Information Design - Final Project

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Information Design
03.2.2025 - 21.3.2025
Johnny Lam Wee Zhe (0363436)
Bachelor of Design in Creative Media 

FINAL PROJECT - INFOGRAPHIC VIDEO ANIMATION

Jump to submission files

This is considered the third project for information design and the final. For this project, we are to get into a group and do both topic presentations and a short animated video as the end result. Once we found our group, we start to have discussion on what topic we should do.

Everyone gets to suggest a topic to do, and everyone votes which topic to choose. We come down to three topics that stands out. On a document, we then explore each of the topic.

 

 

We did eventually ended up with another two topics that have been split: one of which is about ponzi scheme as well as introducing another topic which is how cat are domesticated twice. In order to explore those topics further, we have created the first draft of the flip presentation to explain each one of the topic. Here is the first draft of the presentation: 

 


In the end, we begin to work on the topic. There are video example that we wanted to base our animation from as suggested by Mr. Fauzi. This is the Youtube video in question:

 

 
Fig 1. Pyramid Schemes and Ponzi Scheme Explained in One Minute

 

The next stage of the project is to split into different teams. One part of the team will work on the script and the other will work on the storyboard. I am part of the storyboard team and I am assigned to draw the scene one and scene two. Here is the storyboard that I drawn for those scenes.

 

I must admit that from this point onwards, I have no idea what have happened. From what I could guess, the group has received feedbacks about the storyboard, so they decide to redraw the entire storyboard. This time I am not involved in making the storyboard. Here is the final storyboard that the team has drawn:

 

At the same time, we are also required to make a presentation of the topic. Each part of the presentation will be assigned to each person to fill up the slides. Here is the final presentation slide.

 

The group is then once again split into different groups: the character design group and the animation group. I am part of the animation group. Aside from the storyboards, there are also storyboard breakdown that the team has made to help assist animators that align the scripts with the storyboard.

 

The character design team send over the assets to the animation team. Although it was officially planned to be a frame by frame animation. The work process given by the design team suits key frame animation a lot better. I was also originally assigned to do Scene 3 which is part of the infamous Bernie Madoff case in regard to a Ponzi scheme. Due to a miscommunication issue with another group mate, I got reassigned to Scene 4 and the ending of the animation. 

I can only showcase my own work process to pull off my animation. First, I split the existing illustration file and into a more proper layer that would align with my way of animating. For example, animating a hand waving. In the existing file, the entire characters are in one layer and to animate that, a puppet tool can be used to animate this way, but this can cause a distortion effect which may not suit the style the team is going for. So I split the arm from the character and put them into different layers.

That way, I can animate the wave using the rotation key frames without distorting the arms.

 

 
Fig 2.1 Splitting the file into different layers for a smoother animation process
 
Another example is to animate a pile of money to fall into the pit, but they have to be broken apart but the entire money pile as well as money bags are in one layer. So I split each smaller money stacks and money bags into their own layer so that I can animate individually.
 
Then I use both position and rotation key frames to animate the money falling down. In addition, I also apply a mask just at the edge of the hole to give the illusion that the money did fell in the hole.
 
Fig 2.2 Animating the fall of the money pile
 
Once I have done animating the entire scene, including the ending. The next process is to look up on audio to download. Usually I would plan out the audios on a spreadsheet but due to time crunch, I look through the animation and see what part requires audio and what sound effect would suit each of the elements of the video.
 
As per any of my project that involves audio, I download them from this website:
https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/

In addition to that, we are also sent the dialogue recording for the animation. I edit the audio in adobe audacity to clear out the noise for a better clarity in sound.

Once I am done with that, I compile the animated scenes with dialogues and the sound effect together in a video editing app. 

 

 
Fig 2.3 Compiling scenes and sound effect

 

 Here is the first draft:

 
Fig 3 First Draft of the scene and ending

Some of the group mates then expresses that there should be a lip-synching animation applied to the scene in order to harmonize the scene that another animators have made. As there are no other assets of animation on all the mouth movements, I made them myself instead. Here is what I have made in an illustration file.

 

 
Fig 4. Illustrating mouth movements

I then align the mouth to each of the syllable accordingly and mouth out some of the syllable in the mirror and observe the shape my mouth makes. From there, it is only the matter of splitting the layers.

Aside from implementing the lip-synching, there are other addition changes such as increasing the volume of one of the characters and remove the background music so that the editor can add it herself and ensure continuity. Here is my second draft:

Fig 5. Second draft and the final result for this scene

Once I am done, I send over the compiled animation as well as the music itself to be mixed together by the editor.

 

FINAL RESULT

Fig 6. Final Result
 

 SUBMISSION FILE

 
 

REFLECTION

One of the biggest challenge I face when it comes to this specific project is the animation itself. I have yet to learn about the mouth synching to dialogues. Mayhap I should look it up on the internet on how to do so to ensure a better and smoother process. On another hand, some of the animators here use a simple mouth movement to the animation, and maybe I make this process way more complicated than originally thought. The result does turn out a little well aside from some nitpicky things like the dialogue of other scene does not sound 'clean'.

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