Tara Afshar Portfolio

The Demo Reel (and a little bit about me)

As a Motion Graphics Artist my aim to use the main principles of editing and use it as the building block to tell memorable stories through different mediums. I specialize in Typography, Video Editing, 2D/Vector animation and design, 2.5D animation, and Live Action. Below are three projects seen in the demo reel and what I believe to be some of my best work. Thank you for taking the time to explore my process!

Ovarian Cancer PSA

This was a project that was near to me after loosing a family member to ovarian cancer. I decided to make a PSA for a specific non-profit organization called 'The Clearity Foundation' and their main goals are to revolutionize the treatment for those who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer since it is “decades behind most other cancer treatment”. They aim to do this by treating it as it is: each case of ovarian cancer is unique to each woman. To do this they created something called the “Tumor Blueprint” which looks at a patient’s genetic marker to figure out the best course of action for treatment as well as detecting the cancer at an earlier stage. They also created a network to guide women as well as social support for them.

For this project I wanted to specifically focus on typography to convey the message of the organization. I also wanted to mainly use a pure teal color palette since that is the main color for ovarian cancer research and charities. With those two core concepts in mind I also wanted to add a recyclable paper texture to signify change and rebirth with having a community to unite together with in order to beat this disease. Writing the script was the biggest challenge to tackle trying to encompass an organization goal in under 60 seconds while making it also support visual elements at the same time. Ultimately I decided to focus on ovarian cancer's moniker of being called the "silent killer" and after that everything fell into place.  

"Killing Eve" Title Sequence

The television series Killing Eve follows a cat and mouse thriller about a desk-bound MI5 British officer, Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) who gets a chance to hunt down a deadly yet talented assassin, Villanelle (Jodie Comer). As the series progresses the two become more and more obsessed with each other. What separates this series from the rest of the “cat and mouse” shows is the angle of seduction and lust the two main characters have for each other and how they are polar opposites.

The overall concept is in a format of visual poetry showing objects and imagery that are seen as beautiful or alluring and transforming them to have a more darker approach. Ink and paint will be prevalent throughout the piece with a variety of items used throughout like roses, lipstick with bullet shaped covers, postcards, and a skull. By mixing these elements together I want to portray the overall symbolism of the deadly game both Villanelle and Eve are playing while keeping its alluring tone.

Overwatch League Atlanta Reign Homestand Intro Sequence

As a big fan of Overwatch League I wanted to make an intro sequence dedicated to an upcoming away game in Atlanta. Overwatch League is a professional esports league that started in January 2018 with 12 teams. Since then the League is now on its second season and expanded to a total of 20 teams worldwide. It can be viewed on Twitch as well as television channels like ABC, Disney XD, and ESPN. During the Finals of the inaugural season they reached a total of 10.8 million viewers. While the main matches take place in Burbank, California, the League have started to take the matches to different parts of the United States starting with the Dallas Homestand in April 27, 2019.

The main concept is to bring the game of Overwatch to Atlanta and integrate Atlanta’s culture with aspects of the game and the teams themselves. To embed the Atlanta's culture I decided to use street art since that is a big staple of the city itself. To convey this I decided to mainly use 2.5D to create a parallaxing effect and bring still images to life, utilizing the use of the 3D camera in After Effects and using Photoshop to create and format the layers. I also decided to use the technique of graffiti in motion used to introduce the teams that will be represented in Atlanta and bringing in a concept of sprays that are used throughout the game.