Scaling back the project a bit…

So, after exhaustive research I’ve decided to scale back my project a bit. I had originally envisioned making all sorts of graphics, from moving head shots to open videos and “spinners”. This is not feasible given the time frame for this project (and the relative work-load for this class), so I have decided to keep it simple.

I will create a moving head shot/player info graphic which will be easily changed for each player (once the framework is made, it’s just a matter of plugging in different player’s footage). This will take the majority of my time.

I have also decided to create a few promos for the athletic department, or any other vendor. I realize that ultimately this business is sponsor-driven, and I must bow to the man at some point. Commercial graphics are a huge part of any production, and it would be silly for me to forgo this aspect of the field. These should go pretty quickly, as I’ll keep the 3D aspects to a minimum.

Creating the Creative

I am currently in the process of creating the “look” for these graphics. The goal is to create something that has a unified theme that matches across the board. Mostly this is being done in my sketchbook, and perhaps one of these days I’ll scan some of those pages and post them here. For now they are super top secret. Once I have the visual idea completely formulated, I will move on to create some basic mock-ups. I could quickly do these in Photoshop, but it might be worth my time to just make them native to After Effects (Illustrator) since Photoshop isn’t really compatable with After Effects (vector vs bitmap and all…). Next post should contain another podcast with some of these proofs.

First Podcast Is Up!

I compiled a couple of clips from last year, and made a podcast with some good examples of the type of motion graphics I’ll be making for my Thesis project. Until i figure out how to link it through iTunes or an RSS feed, I’ll link it in the tool bar to the right. also check it out here.

Thesis Research Day

Today is research day for the Thesis project. I plan on taking a look at content from previous years and getting an idea of what exactly is necessary. Assuming I’ll find a ton of content to create, I’ll have to do some triage and reduce my project down to something reasonable. I’ll be posting my findings in a video podcast, thus working towards Project Two completion. I’ll publish some small files from After Effects (where all these projects will be made) as examples, and add a narrated audio track. Hopefully next time I check in I’ll have a podcast posted somewhere here!

New Blog

Grant Righter McGilvray has officially hit the internet.

Thus Begins Project Two

For the second project in the Technology Arts & Media Capstone class, I will be blogging, podcasting, and hopefully RSS feeding progress on my Thesis project. The project guidelines are vague, and so is my project proposal. I’m essentially making this up as i go along. While I know it will be hard to grade something that is constantly being created, I’m sure Aileen will devise a method.

Ok, lets get down into the meat of it.

The Thesis project is designed to encompass aspects of my college major as well as the wealth of knowledge i have accumulated while in the TAM program. As a Broadcast Production major in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, I have been focusing mainly on television engineering. I am currently the Engineer In Charge (EIC) for the BuffVision television truck, as well as the Ruckus Media truck based out of Ft. Collins. I am also working at Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain as a freelance engineer, and just applied to become the station operations engineer. With this in mind, I wanted to focus on the more creative side of my major.

More to come…