www.manvsmachine.co.uk
Organized a portfolio visit with Mike at Man vs Machine in London on Thursday 5th Nov. It was a great experience, and seems like a well organized and happy studio.
So when i arrived, me and Mike went and sat in the back of the studio and got my work up on a screen. I briefly talked Mike through my course and my interests, and he told me about some of their current and future work for big clients, which sounds like a very busy schedule.
At this point my work was up and ready so i started off with showing him my latest work - the 'Deal Me In' title sequence.
Deal Me In Title Sequence
I was happy with the response Mike gave me for this. As i used a range of media in it, i meant Mike could get very critical about parts that he specializes in, such as After Effects and 3D. He said it was a strong piece to include in my portfolio as it shows evidence of good animation, and shows off some originality He liked the idea of simple designs and the mixture of media that he says work well together. Something i took away from this discussion was that its important to use the most efficient format for the idea. Planning it out in a way that will execute your idea to a high potential.
Throughout the talk Mike commonly talked about camera movements, and how this is a skill in its own. Once you get a grasp for how to use it, it is a vital tool to use in animation, and makes a huge difference to how the audience perceives your design and animation. Effective camera movement helps make the piece look more expensive and professional. Explaining that this is strong in my chips scene. Where the camera tracks the ball smoothly, and the relation between camera movement and the impact as the chips as they break apart.
FX Channel Ident
With this piece Mike said it the concept is very professional. The simplicity of the idea is instantly recognizable to the FX channel. So i have addressed and communicated my idea successfully, but there is room for improvement concerning the camera movements. For example my ending shot (where the FX logo falls and impacts on the surface) has a rather jerky feel to it. Not due to the animation but the movement of the camera itself is inconsistent. He went on to talk about how his past clients look out for these slow smooth camera movements to focus on an important aspect of the composition, and when it is done well it really makes it look appealing and overall a nice flowing piece. The talk really helped me feel more confident about this idea and also re-think how else I can communicate and direct the idea.
Feelgood Drinks Advert
This idea stood out among the rest of my other pieces, and was told that something like this is great to have in your portfolio. It shows a strong example of your passions as an animator, and helps the viewer see how you can apply some personality to your work.
Improvements are needed to suit the nature of an advert, for example, trimming it down to the correct timing.
Masterchef Title Sequence
The Masterchef title sequence is one of my pieces i am confident about, and something i have taken a long time over to achieve to high standards. So i was looking forward to see what Man Vs Machine thought about it: Mike said it shows potential, but it needs more stylizing , in terms of making the 3D have more of an appealing look. He liked the way the live action mixed in with the 3D, however there needs to be something that justifies this change. My first thought was to change the design of the 3D elements, aiming to drag it away from the realistic look, but still suiting the Masterchef style. Mike agreed that this would be a good direction to take in order to improve it, so i will be experimenting with this further (as a side project).
No comments:
Post a Comment