Information Design - Project 2: Animated Infographic
Ting Wen Yi / 0361799
Information Design/Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Project 2: Animated Infographic
INSTRUCTIONS
Use the assets from Project 1 Instructable Infographic poster into a 60-second motion graphic. Once again, capture the aesthetics and narrative of the poster with movements, SFX, and music.
Requirement:
Max 60 seconds infographic video 720p: 1280x720 pixels (H26/mp4) published on YouTube (set to Unlisted)
PROJECT 2 : ANIMATED INFOGRAPHIC
1. Assets
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Figure 1.1 Assets from Project 1 - Week 5 (3/3/2024) |
Since this is a continuation of project 1, I already have most of the assets needed for the video.
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| Figure 1.2 Adding Assets - Week 5 (3/3/2024) |
I created some of the missing assets that will be used later in my video. For example, I created the dough before flattening it out because I want to capture the essence of using the rolling pin to roll out the dough and make the flat pasta sheet.
2. Storyboard
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| Figure 2.1 Storyboard - Week 5 (3/3/2024) |
I created a brief storyboard outlining how I envision my recipe video. Since the video needs to be short, I focused on being concise. I planned the starting scene as one shot, with all the ingredients popping out in a single scene. Each step of the instructions will have its own shot within the same scene. The ending scene will include the credits.
3. Visual Reference
Mr. Shamsul showed us some of the seniors' work for our reference.
Figure 3.1 Reference 1 - Week 5 (3/3/2024)
Figure 3.2 Reference 2 - Week 5 (3/3/2024)
I also found some reference work on YouTube.
Figure 3.3 Reference 3 - Week 5 (3/3/2024)
Figure 3.4 Reference 4 - Week 5 (3/3/2024)
4. Animating
Figure 4.1 Layering - Week 5 (4/3/2024)
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| Figure 4.1 Layering - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
Before I start animating, I perform pre-editing and layering in Illustrator. I layer all the scenes according to my storyboard. For example, in this scene, the words/instructions are on one layer, the whole egg is on another layer, the egg cracking is on a separate layer, the nutmeg, the bowl, and the grated nutmeg each have their own layers. I did this for all the steps.
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| Figure 4.2 Ingredients - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
I began animating the ingredients by categorizing them into stock, filling, and pasta sheet. To achieve this animation, I utilize opacity and positioning. As the color patches/ingredients fall from the top to their designated positions, the opacity gradually increases from 0 to 100%.
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| Figure 4.3 Step 1 - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
For step 1, I animate the ingredients gathering into the pot to simulate placing them in the pot. I also added some detail by animating the pots to gradually appear from left to right.
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| Figure 4.4 Step 3 - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
For step 3, to depict the hours it takes to simmer the stock, I rotate the clock hand. I adjust the anchor point so that when I rotate the clock hand, one side of the hand is fixed in the middle of the clock.
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| Figure 4.5 Egg Cracking Animation 1 - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
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| Figure 4.6 Egg Cracking Animation 2 - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
To create the egg cracking movement, I begin by animating the egg cracking both front and back. Then, I move it to the egg cracking position while simultaneously reducing the opacity of the whole egg to 0. Concurrently, I increase the opacity of the cracked egg to 100%. Finally, the cracked egg gradually fades away, while the content of the egg increases in opacity and falls downward simultaneously.
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| Figure 4.7 Stirring Animation - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
Similarly, for the stirring process, as I move the whisk, I gradually change the color of the filling to a darker yellow.
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| Figure 4.8 Flame Animation - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
To create the effect of flames burning, I adjust the scale of each flame at different times in a sequential order. This creates a dynamic and realistic appearance of flames flickering and burning.
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| Figure 4.9 Empty Ladle - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
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| Figure 4.10 Ladle with Pasta - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
To create the scene where it appears as though an empty ladle is dipped into the pot to scoop out two cappelletti, I create two ladles: one without pasta and one with pasta. I stack the empty ladle on top so that when it dips into the pot, I change its opacity to 0 and simultaneously increase the opacity of the ladle with pasta to 100%. This creates the illusion that the ladle with pasta is scooping out the pasta from the pot.
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| Figure 4.11 Final Step - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
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| Figure 4.12 Compositions - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
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| Figure 4.13 Exporting Footages - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
Due to the numerous animated movements, I divide my video into multiple compositions, with each step represented in a separate composition. I will then export each composition individually.
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| Figure 4.15 Smoke Effect - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
I felt like the ending lacked some spice, so I created a smoke effect that I learned from a YouTube tutorial.
5. Editing
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| Figure 5.1 Editing in Premiere Pro - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
As a newcomer to After Effects, it's ambitious for me to handle all the editing and sound design in one go. Therefore, I export all the footage and import it into Premiere Pro to edit the video. This allows me to leverage Premiere Pro's features for a smoother editing process. I organized the footage and arranged them in the correct order. Then, I edited out any unnecessary idle movements to streamline the video.
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| Figure 5.2 Thumbnail - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
For my video thumbnail and opening, I use a Christmas theme to convey the Italian Christmas atmosphere. I found music that complements the Italian theme.
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| Figure 5.3 Video Duration - Week 5 (4/3/2024) |
As the video is limited to less than 1 minute, I sped up some of the movements to prevent them from dragging on too long.
6. Progress
Figure 6.1 Animated Recipe Progress - Week 5 (5/3/2024)
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Figure 6.2 Refining - Week 5 (6/3/2024) |
After receiving feedback from Mr. Shamsul, I decided to improve my video. I slowed down some of the steps as I felt they were too fast for viewers to see properly. Although the video exceeded 1 minute, Mr. Shamsul said it was fine.
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| Figure 6.3 Sound Effects - Week 5 (6/3/2024) |
I added in some sound effects like egg cracking and stirring. I didn't want to add in too many as I didn't want to overwhelm the whole video.
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Figure 6.4 Sound Effects Sources - Week 5 (6/3/2024) |
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| Figure 6.5 Sound Effects Sources - Week 5 (6/3/2024) |
I obtained all my sound effects from a free website.
Final Outcome
FEEDBACK
Week 5: Give a pause for some steps for the viewers to see.
REFLECTION
Experience
I was actually looking forward to this task, although it doesn't count as my first time using After Effects, but it was my first time animating such a cartoon-style project. I tried to make it look cute and seamless to give the overall video a professional rather than childish appearance. I also watched some tutorials to assist me in making the video. Since I missed the last session of class, I tried to catch up by watching videos and attempting to do it on my own using my own ideas.
Observation
I observed that making my timeline to be less than 1 min it's difficult for me as I was ambitious to make a lot of movement and to show the details. Therefore I cut short of some movement and to only show the crucial movement to convey my overall recipe guidelines.
Findings
I found that animation requires a lot of attention to detail. For instance, without this project, I wouldn't have known how to transition an empty ladle to one with pasta using opacity and movement. Planning out my storyboard provided a roadmap for the animation process, ensuring smoother flow and helping me stay organized and focused on my goals.
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