Pro Video Podcast

Paul Robinson – Motion Design for sports and broadcast. More specifically Paul is part of the WWE team providing motion design across the World Wrestling Entertainments stable of shows. 

Show Notes: Compiled by Matt Lloyd

02.00 - WWE overview: multiple brands all designed in-house.

03.09 - Workflow at WWE, the life cycle of a typical project, design process.

04.20 - WWE has 2D and 3D design departments; the distinction between them being blurred. During the design process, after style frames have been created, “match-up” graphics are made, featuring the actual talent, to test that designs will actually work in practice. All manner of elements are created: transitions, lower thirds, snipes.

06.00 - Discussion of broadcast vs. online media and their relative importance to WWE. Live shows are still its bread and butter.

07.00 - How having a niche network can allow for visual experimentation. The diverse aesthetics to be found within the WWE network.

07.54 - The reason PR has worked as long as he has at the WWE (five years): he is given considerable creative autonomy.

08.24 - Comparison of trends in advertising motion graphics vs. the WWE.

08.50 - Discussion of the aesthetic influences of the WWE graphics teams.

09.30 - The team actively share inspiration and techniques. Open communication of ideas really helps the design process. Muse opening titles, a personal favourite of PR.

11.42 - Render engines and render farms Consider upload and download times when opting for render farms (eg Rebus, Pixelplow)

14.37 - Paul’s background story started in motion design at age 30.

15.00 - “My transition in to motion was a necessity…”

15.54 - People started hiring him off the back of his personal projects.

16.30 - “Motion graphics is something where you can sit in a room and make your art. Films are a great creative release as well, but more of a team thing… They're two different things”.

17.00 - Music videos PR has worked on: For the band Hollow Bones: Balance//Collapse

18.27 - Discussion of metal illness and the importance of removing the social stigma around it.

18.55 - Eric Thirteen episode

20.15 - FCB’s mental health campaign featuring John Kerwin.

21.23 - Paul’s fledgling years as a filmmaker.

22.00 - Paul’s originally intended to be a stuntman, and was introduced to this world by his uncle, a stuntman who worked on Loaded Weapon.

23.10 - WWE graphics teams structure.

25.35 - Opportunities for juniors/interns at WWE.

26.00 - Working culture at WWE.

26.55 - “Talent will get you through the door, but everybody has to get along.” According to Paul, there's no room for big egos on his team.

27.17 - “One of the reasons I love the industry so much is that the community is so welcoming, so helpful”.

27.40  - Pro Video Picks:

Octane - OTOY provides GPU-based software solutions that aid in the creation and delivery of cutting-edge digital content.

T-shirt design for Brograph by

Ryan Summers - Character Animation, Motion Design, Visual Effects, Studios, Freelancing, Networking, Finding Your Voice, After Effects and Cinema 4D. As motion design matures, Ryan discusses with host Blair Walker how we are in a unique position to create products ourselves, rather than for clients.

Pro Video Picks:

Animatic.io - create hand-drawn animations on iOS and Android

Video Copilot Saber - Use as a stroke with taper instead of trapcode stroke.

School of Motion - A free tapered stroke preset available when you sign up for the free areas of their site.

Following online:

Ice Cream Hater

Aaron Covrett - Twitter

 Inspirational Videos:

“Klaus” by Sergio Pablos

“Lynx and Birds” by Blue Zoos

 Where you can follow Ryan online:

Ryan Summers - Twitter

 Pro Video Podcast Online:

Blair Walker - Twitter

Pro Video Podcast - Slack

Pro Video Podcast - Facebook Group

Pro Video Podcast - Twitter

Pro Video Podcast - Website 

Show Notes:

Compiled by Matt Lloyd

1:06 - Ryan’s background

3:30 - Digital Kitchen (DK) a “creative design company” designing spaces and places

3:45 - Motion design has diversified onto all kinds of “canvasses”, far beyond broadcast media.

4:55 - Brett Morris with Ranger and Fox is an example of someone proving that a small company (two staff and some freelancers) can now compete directly with the likes of DK. The skillset and tools of the individual motion designer have kept pace with the explosion of new canvasses onto which motion can be applied. New “canvasses” for motion design: AR, VR, MR, realtime gaming...

5:30 - As motion designers, we get to use every aspect of creativity: sound, location, environment, projection mapping

6:00 - Audio as an essential ingredient of motion/experience design

8:47 - Capture room tone sound during production of any video that has audio as a component.

9:21 - Create a spotify playlist to inspire/influence you and your team when working

10:44 - Pixel density as a design consideration for giant screens

11:25 - Tuning the direction in which LEDs point

13:35 - Discussion of the @oddernod avatar, Big Van Vader

14:20 - Discussion of the opportunities afforded by the era of social media, and how such connections can lead to real life relationships: working and friendship. Ryan: “I’ll take the good with the bad to be able to have those opportunities ”

16:00 - Node Fest and Brett Morris

17:00 - In the last ten years the motion community has exploded. “It’s a full time job just keeping up with the...

Directing, Filming, Editing, Reality TV, Broadcast TV, Corporate Video, Children’s Books, Augmented and Virtual reality, Artificial Intelligence, Online Communities, Online Video, Explainer Videos, Title Design with Charlotte Wanhill and Ardi Alemi. Both have a rich and varied background across these areas. As a creative couple their careers and passions are inspirational. Staying ahead of obsolescence is critical as technology evolves and processes are automated is a discussion point this episode that becomes so much clearer as Artificial Intelligence looks to remove tedious processes. This week is special with two amazing people sharing their extensive experiences.

Pro Video Picks:

The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds: 301 - Te Pahi and The Boyd

Adobe Character Animator

Adobe Character Animator CC is a motion capture and animation tool that gives everyone an accessible solution for intuitive 2D character animation, live animation, and easy character sharing and publishing.

Okai Samurai Youtube Channel

Okay Samurai showcases tutorials and creative projects from Dave Werner.

Motion Array

Motion Array is a membership based resource for downloading premium After Effects templates, stock music, stock motion graphics, and stock video elements.

Adobe Stock Motion Template

These pre-built templates provide a seamless way for editors to get access to beautiful motion graphics directly within Premiere Pro, without having to spend time designing titles, overlays, or animations on their own.

Inspirational Videos:

The Harryhausen Chronicles

Pat & Mat - Automat

Nick Park - Aardman animations

Peter Gabriel - Sledgehammer

Jason And The Argonauts

Plume - Future Deluxe

Who did you follow online:

Women in Post Production -  Facebook

Post Chat - Facebook

Post Chat - Twitter

The Avid Editors - Facebook

Ask an Editor - Facebook

Moving to Adobe Premiere - Facebook

Adobe Pro Video Group - NZ

Blue Collar Post Collective - Facebook

Evgeniy Zebolov - FaceBook

Evgeniy Zebolov - Twitter

Ardi and Charlotte Online:

Digital Alchemist

Human Zoo Productions

Little Mouse Tail - Facebook

Digital Alchemist - FaceBook