Borrowed Time: A Review

So I was browsing Reddit a couple of days ago, and I came across a new animation that was made by two Pixar animators. One would think since Pixar animators usually create family friendly animations, this one would be the same. However, this animation was definitely made for adults.

Borrowed Time tells the story of an old sheriff troubled by his past. The story starts out on a windy, dark, and cloudy day. The sheriff looks weak and defeated. He slowly walks towards a cliff.

The story does not rely on dialogue, but rather motion, facial expressions, and physics. It does an excellent job of immersing you in the story. I could feel the sheriff's emotions as he thought about his past, and the physics of the character's movement match the mood and tone of the piece. I don't think I could ever model like this, but I am very interested in learning how to animate in the way this piece was animated, in a very loose way. 

This is a story about accepting the past, and accepting mistakes. It also touches on dark themes such as death, suicide, and violence. It's a story that won't make sense to children, and that's okay. This piece is an example that animation can used to tell any story. It doesn't have to be family friendly. The creators did a really good job of making that clear. I can't really think of any way this piece could improve. It's very beautiful and I highly recommend you watch it!

Watch "Borrowed Time" Here

A Journey Into After Effects and Motion Graphics

After all the struggles I encountered in Maya and with 3D animation last year, I've decided to focus on making Motion Graphics in After Effects. I've had previous experience in After Effects in the past making flash animations, but this will be my first venture into the world of Motion Graphics. My first project involving Motion Graphics was my "Jaded" lyric video I made at the beginning of this year. You can check it in a post I made below.

The Process

To get an idea of how to start making Motion Graphics, I headed over to Lynda.com, a website where professional tutorials are made for people wanting to learn how to use software and how to create digital media, to learn more. There I went through a couple of courses that taught me the "rules" of Motion Graphics and how to make basic animations and such. https://www.lynda.com/

Next, with the After Effects skills I learned in Lynda, I went over to Video Copilot to check out some tutorials. I learned how to use the Saber plug-in, and I learned how to make 3D intros and outros.

I also learned how to use an audio waveform, and how to customize it's settings. Expressions were later introduced to me, and I used them to have a solid's color react to the bass of a song. Converting audio into keyframes helped with this too. I'm feeling more comfortable with After Effects every day.

The Project

Being interested in Motion Graphics, my animation teacher offered me the opportunity to work on some animations and graphics for our school's news show, ONW Now, and for the tri-caster that will be used to project animations at the basketball's game this upcoming season. It's my first "real project." I have a client, a deadline, and expectations to meet. I'm a bit nervous, and it's a daunting task, but I know I can do this. I'm working with a couple of other classmates on this project, so we can give feedback on each other's work, and help each other if need be. To make these animations, I'm learning how to use the Element 3D plug-in created by VideoCopilot, and I'm having so much fun learning how to use it. It's very powerful, and you can create so much with it. 

The Future

I'm hoping the experience from this project and watching tutorials will allow me to apply my skills into making my ideas come to life. I'm really interested in concert motion graphics. I was watching a set by Porter Robinson, an Electronic Musician, and I took notice of the graphics that were playing on the screen behind them. It was immersive, and really cool to see how the graphics synced up with the beat, and followed the meaning, and emotion of the song. I was inspired. His graphics involved a lot of drawing and 2D flash animation, I don't necessarily want to create that, but rather create graphics that immerse people into the music that their listening to. I'm hoping to start creating my own graphics next semester. Porter Robinson's Tour Visuals.