Recently, I have been catching up on a lot of content that I have never viewed before. Books, movies but most of all TV shows. There’s still a couple on my list, but the one that has caught my eye is Bridgerton. A romance show that I think is perfect for my final project of my Motion Across Media class, where I am tasked with making an advanced animation. And what better way than with an animated opening?

Animated Storytelling Conclusion and Retrospective

Since this is the last week, I have only one more chapter to read for Animated Storytelling by Liz Blazer, chapter 11: Show and Tell. And this is probably the most important chapter outside of the physical creation process, as we focus on how to show your film/animation to the world.

And there are a couple of ways Blazer recommends to accomplish such publications. To start, make sure all your work is properly protected. Once you are positive you have everything, create incite of the content. So posters, synopsis, tilte/logo, director bio and more. And finally decide how you’ll showcase your work. You can post online, at a film festival, and more.

And once you do post, begin your network. There are many people like you who will cherish your work, so find them and allow them to be a back bone to telling people about your work. Because your work is important, and no matter what, the story you share can help spread awareness of a subject, tell a good story and bring people together. I really did like this book, and I am honored to have read it. Liz Blazer, thank you for bring passion to life.

An Opening Does More Than It Appears

I don’t think we credit the opening title sequences of shows and movies enough. Lets think about it for a moment. You have to open people to your show in a way that fits the vibe of the show while also being creative and different. Because your opening is successful, you get something that can stick with generations. And for Bridgeton at least, their opening has worked. But I think that they can take a more graphic approach! Lets look at some examples to see why!

Queen Charlotte Opening Sequence

Lets get right off the back, its clear they can do a graphic opening. Look at the spin off show of Queen Charlotte: a Bridgerton Story. The entire opening is entirely illustrated. The best part? The composition. The colors and positions of the illustrations create a sense of looking into the life of Queen Charlotte while also not making the actors and directors names not feel cluttered.

A Swirly Opening

While this opening isn’t for a specific show or media, it does do its job well. It follows through a swirly gateway of clouds, space, and life. It follows through like you are moving through the clouds, and I love it all ha this magical vibe to it. The video then ends with the logo of the youtuber, ending smooth and satisfying.

The Walking Dead: A Fan Animation

A show always needs a community. And many of the some of the best animations I’ve ever seen are made by the fans. Daniel M. Kanemoto is a massive fan of the Walking Dead, and especially a fan of the original comics. So he animated a title sequence for them, using the designs and atmosphere of the comic style. Its a great opening, and one that feels like a perfect mix of complexity and simplicity.

Making My Own Animation of Bridgerton Process

So my process was a bit chaotic. I originally wanted to do this clever animation of having each person be a part of Lady Whistledown’s newspaper, like going through all the people in a fun and clever way! However, the more I tried, the more broken it got, so the original was scrapped.

But it did give me an idea. Like the actual opening, you go through a tree. I thought it would be cool if the people were the literal “family roots”. So I began, and man did I learn a lot. I learned how to properly use trim pathing, I learned many masking techniques and I learned many shortcuts that made the process easier in After Effects.

And while I like it, I definitely think I can do better next time. The pathing looked good, but the actual people stand out too much, and I think there’s more things I can do with this concept. But I still like it a lot, its got the vibe I was hoping for and I know that it can do a lot!

Final Reflection of Motion Across Media

And lastly, I just wanted to reflect on my time in this class. Motion Across Media was extremely fun! I always did love creating motion graphics and this class gave the opportunity to learn! I especially loved the stop motion side, its always been a passion of mine and I still want to learn more!

I am definitely going to learn more on my own for 3D animations and camera movement especially in the future. I know they are possible, but as of right now, I don’t know how they work. Either way, these animations have been fun to make and I am so grateful to have taken this class!