As motion graphics artists, we’re often asked to supply elements for an editor to use in a final composite or program. These might include single frames of text, titles that build on in stages, or a fully animated title. If the production is a corporate video, chances are that the elements need to build in sync with a voiceover. However, final audio is rarely finished by the time we have to create our elements – at best, we have a scratch track. This puts the responsibility on the editor to time these elements over the final version. The image these go over may be live video, or a loopable animated background which you might also be hired to create.
All these variables add up to the need to supply individual elements to the editor, so he or she can decide on how the animation should build and sync to the script.
Chris & Trish Meyer are the founders of CyberMotion, an award-winning Los Angeles motion graphic design studio. Their design and animation work has appeared on shows and promos for CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, The Learning Channel, HBO, and PBS. CyberMotion was one of the first studios to create major release film opening titles using desktop tools (including major films such as The Taleneted Mr. Ripley), and they have also created promotional and trade show videos for corporate clients from Apple Computer to Xerox. They specialize in unusual format videos, having animated for IMAX, CircleVision, the NBC AstroVision sign in Times Square, and the four-block-long Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas.