This is my result for the last motion graphics project. My original goals were somewhat lofty, involving a lot of stop motion mixed with computer based graphics. As I began working on the stop motion, it was clear that it would take much longer than the amount of time I had to work with. Instead of creating a stop motion Humpty Dumpty, I decided to film a live face and superimpose it over a computer based egg image. This worked well and gave a humorous result. In addition, I had created some shots of horses running in front of a field, but I could not get the motion of the horses to look realistic. I plan on going back and trying to work on their motion and perhaps adding it in.

Overall, the result pleases me and was a lot of fun to make. The animals and men were stop motion in front of a green screen that has been set up in my room for a couple weeks. I used a Nikon D200 that was controlled by the computer over USB to capture the images. Previous stop motion attempts I made were done at 12 FPS, though this time, since I was mixing it with 30FPS video, I decided to go at 15 FPS. This slowed me down a bit, but was not much harder and produced a smoother result.

For my next project, now that school has ended and I can devote free time to my own projects, I wanted to try working with proper puppets. I have several friends who are interested in this as well, so hopefully once the workflow with the DSLR is perfected we can get some good results.

In addition, I would like to mention that I got a job working in motion graphics and related areas coming right out of college. This is very exciting, as I am very eager to hone my skills in this area. I realize that I have not been doing this very long and there is so much to learn, but I feel like it is an endless ocean of possibilities for creativity and fostering the various ideas I have floating around inside.

This is a short stop animation I made testing out a new digital camera I bought. I am thinking of doing some sort of stop motion green screen work for the Motion Graphics final project.

A sample animation of some text in After Effects. For this I used the position animator and some camera movements, along with a 3rd party plugin, Twitch, for the jittery camera at the end.

Here are some characters with a couple of fly-bys testing out the camera in After Effects.

I had a really tough time with the camera for this one. I’m not sure if there is an easier way, but it seems really difficult getting the movements to be smooth and to get a good view of how the camera is moving. A larger screen or multiple screens would probably work best for this.

I tried to add in some depth of field effects, but I think with my stark black and white scene its hard to see it properly. I’d like to build on this idea and have the characters moving around or perhaps have them be inside of some of type of world. 3d is definitely where I will be working for the final project though, it seems like there is so much you can do with it.

The colors look quite nice and the Cordura material appears top notch and very strong. The strap is especially strong and wide. I’ll probably get a pad, but its been totally adequate as is even with a full load. The bag is pretty stiff at first, so it will probably take a few weeks to break it a bit. There is a zipper pocket in the center portion where the neon yellow logo patch is, as well as a carrying handle on the top, towards the back.

As you can see, there are not a whole lot of organizational pockets or pen holders. However, I tend to needlessly put various tiny objects in a bunch of different pockets just because they are there and forget that I ever did so. The two long zipper pockets are fine for basic organization and pens with clips can easily slide into the front pocket on the left. The hook and loop strips work well and the bag clips have a nice springy feel to them, sort of ejecting the fastener when you press on the sides.

As for the interior pocket, you can see the nice yellow waterproof lining. You could probably throw some ice and a 12 pack in here and it would be good to go. There is one zipper pouched that is attached along the top. The bag does a good job of keeping that zipper facing up even when the bag deforms under heavy loads. There is plenty of room for several large books, a laptop, water bottles and a change of clothes in here, and the bag nicely deflates when more empty so that it doesn’t feel too bulky.

Overall, this is a nice, urban bag that is neither overly professional or casual. I would feel equally comfortable taking this into the office or around campus.

PROS: Very sturdy, well made materials. Pockets are well laid out and everything on the bag is seamlessly stitched and well designed. Plenty of room, nice looks and comfortable as well.

CONS: Slight lack of organizational pockets, front flap feels a little short when the bag deforms under heavy load (but not a major problem), kind of expensive

The Shrieks playing “Stalking Horse” at the Hole in the Wall in May 2009. Come check out the next show on September 17th at the Hole and in October at The Parish. This video was taken by John Jarzemsky.

Final Project from Geoff Marslett’s Digital Animation at UT. This was done in Flash, After Effects and Daz Studio.

Just prior to the Jackrabbit Slim’s scene, Vincent Vega had been given the task of taking Marcellus Wallace’s wife out while he was out of town. When they arrive at the restaurant, the camera smoothly tilts up and the two are framed facing the camera in the classic 1950’s over-the-hood shot of a couple at a drive thru movie. This sets up the nature of the night from the very beginning as full of pop culture references and kitsch–a world that Mia seems to fit right into. As they walk up to the diner, it appears to glow from the inside through the use of high contrast lighting to give the sense that the two are entering a zone of wild entertainment. The inside of the diner is chock full of every imaginable 1950’s American icon, from Marilyn Monroe and the Rat Pack to 50’s movie posters and milkshakes. However, the use of low-key lighting at the entrance creates a high contrast, chiaroscuro feel making it hard to tell if Jackrabbit Slim’s is a wholesome family establishment or something sleazier. This mirrors Mia’s nature up until this point. The contrast between her white shirt and dark hair and eye makeup creates a film noir aesthetic, adding to Vincent and the audience’s uncertainty about her character.

Additionally, Jackrabbit Slim’s itself is exemplary of Tarantino’s postmodern style and aesthetic. Much like the plot of Pulp Fiction, which is disjointed and draws from many sources, the different waiters dressed as past celebrities and random memorabilia throughout creates a sense of disorientation of time and space. This is certainly true as Vincent Vega first walks through the restaurant, glancing from side to side and making a large circular loop trying to get to his table. This effect is achieved by dollying the camera behind Vincent and panning side to side fluidly as he walks through at the beginning of the scene, mimicking his woozy view.

By the time they sit down, the scene moves to a more neutral restaurant lighting but the paradoxical feel of sleazy-wholesomeness remains. There are multiple layers of depth within this scene, as activity continues out of focus behind the two as they talk. The entire restaurant remains alive in the background through the entire scene—surely no simple feat. Most of the scene consists of Tarantino style dialogue that develops the relationship between Mia and Vincent in the context of the restaurant. Early in the conversation, the two a shown in a shot/reverse shot manner using medium shots. At this point they hardly know each other and it is not until they begin to feel more comfortable together that the medium shots become medium close ups. By framing Mia and Vincent to take up more screen space, it creates a sense of closeness that the two are beginning to share. However, each time one of them says something that strikes a bad chord, the camera moves back out to medium shots. This constant back and forth from medium shots to medium close ups, such as when Vincent reveals that he believes that Marcellus threw Tony Rocky Horror out of a window because he massaged Mia’s feet, displays the uncertain nature of the two’s relationship.

This feeling is capitalized when Mia goes to the restroom to “powder her nose” with cocaine. The bathroom is a bland area with old washed out pink and green walls and several somewhat unsavory looking women applying makeup that reflect this shadier side of both Mia and the restaurant. In the mean time, Vincent observes men cat calling the Marilyn Monroe waitress as her skirt is blown up in classic style, an inept waiter and other darker sides of American culture in the 20th century (pinup girls, smoking and drinking). The detailed characters, costumes and bustling activity in Jackrabbit Slim’s all correspond to the yearning for excess (cocaine, eating, drinking, dancing) within Mia that nearly gets her killed later in the film and leave Vincent wondering.

Nonetheless, by the end of the scene, Vincent and Mia have clearly become friends as Mia demands they enter a dancing contest, which they do. On the stage, an Ed Sullivan impersonator stands with the Marilyn Monroe waitress to introduce the contest. They are aglow with toplighting that gives them a surreal straight-out-of-TV-history look that goes along with all of Jackrabbit Slim’s aesthetic. As Mia and Vincent dance the camera begins at a distant long shot of the entire stage, but as the dancing intensifies and the two become ever more involved in the moment and each other, the shot soon moves in to a medium and eventually medium close up with a handheld camera. The camera smoothly follows them around the stage, while the background is alive and dancing with them as the scene and music fades to black at the whirling culmination of their night out.

Certainly, the Jackrabbit Slim’s scene is crucial to understanding both Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace. While Vincent is placed into a treacherous situation in taking out a married woman, Mia wants to have fun and is shown to have many sides. The elements of mise-en-scene are selected to show the dual nature of Mia, the uneasiness spiked with intrigue of Vincent and the culture junkie view of America that permeates each Tarantino movie.