Top 10 - Sherlock

I was immediately attracted to the subtle text animations when characters in Sherlock were browsing the internet or texting on their phones. Subtle scrolls and overlaps gives the impression of browsing through search fields. I could possibly use a similar technique for displaying my type as I don't want it to be too intrusive of the imagery.

Top Ten - Moshun

An animated typeface by Jeroen Krielaars where each individual letterform has its own independent animation. Using quick and seamless transitions, they have designed an animated typeface with basic imagery - simply lines and shapes.The colour palette is limited and subdued therefore works as a complete set. The music is fairly minimal, also, most likely to reference the simplicity and minimalism of the video itself. This is a similar basis to the sound I aim to incorporate within my animation - steady beats which runs alongside quick animations. He states he has sourced his sound from a company / collective called Datasette therefore I looked for their site to see whether there may be any downloads / links - luckily I found a playlist.  http://www.datassette.net/

Top 10 - Sonar

A short film by Renaud Hallée experimenting with sound and subtle (or not so subtle) animation. In this piece, sound forms the basis of the video itself with short bursts indicating a particular beat. These begin to increase in pace and soon enough, the animation becomes extremely complex. Extremely clever, can't take my eyes off it.

Top Ten - Juice to the Moon

Brilliant showreel by Chris Kelly. The sound works great with his existing work, despite not being designed with this piece of sound in mind (though it does state he had his music arranged so maybe the sound artist worked with his showreel?). The animated featured within his showreel are extremely well executed and I love the use of type at the beginning and end of the video - the subtle transitions of the type works seamlessly. 0:36 - 0:39 in particular works brilliantly with the backing track.

Top 10 - Minimal movie posters

I have been following this blog for a while on Tumblr - it calls for open submissions where followers can submit their own minimal movie posters. These are some of my favourites - they have devised creative concepts using simplistic, iconic imagery which is reminiscent of each of the films, something which I aim to replicate within my own sequence animation.

Drive

Subtle, pastel colour scheme which juxtaposes against the dark storyline of the film. They have used the existing title font (Mistral) and the existing tagline - 'There are no clean getaways' as these are major associations with the film. The figure (the protagonist) is walking towards a car silhouette which is partially hidden with a scorpion emblazoned onto his jacket (an important aspect of the film).

The Nightmare Before Christmas

The reindeer and bauble imagery immediately connote christmas but are used as part of a more sinister piece of imagery - a skull (as highlighted by the moon in the background). The monochromatic colour palette gives insight into the tone of the film.

Another Earth

The fingerprints, connoting identity and life are masked over two planets giving an impression there is another earth. The subtle type treatment of the letter 'O' adds another reference to space due to the use of a half moon.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I chose this due to the iconography and illustrations which provide insight into the tone, theme and basis of the film. The credits are spread in and amongst these monochrome illustrations therefore may require a longer view to decipher them (maybe not so minimal after all). 

Top 10 - City Atlas

Help us build the next New York

The colour palette works brilliant with this piece - bringing a 'new life' to a heavily populated, urbanised city. In the first piece, the icons have been arranged concisely, in a square format but have been reproduced to form a map silhouette of New York itself in the second piece. I will use aspects of the simplistic icon illustrations for my own 'Top Ten' piece.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/networkosaka/6173343580/

Top 10 - Dexter prints

Following on from my previous post, these silk-screen poster prints designed by Mattson Creative capture the essence of the show through simplified, imagery using a limited, 4 colour palette. This is similar to my chosen 'Top Ten' concept - reproducing iconic imagery in a simplified, vector form. His inspiration came from mid-century modern design and the work of Saul Bass.

He also collaborated with Fashion Buddha to create an animated title sequence based on these designs.

Top 10 - Dexter title sequence

A mundane, morning routine task with underlying violent connotations - it perfectly sums up the tone of the show. I have always been a fan of this title sequence ever since I watched the first episode of Dexter. Although not an animation, the short bursts of moving image, viewed in close proximity work brilliantly. The sound also reflects the tone entirely. This is the write up which Digital Kitchen outlined in their pitch:

"Everything, no matter how mundane or beautiful, has an undercurrent of violence to it. It is just a matter of how closely you look. We are conditioned to see a blossoming flower as beautiful. But if you look closely, if you look differently you will see it more like an explosion. Here we see a mundane morning routine illustrated in extreme close-ups showing the underlying tension found in everyday situations making violence a part of everything."

 

Top 10 - Waiting for Superman

A powerful message communicated effectively and concisely through clear and visual graphics. The transitions and animation in general is smooth and works seamlessly. The combination of text and image is well balanced.

Top 10 - Data Visualisation

Clean and consistent colour scheme which clearly reflects the nature of the video - data visualisation. Repetitive sound acts as a 'background' to the voice over narration which matches perfectly with the content - the information is therefore easy to digest.

Top 10 - 35mm

This is brilliant.

"35mm« is a shortfilm about cinema itself. We picked 35 of our favorite movies and tried to simplifly them as far as possible. The outcome is a 2 minute journey through the history of film. Take a close look and tell us if you've recognized them all!"

I've posted this on both my practice and context blog as it is extremely similar to what I intend/intended to produce. The designer has derived iconic imagery from 35 films and created a sleek, vectorised animation using a reflective colour palette. The simplistic, minimal imagery adds a sense of mystery (which is why the designer has asked the viewer to try and recognise as many films as possible) and this is reflected through the lack of text. The transitions are smooth, intelligent and well thought out - they flow seamlessly from movie to movie.

Top Ten - The Adventures of Tin Tin

Top 10 - Olly Moss

Olly Moss has been a great inspiration, not just in terms of this project but in others, too. His creative and conceptual designs communicate seamlessly and are brilliantly executed, as seen below. He uses a minimal colour scheme, allowing the concept to be at the forefront. The majority of his movie posters, I believe, are self initiated but some have been commissioned by magazines etc.

Similarly to what I intend to use as a basis for the 'Top 10' stings, he uses iconic scenes and imagery from the films to create. A lot of his work uses negative space to create an interesting aesthetic.

Top 10 - Film trailers

Top 10 - Nokia 'Smart Data'

This animation uses vibrant imagery to give a visual interpretation of the narrative. The repetitive 8-bit sound connotes technology and the brand itself - mobile phones. The smooth transitions in-between short bursts of animation and subtle tilts and turns adds a dynamic aspect to the graphic. 

Top 10 - Channel 4's 'The Bank Job'