Motion Graphics and Compositing:

Case Study

Joe Hill

1

2

Critical Discussion

Motion GraphicsWhat is a motion graphic?Motion graphics are essentially, in basic terms, an animated graphic which creates an illusion of

movement or transformation to portray information. Whether this be through video or audible

communication. This can be found in film, video, animation and animated text.

Historical context/use:Animated graphics originally started back in the Victorian era with flip books. Which would show a short

animated story when the pages were flicked through quickly, giving the illusion that the graphic is

moving on the page.

Marcel Duchamp was a pioneer of motion graphics, his use of art helped him develop rotoreliefs, which

were animated drawings span on a turntable to give the impression that the 2D drawing became 3D.

This was debuted in his surreal short: Anémic Cinéma (https://vimeo.com/7733425).

Another early pioneer was a German filmmaker- Walter Ruttmann- who began his early career with

short abstract films. These consisted of flowing colours and shapes, created by strokes of paint on glass

plates and cutouts to create the shapes. After each stroke/ movement a shot of film was taken. His first

abstract short was Lichtspiel: Opus I (https://vimeo.com/42624760).

Saul Bass is credited for being one of the most influential motion graphic creators in the field. He

became a famous artist with his designs and animations used in film title sequencing. Most notably his

development of ‘Kinetic Typography’, effectively animated text moving across the frame. It was also his

abstract look that attracted major film creators, some of his most famous title sequences include: The

man with the golden arm (1955), North by Northwest (1959), Psycho (1960), Goodfellas (1990) and

Casino (1995) (https://youtu.be/qqM3McG4-LE).

The transformation from practical motion graphics to animated visual effects can be placed in the hands

of some, but one man in particular stands out: John Whitney. ‘The father of computer animation’,

Whitney created the term Motion Graphics with his company Motion Graphics Inc.. His first notable

piece of work was in collaboration with Saul Bass on Hitchcock’s 1958 film Vertigo. Where he animated

swirling animations using a mechanical analogue computer (https://youtu.be/q42Jdx6T7nI).

Synchronomy was a term used by Norman McLaren, who was an influence to the motion graphics

industry through his development in synchronising audio and animation. In the early days of animation,

music typically was just played over the top due to the already difficult process of animating. However

McLaren proved how the two could work perfectly in balance, and how audio could be projected visually

through shapes, size and colours. Some of his earliest work/ examples of this was his short pieces: Dots

(https://youtu.be/E3-vsKwQ0Cg) , Neighbours (https://youtu.be/4YAYGi8rQag) & Synchronomy (https://youtu.be/UmSzc8mBJCM)

Motion GraphicsContemporary Use:

● In today’s world, most motion graphics are used to create infographics or titling sequences for personal projects. For

example a YouTuber could use motion graphics to animate their view/ point about a particular subject. These are very

typical for sharing information for as they are entertaining and stimulating to watch, and are not bound by physical and

real limitations. Here is an example created by a youtube channel who specialise in these infographic type animations:

https://youtu.be/CJDEXHQH6aU

● They may also use motion graphics for their introductory titling: as this has become a popular way of branding a

channel. For example the popular Achievement Hunter uses a short introduction and music to help introduce the show:

https://youtu.be/KULkjqRlBP8

Advantages and Disadvantages:Now motion graphics can be created by just about anybody with a computer, free software is available online with pre-made

assets which can be inserted into scenes with included animation. Other widely available software also includes Adobe flash

and Photoshop which can be used to create assets and animate them frame by frame. Being so easily accessible, this has

made motion graphics cheaper and more commercial. As seen above, it doesn’t take a team of Hollywood special effects

artists to create these. However, motion graphics can be very time consuming to create. If being formed from scratch then

every single asset has to be drawn, coloured and animated. Unlike with real life filming which is naturally coloured and

animated. Before the 60’s and the use of computers, this was especially costly and long, for as all the ‘animations’ were

practical effects. Walter Ruttman’s abstract shorts were all hand painted and required the camera to record frame by frame

and linked to each shot. One movement could consist of many shots where the assets have to be moved and repositioned

manually and accurately to portray a smooth animation. And title sequence artists like Kyle Cooper and Stan Brakhage

(creator and influencer) whose style was used in the title sequence for the film “Seven” involved directly editing and

manipulating the film. For the scratched effects used, Cooper had to physically scratch the film and paint over pieces. This

was a risky way of creating graphics for as it was irreversible and required a lot of accuracy and skill.

Visual EffectsWhat is a visual effect?Special effects (often abbreviated as SFX, SPFX, or simply FX) are illusions or visual tricks used in the

film, television, theatre, video game, and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story

or virtual world. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effect)

Historical context/use:It can be hard to pinpoint what visual effect is the beginning of the special effects development, although

one of the best places to start is with Alfred Clark and his use of ‘Camera trickery’. Towards the end of

the 19th century, films were basic and short, but still a marvel to witness at the time. Clark discovered

the trick of influencing the camera during his shoot of his short: Mary, Queen of Scots. During the

execution scene, he set up the actors and played out the scene. Just as the axe was raised to execute

the queen, Clark stopped the camera recording, kept all the actors frozen, and swapped the actress out

for a dummy. Then resumed the filming so that the axe could cut off the dummy’s head. This was a

shocking discovery to viewers for as the footage is so smooth that it looked as if a real head had come

off. (https://youtu.be/BIOLsH93U1Q)

George Méliès also discovered this trick, during his filming the camera jammed, and when it was fixed

and carried on recording he noticed that suddenly the whole scene had completely changed in an

instant. Cars turning into trucks or disappearing, men changing to women, cats into dogs. Méliès soon

became known as the “Cinemagician” due to his extensive development in visual effects. Helping to

develop such techniques as multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, live action and

animation integration, miniatures and matte painting: as seen in his most famous piece ‘A trip to the

Moon’. (https://youtu.be/_FrdVdKlxUk)

Méliès’ miniatures would be used to influence visual effect marvel’s such as the original Star Wars

trilogy and Lord of the Rings franchise decades later. Although it was 1927’s sci-fi classic Metropolis

that used detailed models and full model cityscapes to create the futuristic world. Pioneering the use of

miniatures and model backgrounds into the mainstream visual effect industry. (https://youtu.be/GrFBId1b8U0)

On top of the scaling of cities and physical models, matte backgrounds were also an influential effect

that lasted way into the 20th century. Backgrounds were painted on large canvas’ to create a fantastical

location that could not be achieved in the real world, or was cheaper than moving locations. The area

where the action was taking place would be matte out, and left as a blank spot. Then the pre-recorded

footage of the scene would be projected into the space, giving the illusion that the characters were

actually there. Massive blockbuster films such as Gone with the wind, The wizard of Oz, and Planet of

the apes all incorporated this technique.(https://youtu.be/XvuM3DjvYf0)

Visual EffectsHistorical context/use:Stop Motion was one of the most baffling visual effects, as well as one of the earliest. Masterfully crafted

puppets/ figurines were created and shot frame by frame as to make them appear animated. This was the

most popular form of special effects when CGI was not available and could be used to directly interact with

actors. Famous examples of stop motion include 1933’s King Kong, 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts, Star

Wars AT-AT/ST’s and the beloved Wallace and Gromit series by Trey Parker. Today, stop motion is still

used however is unpopular due to the time consuming process. 2014’s The Boxtrolls used stop motion,

alternatively the whole film was created first digitally, and matched up with the physical figurines. This was

to give the creators an impression of how the film would look beforehand.(https://youtu.be/pF_Fi7x93PY)

Doubling is a very simple but effective special effect that came to light with Disney’s classic 1961 The

Parent Trap. The films main protagonists are identical twins split at birth who find each other at a summer

camp. The same actress was used to play both characters, this was done by shooting the first scene and

freezing the camera’s location. Then filming the scene again. Afterwards the negative would be split in half

to create a split screen, making it appear that there’s two of the same person. This is a popular technique

used regularly, 2010’s Social Network incorporated this by bringing in two brothers, and digitally copying

one actors face over onto the other. (https://youtu.be/uFxVdaqekg0)

Special Effects makeup is also one of the longest running visual effects to date. It’s practicality and real

look has become the horror genre’s best friend. The 20’s horror classic Nosferatu was the first to use facial

prosthetics and finger extensions to create the hideous vampire antagonist. A landmark in SFX makeup

was the academy award winning film An American Werewolf in London which won an award in special

effects due to the gritty and realistic transformative makeup and prosthetics used during the scenes in

which a man turned into a werewolf without using strategically placed scenery to cover up the

transformation. One Pioneer of the FX department was Rick Baker, who worked on The Exorcist and the

remake of King Kong as well as providing other special effects through his detailed prosthetics and robotic

limbs. (https://youtu.be/UFLQS12z8K4)

Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) might be the most influential and groundbreaking visual effects ever

created. It opened up the possibility for anything the imagination can come up with and has been part of a

vast majority of media after its development. Using a computer to design, render and animate 2D/ 3D

models and placing them into films, it has broken the cap off of the physical world and has reduced any

limitations. “The evolution of CGI led to the emergence of virtual cinematography in the 1990s where runs of the

simulated camera are not constrained by the laws of physics.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imagery). When thinking

about CGI many look to Star Wars, Star Trek & Tron which were early adopters of CGI, however it was

actually Steven Spielberg and Pixar with (1985’s)‘Young Sherlock Holmes’ who were credited for creating

the first smooth and realistic looking use of CGI when creating their stained glass man swordfight. (https://youtu.be/uOsxXi-tu_U)

Visual EffectsHistorical context/use:To date, motion/ performance capture has revolutionised the use of CGI in films. Intended initially to

track actor's motions and movement, and replicate that through animated models. Performance

capture has gone on to transform a performer into the being they are acting as. During most of its

development motion capture would capture movement and then animation would be projected onto

the moving 3D model on a computer. But With Peter Jackson’s revolutionary technological

breakthrough, he began to animate the actor’s real face and emotions onto the character they were

animating. This was originally done by recording the same scene over and over again with multiple

camera positions to match the movement in a 3D environment. Then Peter Jackson turned the

whole process on it’s head by putting actors in mo-cap suits. During his filming of ‘The Lord of the

Rings’, he created suits which had small sensors embodied into them, then multiple cameras would

be pointing at the performer, tracking the sensors and recreating the smooth movement. This won

the film multiple awards due to Andy Serkis’ performance as Gollum. (https://youtu.be/O_aziIIp8U8)

Following on from this, Jackson outdid himself with 2009’s Avatar. In which he revolutionised 3D

animation and motion capture. Previously with CGI and mo-cap the animation was already made

and just had to be matched up with the motion capture footage. But with a new development in

sensor/ camera technology, Peter could capture the live performance of the actor’s faces which

could be synced with the animated entities they were performing as. This was done by wearing

special facemasks with tiny sensors which could track facial structure and features. He also

recreated motion capture with what was nicknamed The Holy grail. Which consisted of over 140

cameras to capture sensors worn on the actor’s suits. This allowed a much more detailed capture

and allowed him to create the fantastical Navi race and the planet of Pandora of which they interact

in. (https://youtu.be/5PSNL1qE6VY)

Explosions have become the fantastical element which has helped put that final ‘oomph’ into action

movies. Most notably when thinking of explosions many look to pyromaniac director Michael Bay:

due to his excessive use of them in his films. However explosions have become an art form in films,

2009 was yet again home to the visual effect renaissance with Kathryn Bigelow’s war thriller epic:

The Hurt Locker. Bigelow wanted to capture the true devastation of an IED, a weapon used by her

films antagonists (Middle Eastern extremists) and the devastating real world destruction they

caused. The film is a gritty drama about a bomb disposal squad as part of the US army, and so over

the top effects/ explosions was not a route the director wanted to take at risk of tarnishing her film.

Instead the explosions were filmed using special slow motion cameras which could capture the

bombs in high visual quality at a fraction of the speed. It’s this tasteful cinematography which really

helped impact the devastation these improvised explosive devices create. And immersed the danger

of the situation. (https://youtu.be/T5u_5vN5qMc?t=20s)

8

Analysis

Motion Graphics SequenceTitle sequence one: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010) (https://youtu.be/5-jSZQEc674)

The 2010 comedy film, directed and produced by Edgar Wright, features a mixture of live action and drawn-on-film

animated title sequence. Beginning with a live action shot of the band (Sex Bob-Omb) performing one of their new

songs, this ultimately leads into the opening credits sequence. Mixing live action and animation to create a fun, vibrant

and pop art-like introduction. Lighting bolts and annotations are animated to emphasise the noise and rowdiness created

by the band and their instruments. The animation runs rhythmically alongside the music and performances by the

actors, as the guitar is being strummed rapidly more and more lightning bolts are flying out. The camera then pans back

across a now elongated room to the two audience members as the films title appears in the same electrical fashion. This

effect feels similar to those used by Marcel Duchamp and his rotoreliefs which gave a 2D object the illusion of 3D. We

feel this similar feeling during this part of the sequence for as the rooms dimensions have now changed from what we

understood previously. Then transitioning to a fully animated title card, the draw-on-film animation inspired sequence

takes place. “Drawn-on-film animation, also known as direct animation or animation without camera, is an

animation technique where footage is produced by creating the images directly on film stock, as opposed to any other

form of animation where the images or objects are photographed frame by frame with an animation camera.”

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawn-on-film_animation). Richard Kenworthy, the creative mind behind the title sequence, took inspiration from famous

surreal animators such as Stan Brakhage and Norman McLaren when coming up with his initial sequence. This is very

clear as we can see the links between Scott Pilgrim and Brakhage’s piece Stellar (https://youtu.be/L8r9t135_xY) & animation genius

McLarens Synchromy (https://youtu.be/UmSzc8mBJCM). The flashy, colourful and abstract animation is all representative of the music

(drawn to the beat) as well as the storyline and characters. For example Chris Evans’ character is a world famous movie

star/ skateboarder who challenges our protagonist to a skateboarding battle. Therefore when his name appears in the

credits, skateboards are also animated alongside. Overall the title sequence is used to represent the chaotic, music-

driven and animated lifestyle the characters lead. The original film source comes from a Visual Novel and so the title

sequence and movie as a whole are inspired by these characteristics.

Motion Graphics SequenceTitle sequence two: Fight Club (1999)An $800,000 90 second trip through the messed up mind of the films protagonist, was Director David Finch’s inspiration

for this films motion graphic title sequence. Keeping up to tempo with the spontaneous and electrifying nodes nestled

within the human brain: this title sequence throws the audience into a mesmerised state of confusion as the whole

sequence leads to the end of the film. From entering the brain stem, and out through the sweat soaked skin pore up

along a barrel of a gun all the way to the chamber being cocked, is a flash forward to the films final scene, however

without context this is an incredibly abrupt beginning: and what appears to be the protagonists end. Finch had the idea

of burning the credits into the audience's minds, “like a jackhammer to the forehead” (http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/fight-club/). The bleak and

blue atmosphere fits in with the films depressive, dead and basic themes. As well as the shock and cold hard sweat as

felt by the character. The sequence feels tight and uncomfortable. The blue monochrome look is very empty and dead,

there’s a low field of vision as the camera pulls back; leading us through the unknown without a known destination. The

whole film likes to remain spontaneous and brutal to the viewer, and so this type of sequence fires off the abnormality

from the get go. Finch brought on medical illustrator Kathryn Jones and Neuroscientist Dr Mark Ellisman to help create

the brain and it’s details. Jones creating illustrations which detailed the stems of the brain as ‘doors and rooms’ since the

sequence is taking a physical tour. Dr Ellisman was brought on to help map out the parts of the brain that would be

travelled through, and from a scientific view how we got from the brain to the skin pores. Although despite extensive

consultation, parts of the journey had to be cut down/ out in order to reduce runtime. The motion graphics camera used

ray tracing technology to create a shallow depth of field using a roving focus. “In computer graphics, ray tracing is a

rendering technique for generating an image by tracing the path of light as pixels in an image plane and simulating the

effects of its encounters with virtual objects.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_tracing_(graphics)). The original opening was supposed to only begin

with the sound of a gun cocking, however Finch really wanted the audiences butts to be glued to their seats and thrown

all around. Therefore after much persuasion for an increased budget, and only a short time frame the sequence began

in January of 1999, the sequence was created in collaboration with previsualization company Pixel Liberation Front

and VFX studio Digital Domain.

Ray tracing example

Visual EffectsVisual Effects scene: Manhattan destruction scene from Watchmen (2009) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76ZTlt9YdgM)

This is one of my favourite scenes/ movies of all time. Purely for it’s visual effects alone. The movie went through about

23 years of development, 4 studio changes, and 5 different directors before finally Warner Bros. studios found their

visual marvel: Zack Snyder. Recently Snyder has been under critical debate given his recent film pieces. But it was his

beginning in ‘300’ which brought the man forward. The visual scene I have chosen to analyse is the New York

destruction sequence. In which is one of the films major climaxes as we see the true plan revealed by the films

antagonist: Ozymandias, as he uses an intrinsic field detonation to wipe out Manhattan. And staging it as one of the

films protagonists Dr Manhattan. What’s beautiful in this scene to me is how Snyder makes destruction look beautiful.

With a mixture of cold colours and distorted physics, it’s not a typical movie bomb. From the small sparks that open the

psychiatrists case, to the buildings being pushed back and swept around like a wave. To the iconic clip of the two men

holding each other as their blinding doom approaches. The film is littered with this cold numb blue that delivers shivers

down your spine as you understand it’s power. The man in blue himself, Dr Manhattan, is portrayed by Billy Crudup.

Crudup is supposed to be this scrawny nerdy nuclear physicist, which is depicted in flashbacks. And so in order to

transform him into the blue mr muscle that he is, a male model-Greg Plitt- was brought in and had a 3D model of his

body digitally created. Of which they could turn Crudup into the supreme being. Crudup acted in all the scenes wearing

a motion capture suit, with bright blue LED’s to create the Dr’s glow. Then Plitt’s model and head was ‘frankensteined’

onto Crudup. (https://youtu.be/vN8JYPvCL-w) Another character shown in this clip is the grizzly detective type Rorschach: whose identity

is based off of the famous ink splots designed for psychiatric work. The costume department made a 4 layer thick fabric

which would be very smooth but well fit to the face of actor Jackie Earle Haley. 15 designs were printed onto these

masks, for as they were all specifically linked to what was happening within the scene, which was reflected in the

original graphic novel. Similar to Crudup, motion capture pixels covered Haley’s face as he wore the mask in order to

capture lighting and facial structure. (https://youtu.be/pqcbm4QBEZM) Green screen and matting was used a to to create all of the

fantastical settings. Transforming new York into its dystopian future-past fusion, the planet Mars, and secret bases out in

the Arctic. Over 200 sets were created practically, and altered in post afterwards. Some of these practical sets included

the prison, Nite Owl’s ship, Ozymandias’ lair, and a few whole living streets recreated for the 80’s which would be

constantly reused but hidden in plain sight (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiWGwkkf044&t=235) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen_(film)#Production)

Screen RatiosAspect ratio refers to the relationship between width and height of an image. The most commonly used ratios are 16:9 (Uk television) and the new letterbox ratio (1.85:1

and 2.40:1) which is typically found in film. The letterbox is popular for as it helps direct audience's attention to the centre of the screen. Ratios will sometimes

change mid film depending on what cameras were used: this is usually affected by IMAX cameras. Online if videos are uploaded as a 2.40:1 but weren’t

originally created that way, artificial bars are added to create the letterbox.

ResolutionDue to screen ratios, this can affect the resolution. As a rule of thumb, the higher the resolution, the better the image quality due to the number of pixels

present. Some of the more common resolution sizes are: 4K: 3840x2160. Full HD: 1920x1080. HD: 1280x720 SD: 720x576.

Frame RateFrame rate refers to how many frames appear in a second (FPS), The more frames means more detail. It can also be used for slow motion when turned up high enough. For projected film, 24FPS is standard, and Uk televisions are broadcasted at 25FPS. With the introduction of higher quality televisions (2K & 4K) however, these can display media at much higher frame rates. Youtube and other streaming services incorporate this, as many content creators now upload in HD at60FPS.

Video FormatVideo file formats are used to diversify compression and quality amongst files. Some of the most common format types include: MP4, WAV, MPEG, FLV, GIF(V), AVI, Quicktime and WMV. Some of these formats were created for certain programmes/ software, some are for their wide availability/ integration, and some store more data and so are of higher quality.

CompressionAt college, I will usually upload files onto YouTube, and given that it’s a website that streams, compression is useful as to improve loading times. This

involves using Format: H.264 and the present “Vimeo” or “Youtube” at 1080p 24 or 25p A higher bit rate means better quality, but ultimately means a larger

file size, taking longer to load.