Scott Novasic
Forum Replies Created
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My opinion is after effects is far better and more versatile than final cut. Final cut is a great app, but used for longer form projects in general. Both will do the job for you, but if you want to have some basic 3d moves with your images and access to many more things that can make your slideshow ‘less boring’ so to speak, I think after effects wins out on that. With stills, I dont think rendering time will be much of an issue, Final Cut is faster for a lot of things, but what you are trying to do should render so fast in AE I dont think there is that big a difference. Again, just my opinion.
SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects -
if your logo is not ‘cleanly’ made in illustrator, random spikes may occur. Trouble spots usually show up in the ‘creases’ or corners of an outline. Look very close up on the illustrator file and look for ‘bunches’ of points in areas that usually, in my experience, are in sharp areas of a shape like corners or sharp curves. Delete all the points you can without losing your shape. There is also a ‘spikebuster’
setting you can try within invigerator itself. If the problem is pretty
bad, spikebuster wont help much, but its worth a try.good luck. and delete those extra points.
SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects -
maybe im blind, but im not seeing any “effects” like you described.
I just see colorization, and picture in picture effects.
Maybe be more specific?
SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects -
I would agree with Joe and understand his good advice. The OVER simplification of station ‘looks’ including CBS here in LA was 90% of the reason I chose to get out of working at a TV station. Thank goodness for promos and show opens etc, where I could flex my creativity a little, but most of what I see reflects Joes comments. I have only 2 comments that differ just slightly, in my opinion. 1- I think art directors everywhere should BAN 3d stroke and Shine from their designers computers. Those looks and effects are fastly becoming overused eyesores
and lazy excuses for good design. (if you must use them, think outside the box some, combine them with other effects and distortions to get your own unique take on them, imho) 2 – I understand Joes comment about a bug friendly logo. But in my experience, you dont want your ‘franchise’ logo too small in the screen when used. Logos that are more horizontal have worked fine for me, and “bug down” to size just fine.
Its in the design and text mainly, where you need to be bolder. TV screens are more horizontal obviously than vertical, so find, a nice mix on your work. I dont disagree with Joe, just add that properly designed logos with A horizontal look CAN work, and in some instances
be more impactful. (My old VP of Creative in Chicago at FOX, emphasized the impact, and need for boldness in the logo design. The bug was only a far off consideration. We needed it to work as a bug, it was just #3 or 4 on the list of goals with the design.)Ironically, as a small business owner, designing clean and simpler design packages is fun and great work to get as my own company. I get to avoid having to do it ALL the time, which was my issue AT the station(s).
SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects -
Im a huge fan of all things Apple. But my first big hardware purchase
that was non mac, was my Dell 30″ monitor. Great price, and better
picture. I have the dell and the apple NEXT TO each other sharing the desktop, so I see daily the difference. Good choice.SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects -
very few of us will have actually worked on all of those different monitors. I use 2 30″ monitors. A dell and an Apple. I love the Dell.
(dont tell my apple friends) better color and is designed MUCH better as far as flexibility goes.It was cheaper than the apple was. I would recommend the dell 22-24 inch. I would look on ebay or for refurbished units if you need a better deal pricewise. Apple’s 24 inch refurbed unit is probably close to $600.
most monitors will allow you to calibrate them to be as accurate as you can make them. I am in broadcast design, so I use the blackmagic card output to an HD NTSC monitor for a true idea of accuracy. It depends on where your works final destination is.
SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects -
this effect imho, has a multitude of techniques going on in it from how I see it. I watched it a number of times and frame by framed it.
certain things, like the car itself, seem like they were matted out and compositied into the scene. A lot of the background elements like rock mountain arrangements seem ‘cut out’ then treated, then composited back in to the scene. The watercolor effect itself will usually create
some ‘chattering’ effect to some degree. to overcome this or minimize this, it makes sense to either matte out an area or cutout\create a treated element and composite it back in. That element will not chatter at all. Given most of the angles used in the video it can be done pretty convincingly. If you matte out an image with motion, this allows you to customize your effect settings ONLY for that element. Which helps a lot, – in a scene, one effects setting may work fine for, say, the car. But be horrible on something a lot busier like the rocks.
The whole video seems to have a ‘dirty film’ effect applied on top of it which is a great way to integrate all the different composited elements and make them feel ‘as one’ The watercolor itself is tricky, Sapphire has some very good paint plugs, fx factory has a pretty good watercolor plug in. And toon it is very good but expensive. The best new thing Ive seen for this is pretty exciting, AND its INCLUDED in the NEW AFTER EFFECTS CS4. I saw a demo of it here in LA at our mograph user group meeting. Its pretty amazing.
All in all, it is not an easy look to pull off, dissecting a spot is easier than assembling one.SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects -
im not a flash guy so forgive me here. Im not sure why you would even use flash to do this. A bunch of stills and precompps will do 99% of what you want. If your not aware of precomps and things like that in after effects, you might need to read up a bit.
SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects -
Sheesh, you must work at a small station to do ALL those things yourself.
Thats amazing. Lets see. Ive been in Chicago at Fox and LA at CBS.
Art director is sort of old school. Creative director is more encompassing and current. In LA if you can ‘do it all’ so to speak your called a Generalist. NOT very glamorous at all! Thats my deal here.Anyway,maybe
Senior Preditor\graphics production designer.Senior Production Creative
Senior production manager
its a tough one, good luck. As far as a title goes, imho its nice to have. I have to assume you already are paid fairly for what you do, so the title is nice just for a resume or for networking with a business card.
I never wanted most art director positions because they spent too much time in meetings, so in LA for Example, I came up with the approved Title of Senior Designer\Animation Manager. Our art director did not know squat on how to use software, 2d or 3d very well. He basically just put people in places and acted as a traffic cop. I wanted to manage the animation workflow and software decisions, so it worked out for a while. I had the itch to be on my own here in LA pretty quick however.
Good luck.
SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects -
well, i wrote a long response to you, and my machine\internet crashed.
aarrgggghhh.anyway. I love the new motion! Im not a fan of the last motion after it hits the lens however.
Briefly, I, personally, would have the picture “stick to the lens” at roughly a 5-10 degree angle. Leaving just a slight amount of the background showing through, so the illusion of an actual card sticking to the ‘actual’ lens is there while the scene with the woman plays.
You may have to slightly crop the video, but not enough to matter in my opinion. Id also put a white relatively thin edge around the picture card, which, to me, would sell the fact that he threw a card\photo nicely. lastly I would put a slight shine on the “lens” with the card on it, when the card hits. Id fade that shine out over 60-90 frames.just my opinion, worth what you paid me for it 🙂
SuperNova
Animation & Visual Effects
Scott Novasic
Los Angeles Ca
web:https://web.mac.com/finaleffects