LO4 4.3: Final visual effect graph

Final Visual Effect




Visual Effect in my short film

LO4 4.3: Evaluating my final product

Evaluating and justification of editing 

In creating my visual effect graph I ensured i stuck to planning and pre-production documents, this allowed me to have a clear plan throughout and to make sure I was aware of the aesthetic to make sure it would fit with my short film. 

As you can see my final effect is very similar to the planning documents created in LO2, whilst in the planning stages i really enjoyed the idea of a pie chart due to its visual display of data, I think the involvement of colours means that its much more visually attractive as well as informative, this element of the graph wouldn't be shown in a line graph which as the other graph I considered placing into the short film, however after doing a draft of the graph in premiere I thought it looked very sub-standard and not at all visually appealing for the audience.

By having the pie graph surrounding the ellipses outline it allows the separate colours to curl round when displaying their proportion of data i think this element adds to the graphs main appeal however this was not shown in the planning process due to the simplistic plan I drew in the storyboard.
The appealing aspect of the graph was much more clear in the second version of the graph, I soon realised that I needed lots of bright contrasting colours to not only gain the audiences attention but to keep it, as you can see in the first version which is aline graph the colours were dark green and black, these dark and dull colours wouldn't have enticed the audience like my second version does. 

In production as mentioned earlier I began creation intending to make a line graph, the line graph would differ from pre-production as I thought a pie chart would be too complex and not display clear enough information. Whilst creating the line graph I felt underwhelmed by its visual aid and didn't think it displayed much motion to excite and engage the audience or many compelling colours or information. After finishing an early draft of the line graph I decided to change direction and stick with my original planning idea and try see how a pie chart would show the same data.

After deciding to choose to change the graph format to a pie chart I felt this was a much more understandable way to see the data for the audience as well as it being visually pleasing with the continuous lines guiding the audiences attention the full way round meaning they are being lead through the data this leading it to not be really overwhelming like graphs such as bar charts or line charts can be. I felt the pie chart was a better fit for purpose as it demonstrated the data better with stronger environmental connotations really driving home the subject and data of the graph.

After beginning the pie chart i had more of an idea of what i wanted to create and the aesthetics surrounding it, I think without making the first line graph the pie chart would've been a lot duller and not as exciting due to the line graph demonstrating important features that needed including to engage the audience.

In creating the pie chart I have demonstrated many skills and learnt a lot about the software of Adobe After Effects, however throughout the production of the graph I did run into lots of technical problems this mainly surrounding the older hardware Macs and the new software not working well together, this did leave me at certain points of production stuck for timing in relation to the deadline however by putting more hours into production I did manage to create a graph I think demonstrates well not only the data but the aesthetic of the short film.
As well as demonstrating skills on the software I have also learnt new techniques such as 'tweening' and 'layering', whilst planning the graph I learnt the various tweens i could use e.g motion tweens, size tweens, this allowed me to understand the movement I could create and how this could create meaning and impact in the graph.
These skills I have developed will help greatly in later After Effects work as I now am able to control fluid movements in the software.

The graph demonstrates the different sectors that plastic is made for, by showing this information it is very well fit for purpose and allows it to link in with my short film really well, once i started production for my pie chart I decided to show slightly different data to my first line graph that demonstrated the increase in production of plastic, and I think this was the best decision made in the process as it allowed me to figure out what I wanted to include and how to represent it.
By restarting and creating a whole new graph it enabled me to make the best version possible in terms of graph type, visuals and information displayed

In conclusion I really think my graph represents the data well in a very visually clear and attractive way, I think it really adds to the Unit 5 short film as it demonstrates some hard hitting facts that allows the audiences to see the impacts on their plastic use, this ties in nicely with other aspects of the short film such as the interview with the owner of a non-single use plastic shop.
To demonstrate in the introduction the waste of plastic thanks to the pie chart this leads well into the interviews and the main conclusion of the short film.
I was really happy how the outcome came out and think this was especially helped by the voice over that accompanied the graph, it allowed a narrative and brought audio to the graph which also held and kept the audiences attention in quite a visually focused portion of the short film.

LO4 4.2: Exporting my final product

 Step 1.
In exporting my final visual effect I decided to use the exporting method of adding it to the render queue, this is the simplest and quickest method in getting an exported version of my graph.




Step 2.
After adding it to the render queue, I can decide what render settings, output module and output destination.

 Step 3. 
Here are the render settings and the options I can apply, I wanted the best quality render to ensure that the graph ran smoothly when playing in my short film, if the graph had any rendering then this would look unprofessional.







Step 4. 
Here is the output module settings, the most appropriate option at this stage for exporting was quicktime however I will later need to open Adobe Media Encoder to change this to H.264 as this file format is not only lossless meaning a high file quality but is accessible on all devices making it the perfect file type to support my graph

 Step 5.
In one of the last exporting steps I saved my file with a recognisable name and to a safe place where I new I could find it easily.
I will also upload this final version on a online saving system such as Onedrive to ensure that I have several copies in case of a computer malfunction.

Step 6.
My last step is to open Adobe Media Encoder and change the file format to H.264, this is to ensure that the file quality is most appropriate for the function of the video.

LO4.1 : Rushes and Final versions

Section of rushes log demonstrating the graph being placed into the short film 'Climate Crisis'

Exporting the VFX to a H.264

 In terms of exporting the VFX in a H.264 this was done to ensure that the graph would be in the highest lossless quality, this being appropriate for the use of VFX as it will be used in a short film and therefore it not only up-keeping the professional standard I am trying to create around the short film but allows all text and information to be seen and read clearly even from a distance. The format, H.264 is a universal format meaning that it can be placed into premiere pro and be edited just like any other clip, this being to my advantage due to it being easier to incorporate into the short film.

Final VFX graph 

Final Short film

LO4 4.1: Evidence of editing, draft 2

Evidence of editing 

1. Creating the layout

In creating the animation I began by adding a plain background, I chose to have a purple due to it not connoting to any particular genders.
By adding the rectangle using the shape tool this is now the basis of the animation and the first layer.





2. Creating the layout of the pie chart

After creating the background I added an oval outline central to the background with a thick stroke thickness, i did this by choosing from the shape tool and decided that I would have a dark colour for the outline to compliment the background and to stand out against colours that would be added in later steps.



3. Duplicating and adding another layer

After being satisfied with the shape, position and colour of the original oval outline I then pressed CTRL+D, this duplicating the layer, after duplicating the layer I then changed the colour to a bright pastel yellow as this will be one of the colours of my pie chart statistics, I want bright pastel colours to really contrast the darker purple.
I then decreased the stroke of the oval to allow the darker purple original oval to be visible underneath as a lower layer.

4. Creating a trim path 

After changing the colour of layer 'DG2' I then continued to add a trim path, this being an action that allows a shape to grow and travel. By adding this trim path I clicked the layer and pressed the 'add' button which brought up the menu shown to the left.




5. Setting the trim path

After creating the trim path I then opened up the timeline and added the movement with keyframes, I placed the key frames 5 seconds apart as this will be the longest movement in the graph.


 6. Duplicating the 2nd layer 

After adding the first trim path I then duplicated the first oval outline again with the shortcut CTRL+D, after creating this second layer I then began to change the colour again this time changing it to a pastel orange to add to the contrast already created.




7. Adding a second trim path 

After creating the 3rd layer i then began to add the second trim path, however I ended the ending key frame a second early compared to the first trim path, this would reveal the yellow section that would act as a visual piece of information in the graph.

 8. Continuing to duplicate and add trim paths for 7 different colours

Every-time i added a trim path i then continued to decrease the ending trim path keyframe dependant on how I wanted to represent the data.

9. Adding a line correlating to the sector

I used the pen tool and picked two points that i wanted to show the line going through, once made however a heavy thickness was immediately added due to it being used earlier with the oval outline.

10. Adding context to the data

By using the text tool i then added subheadings that allowed the audience to interpretate the data easier.

I added it in correlation to the line drawn showing the relating sector.

11. Continuing to add subheadings for all sectors 

I did this using the pen and text tool throughout.

12. Adding a title and reference for the data 

After animating and adding all subtitles to the graph i then began to add in the title explaining the graphs information and then adding a subheading that added as a reference for the data. 

I did this using the text tool and placed them at the top and bottom of the graph to allow the graph to follow conventions.

LO4 4.1: Production evidence, draft 1

 Step 1. Here is my graph in the beginning of the animation, as you
can see the x axis has its measurements to demonstrate the subject of the graph.
A next step improvement is to begin the animation with the numbers to fade in and so the screen be completely blank in the beginning.







Step 2. here is a screenshot of the graph a couple of milliseconds in, as you can see the x axis has faded in and will be followed by the rest of the  lines demonstrating the y axis measurements.
By fading the lines in I have done it by adding keyframes at different points of opacity of the bars.








Step 3. Here is my graph mid way through the animation, as you can see I have points plotting the data and to really excentuate these points I have a shadow on the underneath side of the points, as many other animated assets in the graph all points and the shadow fade into view.

Step 4. Here is the last shot of the animation demonstrating the clear data, by having a colour such as green it allows the colour pop to catch the audiences attention. The animation lasts 2 seconds fully for all assets to fade into view.








Tools



Here is a demonstration of keyframes for one of the points in my graph as you can see I have keyframes on the opacity of the point this allows it to fade in sequence with the rest of the points.

LO3 3.1: Planning documents vs production

Pre-Production Planning visual Diagram of graph

As shown below you can see the similarities between the pre production documents and the final product, I have ensured to keep pre-production documents such as the storyboard with me during production to ensure that I can understand the processes and see the stages I need to next move onto.

Contrasts between the documents however are clear also and elements of the plan did change throughout the process, these being elements such as the already existing circular outline, by beginning the graph with the circular layout already present this allowed a more fluent flow of colours and the type of graph could be denoted immediately by the audience.
The addition of more colours then shown on the graph was another change however this was due to the data I was presenting and the bright/pastel colours chosen I think add attraction to the graph.

Planning of the graph 



























Final product of the graph

LO2 2.3 Evaluate the viability of the proposed use of the multiple effects

To create my graphics that will be added to my short film, i need to consider many aspects such as skills required and what equipment i will additionally need, by considering the viability of projects it allows room to organise and fully prepare for any contingencies needed if anything happens in production.

In terms of creating my visual effects I will use Adobe After Effects to add motion to my graph, the software After Effects is industry level therefore it allowing me to create my animated graph to the highest standard possible.
In using Adobe After Effects I will be using the 2019 edition of the software, this may hinder the viability of the project as the modern software may not be compatible with the older hardware I will be working on.
The hardware I will be accessing Adobe After effects on is a 5+ year old Lightning Bolt Mac, this being an industry grade piece of equipment too however the incompatibility created by the time between both products being made may cause the computer to crash, this could hugely hinder the project, especially if any work is lost.

Due to this problem I have been very cautious with deadlines as if my project crashes near to the deadline date it could heavily impact the progress of the project.
Additionally if my Adobe After Effects document did crash close to the set deadline date I may have to work a lot of consecutive hours very close together to ensure meeting the deadline, this in turn could create a lot of health implications for me.
Health complications could be risks such as eye strain, headaches, back/posture issues or even repetitive strain injuries, these risks being implied in the risk assessment however the risks would be increased majorly if I had to put in a large amount of consecutive hours of work under stressful conditions.

In terms of the ethics of my graph I have been very sure to use factually accurate information for the graph to show and support, I gathered my information from the Ocean Policy Research Institute, this being a very reliable and trustworthy source due to their partaking in international conferences and debates on ocean governance this demonstrating their ethics and reputation on the subject.
I knew it would be key to not only reference the source in the graph but have a reliable and trustworthy source due to the rising problem of fake news in news outlets and this being especially brought to attention by President Trump.
As he often remarks that environmental statistics are 'fake news' due to them not supporting his politics and friendships with large oil and other fossil fuel companies, this new technique of declaring information is fake if its not supporting your rights is dangerous and can be misleading for followers meaning referencing is more important that ever before. 

Overall I do think I will be able to get the graph completed in the timescale and with the equipment I have been provided however by analysing the viability of the risks I now understand clearer the limitations I face and the risks that could prevent my completion. 
By fully listing and delving deeper into the process of making the graph I am able to plan ahead better and clearer with the obstacles I have outlined.

LO2 2.2: Discuss the issues and risks for the proposed multiple effects

In planning my graph it was crucial that I evaluated safe work practices and identified potential hazards this was important when creating a project so i could anticipate and reduce risk of health implications whilst creating the visual effect, here is a risk assessment demonstrating some serious threats.

As you can see many of the health risks are due to the overuse of computers due to the visual effect i'm making needing computer software, however if i was going to create a special effect as my final product, the health risks would be much more severe. This is why in film and TV industry there are specialists who create these special effects such as pyrotechnics, specialists are needed due to the danger being such a high risk amateurs wouldn't be safe creating them.



In terms of creating my effects I have carefully followed procedures such as turning down the brightness of the computer screen to reduce eye-damage when using the computers for a long duration.
I have been taking breaks every 30-45 minutes ensuring I have a drink and stay hydrated during the process as well as having the mentality to keep my wrists straight throughout this avoiding issues such as repetitive strain and carpal tunnel syndrome.
As i continue to create my effect I will ensure that I have the risk assessment more in mind and consider health over efficiency as this would create more problems in the long term.

LO2 2.1 : Graph planning and storyboards

Here above is a storyboard demonstrating plans for my visual effect graph, as I am planning to create a pie chart I have included terminology such as shape tween, trim paths and fade in/out.
I have ensured to include this terminology below to allow my plans to be effective in production as pre-production.
By demonstrating both visual and written descriptions of the graph this allows it to be effective in many different ways, by including a visual element this can increase efficiency as the jist of the graph can be grasped quickly and effectively however with the descriptive writing to back the images up further it allows me as the producer to animate the graph to the best degree.

LO2 2.1 : Visual ideas for planning my graph

Style of graph mood-board 























Graph style mood-board

The mood board above demonstrates inspiration for my graph that I will create to be in a short documentary, due to my documentary theme being around plastic many of the graphs and charts shown above have this common theme.
I really like the visual elements that many of the graphs incorporate such as the top right graph where we an see a green bottle with facts in it, if you used the bottle outline and created a graph surrounding the visual aid it would be both visually appealing and educational with ties to the documentary theme.

As well as looking at more iconography based graphs I have also been researching types of arrows and lines i'm wanting to include, right now in pre-production I am looking at a huge range of graphs I could recreate such as line graphs, pie charts and bar charts.
Because of this range it's important to scope out assets for all graphs im thinking of creating.

My personal favourite graph in this moodboard is the central pie-chart demonstrating the debris found on beaches in the last 25 years, the house style and visuals on the graph make it very enticing for audiences, by having visual aid such as the sea level and bottles floating you can immediately connote the graphs information.

LO2 2.1 : Identify SFX ideas to be combined with short film

Colour grading 
- enhancing colour or adding a filter to footage to create a different mood/tone

Glitch
- creating a glitch-like motion to create a futuristic/CCTV tone to the footage

Transitions 
- how scenes transition into one another and how they link together

Film grain 
- creating an old fashioned effect to film.

Film burn 
- merging old and new film to make a burning effect on film creating very contrasting connotations

Motion Graphics
- CGI like motion added on top of footage, e.g graphs

Glare 
- how light reflects off textures e.g glass

Lens Flare 
- how light is distorted by camera lens,

Distortion 
- lines could be created on a screen to reinforce the glitch/grainy effect

Blend Mode 
- adding effects to existing footage

LO1 1.3 : How the use of visual effects enhances film and TV productions

How the use of visual effects enhances film and TV productions

Visual effects are used in movie and TV production often to enhance the content and ensure that it appeals to the target audience.

Often visual effects are used to create unrealistic or hyper-real scenes which is appealing to the audience due to it being exciting to watch clips which the audience would never witness in real life, it allows the audience an element of escapism while they watch the footage.
Stereotypically we normally see the majority of visual effects used in action films such as 'The Shallows', a film following a surfer who is stranded on a buoy at sea and being pursued by a shark.
Throughout the film we see this huge shark in tense and nerve-racking scenes but in reality the shark was fully visual effects, the shark was created as a 3D graphic which was then composted onto layers of visual effects to eventually create the realistic shark which terrifies the audience throughout the film.
In the clip below it demonstrates the various effects that were placed on the clips, we see techniques such as rotoscoping as the sharks movements are all created digitally, alongside green screens that the actors used to film the basis of the shots for the 3D graphic to be layered on top of.

The use of visual effects in this film makes the entire film possible, without the ability to add the shark in digitally the film would've never been able to be shot for reasons such as dangerous to actors, cruelty to animals and unpredictability of the sharks actions.
With the ability to shoot scenes including huge dangerous animals allows the film to thrill the audience and show them scenes which they would have never seen before this once again relating to the escapism the film is enabling by having this crazy visual effects.
Due to it being so realistic the audience can be consumed by the product more and really believe its real allowing them to get more involved in the plot and get more scared and tense as if they were the stranded surfer.

The target audience of The Shallows is 15-25 year olds due to the horror-thriller genre, the aspect of visual effects allows this age range to really be targeted and enjoy the movie more due to the horror aspect it brings to the film, by actually seeing the shark biting the main character the audience can realise the real danger she's in and therefore the film itself can fit into more stereotypes of a survival/thriller whilst portraying such a infamous antagonist.

LO1 1.3 : Special and Visual Effects Report

Film

In looking at special and visual effects used in films we can see many different techniques that create hyperreal and unrealistic scenes that enforce film genres and fulfil gratifications for the audience.

A visual effect that is commonly used in film is pyrotechnics, in many conventional action films they normally contain explosions to add to the thrill aspect of the film.

In The Dark Knight (2008) we see an infamous scene with the Joker walking next to a hospital whilst explosives are released on buildings either side. This visual effect was created using pyrotechnic effects, in the explosions we see rocks, fire and smoke this creating a realistic effect in the final cut due to the actor being able to interact and show reactions with the explosives furthermore lighting and shadowing is realistic with the events happening this being really difficult to simulate in special effects.

A special effect that is also really popular in action films are green screens, with films such as Spider-man 3 (2008) that require actors to be shot from extremely high heights and show their inhumanly powers green screens are often used instead to achieve the biggest shock factor.

By using a green screen it allows Spiderman to be seen in high-densely populated cities such as NYC in dangerous stunts to bring an element of reality due to the relatable location however creating this fake action that looks realistic making the film more believable for the audience achieving the gratification of escapism.

Idents

Idents shown on television demonstrating branding for popular channels such as BBC1 and Channel 4 often use special and visual effects to create the desired connotations linking to either the programme following or the tone of the channel. This particular ident for E4 (2013) is mainly visual effects, by them using a 3D model of the E4 logo composted onto raw footage it creates a personality and characteristics for the programme.

By the 3D model being portrayed almost satirically representing the target audience with a pet dog and in a home environment it brings comedy to the channel this once against branding the channel with personality.

Advert

Adverts use visual and special effect to really enhance the product and to detail the aesthetics the brand want to create.

In this particular Lacoste advert to demonstrate the age of the company they have created a historical advert demonstrating their brand through the eras, the advert has more of a narrative rather than close up shots of the product which normally leads to a more rememberable advert for the audience.

In the advert we see a use of a green screen frequently to create scenes like the one above where the actor is runnning on top of the moving train, this would have been impossible to film safely. In using green screens to create scenes like this it adds a luxury element into the advert by impressing the audience.

A special effect that has been used in advertisement can be seen in this advert by Rocket Mortgage. The advert is all based around the actor Jason Momoa, the actor is very well known for his big toned physique and in the advert we see a combination of visual and special effects to create the illusion that he is 'taking off' his muscles as if they're prosthetics.
In shooting this advert the actor would've had to actually use props that look like extra skin that he is removing to reveal a much skinnier physique underneath. The advert used a much skinnier actor to play Jason after he's 'removed' his skin this requiring the addition of rotoscoping and green-screens as well.

Music Video

A music video which has used special effects is Bury A Friend by Billie Eilish, this music video is meant to demonstrate popular worst fears and in this particular scene you see needles in Billie’s back, by including props into this music video such as needles it creates a hyper realistic impression of people’s fears and in this particular shot you don’t see one needles there’s 10+ this demonstrating the emphasis into every fear portrayed.

A visual effect that has been used in a music video is also in a Billie Eilish video called All Good Girls Go To Hell, we see the singer falling from the sky to create a fallen angel, the motion of her falling would’ve been created in a green screen with composting for the cloudy background. By adding this scene of Billie falling it sets the scene for the narrative video and once again creates a professional aesthetic for the video and promotes Billie as a serious artist to her fans.