Breaking chains that bind me..

[Darby Edelen]

[blakep] “create an animation with glowie lights and stuttered motion”

Sounds fairly straightforward, but I’m sure it’s more complicated than it sounds. Are you trying to stutter the frame rate of the footage or stutter some other animated element’s movement? Is the rhythm of the stutter going to come from sound/music? Are you trying to add lights entirely in AE or emphasize lights that existed in the footage? What is the source of the lights? Are you attempting a laser light show look? Fireworks? Spotlights?

Lots of things to consider when deciding how to approach this =)

[Devin Earthman]

You have to be more specific than that 😀 Are you talking about creating a sequence of abstract stuff from scratch? Or later in your post it sounds like you want to do this from clips, two very different beasts. The whole catch to this stuff is there’s a 1000 different ways of achieving something, let alone not knowing what you’re trying to achieve! So either you start with a technique that you’ve learned (or want to, lord knows theres 687,324 AFX tutorials a google search away) and see what you can do with it, or you have an idea of what you want and experiment with how to get it…

Having the music already is a great way to start what you’re after. Timing some basic elements to the beat and important changes to the music will get you 2/3 of the way there, if not at least provide some inspiration.

[Blake Porter]

Thanks.
What I’m in search of is the creative process, not nessisarily the techinical aspects.
I guess it’s the indescribable, Or possibly some technique anyone has on AE “approach”.
Inigomyeggo has touched upon it. I would love to know how talented Motion Graphics people approach the creative process to any AE project.
How to fill the blank slate?

[Devin Earthman]

That’s our point i suppose. There shouldn’t be any “set” way you approach something. AFX is just a tool for your vision, not an art form, if you want to get touchy-feely about it! Don’t think in terms of how do I “set up a template” so that it’s like all the pro’s. Just as there’s no magic “pro setup” for 3 camera angles for every scene and set you film. You have to know what you’re after for any kind of a starting point, and anything short of uploading a storyboard, I or anyone can’t really help you. Nor can you know what to do without planning things out that explicitly. Are you sending a message with this sequence, is there text, are you using footage, particles, just making a layered, moving background element, is an intro, transition, etc? Each of these takes radically different approaches even in planning–Especially AFX, since it’s layer based, I think is far less conducive to “noodling” around than a node-based system like Shake or Flame, and requires more planning and knowledge of the program’s limitations/exploitations.

The point is there’s very basically two edges to the sword: exploit what exists–taking layers of footage and adding effects to them like photoshop (in your case probably to extract and exploit abstract elements from them) or creating elements from gradients, text, shapes, etc. It’s all about the context and your preference when and where you lean towards either.

[Blake Porter]

I’ve read your post very carefully. Thank you for your insight.
I guess I’m looking for away to break-out. I know it’s in me and I’m trying to cut it loose. I feel like I’ve hit a wall, I don’t know.. it’s hard to put into words. I’m reaching out for inspiration, a new way for me to look at old things

[Darby Edelen]

[blakep] “a new way for me to look at old things”

Look for new techniques to approach problems you’re having. Sometimes when there’s an effect I want to achieve I know immediately how to do it (usually because I’ve done something similar before), other times it takes some hunting for the right technique. Pay attention to tutorials and try to think outside the box with the techniques that they teach you. For example, using gradients to control effects is a simple technique that applies to a wealth of the effects in AE. This allows you to achieve a different results for different circumstances, learn to pair the right techniques with your desired results.

[Darby Edelen]

Oh, and you’ll also want to become increasingly aware not only of the work of others (how did they do that?) but also of the natural world and how it behaves/reacts/represents itself in Video/Film/Life =)

How could you recreate the look of old grainy film, for example? Look at old grainy film for some great hints!

[Solie Swan]

Learn from others. For 4 years I edited a yearly video for someone that was well received but last year I turned it over to one of the new guys on our staff and what they came up with just blew me away – I would not have come up with their ideas in a million years. As it turned out, it saved me time, money and opened my mind to a whole new way of doing things.

[Blake Porter]

Yes I need influence, but I’m tired of tutorials. I need to somehow, feel the action. Drink with a genious. A quantum leap. Fluidity. To study with a master… I don’t know. Confidence?
Appreciate all of your ideas! That’s for sure.

[Darby Edelen]

[blakep] “I need to somehow, feel the action.”

Yup, start working on it =P If you hit a wall and can’t find your way over it, come back and tell us what you’re trying to do and how you’re approaching it.