Word Animation :
Communication
As a big language person, I love to communicate in all sorts of different ways. All foreign languages are like art in a way, being constructed from shapes and patterns that can be deconstructed again to form something completely new.
Duration
4 Weeks
Tools
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe After Effects
Problem Statement
For this project, we were asked to choose a word and create an animation that reflected its meaning utilizing the 12 principles of animation.
Sketches
The app would feature an interactive map where the user could gain points by visiting certain locations. The points could be gained by scanning QR codes around the island.
First Animation
At first, I started 2 abstract figures talking to each other, only for the words to constantly morph. I was, however, unsatisfied with the ending, as it felt very flat (literally). I wanted to add more dynamic camera movement to the piece.
Poster Shots
I went for a retro, 70s look that resembles an advertisement on PBS. I wanted the letters to act as platforms for a ball to roll down and interact with. I ended up cutting certain languages due to their complexity, such as the Hebrew translation.
Final Animation
I added a 3D camera in a few other scenes, along with a new ending to hammer home the meaning of the word. I also added more motion blur and screen shake to give the animation more energy.
Research
For this project, I utilized the following languages in order: Korean, Mandarin, Hindi, Russian, Turkish, Portuguese, and English. I chose each language because of their interesting alphabets. Of course I don't know every language fluently, so I used google translate for the word "communication" in each language.
Conclusion
This project is a love letter to all linguaphiles and foreign language in general! I love language, and I often worked on this project while listening to jazz to give it more energy. In fact, the background song is "Giant Steps" by John Coltrane.
