The document describes Connor Wiffen's process for creating experimental stop motion videos and DVD cover designs. For the stop motion video, Connor took 99 pictures of moving figures over 1 minute intervals. He added fire effects in Photoshop and sound effects in Premiere Pro. For the DVD cover, Connor found a template and added a landscape continuing around the case. He included common design elements like the spine, logo, and ratings. On the front, Connor included character images and the title in red. The back has credits, special features, screenshots and a synopsis. Connor plans to apply techniques from these experiments to his final media project.

1. Experiments
Connor Wiffen

2. Process
I began by taking 99 pictures which encapsulated the short sequence where I
would slowly move the figures for each minute movement and I placed them
into Adobe Premiere with a shot speed of 2 seconds to create a smooth
movement between shots, I then went into Photoshop and added the
additional effects through the use of PNG fire effects which I found by
searching for flame particles on Google Images to give the illusion of a
regeneration effect. These images were then placed onto the specific images
which would build up the effect, to completely finish the short project I also
added sound effects which were again found by searching on video sharing
platforms like YouTube and other places on the internet to enhance the action
on screen. Using Adobe Premiere Pro I then placed the images within the
sequence in the order they needed to be and built up the rest of the video from
that by adding in the sound effects to the scenes which required them such as
characters walking and lasers being fired. His added a whole new dimension to
the project.

3. I began by finding a template of a DVD case which
works as a basis for the entire experiment, from there
added a city landscape that continues around to the
back of the case. I did this because it is a common
design choice for home releases to have the design be
continued around the entire case, this makes the
design more consistent and nicer to view from the
perspective of a viewer. I achieved this by cropping the
images into halves to give the illusion that the designs
continued. As this is an experiment I didn’t go too in-
depth with what colours I chose but I did keep in line
with my original mood board which contained a lot of
blues which reflect the initial mood of the film and is
easy on the eyes, this is more likely to entice them to
pick the DVD up amongst the rest of the ones on the
shelves, this design style will be adopted into my final
project as it works effectively and has been for many
years now.
I then moved on to building up the design of the DVD
case with the spine art which shows the film title in a
clear and recognisable way, on the spine of the case.
The red contrasts well with the black background and
allows it to stand out more. Although does seem out of
place with the rest of the design and slightly takes
away from it so for my final project I will be adopting
the style of having the front and back design continue
around the entire product. I also used a DVD logo (to
signify that it is a DVD and not a Blu-Ray) and BBFC
certificate (to show what age the film is appropriate
for) which is on every DVD case sold within the UK.
Process

4. The next part of the process involved
creating the design for the front cover
which involved finding images without
a background in the form of a PNG. The
first of which is a group of characters
that represent the characters within the
film along the bottom of the front
cover. These are accompanied with an
image of Godzilla and explosions which
hint at the action within the film. I also
took inspiration from Star Wars poster
who have the main characters
represented by their faces in the
background of the cover where one is a
solid object whilst the other is given
the appearance of being transparent by
selecting the ‘Multiply’ option from the
drop down menu.
Another aspect of a DVD design I
implemented was the use of a DVD
logo (to signify that it is a DVD and not
a Blu-Ray) and BBFC certificate (to show
what age the film is appropriate for)
which is on every DVD case sold within
the UK, on the front so the information
is always clear. There was also the need
for the movie’s title which I decided to
make Red so it would be easily
distinguished from the Blues and Blacks
used in the rest of the cover, this was
accompanied by the main stars of the
film having their name above the film’s
title so viewers can easily recognise the
names.
Process

5. The final part of the process involved
creating the design for the back cover
which I began by finding stock images of
DVDs and cropping the sections I needed
for my own that included a barcode and
another BBFC certificate with the added
information of why it has been given that
certificate. I also added the credits that
are commonly found at the bottom of the
back, a section which details what Special
Features are included on the DVD,
Screenshots from the movie that give the
viewer a sense of what the film looks like
and is about along with a short synopsis
that details the Film’s plot in enough detail
as to not spoil any of the major plot
points.
I decided on following a very basic design
for my Case as it has been effective for
years now when it comes to home
releases , I also think it works well as a
design on its own – the design can be
universally recognised as well which adds
to the simple yet effective design.
Process

6. Reflection
In my final product I will carry over a lot of the techniques I used when creating the experimental stop motion
movie which includes editing each individual image to add the effects as it makes them easier to cross over to
each scene due to each change being specific and easier to mange on that scale. The same programs will be
used, mainly Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro as well. A key factor I have learnt whilst doing the Stop Motion
experiment is that it is a very time consuming practise with the simple experimental short requires a lot of it to
work correctly so I will definitely attempt to give myself enough time to produce it, barring any issues . As for
the DVD design, I will be following a very similar process to the one in the experiments with the design
specifically. In conclusion I feel as if these experiments were beneficial to me when moving on to the actual
production as I was able to practice techniques which could potentially be used at a later date if things go to
plan, the method of implementing the effects has taught me that it isn’t the quickest method of doing so and it
may be a better idea to learn how to use special effects instead or depending on the amount of time I have, not
use them at all. Another aspect I will be carrying over to my FMP is the use of transparent background in
reference to how I use pictures in creating a DVD or Poster as you do not want there to be any remaining
background when it is placed on to another.