Latest News and Updates
I'm often recruited to composite ideas from storyboards with supplied elements, and this was one such occasion with RMlightbox. The project consists of several high-definition outputs to be broadcast on various platforms more details on the workflow are on the project page
AirEnergi required a fun, engaging and informative film to be screened within the industry and on their website to greet visitors. A challenging project and a very satisfying idea allowing multiple skills and the commissioning a great illustrator. Several hours worth of filming and dozens of illustrations go into the making of this film.
View the full project details here or simply watch below.
A couple of new updates to the folio which are both broadcast commercials for Chester Zoo. The projects involved taking existing footage and re-working it to the new brand guidelines as developed by Music, the main ingredient was the inclusion of animated hand drawn type. This was brought to life through animating each letter individually and adding to the scene using different techniques such as rotoscoping and tracking.
You can see the first commercial here with the second one below. For the second commission the advert was promoting a touring exhibition and required careful inclusion and treatment of footage supplied from the US, we also had the opportunity to film the intro shot within the Jaguar pen
View the full project details here or simply watch below.
View the full project details here or simply watch below.
I was recently asked to attend a photoshoot for John Lewis which was featuring a model in several of the seasons up and coming outfits. What was particularly interesting about this shoot was the photographer intended to fire off some HD video with the Canon 5D at the same time as the photoshoot.
The creative directors aim was to split the edit into 2 sections, the first where the models clothes change on each step then the second section more as a fun edit featuring the clothes in detail.
I achieved all this without any computer controlled rigs, just working to the rhythm of the model and working the footage by time-remapping, shifting, re-sizing and grading to piece it. The main compositing was built on the day in After Effects, while at the studio and with the model and photographer before taking through to the editing stage.
You can read the Photolink blog post about this shoot here
For this project was commissioned on a freelance basis by The Neighbourhood who also directed and produced the project. In the branding style already established this piece is a fast punchy kinetic text based animation. All motion graphics was completed within After Effects but with some subtle 3D elements added into the mix.
View the full project details here or simply watch below.
Another animation for the MYLO series. I do like this one and became quite attached to the dude. A fun one which uses puppet technique lip-syncing, and particles o'plenty.
As MYLO is now live updates are going to be more frequent with this initial batch a good flavour of the work I've been involved in. What I liked about working on this project was the diverse styles and techniques required to realsie the ideas into short 1 minute films.
Theres more to come in the near future as projects are going live all the time...click on an image to lauch the project page.
Also new is this batch of films also for MYLO. These are a great bunch of animations which express the values of the site.
Click the image below to launch the project page.
Finally updating the site to the new vimeo player, this will allow a more stable HD delivery of videos and films and also gives you the opportunity to like, save and comment on projects. Have a rummage through the projects or alternatively you can go to my vimeo channel
I've also all Alternative Paris as a project page where you can find more details and the who's who of involvement. Click here
When I was shown the illustrated character I knew this had the potential to look great. It's another intro film for the MYLO project (see MYLO here) and a great one to work on. The brief was quite free with some key points needing emphasis. I used after effects to create this dark world and animate the character.
I'm slowly putting the website back after changing hosts and upgrading delivery to High Definition where possible. I've been busy on some exciting projects including an edit for Universal Music, motion graphics / edit for John Lewis, graphics to illustrate some rather strange weaponry for a broadcast coming to the History channel, along with some green screen and motion graphics for ASDA and the NHS, all these will be available soon.
Nice and simple 2 day turnaround for this intro for a languages website, its purpose is to introduce a theme and mood for the activity about to be tackled by the student. Built in After Effects it's a clean bit of text based motion graphics.
To see the video on the live site go to: mylo.dcsf.gov.uk
There will be several new projects coming soon as I prepare to update the folio on the new server...keep checking back!
New project added...Recorders Promo for Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery. The promo was produced in HD for use on the web, on big screens and various other media. All motion graphics was completed within After Effects taking the viewer through an abstract journey. You can see the promo here: Launch Project
Here is a quick grab from one of the animations currently work in progress
Working with my good friends and talented creatives at Lightbox, a number of different styled animations are being produced for delivery as web content. It's a large body of work and one that is as exciting as it is diverse. The project involves a number of different motion graphics techniques along with animation styles with a sprinkling of editing.
I do like working on the LED banners for the MCFC stadium. Not only are they a challenge to work within a capped amount of time but also some pretty tight dimensions. They are also a good exercise in creativity and control while still being message driven but also attention grabbing. If you are a City supporter and down at the stadium this season you will see a series of new LEDS popping up.
Here are a few stills from the the new style:
it's been a while since the last updates but they are on the way along with a freshen up of this portfolio site working with Suedeapple once again. its been a very busy few months working on some terrific projects ranging from a re-brand of the Manchester City Football Club pitch side LEDS through to work on a Sony Playstation Network edit through my good friends The Neighbourhood, kinetic text and green screen work for Asda, animations for the NHS and not forgetting the ongoing work for a central government elearning initiative which sees me creating a series great short animations.
I've recently finished work on a promo for Manchester Art Gallery for the Rafael Lozano-Hemmer exhibition. Working along side Wonder Associates who Creatively Directed the project I got the opportunity to commission Zelig Sound & Composition for the creation of the audio. You can see this promo here
i've been lucky to be working with some amazing clients and will update the site soon with some fresh work. Stay tuned people.
Work has finished on the last of the seasons pitch side LEDS for Manchester City Football Club. As a special thanks to fans, the club commissioned a screen saver with all 30,000 names appearing. This presented a few challenges to enable the cross platform application to playback such a huge collection of names and still be scalable for all monitors and displays.
Along with this, a viral for Mizuno has been signed off and live see project. The viral features Manchester City player and Paraguay International Roque Santa Cruz and also features light graffiti by Michael Bosanko.
The last few weeks has seem work finished on 2 new TV commercials, the first is currently being screened on UK TV being last spotted sandwiched in Coronation street. This is for Chester Zoo. I was commissioned to animate a beautiful hand drawn type face, giving it some life and tracking it into the plates following animals and other objects.
The next was a great crafted kinetic style piece for Birmingham College University. I've not seen this live yet but its was a great project to work on and allowed some fast paced keyframed animated qualities. Its the first project I've used the 'live photoshop' 3D capabilities in after effects which although clunky does the job quite well.
The I Give My All High-Definition Viral campaign for Manchester City has been added to my folio site after a great response from audiences online and in Manchester and even the man himself Craig Bellamy! View Project
"I Give My All" viral has been launched by Manchester City Football Club and is being screen across various media including the clubs website mcfc.co.uk, screens in the city centre and a micro site , my input was all motion graphics and editing. View Film on Youtube or on its own
The final titles edit for the short 'Jam' has been uploaded. The independent film has been screened on the cinema and featured on various broadcast channels. View Project
Experimental ident
Natural Motion Games needed help exploring some ident ideas. The idea was to form the logo from dancing particles which drawing inspiration from the motion within the logo. Created with various particle systems and techniques the outcome was a colourful and dynamic sting View project
The finishing touches to the titles sequence for the Short JAM, a film featuring Stephen Fry, Frank Skinner, Gary Rhodes and Phillip Schofield is complete. The titles are now on the way to the edit. Jam is due for release in Mid November. An update will be soon, in the meantime you can Watch the YouTube Trailer here.
A new motion graphics edit has been uploaded Angels, created as part of the digital marketing campaign design by Wonder Associates, the promo takes the form of a dynamic 2 minute motion graphics edit which offers snapshots of works and artists featured in this major exhibition for Manchester Art Gallery.
A graphic edit to promote the facilities and courses on offer at the "School of Sound Recording" is now live. The edit began as collection of mixed media comprising of stills photography, HD and SD footage before being realised into this edit. Along with the bullet points with audio driven graphics generated in after effects, the edit is a moody over view of this contemporary place of learning. View project
The latest kinetic text animation has been completed. The idea was to take the voice overs of a target audience and create a series of scenarios or case studies. There were 6 profiles in total resulting in over 4 minutes of animated text. View project
Work has just finished on my latest TV commercial for promotion of the computer game "Ashes Cricket 2009". The advert is seen in 2 high-def forms, one as an internet trailer and a second shorter cut was made for broadcast on Australian TV.
Arguably my biggest audience yet! I was recruited to create animated banners for the LED pitch side displays around the City of Manchester Stadium by "Music". Various custom messages were transmitted from Manchester City via the pitch banners so several different designs were modified throughout the season. The LED animations were seen throughout the 08/09 season during premiership and UEFA matches. Created in after effects they were outputted as uncompressed AVI files for output.
View some screen grabs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
MANCHESTER CITY HOSPITALITY FILMS
Along with the Pitch LEDS, I was commissioned to edit together footage and composite it to a design by Music, and supply it ready for delivery on the Manchester City Website. The footage was a mix of location, Broadcast and stills photography. Along with the website video banners, the work also filtered through to the Stadium scoreboard and DVD. View Project
View grabs from the Manchester City website 1, 2, 3
A titles sequence for BAFTA winning Clarity Productions will be seen on their latest production "At Home With The Jedi". The titles was a after effects composite, panning across space and finishing on a crash zoom into earth finally settling on a specific house in Holyhead.
After the success of the first set of Sony PSP adverts, The Neighbourhood were again commissioned for 2 more variations. This time the project went all 3D! My role again was as compositor and 2D animator, the projects saw explosions, aliens and rockets. The adverts are currently being broadcast in Europe and Australia...Click here to watch "Buzz" or "Resistance".
The first broadcast version, for global launch of the Sony PSP300 has been uploaded. It features hundreds of layers in after effects with some green screen keying. The advert has been cut into 20 different versions, for national and international broadcasters. Again another cracking project by The Neighbourhood!
More versions will be added later, but for now...watch it here
Top Ski Weekend, designed with an animated flash banner and built from a blog engine, web 2.0, XHTML and fully CSS validated goes live this week. The site presents an array of resources banners and links. Being built on blogging technology makes the content management system intuitive and simple for the client to add new links and content. Visit Top Ski Weekend: Click Here
Still a work in progress, but time waits for no man! The site needed to be not only a brochure site, but also an interactive experience to give an impression of the passionate nature of the company. Record Packaging's new website is built on the latest web 2.0 / ASP.NET 2.0 standards. The site groups, sorts and tags machines before building results on the users clicks. These can be adjusted, giving different weights to promoted or more appropriate solutions. The site is punctuated with some excellent flash animations (see an example here)
URL re-writing was important on this project to streamline links emailed to prospective clients and 'make sense' of a potentially huge list of packaging solutions. Click here for the project summary or here to launch the site.
2 new projects have been uploaded, both part of the continuing Ribena Harvestival UK tour, commissioned by Exentio. The first is "A Consumer Journey", which illustrates the typical consumer experience at one of their events and "The Build" which is a snapshot of the work involved in a typical location build.
Brand communications group smARTstdiosUK required a titles sequence to act as an opening and identity for their video presentations. The sequence takes the sculpted structure from the logo and places it within a environment of movement, lights and sound. launch
A great project, over 400 layers, and an 18 hour render produced this piece for Exentio and Ribena. The piece takes the viewer on a swift journey around a blackcurrant field to discover the many inhabitants of its boundaries and grasses. Ribena and the Wildlife Trusts have been working together to develop safe environments for endangers animals, plants and insects. The VT will be taken on a national tour an viewed through binoculars in a mock viewing platform.
Click here
Editing has finished on a 3 minutes promotional video for Oldham Sports Development. The video served to highlight the development teams work and as a souvenir for the participating schools. Custom transitions were added to the interviewers and various time lapses via after effects and the edit completed in Final Cut.
Click here
A nice neat animated sequence for the free musicians internet resource northwestbands.co.uk. The sequence sits static on the home page and loads in the background, constructed in after effects and outputted as flash video it animates through all the features available on the website.
Click here to see the project
The upgraded system has arrived and will have expanded the network with the latest Mac Pro 8 Core with over a terabyte of internal storage alone. Will over-night renders be a thing of the past? we doubt it, but it should make render time a little more manageable. take a peek
Its been a busy last few months to the year. I've added lots of updates to the site. More music videos, and more exciting projects including: Ribena, Exentio, Urban Splash, St. Clements, Great Northern Cook Off to name but a few.