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School of Motion

Motion Design
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After Effects Kickstart

Online Course

January - March 2023

As a new animator, learning After Effects presented its own set of challenges. The software is incredibly powerful, but it can also be overwhelming at times. However, with persistence and practice, I was able to master the basics and start exploring more advanced techniques.

My first animation from AE Kickstart. (Hover to play)

Introduction to Animation

My time at School of Motion was an incredible journey. At first, the learning curve of After Effects seemed daunting, but with the help of my instructors and classmates, I was able to overcome the initial challenges and start creating amazing animations.

Taking AE to the Next Level

Making Keyframes

As one of our first assignments, this exercise taught us how to use linear keyframes for Position, Rotation, Scale, as well as attributes like color, trim paths, and time remapping.
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Awesome Text

Taking Trim Paths to the next level, we were tasked with drawing a font onscreen. A combination of masks and shape layers were used to achieve this effect.
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Nol's Neckties

After Effects and Illustrator go hand-in-hand. This exercise practiced splitting layers and preparing them for motion.

Wow Factory

In a rapid crash-course on parent/child hierarchy, we were introduced to character animation by a keyframe factory operated by robot arms.

Epic Lyric Smackdown

In this assignment, we were simultaneously introduced to easing keyframes and fine-tuning them in the graph editor. We also learned how to sync up different scenes with sound. While experimenting with kinetic typography, we were challenged to make our own interpretation of the lyrics and transition seamlessly from idea to idea.

Geometric Dance Party

Sound syncing was further explored upon in this exercise. With lots of creative freedom for this assignment, effects such as glow, puppet warp, and 3D grids were used to create this cyberpunk environment. We were challenged to only use shape layers in After Effects, which was a great learning experience to see how far I could push After Effect's vector limits.

Final Project

One of the most rewarding aspects of the class was seeing how all of my hard work paid off in my final project. It was a culmination of everything I had learned throughout the course, and it was amazing to see how far I had come in such a short amount of time.

Looking back on my time at School of Motion, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from such talented instructors and to be part of such a supportive community. The skills I gained will serve me well as I continue my journey as an animator.

In conclusion, my experience at School of Motion was challenging but ultimately rewarding. The learning curve of After Effects may have been steep at times, but with determination and hard work, I was able to overcome any obstacles that came my way. The final project was a true testament to everything I had learned and accomplished during my time in the class.