Assignments

DVD Interface Project

Create a motion menu for a DVD release of a film or television show.

A client has chosen your company to design a "motion menu" for the DVD release of one of their film or television properties (your choice). You will storyboard, design and use After Effects to create

• a 30 second animated top-level DVD menu
• a 30 second anmated sub menu

Both menus should have a consistant theme and visual style. You will turn the project in a one 60 second movie.

The movie does NOT need to show a menu link being activated, but should show the transition between the 2 menu animations. Stick with the types of transitions that can actually be done on a DVD player. Animations from the 2 menus can not be "mixed" together by the DVD player (no dissolves, for example).

You can select from any publicly released movie or television show for the assignment. You are responsible for obtaining the footage for this project, so choose something that you have access to.

DVD Menu Specs

• Contain the top-level interface for the DVD
• Contain one sub-menu interface for the DVD
• Reflect the aesthetics of the movie or television show (color palette, fonts, pacing, imagery, etc)
• Follow principals of good UI design
• Complement but not distract from the UI
• The top level menu should be about 30 seconds. The sub-menu should be long enough to show one complete loop of the animation.

Grading Criteria:

• 10% - Proposal / Storyboard / Footage Aquisition
  • Initial concept
  • Clarity of ideas as presented
  • Level of detail
  • Captures themes from the original property
• 20% - Mockup
  • Translates mock-up from concept to still imagery
  • Reflects feedback from last milestone
  • Is concept complete
  • Captures themes from the original property
  • Contains all visual elements in or near final form
• 30% - Rough Draft / Client Sign-Off
  • Translates concept from storyboard to motion video
  • Reflects feedback from last milestone
  • Contains all visual elements in final form
  • All animation is accurately timed
• 40% - Final Deliverable Movie
  • Details are complete, polished, and well executed
  • Reflects feedback from last milestone
  • Is correctly rendered and displays well on NTSC video (including title / action-safe, saturation, contrast, frame rate and text)
  • Animation is natural, aesthetically pleasing, and supports the look and feel of the property

Deliverable Specs:

• The comp that you create to work with should be DV-NTSC Square Pixels: 720 x 534 (square pixels) or 720 x 540 (square pixels)
• The final rendered movie that you output should be DV-NTSC resolution: 720 x 480 (non-square pixels), Animation Codec (Q=100%)
• You will burn a Video DVD-R using iMovie to turn in the final movie listed above. The DVD Menu assignment should be a playable movie on the DVD (not the actual background of the DVD)
• You will also turn in the final rendered movie via the drop box or on CD-R.