When commencing this project, I had zero knowledge of After Effects, how to use it or what I could even develop with it. Therefore, I first began by experimenting with some of the tools I was familiar with as a result of using several other Adobe programs, I explored the basic shape and pen tools to see how I could alter and create motion with these objects first.
Then when I became more confident using the basics, I began to explore some of the effects After Effects has to offer. Timing and keyframes were something I struggled to wrap my head around at first but after starting with some basic rectangular shapes and moving them from the bottom to the top of the screen, I slowly become more comfortable with how the mechanics of After Effects work.
The ideation and trial phase of my project has been helpful to establish a space of limitations which I must stay within to ensure the completion of this task within the allocated time. The exploration phase, as referred to by Ambrose and Harris’ Double Diamond model, has also allowed me to establish the basic skills I will need to progress further through this project. I have found I am much more comfortable with using keyframes after dedicating the time to exploring and learning the fundamentals of the After Effects program.
Initially, I began exploring After Effects by experimenting with the fundamentals of shape and movement, which later progressed into developing somewhat of a personality for my shapes, filling them with energy and enthusiasm to float freely throughout the frames. The opening sequence to my animation makes use of the squash and stretch technique to form the appearance of a water droplet, followed by some simple timing, used in an attempt to build up what appears to be a rising ocean, caused by the water droplet.
The overall aesthetic of my project is quite fluid in its nature and doesn’t really follow any rules of symmetry, thus, so far throughout the project I have experimented with scale and rotation as well as a basic form of repetition. I have made use of basic spheres, for the most part, exploring how I can use the shape as a path and curate a rotating stroke, along with how I can simply scale up or down the size of the shape to suit the frame and appearance I am attempting to achieve.
When exploring other examples of motion design, it is interesting to see how someone can take a movement or expression similar to your own concept yet develop something completely different. Such as the piece “Innovation of Loneliness” which uses several cohesive spheres, all taking individual paths to develop a completely different motion of their own.
WHAT AM I DOING? 