Month: November 2017

When deciding what surface to project onto, I decided to take a look at some existing companies that offer projection mapping services to see what type of screens they usual map onto. Although projection mapping is versatile and can be applied to almost any surface, I wanted to find out if companies offered screen hire or rental and what these screens tended to be made from. After a quick google search I came across Event Projection, a leading London based technical production company, that offers bespoke projection displays for businesses, venues and public events. From browsing their website, I was see the types of packages and services offered to clients and get a idea of the various equipment used and the average cost.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Depending on the project scale and how powerful a projector is needed, prices start at £45 a day for a Optoma ML750ST with a resolution of 1280 x 800. Moreover, if I was not creating a window display and was opting to source a screen, this would cost me an additional £25 a day for a 6′ x 4’6” pull up.

Fortunately for me, I have full access to a standard Canon Realis X600 projector with a resolution of 1024 x 769, free of charge from the university’s Media Loans. However, if I was creating a project like mine and was not a student here at the university, then I would have no choice but to hire one like the Optoma ML750ST for £45 a day. Of course, I would look to see if there are cheaper alternatives first.

Furthermore, as mentioned in my proposal, when researching into existing examples of projects similar to mine, I came across this video on Youtube of a Christmas projected window display. What I found most interesting about it, was that the person who created the display used shower curtain for the surface to project onto. Never would I have thought of using something so simple and inexpensive, yet as demonstrated in this clip, it serves it’s purpose very well. With this project, the projector has been placed on the outside of the property and is projecting inside to create a Christmas themed window view. My project will work on the same principle, the only difference being that I will be projecting from the inside outwards for passersby to see.

In preparation for my project, I decided to compose a series of short tests using three different surfaces, to see which one works best at projecting a clear image.

Test 1: Shower Curtain

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the purpose of a quick experimentation test, I placed the projector onto a small cushion and positioned it to project my exported Trapcode Christmas tree. As you can see from the photographs and short video, the shower curtain which I purchased for just £3 worked exceptionally well. The only slight problem that I did find, was that compared to the other two materials, the shower curtain was a lot more difficult to stick and secure. Moreover, the material creased fairy easily which was noticeable on the final image Nonetheless, for someone working with a small budget, the shower curtain is definitely a good option to consider.

Test 2: Baking Paper

 

After chatting to the Lincoln Light’s event organiser, Simon Fitch, I was informed that many projection displays from previous years used baking paper as the base surface material. Much like the shower curtain, again, I would never have thought to use something so simple. After measuring the size of the window I will be projecting onto, I worked out that I would only need to buy two boxes of baking paper for just £2.

Furthermore, I found that the baking paper was a lot easier to stick down and did not crease as easily as the shower curtain. Out of all three materials, I found the baking paper to be my favourite and will most likely be using this for my final project.

 

Test 3: Coloured Plastic Sheet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For my final test, I wanted to experiment with tinted plastic sheets to see whether or not the colour would affect the image. As you can see from the photographs, compared to the shower curtain and baking paper, the plastic sheets were just a little too transparent, causing the projector to beam brightly through and cover the image. Although the tinted plastic did look very festive and visually interesting, it did not work as well as the other materials for retaining image clarity.

Conclusion:

Rating out of 5

Shower Curtain: 4/5

Baking Paper: 5/5

Tinted Plastic Sheet: 2/5

For my window display I will most likely go with the baking paper, as I found it the easiest to secure into place and the clearest quality transferred image.

 

Bibliography

Event Projection (2017) Rate Card 2017. London: Event Projection. Available from http://eventprojection.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Event-Projection-Rate-Card-2017.pdf [Accessed 8th November 2017]

When looking at tutorials on Youtube for inspiration for my project, I came across the Red Giant plugin ‘Trapcode Particular’. Using the software you can create organic 3D particle effects and complex motion graphics elements. Having never heard of the plugin before, I decided to have a look on the Red Giant website to find out more about its features and price.

Thinking about my project in terms of its style and design, I particularly like the complexity and futuristic style of Trapcode Particular. Having seen quite a few examples of components created with the software, I think it could work quite nicely with that ‘Christmas magic’ aesthetic I am hoping to portray. Having never used the plugin before I think it would be quite interesting to experiment using a new piece of software, however, I will need to assess whether the cost to purchase the software is worth the investment.

Although there is a trial version offered for free download, as expected, this does come with time restrictions and most likely a watermark on exported content. To purchase the full Trapcode Particular 3 suite it would cost $399.99 / £305.59 or $199 / £152.43 for an academic discount. I think at this stage I will most likely just download the trial and play around with the software to see what visuals I can create. Ideally I would like to create all of my assets on After Effects, so I think it will be best having a go at replicating this style without using the plugin.

 

Sticking with the theme of Christmas, I found a number of video tutorials for creating festive inspired assets using Trapcode Particular. I especially like the snowflake effect and am looking to try to recreate something of a similar aesthetic for my project.

Update:  Monday 6th November 2017

After deciding to download Trapcode just to experiment and play around with the software, I was surprised to find out that exported videos do not come with a watermark. The trial is limited to just 14 days however, I have decided to export anything that I do create, so that I could potentially use these assets in my projection mapping piece. Below is a quick video of a Christmas tree particle effect that I created using the plugin. I exported the video with added music just to demonstrate what it could look like as part of my piece. Overall, I was quite pleased with its unique style and think it works well to capture the tone and essence of magic as portrayed in the my chosen music (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies).

SCENE 1: INTERIOR LIVING ROOM

For the first scene I wanted to capture that Christmas Eve atmosphere. Stockings will be hung above the fireplace and the Christmas tree lights will be twinkling on and off. There will be a window in the shot and snow subtly falling outside. As I am choosing to create short animated scenes as opposed to a animation based around characters, I wanted the various elements of the composition to subtly build a story and add context to the scene. For example, looking at the the first scene we can see that cookies and milk have been left out for Santa, who has already paid a visit and left presents underneath the tree. The fireplace is still burning suggesting someone in the house is still awake.

Animated Elements:

• Snow
• Fireplace
• Tree Lights
• Snow outside window

SCENE 2: Christmas Toy Shop Window

For the second scene, I will be creating a Christmas toy shop window with various animated elements moving across the composition. Compared to the other two scenes, this composition will be the most cluttered and contain the most action. I want toys to be spread across the front of the window, whilst a few animated elements play behind the stationary objects. There will be a rocking horse in the background slowly coming to a stop, as well as a toy train passing through from one side to the other. To add further movement, I will create a toy plane and have it fly through the top of the scene, as well as overlay a snow effect on the outside of the window.

Animated Elements:

• Train
• Snow
• Rocking Horse
• Toy Plane
• Mini Christmas Tree

SCENE 3: EXTERIOR SNOWY SCENE

The final scene will be an exterior shot of a house covered in snow at night time. There will be a full moon glowing in the sky and a silhouette of Santa on his sleigh fly past. There will be a bare tree with flashing fairy lights outside and perhaps some faint footprints visible on the snow on the roof. Finally, just like the other two scenes I will overlay a snow effect.

Animated Elements:

• Snow
• Santa on sleigh
• Fairy lights
• Stars

 

Adobe Character Animator

Adobe Character Animator is a character animating application that allows you to bring to life your 2D or 3D creations. Using a webcam, you are able to mimic facial expressions and synchronise mouth movements to match speech. The application allows you to import projects from Photoshop and Illustrator and control all aspects of the character’s movement.

Experimentation

Originally, my idea was to use Adobe Character Animator to create a single character that the animation would focus around. Having watched a few beginner tutorials on Youtube, I decided to have a go creating a Christmas fairy that would interact with the various components in the scene.

Looking on the Adobe website I found a number of free puppets and assets to download for beginners to play around with the software and use for their own creations.

After downloading the ‘Maddy’ puppet, I had a quick go at changing the hairstyle and clothing to see how challenging creating similar assets would be. Admittedly, I underestimated just how time consuming the whole process would be, especially when you need to create the different profiles and facial expressions to match. As I was working from an existing puppet, I was able to speed the process up by altering the existing settings and designs.

Once my designs were complete, I was able to open the file up in Adobe Character Creator and have a go at animating Maddy speaking. If I was to take this one step further, I could follow a tutorial like the one shown below to add movement and make my puppet walk.

Although when creating my Christmas fairy I was able to customise a pre-made puppet template, if I was to use Adobe Character Animator for my final project, then I would need to look at creating my own 3D character using something like Maya or Blender. Again, this would be quite a time consuming process, as I would also have to take into consideration that this would only constitute a small fraction of the project. Moreover, even after modelling and texture painting my character, I would still have to create the backgrounds and other elements of the animations. Given that I have chosen to create one project per semester and am working towards the deadline of the 8th December in time for the event, I may have to look at alternative means or alternatively 2D animations.

Bibliography

Adobe (2017) Getting Started with Adobe Character Creator. Adobe: Worldwide. Available from https://helpx.adobe.com/uk/adobe-character-animator/using/getting-started.html [Accessed 1st October 2017]