Combine text, graphics and images in stunning 3D animations
National Museum Video comes to Life with Nodes
The award winning motion designer Tony Zagoraios was kind enough to share his thoughts on Yanobox Nodes and its use on his latest project for the Kazakhstan National Museum.
Please tell us about the project’s goals and motivations.
We were tasked to create eleven introductory videos for the opening ceremony of the Kazakhstan National Museum in Astana. The videos reference the past, present and bright future of the country, and give insight into the cultural, political and historic achievements of Kazakhstan.
How did you get involved in this cool project? How long did it take?
The production company behind the project, Working Title, which I have had the pleasure of working with in the past, approached me with this opportunity because they thought my dark and aggressive style would fit the task. We had precisely one month, and that included creative direction, art direction, as well as motion design and 3D. I have to admit that finding the appropriate mood and style took us somewhat longer than expected.
What tools / workflow did you use?
We used Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator and 3ds Max. The main design and 2D animation was done in After Effects, while the whole 3D production – including modeling, animation, lighting and texturing – was done in 3ds Max. Finally, for compositing and color grading, we went back to After Effects.
What shots did you use Yanobox Nodes for?
I used Nodes in most of the scenes. Here are some screenshots with Nodes being used in After Effects:
Foreign Politics
Foreign Politics
Cosmos
Industry
Industry
I used Nodes in a subtle way because I wanted to add modern elements without distracting from the main action and artistic direction. The only shot where we heavily relied on high-end graphics was the one focusing on medical anatomy, but that scene didn’t make it into the director’s cut.
Medical Anatomy
Have you used Nodes in other projects and can you share some examples?
Currently, I’m working on a big upcoming project where I am really pushing myself to explore and to take more advantage of Nodes’ creative madness. Furthermore, I have used Nodes on two other commercial projects, where I unfortunately don’t have the rights to share them yet.
I can share some of my artistic exploration using Nodes:
Please tell us about your favorite projects & your biggest success stories.
One of my favorite pieces of work is DIGITIZED. When I started, it was hard to believe that it would all come together as well as it did. The video got featured as a Vimeo Staff Pick and also received a Bronze award at Bassawards 2014. It feels overwhelming that this project is still receiving praise from all over the world.
NOISEY, the video opener for the VICE music channel and the VIRGIN DISRUPTORS event video, are two projects where I had the chance to experiment a lot with my style. It was a great privilege that the client was open minded and trusted me to take my own path.
Finally, FLOATING METAL KEY, was a great worldwide collaboration project where I was the art director/concept designer. This project was also featured as a Vimeo Staff Pick, and has received a large number of views and lots of positive feedback from around the globe.
Thanks Tony! To wrap things up, please tell us a bit more about yourself. How long have you been doing this? How did you start?
I started my career 6 years ago, mainly as a video editor even though my Bachelors Degree was in Media & Advertising. The moment I realized what really motivates me as an artist and as a person, I started to explore the magic world of design and animation. I’m honest enough to admit that I’m a self-taught artist. Over the last couple years, I have managed to establish myself as a freelance motion designer & art director.
I am mainly based in Greece, but also work as a director at NOMINT in the UK. I’m blessed for having had the chance to work with many agencies and studios worldwide. This has allowed me to create some interesting and different styles.
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