nortonb

proposed projects ( 50% of final mark )

week 1: motion graphics web page i.e. [...].582futura.com/mg1/ ( /10 )
week 2: Capyskills plan / SMART goals, mentor group
weeks 1-4: motion graphics inspo ( 3/week for 4 weeks = 12 examples with comments ) ( /25 )
week 2: titles & credits for a past premiere project. ( or lower thirds ) ( /25 )
week 3: logo animation ( /25 )
weeks 5-11: "Disney" animation story / sequence ( /50 )
weeks 11-14: personal motion graphics project ( /100 LIA )
week 15: Capyskills summary ( /10 )
week 15: demo reel publication ( /10 )

animated narrative resouces and inspo

Project 3: animated story in 3 acts.

Create a short, character- or concept-driven narrative animation structured across at least three distinct narrative acts. Integrate core After Effects workflows, Disney's principles of animation, and multi-layered sound design.

Format & Mode: individual or teams | Duration: 6 - 60 seconds

7 narrative archetypes

specs

Structure: minimum of 3 acts (Act 1: Setup, Act 2: Confrontation / Climax, Act 3: Resolution).
Audio Mix: Multi-track arrangement combining Soundtrack / Music, Ambient Room Tone / Environment, and synchronized Sound Effects (SFX). Dialogue or voiceover is optional. Levels must be mixed and ducked properly.

planning (Figma)

Before animating in After Effects, prepare and share your production board on Figma:

project treatment: Working title, synopsis, and stated project objective.
mood board: Visual styleframes, character/asset references, color palette, and art direction.
storyboard: Visual shot-by-shot progression covering staging, camera motion, key transitions, and timed audio cues across all three acts.

technical & animation requirements

use a variety of tools and techniques as needed. The idea is NOT to use all of these. Just those that fit your project's needs.

Disney principles

Deliberate timing, spacing, and organic easing using the Graph Editor (Slow In & Slow Out).
Application of Disney principles relevant to your narrative (e.g., Anticipation, Squash & Stretch, Arcs, Follow Through, and Secondary Action).

AE architecture

Composition cleanliness using Null Objects, pick-whip parenting, and nested pre-compositions.
Use of built-in effects and simple procedural expressions where suitable (e.g., loopOut(), wiggle(), time, or layer staggering via index).

cinematography & deformation

3D Space & Lighting: Incorporate at least one scene using 3D layers, an animated camera (depth/parallax, movement, or focus), and lighting with cast shadows.
Puppet Tools: Deform and animate character illustrations or organic graphical elements using the Puppet Pin tool.

deliverables

Figma project link: Treatment, mood board, complete storyboard, and semester documentation.
Rendered Video (.mp4 / H.264): Published to YouTube, then embedded or linked from your mg1/ course webpage.
project archive: Collected and packaged .aep project bundle with all source assets and audio.
CapySkills entry: Updated competency self-evaluation, SMART goals, and validation link.
- HOS 1.3 Be organized and prepared
- NGE 1.5 Reflect on my work and impact
- VA 1.1 Generate ideas for a design project

Capyskills entry example (Valentina)

Capyskills journal entry details

Figma examples

5. Evaluation Criteria (100 Points)

concept and narrative
Disney principles
AE techniques
sound design
Figma documentation
CapySkills

due: week 11 (November 12)

animated logo resources

reminder:

Trim Paths
Track Mattes & Masking
Null Objects & Parenting
Expressions
Built-in Effects

project 2: logo animation

Use After Effects to animate a logo.

focus on using effects, null objects, and parenting
continue to use Disney principles of animation
be sure to use easing and the graph editor
add a sound track with music and sfx
at least 1 foley effect that you create / record and edit

Include the following:

link from your MG1 website to:
- final video
- Figma planning
- Capyskills (whether for this or your title sequence)
- link to your .aep file in your motion-graphics repository

( /25)

due: week 7 ( October 8 )

proposed exercises

1.1 /mg1/ homepage
1.2 Figma setup
1.3 keyframe exercise
1.4 masking exercise
1.5 track matte
1.6 tracking
1.7 animate effects (text)
1.8 expressions
2.1 inspo

week 5:

animated title sequence

checklist:
- exercises
- figma
  - focus on animation techniques and ideation
  - Capyskill, SMART goals, evidence
  - use frames and pages to organize
  - entries for motion tracking and title sequence
- should have 9 inspo including 3 in-the-wild
- exercises 1.3 - 1.8 should be done this week
mg1/ web page
- name?
- links to repo & Figma
- use a common nav
  - use fetch() API?
- fill in title tag (NOT "document")
- clear links to all exercises and projects

week5 expressions GitHub

1.7 sfx

Use effects such as trim paths or echo to animate something amazing.

Submit your project as usual

due: week 5

1.8 expressions

Use expressions to create dynamic animations.

loopOut()
time * [value]
wiggle(frequency, amplitude)
index * [value]
random(min, max)

check out this tutorial: Six Essential Expressions for Creative Coding in After Effects

Submit your project as usual

due: week 5

project 1: title sequence

Use After Effects to create an animated title sequence for one of your videos.

focus on principles of animation and keyframe animations.
be sure to use easing and the graph editor
use effects, parenting, null objects, masking and track matte if you want

( /25)

due: week 5 ( September 24 )

week 5:

animated title sequence

checklist:
- exercises
- figma
  - focus on animation techniques and ideation
  - Capyskill, SMART goals, evidence
  - use frames and pages to organize
  - entries for motion tracking and title sequence
- should have 9 inspo including 3 in-the-wild
- exercises 1.3 - 1.8 should be done this week
mg1/ web page
- name?
- links to repo & Figma
- use a common nav
  - use fetch() API?
- fill in title tag (NOT "document")
- clear links to all exercises and projects

week 4: title sequence insp

Capyskills

Be sure to choose a competency, self evaluate and create smart goals.

Check these out.

exercise 2.1: 12 examples of motion graphics in the wild

add 3 examples of motion graphics to your mg1/ web site per week for 4 weeks.

at least 1 should be something you find in real life (not a link to some digital source)
try to find examples of the techniques we are learning
link to your inspo collection on your web site & figma.
add a comment on why you chose each example. Mention any techniques you might like to learn.

some examples:

from Luke
Brittany plus her videos
Zoë

week 3: masking, track matte switches

tutorials

expressions for me

Figma setup 1.2

set up a Figma team with the following:

your name i.e. Motion Graphics: Mickey
organized to easily locate your exercises & projects
organized to easily locate your Capyskills stuff
link to your Figma from your homepage

due: week 2 (September 2-4)

1.3 keyframe animation

Create keyframe animations exploring Disney principles of animation including:

timing & easing ( in & out )
weight and physics
- anticipation
- follow through / overlapping action
- squash & stretch
exaggeration and secondary effects
story and staging

submission

export as a movie, upload to YouTube or Vimeo or possibly Vidyard, link to your "mg1/" web page.
upload your .aep file to your motion-graphics repository
add to your Figma, with a well-labelled, easy to find title / page name / frame name etc.

due: week 2 / August 31st

changes for github

mg1 github delete

create / update your GitHub repositories

you should use GitHub for version control and backup of your 582futura.com websites and your motion-graphics working files.

login to GitHub and create a new repository (unless you are still connected to your old one )
in VSC, login to github / copilot and clone your repository (repositories)

1.3 masking exercise

Create a mask animation.

Your animation should:

animate the content
animate the mask
apply some of Disney's animation principles
have your name in the composition
add descriptions / labels, helpful information

Submit your project:

as a video on Vimeo or YouTube
linked or embedded from your website
link to .aep in your repository
add link / info in your Figma

due: week 2 / September 3rd

mg1 github delete

1.4 track matte

create a track matte animation

Your animation should:

show off your track matte skills
animate the mask
apply some of Disney's animation principles
name, title, info etc... as usual

Submit your project as usual

due: week 4 during class

1.5 tracking

This one will require ideation & planning

Using Figma, Premiere, After Effects and possibly Audition:

find inspo
come up with a creative idea
add a description & info
sketch out your idea / storyboard
film & edit your video in Premiere
add tracking vfx in After Effects
name, title, info etc... as usual

Submit your project as usual

due: week 4?

Bruce's inspo

see 2025 MG1 repository for AE file with principles of animation

Capyskills summary

summarize your work on Capyskills including the following:

Capyskills you have worked on.
- code & title i.e. VA.1.1 Generate ideas for a design project
- your initial levels & present levels
- link to your evidence, plan & validation
- link to your badge profile

due: week 15

2025 demo reels

12 reels

motion graphics examples from a2024

some inspo^

Disney Principles

While Disney outlined 12 principles of animation here are the main 4 that apply to After Effects

timing & easing ( in & out )
weight and physics
- anticipation
- follow through / overlapping action
- squash & stretch
exaggeration and secondary effects
story and staging

Capyskills entry

capyskills.com

choose a skill or sub-competency like HOS.1.2 Set Goals
self evaluate what level you are at. i.e. at level 6 you can "create an action plan for each goal".
gather evidence to support your self evaluation
meet with a mentor or teacher to:
- confirm your level
- discover & plan how you can improve your level
work on your project, implementing your SMART plan
self evaluate your progress every week
meet briefly with your mentor to go over your progress
when you move up a level, celebrate, check out other Capyskills and continue to improve
Ultimately the plan is to help you improve in the areas that mean the most to you.
pro tip: double-check your document is accessible to others by opening your link in an incognito window

welcome

plan is to learn more about animation & motion graphics. We'll work with:

After Effects
Touch Designer
and maybe some Blender or Unreal Engine
plus, web animation, as always
Figma for ideation and sharing
Capyskills for improving our academic and personal skills

Start by going through this Adobe site from the UK.

Be ready to share some ideas of what you would like to learn.

motion graphics Github repository

welcome

plan is to learn more about animation & motion graphics. We'll work with:

After Effects
Touch Designer
and maybe some Blender or Unreal Engine
plus, web animation, as always
Figma for ideation and sharing
Capyskills for improving our academic and personal skills

Start by going through this Adobe site from the UK.

Be ready to share some ideas of what you would like to learn.

motion graphics Github repository

After Effects ideas

Basic Motion Graphics:
- Creating simple text animations (e.g., text appearing, fading, or bouncing).
- Experimenting with shape layers to create basic animated graphics.
Intro to Keyframes:
- Understanding keyframes and the timeline.
- Animating position, scale, rotation, and opacity of objects.
Logo Animation:
- Importing a logo and creating a short animation for it (e.g., rotating, scaling, or revealing effects).
- Adding motion blur for a more polished look.
Basic Effects and Presets:
- Applying built-in effects and presets to layers.
- Experimenting with color correction, blur, and glow effects.
- text effects: https://blog.motionisland.com/after-effects-presets-text-animation/
Title and Lower Thirds:
- Designing and animating a simple title or lower third for videos.
- Using shape layers and text tools to create dynamic and professional-looking titles.
Masking and Rotoscoping:
- Learning to use masks for revealing or hiding parts of layers.
- Basic rotoscoping techniques to isolate subjects in a video.
Simple Transitions:
- Creating smooth transitions between clips using effects like wipes, fades, and zooms.
- Experimenting with custom transitions using shape layers and keyframes.
2D Character Animation:
- Importing character illustrations and animating them using puppet tools.
- Basic lip-sync animation for character dialogues.
Motion Tracking:
- Using the motion tracking feature to track an object in a video.
- Applying effects or text that follows the tracked object.
Visual Effects Compositing:
- Combining multiple video layers to create a simple visual effect (e.g., adding fire or rain to a scene).
- Basic green screen keying to composite subjects onto different backgrounds.
- Stylizing with effects like glitch, noise, motion blur
- time remapping / ramping?
Intro to Expressions:
- Using simple expressions to automate animations (e.g., looping animations, linking properties).
- Understanding basic scripting to enhance motion graphics.
Creating Animated Infographics:
- Designing and animating charts, graphs, and data visualizations.
- Using shape layers and text to present data in an engaging way.
Intro to 3D Layers:
- Exploring 3D layers and the camera tool.
- Creating a simple 3D scene with animated camera movement.
Kinetic Typography:
- Creating dynamic text animations synced with audio.
- Experimenting with different text effects and animations.
Simple Particle Effects:
- Using particle systems to create effects like snow, rain, or sparks.
- Adjusting particle properties for different visual outcomes.

change just for github.