ISEA Vancouver

Introduction

This video was created for ISEA Vancouver to promote the event happening in August. ISEA is the largest nomadic symphosium of electronic arts. My team (consisting of Jimmy Phung and Del Fathi) were given the focus of explaining the history of new media in Vancouver, highlighting how ISEA is returning back to Canada after 20 years, and what ISEA can bring to the city.

In our final presentation to our client, we presented five short standalone videos assembled from footage of art events and interviews. Though I had my in the conceptualizing, filming, and editing of each of the videos, my main contribution was leading the creation of one of the five. This video in particular was an animated timeline sequence which goes about explaining the history of ISEA.

The main challenge of this animation was working within ISEA Vancouver’s pre-established style guides as well as this year’s conference theme Disruption. The music, too, was also provided. Another challenge was the scarcity of archival media from past conferences, particularly photos or video.

Concept

I drew up the storyboards for the introductory animation for the final project. I envisioned a sort of timeline sequence, where ISEA’s history would speed through. The timeline would stop at major events (90 because it was the first, 95 because it was the last time ISEA was in Canada etc.), where archival footage of the event would play to show ISEA’s evolution. Each city would also be represented as the silhouette of their skyline, which would grow from the timeline (as if the city was being built building by building).

To incorporate Disruption and technology, the whole effect of the video would give a sort of an analog TV feel. For example, the speeding through the timeline part would visually resemble a VCR fast forwarding, and the video would end with an effect which resembles a TV being closed. I was also thinking of using glitches as a transition between the timeline and the the archival videos.

Draft 1

For the first draft, I focused mainly on getting the general idea of the direction I wanted to go in. At this point, I only had it up to Montreal, and the animations were quite simple (lacking transitions and such). The skylines were drawn by team member Jimmy Phung.

I tried to keep the animation dynamic, focusing on the element of the “disruption lines” as the key driver of the transitions. Though I kept the original idea of visiting different places ISEA has been to, I opted departed from the original idea of a scrolling timeline in order to keep the animations interesting and new.

During the first montage sequence with the archival footage I intended to have really sharp cuts in between each clip. However, some of the transitions between cuts happen in a sort of panning movement. I ended up liking the effect and begin implementing it with every piece of archival footage (as shown at the end).

Draft 2 (Final)

After meeting with our client, it was decided that the animation should focus more heavily on ISEA’s influence in Vancouver. As such, the last part of the animation about Dubai was scrapped. Instead, I decided to make new animated sequences which shows the progress the nomadic history of ISEA.

Final

In this final draft, a couple new sequences were added in. Arguably the most notable of these sequences is the map. During this part, the disruption lines fly in the direction which the conference moved from the last location to the next, leaving a marker on the place after the lines had left the screen.

Another significant difference was the beginning sequence with the ISEA logo. The opening I had for the previous staff was noted as a little boring so I decided to change the colours in accordance to the background music’s strong beat. Syncing animations to sound in After Effects is quite frustrating and the results are often off by a little. So in order keep the changes on the beat, I laid out the logo clips in Premiere and exported the chunk as an individual AE sequence.

As there was a sequence depicting ISEA’s journey to Montreal, I thought it was also befitting that the locations ISEA has traveled from Montreal to Vancouver be also be shown in some way. The quick panning motions I had added to the transitions of the archival footage reminded me something akin to a slide projector. I decided to play off that for the final sequence. I also decided to dramatically end the animation at Vancouver to show that ISEA has yet to happen there yet.

Final

This final version is featured on the ISEA 2015 official website and shown at event promotions. Music is produced by artist and ISEA2015 organizer Philippe Pasquier.

Password: ISEA