Blinded by Starz

Through watching and analyzing motion graphics, I have become more aware of the art. From watching television to browsing the internet, motion graphics is vital to our society. I find brand identity the most interesting area of the field. Without a creative, strong, and impactful brand, a company would be nothing.

This being said, Troika excels and specializes in brand identity. They bring the company to life through animation, text, and special effects. More specifically, the “Starz” brand caught my attention the most. Troika’s description of the montage is, “The Starz brand reflects our emotional connection with movies. They energize, fascinate and inspire us.” The montage beautifully portrayed what Troika and Starz were aiming for…

The brand identity is fierce, beautiful, passionate, radiant, and especially inviting. The minute I watched the video, I immediately wanted to change the station to Starz. The montage promoted the channel while illustrating the purpose, elements, and characteristics of Starz. Throughout the montage, the video displayed clips of movies that were being aired on the channel. However, the clips did not dominate the video. Instead, the video was promoting Starz and what it is about while including what it airs. I really liked it was more of brand identity that was powerful on its own, but brought to life by the movies. Personally, I took the promotion to be movies through the “lens” of Starz. Through the channel, the audience can capture the essence of popular movies from their own home.

The graphics are extraordinarily brilliant! However, they are complex yet simple and crisp. My favorite element is the lens flare effect. It adds a fantasy type feel to the video that is so inviting and open to the audience. Also, there is a limited amount of graphics, but they enhance and add “sparkle” to the video. There are uses of lights to capture the viewer’s attention. More specifically, the little boy is catching “fireflies” in a jar as if it symbolizes Starz being the home of movies. By watching the channel, the audience can “capture” the comedy, edge, and cinema of Starz. The graphics were based on light and lens flares. It is as if the movies were being shown through a Starz view of a camera. I also like how Troika played the “stars” concept but did not make it cliché. They could have added animated stars, but that is too simple and straightforward. However, they put their own take on it. It reminds me of when you look up at the sun and feel the warmth but the beauty of light. Actually, it reminds me of a kaleidoscope in some ways.

Personally, I feel the colors truly accentuated the entire piece. The warm colors coordinated with the bright atmosphere of the brand identity. However, they also used cool colors such as purples, blues, and mauves but they allowed the yellow to be the prominent color. Also, the animation was striking even though it was a simple zoom out and rotations and movements. There was nothing extraordinary about the movement of the text, but the elements brought together by the brightness, colors, storyline, and especially the music…

The music was engaging. It was very light and peaceful in the beginning and began to pickup momentum when the “premiere” was announced. It lead anticipation to the viewer and excitement.

Complexity transforming into Clarity

I never thought monotone colors, text, and symbols could create such a captivating and complex motion graphics piece. New Mediators created a video to illustrate and promote their company. The animation begins with the company’s complex logo constructed of symbols.

The storyline is basically a diagram drawing out what the company’s specific purpose. The initial tagline of the promotional video is “A design practice that turns complexity…into reality!” From then on, the video progresses with broken down elements that together, make the company as a whole. The video shows how their company can easily fix complexity to clarity. Transforming from a complex drawing to simple, straightforward diagrams, their company “integrates research, graphics, narrative, sound, and interactivity.” The theme of the story is showing something that needs improvement, and then adjusting it to make it better. For example, the male symbols are displayed and multiplied to show the improvement and adaptation that their company can create. The males began as simple symbols and became doctors. The entire video consisted of constant transformation and improvement, which is what the company excels in:complexity to clarity.

The graphics were simple, subtle, and yet extremely powerful. The main “character” of the video was the male symbol (you know, the one you see on the bathroom signs). I loved this element! It is a common symbol that people see everyday but it was used in a completely different environment. Also, the hands added a hand-made, personal feel to the video. It reminded me of a teacher drawing important diagrams on a whiteboard with marker. Also, the drawings individually did not move but moved position with the help of the hands. I thought this was a great element because it made it simpler and therefore caused more emphasis on the text. The characteristic that made the graphics so simple was the use of monotone colors. The purple was used in different shades to show different things. I thought it was amazing how this one color could have an effect on the audience. However, there was one other color in there and that was the green for the money. This made the money truly stand out to

the viewers. Also, I loved how everything had a gradient. The hands, the people, even the text all contained certain gradients to make it pop out even more!

The text is the most important element in the video. It defines the personality of the company and what the company is all about. Everything builds off of what the text says and is illustrated to correspond with it. It is as if the animations are being built off of every word. I loved how the text weren’t really complete sentences each time; it left a cliffhanger so you would be more interested. Also, my favorite element was when the screen was full of texts and certain words were picked out to form a sentence. I though that element was well done.

Lastly, the animation was simple as well. There were no cuts in the transitions. Everything transformed so smoothly.

I said earlier, it was as if the teacher was writing on the whiteboard, and just moving down to make more room. I like the zooming in and horizontal/vertical movements of the camera. Likewise, the actual graphics had no movements (not including the videos shown) but they were moved in position instead.

This video was so straightforward, yet compelling. There was no sound at all which I feel cause the viewer to pay more attention to the graphics rather than the beat. Personally, my favorite element was the Transparency part when the colors are switched and inverted. It is a shock because throughout the video, the background is a constant white. I really enjoyed this video mainly because of the elementary drawings. However, the text and the movements brought the common symbols to life. The logo is just so different and not many companies can make this work. The house as the “A” and the thought bubble as the “D” truly show what the company is about. I really enjoyed this video and it made me want to search the company more and learn more about its complexity to clarity!

Get a clue! Uncovering Animation

"The Pink Panther" movies are mysterious, captivating, and of course, hilarious. Steve Martin stars as Jacques Clouseau, an eccentric detective constantly seeking the Pink Panther diamond. Imaginary Forces, film title specialists, took on the task to create the opening credits for "The Pink Panther 2." Watch it here!

The storyline consists of Clouseau’s never ending chase to find the "Pink Panther" diamond. The opening credits are illustrated as 2D animation, while the actual movie is live action. However, I absolutely love the cartoons and the dramatization of the animations. The credits start off with Clouseau crashing through glass, causing a flashlight to flicker on. The ray of light illuminates the opening credits. Suddenly, he focuses the light on the pink diamond and the "Pink Panther" character is introduced. Symbolizing the diamond, the character leaves clues for Clouseau to track but cunningly gets away with it. Throughout the introduction, the detective clumsily tracks clues from stepping on glass, getting kicked by the boot of Italy and even getting run over by a car. The credits are shown throughout the animations in places corresponding with the scenes.

The graphics are exaggerated and fun! Clouseau’s character is drawn with a very large nose and small legs to accentuate his clumsiness and lack of skill. The characters have strong personalities that are simply shown through movement and expression rather than voice. Throughout the animation, I found myself laughing at Clouseau’s awkward persona because of his dramatic expressions. Also, I loved that Imaginary Forces used the Pink Panther character rather than the diamond because it adds life to it. My favorite element of the graphics was the use of images such as the Mona Lisa, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and the Eiffel Tower that held some realism to them. This created a noticeable difference between the foreground and the background. The contrast caused the detective and the diamond to be more noticeable and intriguing.

The colors in the animation are bright and strong. Clousseau’s bright blue jacket enabled him to pop out in the range of colors rather than blend in. Also, the "Pink Panther" was obviously pink to emphasize the color of the diamond. I admired the contrast between him and the backgrounds. For example, the black, dark background in the beginning and the yellows of the map allowed his royal blue suit to be the main focus. Likewise, the animation was as if it was straight out of a cartoon. The sharp movements of the characters and the exaggeration created a child-like effect. I felt like I was watching the old cartoon all over again. It engages the audience by adding humor to the movie and summarizes the characteristics of the main character. Also, the Panther is always seen in the background but Clouseau is too naïve to notice him. Lastly, the animation is so intriguing because the characters are the only things in constant motion. They are moving against a flat background so it creates stronger emphasis on the two.

However, the transitions between the scenes create dynamic movement. There are few cuts in the scenes, rather the camera rotates, zooms, and follows the characters on their never-ending chase. My favorite transition is Clouseau’s fall from the clock because the camera zoomed out at an awkward angle from the street. Also, I loved the flipping book pages and the camera flip when the detective opens the door to the map.

Lastly, the best element of the opening credits was the "Pink Panther" theme song. The sound of the saxophone creates a suspicious feel to the detective’s case. Also, there were sound effects that stress the dramatization of his clumsiness. For example, there are sounds such as breaking clash, bops on the head, and crashing sounds from hard falls. Clearly, the theme song adds the last touch to the Pink Panther opening credits!

do YOU know the muffin man?

While exploring for motion graphics pieces, I found various animations that were professional, dynamic, and original. However, I stumbled upon an advertisement for RBC and absolutely fell in love with it. This video is one of those animations that instantly puts a smile on the audience’s face. It has bright, magical elements, and to bring it all together, a beautiful, happy ending. See for yourself here! "Muffin Man" for RBC.

I applaud Nexus for such an enchanting and sweet storyline. A determined man sells muffins in a bustling, playful environment. The park seems to be located in a suburban town with cheerful inhabitants. A businessman walks up to the baker, befriending him and giving advice. The baker looks at his muffins, ideas spark, and suddenly, his business magically grows. Transforming from a simple park stand, his business and dream beautifully expand. With every purchase, the restaurant enhances, from tables and chairs to chandeliers and fountains. The camera continues to zoom out, illustrating the new and improved Mr. Muffin restaurant with their finest employees posing for a picture. The picture is home to the new chain of restaurants. Lastly, the founder of it all is admiring his work and is now the businessman he aspired to be…all because of RBC’s advice!

Not only was the story beautifully executed, but also the color palette was subtle and kind. The hues consisted of pastel colors such as pale green, light peach, soft blue, and bright yellow. Overall, once his business began to blossom, blue started to become one of the major colors because it was the designated color of the business. However, the simplicity of the colors created such a charming, pleasant, and warming atmosphere for the lovable characters. Although there were only two important characters, (the business man and Mr. Muffin) each character had life and energy. I found it very intriguing that each individual had a form of independence such as twirling in the street, patting a loved one on the back, or delivering muffins on roller skates. There was always constant motion that caused the eye to quickly move around the composition in able to capture and appreciate the vivacious characters.

The characters consisted of organic shapes and rounded edges. They had small, kind eyes, shine to their hair, and most importantly personalities. Although many of them looked similar, there was a sense of individualism. Also, there was a thickness to the characters that made them look as though they were originated from clay. This gives the audience the feeling of looking through a child’s eyes and seeing magic and possibilities.

The graphics were extraordinary and especially engaging. Once the main character is enlightened by his idea, the camera starts to zoom out and a sign appears on his stand, tables appear, windows form, theme park rides are boarded and so much more. My favorite element is how the background stays constant and the building is expanding in front of it, constantly moving forward. The animation is seamless and it is as though the restaurant is being built in front of your very own eyes. The formation of his restaurant is being assembled, through animation, from the ground up. It is as though someone is pressing fast forward through the animation process. Also, I love how objects are constantly being added and changed while the camera movement stays constant and focused (zoom out).

With the strong animation, beautiful colors, and smooth transitions, the sound of the video brings every element together. In the introduction, the audience can hear the birds chirping, the ring of a bell from a biker, children’s laughter, the sound of sparkles when the muffins are shown, and the businessman walking. These sounds are suddenly muted when he engages in his idea. Slowly, the sound of a guitar picks up and is mixed with whistles, xylophone and lastly, trumpets. The music corresponds with the animations and seems to get a higher tempo when the restaurant is getting larger. Throughout the melody, there is only one sound the audience can hear which is the flash of the camera.

This animation was beautiful, happy, bright, friendly, intriguing, and joyous to watch. The entire time I was watching it, I felt like I was watching a Pixar movie, constantly smiling. (I even found myself bopping to the music….) The formation of the restaurant, the diverse character movements, the story, even a small detail such as the blue birds all were a contributing factor to the advertisement’s success. I loved how the storyline was rather cliché showing someone start from nothing and end with triumph, but was creative and original at the same time. I hope I can someday create an animation like that and therefore have the Muffin Man's triumph!