FINAL POST
I found Time-Based Communication to be quite an interesting course as I’ve learned things I probably wouldn’t have in other design practicum courses. My reasoning behind this is that almost all of the programs used in this course were new to me and I was put in a position where I had to quickly learn the basics and move on from there. Although this was a little overwhelming at first I enjoyed the challenge and as I got deeper into the course and the programs being used the more I wanted to learn. I will definitely be further pursuing and learning more about Final Cut Studio, After Effects, and DVD Studio Pro in the future as I’ve now taken a permanent interest.
The blog posts that were required of us to maintain throughout the course forced me to explore different perspectives of the design world and I came across some very interesting design concepts and mediums. The blogs were a useful way to display my progress on the projects in an organized manner. However, having been exposed to a similar blog community (wikispaces.com) I feel the interface used within the wikispaces community is much more practical and user friendly in comparison to wordpress. Other than that I found the blogs to be quite useful.
Having taken this course, I now understand how significant the knowledge of time-based communication is an essential skill for that of a designer. For instance, this course brought to my attention the lack of good design in the medium of DVD menus and DVD covers and I know view the medium in a different perspective with much potential for designers to take control of. Time-Based Communication also taught me that concepts on paper can and will change drastically once on screen and functional. As I experience the course further it became evident that there are endless possibilities when it comes to time-based design and this is something I will definitely take with me upon completion of the course.
Project 3: Final Menu
Here is what the final menu intro looks like.
Design Statement
My intention from day one was to find a way to creatively represent the class as a whole while still maintaining a sense of individualized uniqueness that each person in the class possesses. I also wanted to incorporate the feel of time-based communication and what it’s all about so I decided to go with this light bulb concept and the theme of “Enlighten Yourself.”
The concept behind the lightbulb is that of imagination becomes creation and that is exactly what time-based communication is all about. The light bulb then serves as the imagination and its explosion the creation. This being said it is unpredictable and as designers we have truly become familiar with this concept and I feel the intro gets this message across.
The intro of the menu is programmed to bring the viewer to the main menu immediately where they are exposed to a menu of ideas where monotone bulbs serve as buttons linking to individualized project menus. This individual sub menu is also designed with exploding thoughts in mind and as such a larger light bulb is animated intriguing the viewer to click, and they are exposed to the world of time based communication in a flash!
Individualized Menu
The individualized menu allows viewers to access the project videos of each individual student while making a description of the project available as well. The main menu is also accessible from this menu. A slight problem I came across was the quality of type. It seemed that no matter how high the resolution of text or even image being used as text, the type just didn’t reach my standards in quality once outputted. On screen it was fine but on video it didn’t meet my full standards. Here is what it looks like nonetheless.
Buttons
Here are what the buttons might look like in the menu. It is only a couple second clip but this essentially will be looped.
DVD Menu Intro
Here is the progress on my 10 second intro. The most recent videos will be displayed at the top.
DVD Cover Slips
I came across this interesting blog post and video through the muchmusic website. Click HERE to view the video. It’s definitely worth a look!
The video post discusses dvd cover slips and how there really isn’t much thought put into them. What’s funny is that they raise the issue that the font “Trajan” is the favoured font for dvd covers these days. They show a series of dvd covers that use the font and it’s actually quite hilarious. I found it amusing to say the least. Aside from that it opened up my eyes to the negelected medium of dvd covers. It’s definitely an area that needs work when it comes to design and I didn’t realize it was that bad until I saw this video. The fact that “Trajan” is being used in all types of dvd covers from scary movies to the cutest in themes is definitely a sign that something needs to be done. I will definitely be keeping this in mind when designing my dvd cover slip for project 3 and will take this information and use it to my benefit. This is something that I will also carry forward in my future paths of design.
DVD Menus
After going through several DVD menus from my collection at home, I came across a couple that caught my attention in terms of design and creativity. The two that will follow will be the DVD menus of “The Bourne Ultimatum” and “Harry Potter.”
The Bourne Ultimatum
This DVD menu proved to be quite striking as the motion graphics within the menu were very 3 dimensional and provided all sorts of angels and perspectives using lines while still incorporating the look and feel of the movie itself. It gave off a very action packed and thriller feel to compliment what the movie was actually about. There were also distinctive details used within the menu that pertained to specifics in the movie as they served as little hints telling viewers what was in store or explaining visually what is to be expected throughout the movie. Things like flight times and digital clocks were displayed which very much have to do with the setting of the moving and what essentially takes place. These elements along with a complimentary soundtrack aided to the unifed flow of the menu as well as user interest. The three dimensional element worked very well for this type of movie.
Harry Potter
This DVD menu was also very intriguing as it put the viewer in the “Hogwarts” setting through a three dimensional approach. It looked as if you were looking through a window and could see the various places located within the Harry Potter world. The setting in the window would change every now and again. The menu options were also creatively done by using a feather like motion for the buttons as they would float down into place creating a magical essence, hence the relation to the movie and what it’s all about. This menu was also accompanied by corresponding sounds that gave off the feel of mystery and magic.
PES
The PES website demonstrates the very unique clips and videos done by the company. The various clips shown are very unconventional and are hard to compare anything to. For this design blog post I have chosen to discuss a particular commercial shown on the website for Bacardi.
To start off with, I would like to say that if all commercials were like the one displayed I would make it a habit to watch intently for commercials while watching television instead of fast forwarding through them! The textures used throughout this commercial are so lively and vivid that you just want to touch them, you become a part of the clip and enter a whole different world. Also, the conceptual idea behind the whole brand is brilliant it almost re brands the product to a degree in that the concept is so strong creatively. The attention to every detail from camera angels, to effect, to the use of colour and lighting is strongly enforced as that extra care in such aspects of the video really make it that much of a stronger piece in comparison to other commercials.
The use of environmental scenery is created through materials we find in our everyday lives and yet this works nicely with the piece and gives it that extra edge that makes it stand out. I definitely enjoyed watching this ad as it has opened my eyes to what time-based communication is truly capable of. There are endless possibilities and for a young designer such as myself this piece is definitely inspiring. I will definitely be experimenting with similar techniques used in this commercial in the future.
Odyssey In Rome
The Submarine Channel is a website that is essentially an online collection of the “most stunning and original film title sequences” and was started in 1997. These sequences are quite engaging and there is just an endless amount of them displayed on this site, it’s amazing the endless possibilities sequence titles can actually have and as a result I have become quite intrigued in this part of time-based communication. It has become clear to me that sequence titles are more than just the name of a movie and the name of those a part of it. It is essentially the introduction of the film and a preview of what is to come. A good title sequence will engage the viewer and prepare them for what awaits.
Upon exploring this website I have come across a title sequence that really captured my attention. The Odyssey In Rome title sequence is very beautifully done. It uses fragmented typography and footage which mirrors what the film is actually about that being the fact that it “documents the life of Abel Ferrara during the period while he was working on his most recent feature film Mary.” This sequence also reminds me a little bit of the work of Peter Horvath who was mentioned in one of my earlier design blogs. It gives off the essence of mystery while still getting the necessary information across.
This is definitely a site worth looking at as there is lots of inspiration that will come of it.
