From: "Karl Newman" Received: from omr-a018e.mx.aol.com ([204.29.186.64] verified) by media-motion.tv (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 6.1.0) with ESMTPS id 6373024 for AE-List@media-motion.tv; Mon, 18 Dec 2017 15:50:00 +0100 Received: from mtaout-aah01.mx.aol.com (mtaout-aah01.mx.aol.com [172.27.1.141]) by omr-a018e.mx.aol.com (Outbound Mail Relay) with ESMTP id 5324A3800065 for ; Mon, 18 Dec 2017 09:54:21 -0500 (EST) Received: from [192.168.1.2] (unknown [47.187.133.61]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mtaout-aah01.mx.aol.com (MUA/Third Party Client Interface) with ESMTPSA id 6E38B38000082 for ; Mon, 18 Dec 2017 09:54:17 -0500 (EST) Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=Apple-Mail-1765F162-02DC-4D73-A094-670082566FBA Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Mime-Version: 1.0 (1.0) Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2017 08:54:15 -0600 Subject: Re: [AE] Sharing my latest work - paper theatre music video Message-Id: References: In-Reply-To: To: After Effects Mail List X-Mailer: iPhone Mail (15B202) x-aol-global-disposition: G x-aol-sid: 3039ac1b018d5a37d69946e1 X-AOL-IP: 47.187.133.61 --Apple-Mail-1765F162-02DC-4D73-A094-670082566FBA Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Great work.=20 Karl Newman Karl Newman Productions Slowly pecked out, letter by letter, on my iPhone, but it does beat yelling.= =20 > On Dec 18, 2017, at 3:59 AM, Phil Bearman wrote:= >=20 > Hi everyone, >=20 > I thought I'd share my latest music video which was created almost entirel= y in AE. >=20 > https://vimeo.com/245616677 >=20 > The singer's PR team asked me for some information about the creative proc= ess etc which I've copied below in case it's of interest to anyone. >=20 > Cheers, > Phil >=20 > + + + >=20 > It was produced in collaboration with art director Cathy McDougal from The= Rabbit Hole Group. >=20 > Cathy's vision for the music video being set in a puppet theatre really fi= red my imagination, as I loved art and craft when I was a child - I made my o= wn cardboard theatres, and loved TV programmes like 'Button Moon' when I was= young. I spent my teenage years involved in amateur dramatics too, so this p= roject was a chance to relive my youth! >=20 > Whilst it would have been great to construct and film a real puppet theatr= e for the music video, it would have been very difficult to do a good job in= the short timeframe (about two weeks) and with only Cathy and I working on t= he video. So it was all animated on computer using After Effects, but we wer= e determined to make it feel as authentic as possible by using real-world te= xtures and objects throughout the video. >=20 > For example, the origami birds, flowers and stars which appear in the vide= o were all handmade and photographed or filmed. Cathy drew some of the artwo= rk from scratch, and some started out as stock imagery which was then adjust= ed to fit our needs. I then added a paper texture to the vector artwork in P= hotoshop before importing into After Effects. >=20 > For each of Cathy's ideas in the storyboard, I tried to find a way to make= the 'mechanics' work in a way that could work in a real-world puppet theatr= e - for example, adding strings and sticks to characters and scenery, and ma= king some of the movement a bit wobbly and random to suggest the show is bei= ng operated by human hands. >=20 > To make the scenery 'magically' change from monochrome into colour, I used= lighting effects, as this would be the obvious way to achieve an effect lik= e that in theatre. So to make the leaves appear on the trees, I made them li= ght up as though they were green pealights. To make the flowers change colou= r, I put a torch bulb in the middle of my origami flower and filmed the lamp= fading up, then coloured the footage in After Effects. >=20 > When the 'rocket plans' backdrop comes down in front of the bunnies I want= ed to smooth the transition, and came up with the idea of making the backdro= p start off semi-transparent and then become opaque, similar to 'gauze' back= drops used in theatre which become opaque when they are lit from the front a= nd the light behind is dimmed. >=20 > For a rocket launch scene in a real theatre you would no doubt use a smoke= machine to add atmosphere, but in a small puppet theatre I figured we neede= d something paper-based, and came up with the idea of having smoke cloud sha= pes moving as though they were driven by a mechanical/motorised system. >=20 > For the journey to the moon I tried to create the look of a scene lit by u= ltraviolet lights with all the props painted in fluorescent colours, which y= ou often see in theatre productions. >=20 > The theatre frontage was the only component that wasn't 'flat' - it was mo= delled in Maxon Cinema 4D but rendered within After Effects via Video Copilo= t's Element 3D plugin. Although it's not that noticeable in the video, the t= heatre was textured to look like painted wood - I used colours from the albu= m artwork which gives some continuity between the music videos for the album= . >=20 > The only live action components were Peyton's head, the lips, the puppetee= rs hands and the audience members which were all shot against a green screen= at "Studio Manchester" which is close to my studio in Manchester City Centr= e. It was a simple shoot using a 4K DSLR camera (Panasonic DMC-GX80). Large q= uantities of green facepaint, and a green neoprene 'bib' were used to isolat= e our model's lips and Peyton's head! >=20 > Something that has impressed me both times I've worked with Peyton on musi= c videos is his ability to switch on 'performer mode' as soon as he's in fro= nt of the camera, and even when his movement is limited to just his face he m= anages to pack so much character and expression into his performance which r= eally brings our paper puppet to life. >=20 > The Cartoon Effect within After Effects was applied to Peyton's face which= helped blend him into our paper world, and also gave some continuity from t= he video for When They Go Low which also used that effect. >=20 > The 'Burning Moon' scene was particularly tricky because there was so much= action to cram into a just one very short scene. To help maintain focus I d= ecided to use the camera to gradually reveal the stage set, in contrast to t= he rest of the video where I've used simple camera movements and framing to m= aintain the feeling of watching a theatre show, where you can see all of the= action at once.=20 >=20 > I particularly enjoy adding layers of detail into a video like this, which= people might not notice the first time they watch it. For example, in the '= Burning Moon' scene, I created a couple of alien backing singers to stand be= hind Peyton and 'sing' part of the song! >=20 > With me in Manchester, Cathy in London, and Peyton constantly travelling a= round the world performing, I use http://Frame.io for sharing and reviewing t= he video as I worked on it. Frame.io has been (working) life-changing for me= - it's well thought-out and easy to use, allowing my clients and collaborat= ors to comment on specific frames of a video, even allowing them to 'paint' d= irectly on a frame to illustrate their comment. I can then work through thei= r comments, checking them off as I implement any changes and upload a new ve= rsion. It's so much quicker, easier and neater than using file-sending serv= ices and emails. >=20 > The two music videos that I've produced with Cathy for Peyton have actuall= y been the first time I've collaborated directly with another designer in my= 12 years working as a motion graphics designer, and it's been a really enjo= yable experience. Peyton introduced us, with the idea that we'd compliment e= ach other well and it couldn't have worked out better. Cathy's great at comi= ng up with original (and crazy) ideas for a story - ideas which would never h= ave crossed my mind - and I find it very easy to take these ideas and bring t= hem to life. We've already started work on another collaboration, but I can= 't say any more about that for now!=20 >=20 > + + + >=20 > --=20 > Phil Bearman >=20 > Phil Bearman Creative Media Solutions=20 > Motion Graphics Design >=20 > PhilBearman.co.uk >=20 >=20 > 0161 236 2581 - 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday >=20 > This message contains confidential information and is intended only for th= e individual named. If you are not the named addressee you should not dissem= inate, distribute or copy this E-Mail. Please notify the sender immediately b= y E-Mail if you have received this E-Mail by mistake and delete the E-Mail f= rom your system. E-Mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or er= ror-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, ar= rive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not a= ccept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents of this message o= r attached documents or for any damage suffered by your computer system caus= ed by any errors or viruses contained in the E-Mail message or any attached d= ocuments. --Apple-Mail-1765F162-02DC-4D73-A094-670082566FBA Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Great work. 

Karl Newman
Karl Newman Productions
Slowly pecked out, letter by letter, on my iPhone, but it does beat y= elling. 

On Dec 18, 2017, at 3:59 AM, Phil Bearman <AE-List@media-motion.tv> wro= te:

Hi everyone= ,

I thought I'd share my latest music video which was cre= ated almost entirely in AE.


Th= e singer's PR team asked me for some information about the creative process e= tc which I've copied below in case it's of interest to anyone.
Cheers,
Phil

+ + +
=
It was produced in collaborat= ion with art director Cathy McDougal from The Rabbit Hole Group.

Cathy's v= ision for the music video being set in a puppet theatre really fired my imag= ination, as I loved art and craft when I was a child - I made my own cardboa= rd theatres, and loved TV programmes like 'Button Moon' when I was young. I s= pent my teenage years involved in amateur dramatics too, so this project was= a chance to relive my youth!

Whilst it would have been great to construc= t and film a real puppet theatre for the music video, it would have been ver= y difficult to do a good job in the short timeframe (about two weeks) and wi= th only Cathy and I working on the video. So it was all animated on computer= using After Effects, but we were determined to make it feel as authentic as= possible by using real-world textures and objects throughout the video.

= For example, the origami birds, flowers and stars which appear in the video w= ere all handmade and photographed or filmed. Cathy drew some of the artwork f= rom scratch, and some started out as stock imagery which was then adjusted t= o fit our needs. I then added a paper texture to the vector artwork in Photo= shop before importing into After Effects.

For each of Cathy's ideas in th= e storyboard, I tried to find a way to make the 'mechanics' work in a way th= at could work in a real-world puppet theatre - for example, adding strings a= nd sticks to characters and scenery, and making some of the movement a bit w= obbly and random to suggest the show is being operated by human hands.
=

To= make the scenery 'magically' change from monochrome into colour, I used lig= hting effects, as this would be the obvious way to achieve an effect like th= at in theatre. So to make the leaves appear on the trees, I made them light u= p as though they were green pealights. To make the flowers change colour, I p= ut a torch bulb in the middle of my origami flower and filmed the lamp fadin= g up, then coloured the footage in After Effects.

When the 'rocket plans'= backdrop comes down in front of the bunnies I wanted to smooth the transiti= on, and came up with the idea of making the backdrop start off semi-transpar= ent and then become opaque, similar to 'gauze' backdrops used in theatre whi= ch become opaque when they are lit from the front and the light behind is di= mmed.

For a rocket launch scene in a real theatre you would no doubt use a= smoke machine to add atmosphere, but in a small puppet theatre I figured we= needed something paper-based, and came up with the idea of having smoke clo= ud shapes moving as though they were driven by a mechanical/motorised system= .

For the journey to the moon I tried to create the look of a scene lit b= y ultraviolet lights with all the props painted in fluorescent colours, whic= h you often see in theatre productions.

The theatre frontage was the only= component that wasn't 'flat' - it was modelled in Maxon Cinema 4D but rende= red within After Effects via Video Copilot's Element 3D plugin. Although it'= s not that noticeable in the video, the theatre was textured to look like pa= inted wood - I used colours from the album artwork which gives some continui= ty between the music videos for the album.

The only live action component= s were Peyton's head, the lips, the puppeteers hands and the audience member= s which were all shot against a green screen at "Studio Manchester" which is= close to my studio in Manchester City Centre. It was a simple shoot using a= 4K DSLR camera (Panasonic DMC-GX80). Large quantities of green facepaint, a= nd a green neoprene 'bib' were used to isolate our model's lips and Peyton's= head!

Something that has impressed me both times I've worked with Peyton= on music videos is his ability to switch on 'performer mode' as soon as he'= s in front of the camera, and even when his movement is limited to just his f= ace he manages to pack so much character and expression into his performance= which really brings our paper puppet to life.

The Cartoon Effect within A= fter Effects was applied to Peyton's face which helped blend him into our pa= per world, and also gave some continuity from the video for When They Go Low= which also used that effect.

The 'Burning Moon' scene was particularly t= ricky because there was so much action to cram into a just one very short sc= ene. To help maintain focus I decided to use the camera to gradually reveal t= he stage set, in contrast to the rest of the video where I've used simple ca= mera movements and framing to maintain the feeling of watching a theatre sho= w, where you can see all of the action at once. 

I particularly enjo= y adding layers of detail into a video like this, which people might not not= ice the first time they watch it. For example, in the 'Burning Moon' scene, I= created a couple of alien backing singers to stand behind Peyton and 'sing'= part of the song!

With me in Manchester, Cathy in London, and Peyton con= stantly travelling around the world performing, I use http://Frame.io for sharing and reviewing the video as I worked on= it. Frame.io has been (working) life-changi= ng for me - it's well thought-out and easy to use, allowing my clients and c= ollaborators to comment on specific frames of a video, even allowing them to= 'paint' directly on a frame to illustrate their comment. I can then work th= rough their comments, checking them off as I implement any changes and uploa= d a new version.  It's so much quicker, easier and neater than using fi= le-sending services and emails.

The two music videos that I've produced w= ith Cathy for Peyton have actually been the first time I've collaborated dir= ectly with another designer in my 12 years working as a motion graphics desi= gner, and it's been a really enjoyable experience.  Peyton introduced u= s, with the idea that we'd compliment each other well and it couldn't have w= orked out better. Cathy's great at coming up with original (and crazy) ideas= for a story - ideas which would never have crossed my mind - and I find it v= ery easy to take these ideas and bring them to life.  We've already sta= rted work on another collaboration, but I can't say any more about that for n= ow! 

+ + +

<= div dir=3D"ltr">
-- 

Phi= l Bearman

Phil= Bearman Creative Media Solutions=20
Motion Graphics Design

PhilBe= arman.co.uk


0161 236 2581 - 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday

This message=20 contains confidential information and is intended only for the individual n= amed.=20 If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute o= r=20 copy this E-Mail. Please notify the sender immediately by E-Mail if you ha= ve=20 received this E-Mail by mistake and delete the E-Mail from your system. E-= Mail=20 transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as informatio= n=20 could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplet= e,=20 or contain viruses. The sender therefore does not accept liability for any= errors=20 or omissions in the contents of this message or attached documents or for a= ny=20 damage suffered by your computer system caused by any errors or viruses co= ntained=20 in the E-Mail message or any attached documents.

= --Apple-Mail-1765F162-02DC-4D73-A094-670082566FBA--