Nate King

This course addresses the foundations of animation and motion graphics in digital media, primarily using After Effects, while building critical discourse around conceptual work and practical application. Students will become familiar with After Effects techniques while developing individual aesthetic and curating a portfolio. A short motion graphics explainer video will be the culmination of all learned throughout the class.

Project 01 - Geometric Spot

Imagine a company has hired you to make an abstract bump for their website or TV channel. They’ve given you the word “geometric” to go off of. Please create a proposal including sketches/storyboards in a PDF. The finished animation must be at least 30 seconds and includes music/sound. Consider making a soundscape. Remember the works of Oskar Fischinger and James Whitney. The file needs to be turned in as h.264.

Objectives:
Implement the 12 principles of animation
Use techniques such as shape layers, trim paths, and comp multiplication to explore After Effects

Project 02 - Logo & Typography

Consider you’re making a portfolio website. Make an animated logo for the header of the site. It needs to involve a minimum of two separate words.  It could be for your own portfolio site or a different site. A background should be included (it cannot only be text). Consider how the text moves on and off the screen and/or appears on the screen.  The file needs to be turned in as h.264 and also a GIF.

Skills to apply:
trim paths, write-on effect, text traveling along a path or a mask, letter morphing, paint on tracing

 Project 03 - Panorama

Create a scene.  A landscape. A visionscape.  Take us on a journey through an environment.  An exploration or terrain, or a trip through space and time.

Within the 3D space of After Effects utilize the X, Y, and Z axis to create a digital diorama.  Use a camera to pan or zoom through the generated world. At minimum, create a foreground, midground, and background.  You could create more layers if desired/necessarily for the project. Parallax should be visible within your work.
Consider illustrative style.  How are you creating your assets?  You could paint them in photoshop. Create vector graphics in illustrator.  Take photos and bring them into after effects through photoshop. How is the composition of your space?  Are you paying attention to the relation of scale in your scene?

Think of the works of Marco Brambilla and Owen Davey

Project 04 - Explainer Video

This project is the culmination of all you have learned in this class. It is about effectively communicating an idea through engaging design and animation. The video must be a minimum of 30 seconds long with original sound and must include typography.
It can be on a topic of your choosing, something fictional, or you could partner with a student organization. We will go over each stage of your project week by week where you are required to show you have been producing work.

Examples:
Why is the ocean salty?
What is the VA Tech smart road and what is its purpose?
What is postmodernism art?
This is why you need to breakup with your boyfriend…
This is why I am full of existential dread…