Music....

During the interim crit the music choice that was suggested by the group was an old jazz feel. I started looking at german composers during the 1920's and on, they were all relevant and fitted the brief, but it took me longer than expected to decide as there were a lot of useful pieces. I ended up choosing this because it was relevant, had a good section in it that fitted my composition.

360 Bauhaus spin re-render...

Here is a re-render of the previous Bauhaus scene in Maya. I imported the image sequence again into After Effects. FLV output, so ignore the bad quality of the feathered mask. This will be used in the final scene of my Bauhaus title sequence.

Quick render in After Effects...

Here is an early test of importing the model into After Effects. I had to reduce the quality of the JPEG sequence as my laptop would be rendering all night. I will be updating the render on Monday when I'm at University on the better desktops. I used a simple mask in After Effects to hide the text behind the buildings, then animated them as the freeze frames initiated. I rendered the sequence at 100 frames in Maya. I may have to increase this to get a smoother animation in After Effects, as I used the Freeze frame and Time Remapping controls to stretch the sequence out.

DEVELOPMENT IMAGES:

Below you can see the mask being applied to the Text layer in After Effects. I have also changed the opacity as you can see, along with the animation of the text using 'Easy-ease' keyframes for a smooth movement.

The image below shows the Track-mat being changed to Alpha Inverted. This allows the mask to obscure the text as it is animated. This makes

the text appear as if it is behind the building itself. This allows the text to be incorporated subtly into the sequence, although I will be tweaking it as I go. The masking technique could only be achieved with the use of Freeze frames applied to the footage. If the scene was moving I would have had to animate the mask, making it very time consuming, so this method fits well with my time schedule.

Reference images...

These are the images I used to model the bauhaus model in Maya. I didn't import the images into the image planes of maya as I thought that this wasn't needed as the model didn't have to be picture perfect. The top image displays the different locations of the Bauhaus, Dessau complex. This will help me when adding in the titles in After Effects.

Bauhaus 3D second update...

Ok so I've spent a lot of time on this model. Probably too much for about 10 seconds of footage, but I think I'll model it fully at some point. For now its sufficient enough for my bauhaus title sequence. I'm working on creating a wireframe render that will fade into the final 3D model, this will be done in After Effects at a later date. I will be rendering out the wireframe and the 3D model in a .tiff or JPEG sequence from Maya into After Effects(roughly 100 frames). The subjects and the departments of the bauhaus will be highlighted in some way, to show their location on the model. This will be done in After Effects after I have the Bauhaus directors sequence finished.

These are the development/render images of the model during the modeling process...

Bauhaus 3D update...

Ok so I've been looking at plan drawings of the Bauhaus in Dessau on google. I have extended my Maya model of the Bauhaus by using pictures as reference images. I have only roughly modeled it as I don't need to go into too much detail for what I'm using it for. I will be looking to use this model after the directors of the Bauhaus have been introduced in my title sequence. I will use the model to show the different departments of the Bauhaus and where the subjects were taught. I have changed the size of the camera path to a larger orbit, although I may change the way the camera is animated later. I kind of got carried away on a few parts but I'll be keeping detail down to a minimum.

Here are a few screens of the development process...

Walter Gropius title test

Here is a flv of a title I made in After Effects. I used a tutorial from the Video Co-pilot website to create a blueprint title sequence. It uses Luma inverted track mattes to create the texture for the lines. The SCRIBBLE and STROKE effects built in to After effects create the 'drawn on' animation for the lines. The lines were created with the pen tool, using masks. Auto-trace for the drawn-in outline of the name. The background is a paper texture with MULTIPLY MODE applied to the layer. Also a feathered mask for the ellipse shadow around the edges. The lines are offset animations to simulate a progressive animation. I may adapt a little to fit in with the bauhaus theme more than just using the font. It will probably be used for all of the directors names within my title sequence.

Bauhaus Building...

Here is a model I have been working on this basic model for about 2 weeks now. It was made in maya using polygonal objects. I added a few ambient lights to light the model. I then created a curve that I made into the camera path, making it orbit the building. I then changed the height of part of the curve to make the orbit a little more interesting. I added a few bump maps to some of the textures to give it more detail when rendered. There were a few things wrong with it before Mat helped me with the 'Outliner' tool in Maya that grouped all my objects, e.g 'Left windows', which made it a lot easier to organise.

I will be working on possibly modelling more of the Bauhaus, Dessau complex in the coming weeks.

This will possibly be used in my title sequence imported from maya into After Effects. I will be using the model to explain what subjects were taught here and their location.

3D Bauhaus...

Here I have modelled the Bauhaus typeface into a 3d object using the text tool in Maya. I have used polygonal objects with a bevelled text. With the use of ray trace shadows to give it a soft effect, and an ambient light positioned just above the text. This could possibly be imported into my title sequence as the finishing scene. Although I will be experimenting with other techniques and decide at a later date.

Me and type...

I've always been interested in creating and designing since my early teens, from music to motion graphics. I studied graphics at A level, looking at Bauhaus, Kandinsky,Gestalt theory, Neville Brody, Colour theory etc. Building on my knowledge from Art and Graphics from secondary school. It is at college that I was introduced to typeface as a subject. At the time it didn't have too much of an impact on me. Since then typography has definitely grown on me. It is so diverse and can be manipulated easily for any purpose. From Bauhaus to Brody. Over the past year I have been introduced to 3D typeface. This has allowed me to branch out into other programs to develop my understanding of type from another perspective. As well as having After Effects at my disposal, I have the ability to broaden my development with type. Here are a few examples of what I'm interested in...

Neville Brody

Slawek Michalt

Sketchy Pictures

Matthew Carter

Nik Ainley

Stephanie Darby

AE Test

Here is a quick render of my first storyboard in FLV format. This is the first of the directors that I will be introducing and also the founder, Walter Gropius. What I received from the feedback at the interim crit was mostly positive but there were a few issues to address. The saturation could be taken down I feel. Also the need to make the footage scratchy and aged is not necessarily needed, it could even be a distraction. Originally I was going for the aged look but I now feel that the Bauhaus deserves a clean-cut sharp design that would represent its style more effectively. Tweaking with the timing of the images and components also, but on a whole I think it is a good start for my title sequence.

Storyboard Ideas...

Here are my storyboards. I have tried to include everything that will be happening in the frame within each board, along with the imagery used in each frame. Unfortunately they don't all open in full res....