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OT – Inspiration on a deadline!
Its off topic, but one that probably affects all editors at some point in the week. Its not specific to FCP either but to the creative thought processes that must be employed to lift your work above the mundane.
When the client decides decides at the last minute that the pack shot that was filmed weeks ago is crap, and wants to change it (with only an hour or so before the ad needs to be submitted) and you have to make the product suddenly zing!…..
…or you want to make a composite effect stand out from the crowd, and really don’t want to use another Lens Flare…..where do you guys go for your inspiration?
what fuels your new ideas?
and are your ideas based on previous experimentation or is your experimentation based on new ideas?In days gone by, i could have brainstormed with colleagues to find a direction to explore, but now that large facilities are becoming one-man outfits (or like mine, where i am the only post-production person in an in-house production dept), its impossible to have such visually oriented discussions anymore…
..so anyone care to join in?
care to share what sparks your neurons?regards
adamEditor/Mixer
Character Options Ltd
Oldham, UK -
6 Replies
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First off, one forum you should also check out is Art of the Edit here on the Cow. Folks from all over just discussing the art of editing and creative ideas, not platform specific.
https://forums.creativecow.net/cgi-bin/new_view_posts.cgi?forumid=27
[lightning ad] “where do you guys go for your inspiration?
what fuels your new ideas?
and are your ideas based on previous experimentation or is your experimentation based on new ideas?”Sometimes is something I’ll see on TV especially with text treatment. I might emulate it or use that as a starting point.
sometimes it’s something I’ll see through a product demonstration like seeing the 3D particle fly through on Motion 3D. Makes me want to incorporate something from that into some upcoming animations.
Other times is a complete accident. A few weeks ago I had a huge fan of Good Eats stop by the shop for a few hours just to see what is involved in putting together the animations. I set up a sample scene with some lighting and camera moves which were a bit different than anything I had done before. I loved look and plan to use the lighting and camera moves developed in that little “show and tell” for the next animation.
I like a lot of subtelty instead of in your face effects. Sometimes I’ll put the product on the screen multiple times, up to 20, in varying opacities, sizes, composites, mattes, etc.. so the viewing audience won’t see everything the first time.
This is generally what I’ll start doing in a case like what you have now. I’ll grab a few jumpbacks and composite them together, matching the correct color scheme we’re using. Overlay the product in there with the product name a few times and build something that will probably end up around 15 – 30 video tracks in about 30 minutes which gives it depth without being cluttered. When you’re under the gun you really have to “reach for what you know” as there is no time to experiment.
Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Broadcast and independent productions.All Things Apple Podcast! https://cowcast.creativecow.net/all_things_apple/index.html
Read my blog! https://blogs.creativecow.net/WalterBiscardi
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“care to share what sparks your neurons?”
Demo Reels, anykind, any where and trade magazines. I collect Demo reels and the URL of demo reels on line. Each time I am sitting in corporate America lobby waiting to talk to the Big Cheese I will collect the free Magazine subscription Bingo Cards from the trade mags in the lobby. I have over 80 FREE trade magazines in my mail box every month. These Mags are a great free resource for graphic ideas. The editors and graphic artists of these mags are in the same fight we are to grab eye balls and illustrate a concept or thought.
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Adam,
I have always just walked away from it all for inspiration. Yes, I do get ideas from other TV and motion stuff like demo reels etc., but if I’m really stuck for an idea I just walk away. So if I’m on a (potentially) boring job and want to bring it up a notch or two, I go to a different room, or go outside, anywhere but my usual workplace. The simple act of moving and working in a different place is amazing.
When I was in the ad biz, we used to do this all the time on special projects and new business pitches, never in the office or at home. One of our favorite places were hotel/resort lobbies like the Phoenician, the more different the better. Try it, you’ll be amazed. If you’re stuck at the office, just go to a different room or go outside. Works for me…
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Places I get ideas:
The shower
Dropping the kids off in the pool
The treadmill (with ipod blaring Hybrid) at the gym gets me going.
When my fiance talks about something like shopping or wedding centerpeices.
When people complain to me I zone out and get ideas.Plugins for After Effects. Often my ideas are built around experimenting with AE or Maya. I then merge a current project to incorporate my experimentation.
Read design books on color theory and typography.
Good movies:
Watch “The Matrix” – just the first one – even though it’s sorta ruined now (after 2 and 3).
Spidey 3 was semi inspirational. Love Sam Raimi.Lay in bed, kick my leg till 5am watching the project in my head.
For last minute ideas, I usually pull out whatever has floated to the top of all the stuff above. Of course you can always pull from a tried and true idea that you’ve used before, but that’s boring and often drains me of the inspiration needed to get that last minute idea through.
I can’t stress enough how important music is to my creative process. Scour production music. Find really good tracks and sit back with your eyes closed and just take a ride until your mind associates the pictures you’ve been staring at with the sound you’re hearing. Listen for crescendos, peaks and ebbs, breaks and restarts, and find a way to blend that with what your working with.
Hope that helps.
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[lightning ad] “When the client decides decides at the last minute that the pack shot that was filmed weeks ago is crap, and wants to change it (with only an hour or so before the ad needs to be submitted) and you have to make the product suddenly zing!…..
…or you want to make a composite effect stand out from the crowd, and really don’t want to use another Lens Flare…..where do you guys go for your inspiration?
what fuels your new ideas? “Well one the biggest incentives and inspirations is the significant extra fee that you charge them for doing it entirely over with a tight deadline.
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some fine suggestions, everyone. Thanks for chipping in.
I personally find my best ideas come if i have the chance to forget the project for short while and allow my subconscious to work on it.
Sadly, its rare to have that luxury!
I particularly like the bingo card suggestion…unfortunately in the UK publishers seem very reluctant to give away free copies of anything. Smaller market = smaller margins i suppose, and finding a magazine to buy that is inspiring is almost impossible.
think happy thoughts!
adamEditor/Mixer
Character Options Ltd
Oldham, UK
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