Motion Graphics (12 weeks)

• This is an immersive, exhaustive, deep-dive into motion design, where you are encouraged to live and breathe the course.

• Motion design is a discipline that puts ‘designers-who-animate’ first. Learning essential animation techniques allows graphic designers to translate their still artwork into compelling animated pieces. 

• Our bespoke online course gives real-time feedback and assistance that will level up your skills in days rather than months, or years.

• Studying a short course allows you to learn new skills quickly, in a fast paced environment so you can start applying for job roles as soon as you’ve completed the programme.

• Hands-on tuition - you’ll be working in our state of the art studios everyday, mastering the skills and software needed to start your own project.

• You’ll be taught by industry professionals using the tools that they use in their day to day jobs, meaning you’ll learn real life tips and tricks to help you get a head start in the industry.

• On completion of the course you will achieve an Escape Studios Certificate of Achievement, a well-respected qualification within the industry.
  

Week 1 

• Introduction to Motion Graphics - From Fischinger and Bass to Patrick Clair and Universal Everything - we show the colourful history of motion graphics from experimental animation through to moving design communication, with plenty of beautiful, inspiring examples from around the world and several industries.
• Introduction to Animation principles - Animation styles, (WB/Disney/Nickelodeon/Abstract), Keyframing (12 Principles, Linear/Ease/Hold)
  Students will gain a good grasp of how keyframing in space affects the motion of objects over time.

Week 2

• The process - Students will learn about the production process - from brief, initial response, ideation, reference library building, mood boards, style frames, pitch docs, storyboards, animatics, playblasts and R&D - all the way to producing, rendering and presenting their  motion design pieces

Week 3

• Organic Animation - Students will learn to make work that looks less computer-made and more handmade as they explore a variety of techniques to give their animations more character and vibe. They will use After Effects to make cel animation styles, cutout-style, hand-drawn line art animation, and learn a few pro tips to automate a few of these processes in After Effects.

Week 4

• Character animation in After Effects - Students will learn how to design and animate their  characters (as well as using supplied artwork) using the DUIK plugin in After Effects. Towards the end of the week, students will receive critique and learn advanced methods to ensure their characters move and behave with the illusion of life.

Week 5

• Intro to Cinema 4D - XYZ PLUS TIME Knowledge bomb week - covers the basics, with no daily coursework requirement. In the afternoon sessions, students will be able to use techniques from the morning tutorials in their own pieces and receive guidance on execution. 
  Core skills are animation timing, shot composition, generating appeal in motion design, as well as initial response and ideation

Week 6

• Cinema 4D production techniques - This week focuses on getting higher-quality renders and objects out of C4D and into After Effects. By Friday, students will be able to texture, light and render their animations, and will have two afternoon sessions to work on the build of their weekly brief. Core skills focus on material building, texture asset gathering & generation, modelling from ref, plausible damage/degeneration and more.
• Lighting and camera - Using Cinema 4D, students will learn to apply real-world cinematography techniques to their motion design pieces.

Week 7

• Cinema 4D - Redshift week - This week, students will learn how Redshift differs from C4D's native renderer, how to convert scenes into Redshift scenes, and how to set up materials. Students will produce a short ident which combines camera animation, Mograph objects and Fields, Redshift materials, camera and lighting, for a speculative client of their choice. Using The Process, students will have a short animation completed by Friday afternoon - so time management is absolutely critical!

Week 8

• Compositing and image finishing - Students will learn how to polish their shots in After Effects, using native tools to colour correct, enhance and beautify their shots. They will learn how to take rendered mattes and passes from C4D into After Effects for multi-layer compositing, looking at how to isolate objects and materials using the AOV outputs from Redshift, including the Cryptomatte tools in Redshift and After Effects 2020.

Week 9 

• Final major project - Students begin a 4-week group project. This week the students will do research, prep, R&D, and tech tests. They will also have time to finesse prior projects before the final major project really gets underway. Midweek crit sessions will allow students to assess the strength and validity of their ideas, research and concepts.

Week 10

• Fmp week one - First week of production on Final Major Project - Students will produce animatics, playblasts, blocking and rough timings of their motion pieces. Midweek crit sessions will give suggested amends before students can move onto further stages of production.

Week 11 

• Fmp week two - Final full week of production on Final Major Project - Students will have started rendering clips and will begin to build out their timeline and/or comping in AE. Midweek crit will help students diagnose their animation and rendering and work out issues before the final rendering and post phases. 

Week 12

• The final stretch - Time to get the FMP submitted for review - and build that killer showreel… Reels and final projects will be reviewed in class, with a guest lecturer from industry (TBC) to give solid crit and advice to the students before they are released into the wild.

• Class graduation ceremony and presentation of group work

• Presentation of certificates

• After effects
• Cinema 4D
  

Several of our past students have already secured positions in motion design studios - and that was the 6-week version of this course! With the polished final major project as a basis for your showreel, as well as the videos from daily exercises, and your weekly coursework submissions, you should leave us with a bevy of good motion design pieces under your arm. We will demonstrate how to combine these clips into a compelling showreel - as for where you take it, that is up to you! 

Motion designers can work in a variety of industries, from broadcast to creative agencies as well as for animation studios or tech startups. These days, motion design is a desirable asset for any in-house creative department. In the film industry, you can work on film titles, UI design, graphics sequences or even VFX. In broadcast, visual effects, compositing and on-screen titles are all made using After Effects, particularly in smaller studios. With C4D and After Effects both having the ability to export to web-based formats, app developers are always looking for motion designers to add stylish animation to their platforms. Learning motion design in London, the biggest market for motion designers in Europe (if not the world) will also give you a competitive advantage to launch your career in motion design. Read our Escapee, Teresa Tang’s story and what she is doing since studying Motion Graphics

• Motion Graphics Designer
• UI Design
• Digital Media Designer

Fees: TBC

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