2. +
What are motion graphics?
Motion graphics are
graphics that use video
footage and/or animation
technology to create the
illusion of motion or
rotation, and are usually
combined with audio for
using in multimedia
projects.
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What are motion graphics?
Motion graphics are very useful for showing something in a more
interesting and visually exiting way, which is why many
companies use them to present their logos or idents. Motion
graphics can be found on a lot of different media now days, for
example TV, internet (+ internet videos), DVD menus and many
others.
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Video Compositing
Compositing is the combination of visual elements from from separate
sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all those
elements are parts of the same scene. Live-action shooting for
compositing is variously called “Chroma key, blue screen, green
screen and others. Today, most compositing is achieved through digital
image manipulation. For example above there is an image showing 4
of the same character, composited on top of a background layer.
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Motion Graphics and Video
Compositing Examples
There are many uses for motion
graphics and video compositing now
days, which are used all over the
media, for example in DVD
interfaces, shown here on the right,
which uses examples of both motion
graphics and video compositing, as
there are animated graphics on the
screen, and there are images of
characters composited onto the
background.
6. +
Motion Graphics and Video
Compositing Examples
Another example of the uses of motion graphics and compositing can be
seen in title and credits sequences, animated captions, stings, idents,
interactive menus and web banners
Title
sequence
TV Sting
Animated
Captions
Interactive
Menu
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Characteristics
DVD interfaces:
These can vary depending on the
production, but they tend to have a still
background, sometimes with some
animated alterations to make it
interesting. Also some use clips from the
movie/show within the menu which loop
until the viewer chooses something. A lot
of menus use still images from the
movie/show, showing the characters or
significant items from the programme.
However despite these variations,
almost all DVD menus add music in the
background, to make the viewer more
interested.
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Characteristics
Title and credits sequence:
Depending on the type of
programming, title sequences
tend to be more exiting to create
the build up to the actual movie.
However the credits sequence
tend to be slower with only text,
and some company logos at the
end, unlike the title sequences
which can be overlaid on top of
the programme its self as well as
other graphics.
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Characteristics
Animated captions:
These tend to be very quick and
subtle, used to display
information like a name for
example. Animated captions do
not need to be complicated as
they are meant to be in the lower
third of the screen, also they
should not take the attention
away from the subject the image.
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Technological Constraints
Although motion graphics are widely used by many media related
companies, there are some technical constraints which limit
them, for example video format can be an issue, as using the
wrong type, or a type which the computers cannot read, will
mean that the motion graphic cannot be played/shown. Also
frame rate can be an issue, for example if you create the motion
graphic in 24fps, but it has to be shown in 25fps for broadcast,
you might get a different result, to what it originally looked like.
Another constraint are the visual effects, because there are many
different TVs, and some older models may not be able to give
and accurate image, colours may be off and the image may be
blurred. This can lead the viewers to think differently of your ident
and therefore the brand as a whole.
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Aspect ratio
The aspect ratio of an image describes the proportional relationship
between its width and its height. It is commonly expressed as two numbers
separated by a colon, as in 16:9. For an x:y aspect ratio, no matter how big
or small the image is, if the width is divided into x units of equal length and
the height is measured using this same length unit, the height will be
measured to be y units. The common European television aspect ratio is
5:3 (or 1.6667:1), however HD televisions now days are often at an aspect
ration of 16:9 (or 1.77:1 or 1.78:1)
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Video Formats
Most countries in North and South America, including the US and Canada, utilize the National
Television Standards Committee (NTSC) format, while Europe, Australia and parts of Asia use a
competing format called Phase Alternating Line (PAL). The major distinction between these two
formats is the rate at which a broadcast is displayed on a TV screen: NTSC displays at 30 frames per
second (fps), while PAL provides 25 fps. Each format also uses a different number of lines on an old
analogue TV display when showing the signal, creating two different resolutions. The widespread
adoption of High-Definition Televisions (HDTVs) by many consumers has not eliminated this
difference, however, since older broadcasting methods have influenced digital signal playback.
SECAM (Sequentiel Couleur avec Mémoire, French for "sequential colour with memory") is an
analogue television system, using frequency modulation to encode chrominance information. It is so
named because it uses memory to store lines of colour information, in order to eliminate the colour
artifacts found on systems using the NTSC standard. It was developed for the same purpose as PAL,
but uses a different (and many would argue inferior) mechanism to do so. R-Y and B-Y information is
transmitted in alternate lines, and a video line store is used to combine the signals together. This
means that the vertical colour resolution is halved relative to PAL and NTSC.
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Frame rate
Frame rate, also known as frames per second (FPS), is the frequency
(rate) at which an imaging device produces unique consecutive images
called frames. The term applies to film and video cameras, computer
graphics, and motion capture systems. Frame rate is most often
expressed in frames per second (FPS) and is also expressed in
progressive scan monitors as hertz (Hz).
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Resolution
The display resolution of a digital television, computer monitor or display
device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be
displayed. For example a common resolution with films now days is 1920
x 1080, meaning 1920 pixels in width, and 1080 pixels high.
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Compression
Data compression involves encoding information using fewer bits than
the original representation. Compression can be either lossy or
lossless. No information is lost in lossless compression. Lossy
compression reduces bits by identifying unnecessary information and
removing it. The process of reducing the size of a data file is popularly
referred to as data compression, although its formal name is source
coding.
