THE CUBE
PROJECTION MAPPING
For my final graduate project at Vancouver Film School I created an installation experiment in projection mapping to create an audio, visual experience using 2D and 3D motion graphics.
I was inspired by DJ stage visuals and projection mapping projects and wanted to created my own version I could showcase at school.
Check out the final video recording of my 3 foot by 3 foot foam board cube installation in which I projected my motion video piece onto.
Want to know how it was made? Check out my case study video below to see my process of creating 'THE CUBE'.
THE WHOLE PROCESS
I’ve always had an obsession with music and going to concerts.
When I saw one of my favourite bands, Muse, perform in Boston, I was completely blown away by their stage visuals.
After researching more about their concert visuals I discovered the term “Visual Media for Live Performances” which then led me to my new passion, motion design.
To start off my graduate project, the first thing I needed to do was find a kick ass song that was going to be the driving force behind my entire project.
I was able to find the song “Robot Race” by DJ Senbei on a music licensing site and it really felt like it fit my goal target audience of young Djs and electronic music listeners and I could already see the possibilities in my head.
Since the music was going to play such a vital role in the entire project, I edited the song immediately using Adobe Audition.
My art direction was inspired by my song which led me to an 80’s retro futurism style of neon, grids, and glowing lights.
This then made it easier to find animation inspiration from other installations and motion pieces that I found on instagram and pinterest.
I then started on some motion tests using my color scheme and art direction to get a feel for what I wanted the rest of the project to look like.
For my projection stage I decided to use an angled cube so that mapping onto the surface would be easier to learn but still be an interesting concept I could use throughout my motion piece.
With the help of my mentor, I experimented with the different projection techniques like introducing the shape, creating an illusion, and breaking the illusion.
I decided to use the program MadMapper for my projection mapping as it’s a software often used by DJs and musicians.
Learning projection mapping was a bit of a struggle at first because I had to take everything I had learned at VFS and project it into a physical space with different perspectives, angles, and lighting.
After figuring out the projection mapping, I was able to dive into my designs.
I started with making a reference animatic of different styles of animation using the gifs and videos I’d found on pinterest or instagram.
Then I was able to see the story I wanted my motion piece to tell and started creating a rough animatic in After Effects to represent a basic timeline of what animations I needed to do.
I created some 2D assets using After Effects, but I mainly used Cinema 4D to create my moving assets and environments.
It took a few rounds of editing to get the colors and illusions to look just right and fit the installation.
When I finished creating the whole motion piece, I wasn’t done yet.
I needed to record a video of the actual installation and make sure that the projection mapping concept was clear and enjoyable to watch even without being there in person.
