Reflection

So looking back, I can definitely say that I wish my original idea worked out, but the results that I got were great as well. Unfortunately, I spent too much time doubting my plan "B," working and reworking it over and over, so when it came down to the deadline, I had to rush the other elements. I definitely feel that the violator and bug examples fit with the feel of the main title, but they could have used so much more work had I been allotted a longer timeline. But I realize that in the real world, a deadline is a deadline, and that is no excuse, I simply need to work harder to get the work done more efficiently so future projects are quality through and through by the time the deadline arrives. The bottom line is that I am very proud of the main title more than anything, very happy with how it turned out.

So this is the final piece along with the violator and logo bump to make up part of the network package.

Main Title:



Violator:

Bug:

So these are the elements that I am left with. It's a MUCH different direction and feel than my original idea, but I definitely think that it works just as well and that this final product is truly successful. I'm very happy with the result and it turned out pretty much exactly how I thought it would. Everything in the main title is animated, including the eye, I used photos that I personally took, but used those photos in a variety of ways to create movement.

My new direction.

I still stand behind the basic idea that I have that as artists, we are all in this school to make an effort to build upon what we already are and what we already have. We are here to grow and flourish, and I feel that this idea should be incorporated into the identity of the ART Network.

So here is my new direction....
A single particle, colorless and glowing, falling into the hands of an unknown individual, and from there flourishing into something bold and beautiful, providing the grounds to grow from for the ART Network logo. I feel that this symbolizes the growth of both the artists at the school that this network represents as well as the fact that the network is a beautiful and creative project stemming from an idea, a shared idea of all those involved.

I've been doing a lot of research into particles and using a few of the very useful components of After Effects and I'm really excited about the outcome of this project.

Well.... Plan "B" it is....

So I couldn't produce the look and feel I was shooting for, and without it, I really don't feel comfortable with proceeding forward. So plan "B" is what I'm turning to. The photos show just about the best results I found using particles in Maya, and as far as Realflow goes, I couldn't gain access to the full version and there really wasn't any way I could get the results that I wanted using the trial.

So on with the project! I'm a little disappointed that the liquid animation isn't going to work out, because I was really excited about that idea, it was something unique that I thought would have been amazing to come out with. But that's life I suppose, maybe I can bring that idea back on a future project when my time limit and options are a bit greater. 

A story line

So here I have my original concept, based on the idea of the creation of something from nothing, the build up of basic elements to generate a larger and much more important picture. We are all in school to better ourselves on a variety of playing fields, that is a basic common denominator of the joint student body of Ringling. Typically, I would develop a style board to nail down the style and feel of my animation, but for the first time, I decided to delve right into the concept and story boarding. From the ideas that I presented in class, I decided to head in the direction of liquid motion. To convey the idea of basic elements converging to create something bigger and better, I want to depict various splashes of colorful liquid, paint, I guess you could say. The animation would focus entirely on these splashes, with various camera angles and velocity, highlighting their beauty and grace. The splashes would come together in a brilliant collision of color to create and reveal the network logo.

My plan is to do this piece in either Maya or Realflow or maybe even incorporate both in some way. I've been doing a lot of research into the programs and how to use dynamics and nDynamics in Maya and there are a limitless amount of possibilities with those two. Either way, we'll see if it really produces the look and feel I'm looking for. I have, however, given myself a deadline, and if I can't produce the look that I want by that deadline, then I'm going to scrap this idea and go to plan "B" before I waste too much time and can't get the project finished at all on time. This should be interesting....

Establishing Our Premise

In order to establish a functional package, we need to find the common denominator between all of the vastly different people we have at the school, something that can connect with the audience and all of its different elements.

When I think about the artists I see every day, and when I think about art in general, I feel that we all strive for the best, and that the best is always what is awarded, whether it be with money, awards, or just recognition.

The way I see it, the shared aspirations of our artistic generation come to be fame, recognition, legacy, originality, leaders, influence, people want to do what they love and make a living from it, they want awards, a successful job, to start their own business. Characteristics are intuitive, open, illogical, free, artistic, thinking, subjective, fast, energetic, we are appealing to both fine artists AND design students, they are funny and humorous and are more liberal than the previous generation. The most essential and basic commonality I feel is the desire to be better, better than you are currently as well as better than everyone else.

It is this strive to be better that I am going to base my concept off of, we are here to learn and build upon ourselves as artists and people. We are given lessons and new material and fresh perspectives from a variety of sources. We forge new paths and destroy old ones. We create and experiment and it is this essential concept that I want to elaborate upon.

The Ringling population defined.

50 words:
Golden, Gears, Paint, Spill, Iridescent, Maximum, Success, Fruit, Stress, Temper, Dark, Passion, Destruction, Vastness, Ambitious, Analytical, Asymmetrical, Audacious, Balanced, Bold, Challenging, Critical, Elegant, Elusive, Energetic, Flowing, Frenetic, Harsh, Illusory, Imaginative, Meticulous, Non-conformist, Powerful, Provocative, Seamless, Soothing, Symmetrical, Ecstatic, Emotional, Old, Historic, Illogical, Ephemeral, Abstract, Beautiful, Glorious, Bold, Alluring, Constructive, Captivating.

Top 5:
Constructive, Bold, Beautiful, Imaginative, Captivating

The Demographics

The demographic is an interpretation of the target audience of a product, show or network. Typically this interpretation is a generalized and overarching statement that covers the entire group, or groups, that is being targeted, however, it is possible to delve even deeper and create a profile for a specific person within this group. This is a fictional character that provides a face to sell to. It creates a much more personal connection between an artist and their audience and provides for a much easier task in establishing what an audience would want. So here we have a new project, and that means a new demographic to determine. Ringling is home to people from a whole host of cultures and beliefs, so determining how to sell to this audience is going to be more on the difficult side. Here is what I arrived at, a face to give to both the male and female population.


Mike

20 years of age, male, white, 6'1'', 145 lbs, a bit on the scrawny side, a freshman in GIC, agnostic (believing in something, but not a labelled “God”) originally from New York, doesn't drive but skates and bikes for transportation, no job and relies on the money provided by the parental units who are both middle class Americans working the average behind-a-desk office job, shops at target and brand name retail stores, has a very clean cut style of dress, wants to eventually design posters for concert and music events which makes sense considering he is very into his music, his tastes in music consist of electronic and dubstep with the occasional rock and alternative band thrown into the mix, he watches movies a lot and since moving to college doesn't watch T.V. apart from what he sees in the common areas and cafeteria as well as online shows in his spare time, he loves to eat meat and is very indiscriminate when it comes to the type and his largest expense is on food considering the commons food rips his stomach apart, he parties hard and works even harder, somehow maintaining good grades as well as a party hard reputation, he enjoys painting and drawing whenever he gets the chance which he is very talented at.

Lauren

19 years old, white, 5'2'', 115 lbs, physically fit, short black hair and gauges, freshman in Illustration and her goal in life is to illustrate children's books, she does not believe in god but is very spiritual, she doesn't drive, but bikes everywhere instead, she holds a job at Kilwins in St. Armands, her parents can barely afford the school, so anything she needs to buy she pays for with her own money, she shops at goodwill and off brand boutiques around town, she is what many would consider to be “hipster” with a very distinct fasion sense and taste in music such as Animal Collective and Margot & The Nuclear So and So's, she doesn't watch television regularly due to the lack of television in the dorms, but she enjoys sitting in her common area and channel surfing in her off time watching pretty much anything that's on and can take her mind off of things, her favorite channels include IFC and Current TV and she really responds well to artistic and original content, she doesn't eat red meat but loves sushi and chicken wings, she goes to a lot of parties and drinks hard but she knows her limits and rarely makes anywhere near a fool of herself.