During this rotation, I wanted to think carefully about how I interpreted the theme ‘Connection’. I aimed to create a short motion graphics of a coffee bean growing, and eventually transitioning into a mug of coffee, conveying a brief connection between each step. Below is a small storyboard I made when deciding the key scenes.
Before the making process, I wanted to make sure that there were scenes where I could make use of the Bezier curve graph in order to make the animation smoother (for example, in the second act, where the blonde bean becomes ‘roasted’).
I also explored with different features in After Effects, particularly with Motion Blur to create a realistic, natural movement between each sequence.
Overall, exploring with the different tools in After Effects helped me achieve a smoother animation. Experimenting with the curve graphs created interesting movement in some of the transitions, for example, zooming into one of the fruits in the first scene. I am also pleased that I was able to include the three core principles of animation in many of the scenes, and used colours I usually wouldn’t use in my work to create staging for the focal points in the animation.
Areas to improve can be the speed of the animation, as some transitions were too quick which can be very distracting, and leaves no time for a reaction. I believe that this can be improved upon by cutting out scenes that are maybe not as important, and making key scenes more ‘explosive’ which leaves a longer lasting impression on the viewer.
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