Digital Photography and Imaging - Project 4

Chan Wan Qing / 0350928 / BA of Design (HONS) in Creative Media
Digital Photography and Imaging
Project 4

Project 4 - Animation: Self-Titled

For project 4, we were given the task of making a digital collage with the theme “Self-titled". In this project, we are going to create a surreal poster using Adobe Photoshop and then use Adobe After Effects to animate the poster into an Instagram reel/story.  We are required to reflect our ideas into an experimental video by using Adobe Photoshop & Adobe After Effects. 

Researches / References

Before I started, I did some researches on collage portrait, self portrait on Pinterest. I added some of them into my Pinterest Board for DPI, I was inspired by some of the artworks while doing researches. I realised that there are various styles on doing collage portrait that I can approach while starting this project. 


I also did some research on self portrait too to explore the poses so that I have an rough idea on the size and composition of the person on the poster with the objects. Another factor I consider while creating the poster is that how can I animate the elements on the poster as I need to develop the poster into a video, so I tried to include these factors while considering my direction. 

Idea Development

With the help of the slides provided by Mr Fauzi, which help me to determine the direction of this project, I started with writing a biography about myself and a statement about my work. 

Design Direction

Sketches

After deciding my direction I started to do a rough and quick sketch about the poster. I used my picture that I took for this project to do the sketches. While doing the sketches, I also used the artworks that I saved on Pinterest as references. 

Images




Digital Poster Progress (Adobe Photoshop)

Before I used my own picture to create the poster based on the sketch, I used another portrait image to edit the images I had and arrange them into a poster. After I adjusted and arranged them, I replace the image with my own photo.
 

Animation: Self-titled (Adobe After Effects)

After completing the poster, I exported the Photoshop file to Adobe After Effects to animate some of the elements and develop the poster into animation. I animated the whales like they are swimming across the poster. Besides, I made the hot air balloon, with the balloon replaced by the earth, slowly rise up from the path, which has the meaning of slowly but surely. The elements on the path (camera, LP, book, stamp,...) which represent my hobbies slowly showing up as I look back and try to pursue them. The clock hand is spinning fast as this shows that the time is rushing. The blinking TV screen gives a feeling of nostalgic which match with the tone of the poster. 

After animating the elements in Adobe After Effects, I include background music into the 15s reel/story. I made 2 versions of it with two different BGM and 2 of them give out different vibes. 

          

After receiving feedbacks from Mr Fauzi in week 12, I amended some of the parts using the tool that Mr Fauzi introduced to me, which is puppet tool to improve the movement of the swimming whales by combining puppet tool, rotation and position tools.  I also added some flame effects using blending mode in Adobe After Effects and decrease the opacity so that won't stand out that much more than the background itself. I also amend the blinking TV screen using old TV effect by applying overlay effects on the TV screen. 

After amending in week 12, I consulted Mr Fauzi, I was advised to slow down the speed of the clock hand to match with the ambient music. So, I followed Mr Fauzi's advice and slower down the clock hand. In week 14, I continue to improve my work by receiving consultations from Mr Fauzi, I then adjust the speeds of the short clock hand (slower) and the long clock hand (faster) so the time is not messed up. 

Final Poster

"Embrace Your Inner World"

This poster of me features a visually captivating composition that captures the essence of the my connection with nature (flora and fauna) and my pursuit of personal interests and hobbies with the current world issues at the background. Surrounding the central figure, which is myself, are various visual elements that represent the my interests and hobbies. The clock behind represents how I keep rushing myself to fill myself with knowledge sometimes, in the poster, it also serves as a reminder for me to slow down and embrace my hobbies, while staying connected to the beauty of the natural environment (represented by daisies and whales). The overall tone/feel of this poster is nostalgic as I looked back on myself throughout the years in this poster. The poster exudes a sense of tranquility, it is important to slow down, reflect, and find joy in the simple pleasures of life in this complex world.

Final Animation 

“A Day To Look Back"

In today's fast-paced world, where time seems to slip through our fingers, I believe it is essential to create spaces that allow us to reconnect with our interests and the natural rhythms of life. The clock behind represents how I keep rushing in the world and neglect my own hobbies or interests. In this short video, I included my own interests and some living things symbolizes the mother nature. With a slower tempo and an ambient music, I wish to take a moment to reflect, to immerse myself in my own interests, and to reconnect with the serenity of nature. 

Reflection

From the first part of this project, I was able to used the knowledge I learned in Project 1 to arrange the elements by applying the best composition. This project had allowed me to apply what I want in this poster as it is about myself. Besides using Adobe Photoshop, I also learned about Adobe After Effects through this project. Working on a project using Adobe After Effects has been an exhilarating and transformative experience. Not only adjusting the scale, positions, rotation and more, I was also introduced to other tools such as puppet tool, overlay of videos and more. This had allowed me to bring my creative ideas to life, adding motion, visual effects, and animation to my projects in a dynamic and engaging way.

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