Home File Edit View Window Go Help
V8 ‘singasong’ Multimedia Video Animation
Tools Used: CapCut, Adobe Photoshop, oil pastels
Project Timeline: 6 weeks
This self-directed project was an opportunity to explore
video and animation as a new medium. The goal was to experiment with a form of
multimedia that I had been interested in creating, while using a piece of
content that aligned with my personal interest in music.
Rather than approaching the project due to a commercial client brief, this is a self-driven project. I focused on learning through experimentation and developing a process that combined digital video with handmade mark-making.
I looked at multimedia and handmade-style video content commonly shared online to understand how this type of work engages audiences. Videos that combine digital media with handmade elements often stand out through their tactile and personal qualities, with audiences responding to the creativity and sense of process behind the work. Creative works that are clearly made without the use of generative AI are more positively received by public audiences.
This informed my decision to incorporate oil pastel illustrations into the animation, allowing the final video to retain an intentionally handmade quality rather than appearing entirely digitally produced.
Rather than approaching the project due to a commercial client brief, this is a self-driven project. I focused on learning through experimentation and developing a process that combined digital video with handmade mark-making.
I looked at multimedia and handmade-style video content commonly shared online to understand how this type of work engages audiences. Videos that combine digital media with handmade elements often stand out through their tactile and personal qualities, with audiences responding to the creativity and sense of process behind the work. Creative works that are clearly made without the use of generative AI are more positively received by public audiences.
This informed my decision to incorporate oil pastel illustrations into the animation, allowing the final video to retain an intentionally handmade quality rather than appearing entirely digitally produced.
I began by collating screenshots from the source video
frame-by-frame and formatting them into a 3×3 grid across 26 pages. These pages
were printed so I could physically draw over each frame using oil pastels,
creating the handmade visual treatment that would form the basis of the
animation.
After drawing each frame, I scanned the pages and brought
them into Adobe Photoshop, where I edited and cropped the individual frames to
prepare them for animation.
I then imported the frames into CapCut and extracted the original song from the source video. The audio and illustrated frames were placed on a CapCut timeline and individually timed to match the song. Because of the large number of frames, each image needed to be adjusted to durations between approximately 0.01 and 0.03 seconds to create the correct pacing and synchronisation with the audio. I finished the video by creating and editing a title card before exporting the final video.
I then imported the frames into CapCut and extracted the original song from the source video. The audio and illustrated frames were placed on a CapCut timeline and individually timed to match the song. Because of the large number of frames, each image needed to be adjusted to durations between approximately 0.01 and 0.03 seconds to create the correct pacing and synchronisation with the audio. I finished the video by creating and editing a title card before exporting the final video.
The project successfully achieved its main goal of allowing
me to explore video animation as a new medium, while being linked to my
interest in music. More importantly, it gave me the opportunity to learn
through making and develop a workflow that combined physical and digital
processes.
Through the project, I learnt how to construct a frame-by-frame animation, prepare physical artwork for digital use, and work with video-editing software such as CapCut. I also gained a better understanding of how individual frame timing can affect the rhythm and relationship between visuals and audio.
Through the project, I learnt how to construct a frame-by-frame animation, prepare physical artwork for digital use, and work with video-editing software such as CapCut. I also gained a better understanding of how individual frame timing can affect the rhythm and relationship between visuals and audio.
One aspect I would change in a future iteration is the
initial screenshot process. Reducing the source video's frame rate before
capturing the screenshots would have resulted in fewer frames and made the
timing process more streamlined. However, manually timing each individual frame
allowed me to work through the problem and better understand how frame timing
functions in animation.
Ultimately, the project reinforced the value of experimentation and learning through the process. It allowed me to step outside my usual design methods and develop confidence working with a medium I had not previously explored.
Ultimately, the project reinforced the value of experimentation and learning through the process. It allowed me to step outside my usual design methods and develop confidence working with a medium I had not previously explored.