CURTAS Meet The Team
The Project
As part of the CURTAS graphics team, we were tasked with determining a way of introducing the large CURTAS team for the new school year. We were directed by the VP of Marketing to create a motion graphic animation to introduce the team.
Given these parameters, I began assessing our options. Since this graphic was to be finished in the coming months, and the sheer number of people to be introduced, as team, we opted for a simple 2D fixed-plane layout animation.
The Process
Storyboarding
As the graphics lead of the team divided up the work and set in place a workflow pipeline, I was tasked to begin on the preliminary storyboards, to plan and block the visual objects and movement in the animation.
I began by storyboarding one scene for each group of members on the team. CURTAS is divided into separate teams, the Executive Team, the Education Team, the Events Teams, and the Marketing Team. The Marketing Team itself being separated into a different smaller Production, Graphics and Social Media teams.
I had to perceive of a way that got the general idea of what each team’s purpose while also taking creative liberties to keep the content, interesting and dynamic.
Preliminary Board for Scene Layouts
Scene Variations for the Graphics, Events and Education Team
Scene Variations for the Production, Executive and Socials Team
Preliminary Board for Scene Layouts
After developing multiple rough storyboards for each team, the ideas were revised and approved, at which point I constructed a rough scene layout for which the animation would follow.
This board roughly mapped each team members positioning, actions and their names. Red arrows indicated movement, while blue arrows between scenes indicated a continuous moving shot.
Illustrating
As part of the first step in the animation process I can began illustrating the scene backgrounds and props assets to be animated into the final product.
Using the early storyboards as a base, I began illustrating each individual background.
I created a variety of objects that were used to either fill the scene or were to be held and moved by the animated characters.
Bringing it all together, I used a default character template to roughly approximate the poses and blocking more accurately, as opposed to the rough sketch storyboards
At this point my step in the workflow was finished, at which point I passed the files onto my fellow team members on the graphics team, and they would begin designing characters and animating the final product.