've been learning are

Type

- Change 'End' to 0% to make it disappear, then treat as normal keyframes

Type overall

Type generation

Rotation of flowers

- In order to make the flowers interact with the moon, I used rotation with an altered anchor point (There must be an easier way!!)

What was difficult?

- PUPPET TOOL- I really really struggled to start with, but once I learnt the hold ctrl trick, and I expanded my workspace to 30 seconds, it was a lot easier to make, before pressing alt and dragging to make it happen over a shorter time

- Rotation and anchor point to make flowers follow curve- although I got the hang of this near the end, I found it really difficult to move the anchor without making the position go haywire! So I ended up changing the position after I had completed the rotation and anchor

- Sound is not my forté. I really had to work hard to think about, source and implement sounds to these stings. Although they're very simple sounds, I'm still pleased that I was able to stack three sounds and alter levels to get a fairly cohesive background

What have I learnt?

- How to use the basics of indesign! I was really apprehensive before this project, but I've actually started to really love this programme

- The feel created by simple, relatable sounds, and how this can correlate to images to build a strong atmosphere

- The importance of preparing and researching when using digital processes- from storyboarding to youtube tutorials, when I really nailed down what I was going to do before I started, I found it a lot easier and more effective

Sting 1:

Lin Yutang 1 from Megan Ojari on Vimeo.

Meaning:
- Concentrated on the concept that 'owning' a view can be materialised into a snowglobe which can be physically held in the hands of anyone
- Inclusion of Chinese 'Lin Yutang' on bottom right to show his passion for translation
- Yutang considers himself 'a child of the mountains' so I wanted to create a scene he would feel at home in
- All moving aspects are taken from his quotes such as 'bamboo swaying in the breeze'

Overall thoughts:
- The way the type appears really works well to add a handmade feel
- Format is good- I was worried about how my square prints would work in the 1080 format, but the simple expansion works aesthetically and as a good base for the text
- The swaying of the trees and bamboo could have been a lot more seamless- perhaps with ctrl + puppet? I could go back and look at this if I have time!
- Stars- are they a bit cheesey by twinkling too much? Or does it relate to Yutang's thoughts about the world being 'far too serious'?

Sting 2:

Lin Yutang 2 from Megan Ojari on Vimeo.

Meaning:
- Reflecting Yutangs belief that life is simply a river we are floating down, and our experience is shaped by our perception
- Movement of fish shows Yutangs ethos about everything being cyclical and equal, and how nothing truly finishes
- Inclusion of Chinese 'Lin Yutang' on bottom right to show his passion for translation
- Depiction of fish show how everything is equal but not everything is right, as they are similar yet completely independant

Overall thoughts:
- I can't stop looking at that fish tail- it's far too jumpy and distorted! I really tried the best I could, and I would have carried on tweaking it, but a few of my peers said it was fine, and I really do need to focus on other work! Although I'm not 100% happy with it, I think I'm going to have to leave it
- I made the front fins move slightly, but on reflection, it doesn't show up as much as I thought, maybe I could have included more movement
- I was initially going to have the bubbles appearing and disappearing, but I think that would be too busy. I think it looks better with simple, static bubbles
- I think the sound really works well, as it strongly links with the content and is very visceral



Sting 3:

Lin Yutang 3 from Megan Ojari on Vimeo.

Meaning:
- Inclusion of Chinese 'Lin Yutang' on bottom right to show his passion for translation
- Based on his quotes that 'the moon waxes and wanes' and that 'flowers down bloom forever'
- Showing how 'everything is connected' yet everything has its own, separate purpose
- The slightly unreal content of this sting is reflecting his philosophical views on what is reality

Overall thoughts:
- I had been avoiding this one as I thought it would be the most difficult, and I was right! It was different to the other two in that I was constructing an image using movement, rather than making elements move independently 
- After making the first two flowers hit the moon, I was practised enough to make the third pretty successful, which was the right way to do it, as that was the only element which moved on its own
- I'm really happy with how the flowers fall, and I think the slight rotation I added ensured they weren't too static when dropping
- I spent a lot of time working on the last flower falling off, and it's still slightly glitchy, but I'm ultimately happy with it- I think I've just been staring at it for too long

Reference videos:

I found using video tutorials immensely helpful, as I could re watch parts and work alongside them to ensure I got an outcome I was happy with, it was almost like having a tutor actually show me, and I know they will me so helpful to me in the future, especially after I have left the support of university