ITV England

Whilst on Liquid TV's website I also found this animation, which I thought was a great example of a nice blend of both 2D and 3D animation.



It's described on Liquid's website as the following, "We were comissioned to make an opening sequence for ITV's coverage of England football matches. We wanted to take a slightly different approach, so the balls of fire and endless whist-less glances in t'yonder from the England football players were ditched. We instead pitched an idea which contained no football in it what so ever, except for an occasional reference. We wanted to create a feeling of pride in the country, its diverse cultures and architecture ... it's a celebration, not of the players but of the country they play for" http://www.liquid.co.uk

In a similar way to the way that in the F1 titles the viewers are taken on a trip out of the stands onto the track, here viewers are taken on a trip around London in an attempt to create a sense of pride. I think that they are successfull in created that feeling amongst the viewers and one thing that helps to do this is the soundtrack that accompanies it. The iconic music that plays alongside the exciting visuals has been used alongside many sporting triumphs. The music comes together at the end with a roaring cheer as the Wembley Stadium is revield and we as viewers are shown both the Saint George flag and the England teams emblem.

Liquid Tv's Website

When I found Liquid TV's website I was drawn to the clean, geometric layout. Everything was balanced and had an interesting linear format. In terms of the way that the movie clips were presented it seems almost reminiscent of a strip of film, possibly something whcih was behind the idea when it was made.

Overall I feel that this website is a good example of a Flash Site which is visually exciting and easy to navigate, (which is what would expect of a motion graphics company). As a potential client you would want to feel confident about their potential, so it is important to present a website that works well and isn't a let down to the viewer.

There are different elements within the site that work extremely well. One of these is the preloader. Generally I am not a fan of preloaders as they usually take a while to load, however with this site the loading time is extremely quick. The sites preloader has been created in an interesting way by integrating a wheel withing the letter 'O' of the logo.



Interactivity plays a big part within this site. In order for the viewer to navigate around a site it is important that a clear, clean and simple navigation is put in place. This site is easy to navigate around with a simple linear menu on the left hand side and in order to view video clips there is a simple to use rollover menu of clips.

The movie clips are set to work like a scroller and when you move your mouse up and down, the line of clips moves up and down. When you rollover a particular clip it enlarges and is shown in colour. Unless you are over a clip everything is shown in a muted tone, this works well as it is clear to the user what they are on/where they are.

Normal State:

Rollover State:


Another feature within the site that I love is the swimming fish. Sometimes animation within sites can be awful, however this fish has been animated in a beautiful way. This brings an element of class to the site, which only strengthens the viewers impression of the company. The use of an animated fish, which swims towards the viewer as the site has loaded and then away again is a nice way of tying the name of the company with a theme.



Swimming fish:

Overall I think that this site is a excellent example of a simple to use Flash Site. Check it out at: http://www.liquid.co.uk

This ones for you Ste!!

I found the video below on Liquid TV. These titles were made for the return of F1 season on BBC. Im extremly interested in title sequences, especially when they integrate elements of 2D and 3D. I watched the beggining of the season with Ste at his flat, with a few beers when I saw these titles for the first time. I can remember thinking that they were a great new set of titles, which realvitalised the essence of the sport itself. With the iconic music and captivating visuals we are taken on a journey. It allows the viewer to feel engaged with the title sequence and feel like they are personally witnessing a journey.

I found this video on Liquids Website,where it as being the following: "As the most expensive show on earth returns to the BBC, we were charged with creating a brand which could out manoeuvre it's previuos on air years and inject a new zeel, whilst remaining instantly recognisable. Working on the principle of 'fusion', the brand takes the viewer from out of the stands and puts him smack in the middle of the action where cars, teams and locations fuse and de-fuse in a high octane, breakneck battle for supremecy and the checkered flag".http://www.liquid.co.uk/


http://www.liquid.co.uk/

After reading the description of the brief, it is clear to see that Liquid wanted to create a sequence which brought a new energy to the sport, whilst ensuring that the people who would be watching were able to instantly recognise the F1 Brand.

Some new work by David Foldvari

Once again the power of the blog! When I came on this morning I saw that David Foldvari had posted on his blog saying that hed managed to update his website, I didn't even have to go looking.

Amongst his updates were some new pieces of his work, some editorial work and some other pieces. Here are a few of my favourites!

Today, for once it's too hot, which means that it's too hot for my brain to engage! So I'm going to quickly sum these pieces up in as few words as I can.

Democracy at it finest:

Well balanced composition, drawn to face through spot colour:

Simple use of spot colour, effective, creates impact:

Intriguing:

Nice idea:

Never to young, (or whats the phrase . . . "Your only as young as you feel", or is that "your only as old as the person your feeling!"

Sex sells:

http://www.davidfoldvari.co.uk/

Free Pizza Anyone?

Recently I have re-designed the menu and display board in Pizza shop 'Don Francesco', based in Great Moor.





Below is a photo of the menu board in the shop itself
(145.97cm x 117.01cm):


Free Pizza Anyone? Register online at donfranciscopizza.com for your free 12" pizza now!

My Textures

A couple of weeks ago after I'd had a play in After Effects that I wanted to go out and take some photos of interesting textures that I could use within my work. So here are a few of my favourites:

A Banks Project, More 2D!

Well, this could just be a phase but I'm still enjoying researching 2D Animation. This piece has been created using After Effects. I found it on YouTube when looking for 2D work.

It's quite easy to deduce that the piece is a music video, as the audio and visual work well together. The piece is energetic and vibrant and the synchronization between the audio, with the integration of animated elements is great to see. The piece really comes alive before our eyes.


http-//www.youtube.com/

I think that sometimes it's good to see amateur work, that hasn't been created by people working in the commercial world. Generally the pieces are not as refined, but the work is sometimes more experimental, which is great for me to see as 2D animation is a fairly new subject area for me in terms of what I'm trying to create myself.