Rationale Reflection
For the purpose of this assessment, the task of creating a 10-30 second text-driven video using Adobe After Effects, was assigned. The selected context in this case was the development of a portion of a lyric music video. More specifically, the song ‘Just Dance’, performed by Lady Gaga, was chosen to create this kinetic text design.
While copyright policies and laws were not considered until later in the process, this eventually became a significant hurdle. To overcome the restrictions of licensing the involved song of choice, thorough research into what is required, as well as discussions with my class tutor were had. It was then discovered that proper licensing was not necessary in this scenario as the final outcome would not be made for commercial use and was for educational purposes. However, this taught me the importance of considering the prerequisites and ramifications of associated copyright laws before commencing a project.
In terms of the physical design process, the original direction of the project was to create a branding video for a fictional product to best suit my second area of study, being marketing. This idea was then changed to the current project as I soon realized the reality of time constraints in combination with the overall unit workload and personal limitation of having to learn an entirely new program (i.e., After Effects).
While I struggled a significant amount at grasping the interface and specifications of the software initially, I became more comfortable with experimenting and implementing my design ideas over time, with the help of numerous YouTube tutorial videos. This made me think I potentially underestimated my own ability to complete my initial design idea of a branding video, which taught me that in future design pursuits, I need to have more confidence in my ability to achieve my full potential.
Regarding the development of the lyric video, various design theories and principles from class were contemplated and tested before arriving at the final outcome. For example, the KIT Bootcamp tasks assigned as practice during the tutorials were completed to better understand Motion Graphics theory including space and text, in relation to Kinetic Typography Design principles such as Direction, Orientation, Rotation, Proximity/ Sequential Proximity, Layering, Dynamic Juxtaposition, Hierarchy, Transitions, Rhythm & Pace, Duration & Time, and more (see Appendices). Thus, the study of these kinetic image and text theories from the KIT Framework for Motion Design (B. Fyfield, personal communication, April 6, 2023) and the application of them ultimately gave me a whole new perspective to design that will benefit me in my future career. For example, in the situation of potentially needing to develop digital marketing content for a brand that I decide to work with, I now know how to apply these theories, work with Adobe After Effects, and the associated copyright laws to consider. The rest of this document will therefore detail the application of the mentioned design project and process.
Concept Development
Research
Lyrics:
The lyrics used for the lyric video project are directly based on this article for accuracy as well as reference for the overall theme based on the context of the rest of the song.
Colour Palette:
This colour palette was selected to best reflect the 'party' scene and aesthetic of the early 2000's as well as the general genre of the music video. This also aligns with Lady Gaga's identity as a pop icon.
Mood Board/ Inspiration:
For the design aesthetic of the kinetic lyric video, inspiration was drawn from the electropop/ dancepop genre of the song, in combination with the club/ party and disco theme of the song lyrics itself. The colours also correlate directly with the colour palette above as they align not only with Lady Gaga's artistic style, but with the florescent and neon atmosphere prominent in karaoke, club and party settings. This mood board also directly influenced the text style/ effects of the Lyric Video. For example, strobe lights, neon signs and the motion style of karaoke text (see Motion Design Principles Analysis).
Storyboarding
Style Frames
Motion Design Principles Analysis:
Regarding the two continuums of motion design, this project outcome sits closer to 'motion' over graphic and 'design' over art as it is kinetic typography which involves image and text over time, as outlined by the KIT framework (Shaw, 2019). Concerning the factor of time, the project manipulates direction, orientation, and rotation over the course of the animation. For example, the direction of the text moves diagonally in from the top left in the fourth style frame to... The orientation of the text baseline in the first style frame originally starts in plain landscape in the top left corner but then incorporates rotation to alter the orientation to the baseline of the second line "gonna be okay". The second style frame is also an instance of where vertical direction and horizontal orientation was used to create a bouncing drop effect which mimics the melodically descending phrase. Another example of directional and rotational use is in the third style frame utilizes the Z axis instead of the usual X and Y axes to bring the looping cylinder text closer to the screen/ viewers point of view.
The first and final style frames are also instances of text scale manipulation/ zoom to create advancing/ receding directional motion, which further enhances the bouncy effect, reflected in the upbeat nature of the song. Often throughout the video, centred transitional situations with sequential proximity is used as the basis of textual animation as it creates consistent visual flow of the path, clearly indicates rhythm and a faster pace across time, making it easier for the viewer to keep up with the lyrics.
Other design principles used include layering in the form opacity. For example, in the fifth style frame, the opacity of the background text 'baby' is reduced to make the frontal lyric text pop out more, whilst mimicking the nature of adlibs, in the way that they are heard further away from the main melody or 'in the background'. This creates an additional aspect of juxtaposition as the front text is not blended in with the background text, but rather layered directly on top of it. Opacity is also used in various instances to ease in the entrance of a textual component, such as in the final style frame. These principles all contribute to the effect of creating high energy as present in the song.
(B. Fyfield, personal communication, April 6, 2023)
Work In Progress
As displayed in the nine screenshots above, the software program, Adobe After Effects was used to construct the entirety of the Lyric Video. While the majority of knowledge surrounding how to initially use the program and general design principles/ processes was gained from engagement with the unit content such as LinkedIn Learning videos and lectures, additional personal education such as YouTube tutorials and general trial and error were both carried out. For example, the first screen shot (reading from top to bottom, left to right) demonstrates how the Brevia font (Dohren, 2020) and the aforementioned colour palette (Bodo, 2023), to compose the overall Style Frames (see above); however, the basic animation functions of rotation and position were used to add that kinetic element to the text, as well as transitions (i.e. the zoom in through the letter 'O'). Each line was also separated into its own component to facilitate ease of work flow. The next screenshot is an example of how a slightly more advanced effect known as the 'cylinder...' was applied to text components to add additional variety to the animation of the Lyric Video. This is followed by the proof of manipulation of the position tool in the third screenshot to create a bouncing drop effect with the text. Other screenshots (in their respective order) depict proof of Glow effects use, use of the proportional grid, Scale manipulation, Strobe Light effect use, Opacity manipulation, easy-ease/ ease-in/ ease-out use, and pre-composition use, as previously discussed in the principles analysis.
References
Bodo, B. (2023). Confetti and party. Adobe.com. https://color.adobe.com/search?q=party
Brooker, E. (2023). Text Animation - Adobe After Effects (Tutorials) [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwHwAs0MeWyXqg_OeewvGT1OYgqGgpNtO
Dohren, H. von. (2020). Brevia | Adobe Fonts. Adobe.com. https://fonts.adobe.com/fonts/brevia
Lady Gaga (Ft. Colby O’Donis) – Just Dance. (2019). Genius. https://genius.com/Lady-gaga-just-dance-lyrics
Long, A. (2012, April 4). Rihanna: Forever Strong. ELLE; ELLE. https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/g2886/rihanna-forever-strong-654152/?slide=2
Pinterest. (2020). Pinterest; Pinterest. https://www.pinterest.com.au/Marjani333/design/lyric-vid/
Shaw, A. (2019). Design for Motion: Fundamentals and Techniques of Motion Design. Taylor & Francis Group. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/detail.action?docID=5910215Links to an external site.
Appendices
KIT Bootcamp Activity 1: Title Sequence
KIT Bootcamp Activity 2: Celebrity Quote
"The bottom line is, everyone thinks differently" - Rihanna, 2012
(Long, 2012)
Credits:
Created with an image by master1305 - "Bass. A crowd of people in silhouette raises their hands on dancefloor on neon light background. Night life, club, music, dance, motion, youth. Purple-pink colors and moving girls and boys."