Video Research – Part 1

When carrying out the first phase of research for this project I looked for motion graphics that could loop on a display within the show itself, but also function as an advertisement outside of the show. The way to achieve this would be to provide information about the content or participants of the show, without necessarily having to show their work. The videos would also need to convey information in a concise visual manner without the need for audio, as it was unclear whether the audio of the product would be played.

An emphasis was put on searching for some ‘sliced’ or ‘cutaway’ transitions and effects as well, so begin building upon the Cut Above brand identity, albeit in a literal manner.

https://vimeo.com/99908459

https://vimeo.com/40490311

https://vimeo.com/99908217

https://vimeo.com/112418213

https://vimeo.com/91091102

https://vimeo.com/68312103

 

Choosing a Name

There was some debate among the class as to whether the show should have a generic name, or whether each team should choose their own brand name to go along with their individual brand identities.

As a team we decided it would be best to come up with a name, but to be prepared to substitute it for the generic title if required.

When it came to deciding on a name, I suggested that we start noting down words that related to the identity we wanted to create. We then developed these words further and combined them until we found a few that we all agreed on. Below are the notes made during the session:

• New
• Young
• Fresh
• Creative
• Digital
• Better
• Different
• Broad
• Craft
• Cut
• Collection
• View
• Webians, race of … ians
• Neo
• Edge

 

• Final Draft
• Craft by design
• Neocraft
• Cut Above
• Next gen
• Neo cut

 

The final brand name we decided on was Cut Above. ‘Cut’ can relate to video editing as well as arts and crafts. The phrase on its own can be related to the participants of the show being new and fresh, a ‘cut above the rest’. Also, both words are very visual and we agreed that we could develop our brand image around cut-outs, hand crafted styles, and play around with the position of certain elements to make them ‘above’ the rest.

Starting the Project

This project began with our initial team meeting. After reading it individually, Liam, Alesandro and myself read through the brief again as a group. We then discussed how to divide the work into set job roles. It was decided that the overall identity would be developed by all of us, the posters and logo would be worked on predominantly by Liam and Allesandro and I would work on the thirty second video.

Rather than assign these roles and go our separate ways, we agreed an initial schedule which included intervals where we could regroup and share our progress and ideas.

• Thursday 12th: Decide on a brand name, assign roles and plan production schedule
• Friday 13th – Saturday 14th: Research and initial ideas
• Sunday 15th: Team meeting, sharing research and initial ideas
• Monday 16th – Wednesday 18th: Experiment with concepts and create first drafts if there is time
• Thursday 19th: Team meeting, show experiments, concepts and drafts for group feedback
• Friday 20th – Monday 23rd: Respond to group feedback, redesign to ensure brand identity is consistent
• Tuesday 24th: Team meeting, feedback on products and time to respond
• Wednesday 25th: Final deadline, ensure work is finished and that identity is consistent across products

At this initial stage I feel that our team has planned our time well and that we all have a clear idea of what needs to be done. Liam has now created a chat group on Facebook so that we can maintain communication throughout the project.