0:15 | American College of Cardiology | Producer, Motion Designer

Digital signage designed for the CBS billboard in NYC’s Times Square. This motion photo treatment brings awareness to the CardioSmart brand by engaging the audience with colorful and vibrant lifestyle images. Special thanks to Tricia Martin for selecting such great images!

1:48 | American College of Cardiology | Producer, Motion Designer, 3D Animator

Video Bucket List #77: Create a countdown sequence. Check. This welcome video for the American College of Cardiology’s 2012 Scientific Session takes the audience on a wild ride through the learning pathways as they converge over the city of Chicago. With all of the print and meeting branding established, my goal was to create an exciting opening video that brought the print materials to life. I actually picked the music pieces first, then created the visuals around them because they really set the mood for the video. Many of the marketing materials were used the tagline “GO for ChicaGO”, so the countdown sequence came from the idea that we were initiating the meeting from an unseen control room.

For the pathways section, I took the learning pathway icons literally and created moving pathways that converged and formed all different types shapes that hinted at the medical profession, i.e. DNA, molecules, etc. The pathway unfolding finishes with a convergence over the city of Chicago, modeled with the Greyscale Gorilla City Kit plugin for Cinema 4D. Lots of After Effects, a bit of Cinema 4D, and a special thanks to Jerry Gaylord for his storyboards and Justin Schauble for his sound design.

1:08 | Soldiers of Paint, LLC | Motion Designer

A collection of battle map graphics created for the documentary “Soldiers of Paint.” The film is the story of the world’s largest annual paintball battle that recreates of the Invasion of Normandy in the woods of Oklahoma. Honoring those who fought in WWII, the film focuses on the stories of some amazing individuals who spend an entire year planning their battle strategies, building custom vehicles, and taking the yearly pilgrimage to the week-long event. The Producers wanted the graphics to have a gritty, “Risk”-like feel, but not use typical paintball graphical elements, such as splatters. These graphics introduce the various sections and serve as intros to various sections of the film and as visual explanations of battle landmarks, strategy, and point/score totals. Paintball and motion graphics is a great combo.

Learn more about the film at www.soldiersofpaint.com

0:06 | American College of Cardiology | 3D Animator

Here’s a simple title slate created for ACC Studio’s 2011 Show Reel. Created in Cinema 4D by using a grid of simple extrusions to model the stair-stepping arena-like scene. Additional compositing and color treatments were done in After Effects.

0:15 | American College of Cardiology | Motion Designer

Eight show opens were done for the complete identity redesign of the American College of Cardiology’s online shows. The concept is based around the idea that a medical professional interacts with an iOS/Android-like screen from the interface’s point of view. Each of the opens is very similar as they all can be considered “siblings in the same family.” What makes the opens dynamic is that they subtlety draw connections between each of the shows. For example, in the ACC Update open, the doctor can be seen closing out Heart Minute and switching to watch ACC Update. That visual link further helps build connection between the shows. The entire open is from the device’s point of view until the medical professional slides in the ACC logo as the text resolves. This action breaks the “fourth wall” and takes the viewer from interface to show ID and sets the stage for a quick transition into the program. I’ve also written a case study which further explores the creative process for these show identities.

Here are the opens for ACC Update and Heart Minute.

In wrapping up a three month project to to rebrand and design new identities for all eight, yes I said eight, of the regular programs produced by the American College of Cardiology, I’ve decided to break down the process into a detailed case study to provide you with a glimpse into my creative process. I’ll discuss the goals of the identities, creative approach, design phase, and finally animation and production of the elements into one cohesive package. I had never done a project of this size before. Sure I had put together numerous graphics packages for this client, or a show identity for that client, but never multiple identities for concurrent shows for the same client all at once. The project challenged me to look at the ACC brand holistically and develop a dynamic package that worked across multiple platforms.

Objectives

This task really was an enormous undertaking and there was a lot of pressure riding on it. ACC’s Creative Director had a vision for several years to give all of the regular programming some type of cohesive look that went beyond just slapping the ACC logo on completely different graphics packages. He wanted each of the shows to be “siblings in the same family” so that when members would watch any one of the shows, they would feel that it’s coming from the same place and at comparable quality to each of the other programs. Also, the identities had to be modern, slick, and feel dynamic to medical professionals and other consumers to whom the content was focused. So yeah…no pressure right? Boiled down, the objectives really came down to the following points:

• Unified look
• Shows are “siblings from the same family”
• Identity follows from logo design
• Modern and elegant
• Avoid “broadcast news” look
• Simple to add/change elements

In small corporate environments, motion designers usually don’t have much of a staff or a budget to work with. It was no different in this case. I also had only the summer to put the project together at the same time I produced several smaller pieces for other clients within the ACC. That’s just part of the creative challenge: How do I create something from almost nothing with no assistance? How do I work within the professional boundaries I’ve been given but still push the creative boundaries? When it comes down to it, I’ll let you in on a little secret. My toughest client…is me. Usually, my standards for my own work are well above anyone else’s expectations. If I set my mind to design something that when I look at it, I say “I like that. That looks good.” I’ll then have the confidence to pitch it as a concept. I can take the limitations and the expectations, and somewhere in between the two, concepts start to form.

With the objectives laid out, it was up to me to start putting some ideas together.

Concepts

The branding and design group who handles the still and print design work at the ACC had worked with the Creative Director to design all new logos for each of the shows. Following from the idea of keeping them together in the same family, the designers put together a logo incorporating the ACC seal and a unifying solid element, which I will refer to as “the bar”, and a unique solid color to represent each show.

The previous ACC shows had a very network/broadcast news feel to them. They were very organic with lots of gloss, glows and curved edges. These logos, in turn, were the exact opposite: hard-edged, solid colors, and vibrant. I followed suit in my conceptual designs because I liked the idea of each of our shows having a very modern look along the lines of Piers Morgan Tonight or HLN. I looked to HGTV, TLC, Discovery, and Bravo for inspiration.

Remember, whatever concept was picked had to work across each show…all eight of them. I wasn’t designing eight unique graphics packages, I was designing a universal package that could work with only slight variations (color, type, etc.) to each specific identity. That was really the biggest challenge to each concept. My first assumption was that the unique identifying factor to each show was the color. With that in mind, I was able to develop a concept where the main color could be changed for each show, thus having it’s own flavor. I felt strongly that a minimalist design would fit across shows with vastly different topics. Always keep it simple.

So why didn’t each show get its own identity? Two reasons. One: the Creative Director wanted visual unity and similarity between all ACC shows, as shown in the show logos. And two: Time and budget. ACC simply doesn’t have the resources to hire additional artists or take a single designer like myself offline for an entire year to develop eight unique show packages.

Though our shows were technically “news,” I felt the broadcast news look didn’t fit the modern corporate vibe ACC was trying to promote. I wanted the identities to be solid, have hard edges, and based on simple, flat geometries. The shows needed to see a fresh, revitalized look to help reinvigorate the programs and draw attention. So from that point, I started to put some style frames of the opens together. I like to start with the opens because all of the designs for the other elements flow from the opens. Here’s a sampling of the various concepts. In total, I put together about seven concepts, more than I was expecting. The following were the top three:

| Style Frame 1 | Style Frame 2 | Style Frame 3 |

Using the Heart Minute show as a base, this design represents an approach using bold colors mixed with some muted hues. The objects were to slide around with trackmattes revealing digital images pertaining to the show. A slight grain texture was added to give a slight illusion of depth.

| Style Frame 1 | Style Frame 2 | Style Frame 3 |

You’re probably thinking, “Hey, this looks very broadcast news, that’s not what he was talking about before!” After seeing the initial concept, there was some hesitation with the direction I was going because it was so radically different from the existing show packages. I was asked to create one that was more along the lines of traditional news identity. Ultimately, this one did not get picked, however we realized it would be a good fit for a rebrand of our news coverage of the annual meetings of the various cardiovascular societies.

| Style Frame 1 | Style Frame 2 | Style Frame 3 |

Initially, I was hesitant to even pitch this idea because it involved some budget and studio production time. After thinking about it, I figured what the heck. This concept revolved around the idea of looking at the show from an iPad’s point of view, where the video frame was the screen with which a person interacted. The design followed closely from an iOS/Android like user interface. After careful examination, it was determined this concept was the winner. The team really liked the idea of adding a live human element to the opens and having the elements look very much like a modern interface since so much of ACC’s media is consumed on a computer or mobile device. I have to admit, this was my favorite concept and I’m glad I pitched it. Plus, the ACC even kicked in the money to actually shoot needed elements in the studio. More on that later.

Elements

With the concept determined, it was now time to start designing some elements. I won’t go into the specific details of each element, but rather give a general overview of the process. Working with my team, we developed a detailed elements list for each show. We determined which of the elements needed to be animated, which needed to be animated but have a Photoshop template, and which were just Photoshop templates. At this point, the last major piece not found in the open concepts was developing a secondary color that would complement each show’s unique color. After thinking about it, the answer was obvious: Gray! The gray complement works across the board and gave nice contrast to the text.

Most of the elements needed some type of background. I wanted to contrast the solid objects with shallow-focus/macro still photography of medical objects or professionals to match the moving elements I would use in the opens. Thinkstockphotos.com was my best friend for several weeks as I scoured for just the right images. One thing that was apparent from early on was that the images and backgrounds needed to have lots of white to contrast with the design elements. White worked perfectly because the medical community has lots of white objects in it. Even photos that weren’t white, I was able to adjust and tint them to lighten them up. It started to give the elements this very clean and clinical look. Perfect!

In terms of workflow, I like to play it safe when it comes to making elements since I know from experience that changes can be made at the last minute. I have what many designers might call a “reverse workflow” in that I actually design all of my still elements in After Effects, then export the layers to a Photoshop document. I like working this way because it gives me the ability to animate the element if necessary down the line. I’ve found its saves me lots of time rather than creating it once in Photoshop, then having to bring that document into After Effects. It works for me.

Here’s a sampling of the various elements from across the eight shows. You can begin to see the unity of design and how the color becomes the defining element of the show.

| Cardiology Countdown | Heart Minute | ACC Update | Inside JACC | ACC Update CardioSource Splash |
| Inside Imaging Citation | Payment Innovations Partnership |

Shooting the Opens

In preparing to shoot the opens, I was actually able to construct a significant portion of the animation first. How was this possible? Well, in order to have the actors interact with these interfaces, I had to design, build, and animate the opens in their entirety. For directing the actors, I needed to know exactly where all of the actions were happening in the frame. By animating the opens first, I could match the actor’s hand positions to an overlay of the open in a studio monitor. Since the budget wasn’t big enough to bring in actors, I just pulled some ACC staff members for a few hours. It worked out great because I was able to show them how the animations would work and demonstrate the effect. I wouldn’t have been able to do that and have them understand it with only storyboards and style frames.

Let me break it down for you:

Step One: Animate Open Template

I picked one show to animate the full open. Since each of the opens was going to have the same look and movement, I just needed one to use as reference. I worked on the animation in After Effects until it was the correct length and everything was timed.

Step Two: The Directing Dilemma

Even though I had the ability to playback the animation with alpha on the DDR in our studio’s Tricaster, that didn’t help because I needed to see a timeline with keyframes so I could anticipate when to give direction to the actors. So I’m sitting at my desk trying to figure out how to solve this problem. Then it dawned on me: I could just take iPhone video of my computer monitor showing the composition and timeline playing back in real-time! Perfect! Problem solved. Genius points for the day.

Step Three: The Glass Touch

Having the actors touch air to simulate a surface just never looks right. Giving the actors an actual surface to touch added the realism I needed. I purchased a large sheet of Lexan to hang in the studio. My team drilled a few holes in the glass for mounting. A few c-stands, some clamps, and we were good to go. The hardest part about shoot with a piece of glass is keeping it free of smudges, fingerprints, and dust. We had to spray down and wipe the glass every two or three takes.

Step Four: Shallow DOF

It was important to have a shallow depth-of-field so that the glass surface and the actor’s fingers were in focus with their body just slightly soft. I used the Panasonic AF-100 with a 50mm Zeiss prime at f/4. I dropped a white backdrop behind the talent lit the setup with some soft fluorescent light.

The shoot was a success. I did several variations in the actor’s timing for safety. Everything worked out great. Here’s some pics from the set:

| Set | Camera Setup | Glass Close-up | Screen Interaction 1 | Screen Interaction 2 | Monitor Assist |

Music and Sound Design

Once all the animation was completed for the opens, I moved on to selecting music tracks and working on the sound design. With each open having its own unique visual cue (its color), it was decided that the music for each show would be unique as well. Again, I didn’t want it to have a broadcast/network news feel. I felt strongly that the music should complement the visual style. I looked for tracks that were soft, minimalist, and “airy.” In instrument terms, for me, that meant acoustic guitars and light pianos. ACC’s 615 Music library did the trick. Once the music was selected, it was onto the effects.

I needed to have some beeps and swishes when components moved across the screen or actions occurred. In a real iOS-like environment, objects usually don’t make a sound for every action or else it would get really annoying. On screen, however, it just feels empty without any effects. The trick is to find a happy medium between being too sparse or cramming too many effects into the piece.

I know enough about sound design to do the basics. I know what I like and what I don’t like and can usually figure out a way to make it happen. The biggest challenge for me seems to be actually locating the correct base effects. Many of the free libraries, the tech or electronic effects have a very 1980s computer feel to them where it sounds like designer gets a little crazy with the synthesizer. ACC has a subscription to Soundsnap which is where I found most of the effects. It’s really just a matter of setting aside a large portion of time to search for and audition different effects. Soundsnap has thousands of effects and they aren’t always labeled in the manner I might label them, so it can take longer to find just the right sound. After a day or two of searching and dropping in different effects, I assembled a soundscape that really worked with the opens.

Putting It All Together

Once all of the elements and the opens were created and rendered with sound design, it was my job to create an Adobe Premiere Pro template project for each show with all of the elements imported and setup in the project for the editor. This process meant organizing all of the elements into separate folders on the shared graphics drive and then replicating that folder structure within Premiere Pro. In my workflow, it’s important that bins correspond to folders with the same name on the share drive so it’s easier for an editor to find files if he/she needs to import additional assets or relink media.

Final Thoughts

Having never done an identity package this big before, I was initially intimidated because the hardest part of the process is wrapping your head around just how to turn the objectives into several concrete ideas, then develop a single concept that meets and fulfills those objectives. ACC took somewhat of a risk with this identity because it was a radical departure from their previous identities and it was a move away from a news look to a modern corporate style. I believe they made the right choice and I’m happy to have been given the opportunity to take their shows to the next level. The responses from the members and ACC staff has been overwhelmingly positive and they are really excited. Nailed it.

1:00 | American College of Cardiology | Writer, Producer, Editor

CardioSmart is a National Care Initiative designed to empower patients to take ownership of their lifestyle and make healthy and informed choices when it comes to diet, exercise, and medical treatments. This promo, intended for potential sponsors, donors, and stakeholders, presents the vision of a healthier and active community through the tools provided by the CardioSmart program. Working from a limited budget, this project is a combination of stock and provided footage emphasizing the existing programs, sponsors, and partnerships.

When I first saw the CardioSmart logo, I immediately wanted to do something to play off the light bulb theme. We had this old desk lamp laying around the office, so I thought it would be cool if a hand reached up to turn on the light bulb in the logo. We spray painted the gold pull chain silver and shot it against greenscreen for compositing. It’s a really simple effect, yet it adds a nice “human” touch to further connect with the CardioSmart programs.

12:13 | Nature’s Best Photography | Producer, Motion Designer

This museum video serves as a companion to the Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice Awards Exhibition, currently at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History here in Washington, DC. Having done the same video in for the 2009 exhibition, I wanted to create a fresh look within the established branding. Last year’s video had a more flat look, so this year I chose to give this piece added depth by utilizing a coverflow-like design and glassy reflections in the slideshow. The result was an elegant was display platform that supports the beauty and serenity of these incredible images. The piece is playing continuously on two Sony HDTVs in the museum gallery. Side note: I got a a kick out of adding the sound design to the opening GEICO gecko animation. I mean…that’s the GEICO gecko. Just give him 15 minutes and he’ll save you 15% or more on car insurance.

If you’re in DC between now and September 25th, I encourage you to check out the exhibition. The prints in the gallery are not featured in the video, so if you thought those were good, wait until you see the exhibit photos up close. They’re stunning. Also, anyone can submit to the awards competition, so if you happen to catch a great nature photo, submit it at www.naturesbestphotography.com.

0:48 | American College of Cardiology

Concept: Morgan Bramlet
3D Modeling: Avinash Hegde
3D Animation: Jeff Heibein
2D Animation/Compositing: Matthew S. Nagy
Editing/Sound Design: Justin Schauble

The opening video to the American College of Cardiology’s Opening Session at their ACC.11 Annual Scientific Sessions Meeting. Creative Director Morgan Bramlet wanted a NFL-inspired tour de force opening to wow the 3000+ people in the audience. Glowing and thunderous light streaks take the viewer on a roller coaster ride through the landmarks of New Orleans as they reveal the keywords that brand the meeting, building up to a crescendo of fireworks over the city.

One word for this project: Awesome. Another word: Blur, as in “it was all a blur.” I had just finished up the Lifelong Learning video when I jumped right into this one so that we could make the deadline. Comprised of a mix of 3D and 2.5D elements, my primary role was to work on the shots that weren’t being entirely done in 3D, those being the opening shots where the clouds part and the streaks approach the city and the final shots where the streaks form the logos and the fireworks finale. Since I was working in tandem with the Maya Animator Jeff Heibein, I had to carefully match the streaks he created in Maya using Trapcode Particular. This video, which took about 4 days of work on my part and only about 4 weeks from concept to completion, marks a career milestone as I was finally able to justify the use of explosions (fireworks) in a corporate video! My boy Michael Bay would be proud. Next year: Giant robots.

1:14 | American College of Cardiology

Winner | 2011 Telly Award, Silver | Online Video – Education
Winner | 2011 Telly Award, Silver | Online Video – Promotional

Lead Motion Designer: Matthew S. Nagy
Asst. Motion Designer: Matthew M. Zappile

Designed for the American College of Cardiology’s “Revolutionizing Lifelong Learning” project, this sample of graphics from the video supports its conceptual look at the organization’s learning initiatives and the importance of continuing education for its membership. Initially, the body of the video was to include only interviews and narration. With location shooting out of the question due to budget restraints, I pitched the idea of graphics-based “broll” built around live elements. It was important to focus on the human interaction, yet still maintain a conceptual look and represent all of the programs, classes, and learning opportunities that could have actually been shot. The stylized whitespace with a coherent color palette solidified the video as concept piece representing the present and the not-so distant future.

In planning for these sequences, I worked with the brilliant storyboard artist Jerry Gaylord as part of previsualization process. Once the key sequences were developed, it took just three days of shooting on greenscreen with multiple cameras and 13 actors to capture all of the elements necessary. Some portions were shot as traditional coverage where backgrounds and graphical elements were just dropped in and other elements were shot planar so crowd replication could be performed. For the first time, I was able to achieve overhead shots by having a 25-ft. Jimmy Jib in the studio.

With a quick delivery schedule, I enlisted the help of fellow motion graphics guru Matt Zappile to design and animate the visual interfaces based on my concept drawings while I handled the animation of the actual sequences. Red Giant Software’s PlaneSpace plugin assisted in all the crowd replication sequences and Video Co-pilot’s Sure Target plugin allowed me to create silky and precise camera moves. In total, the final video contains over six minutes of animation.