Intro
On January 1st, I started a personal challenge to showcase my ability to learn quickly. The challenge was to create a 30-second animated video advertisement for a business. I have a background in graphic design (AI, PS) but I had no other knowledge of animation. Learning this skill is exciting to me because it’s an engaging use of storytelling. Video increases traffic and engagement for that very reason.
My process in creating this video went as follow.
Step 1. Familiarize myself with various applications used for this media.
Step 2. Write a compelling story that contains a clear action item.
Step 3. Animate text.
Step 4. Animate artwork.
Story & Copy
The company I used is Snip Internet. I had met their CEO, Brett Lindsey, earlier that month and was really intrigued by their product. They are a company based out of Cleveland, OH that specializes in residential fiber optic internet. Their speeds go up to 1gb a second. Hearing about these technological/infrastructural developments got me really excited. This was my original draft of the storyline-
“It opens with a big bold print of “This video could change your life” but then the classic buffering motion will stop the video. This will be built into the video. Then the screen will switch to “Buffering Sucks” It will put everyone in the familiar shoes of wanting/needing to watch a video but the connection is too slow or too poor to watch it. It will go on to say how Snip is better because they are different. They aren’t a regurgitation of the same technology. They are built differently and that’s what makes them worth the switch from whoever you have now.”
I also learned about copywriting and nonverbal communication through this project. I had roughly 50 words to communicate the purpose and benefits of a new technology that offers 10x the speed of most internet services. With this in mind, I spent a large portion of the month adjusting timing. I wanted to make sure that every word reached the point of diminishing returns and not a second longer.
Apps & Issues
I started with the application Adobe Character Animator. However, I quickly realized that Character Animator is not the right place to start to learn and also not the right app to create the finished product I have in mind. I switched programs to Adobe After Effects which seems to be the standard for most motion graphics.
Early on, I learned that you can compile multiple compositions together. This was extremely important in figuring out how to create the buffering motion. There were three compositions all built together to create that animation. I have two separate sets of circles. I created a layer mask (via an Alpha Matte) parented to a rotating null object. The one circle set was larger than the other and that was what was revealed through the layer mask. When I finished that, it still didn’t look right so I adjust that composition to only 9 frames per second. There were 9 circles in the set so a full rotation takes one second and you only see the full circles enlarged and no transition (Image on the right). This took some tweaking but ended up translating really well.
Another fun trick I learned was the animation Trim Paths. It controls the starting position and stopping position of lines. I used this effect to create something from nothing. It takes any artwork that you have and adds motion to the “stroke” or outline of the artwork. I used this in the video where I stated that “Snip is faster than your internet.” A line appears from the right side of the screen, swoops down and creates the outline of a sports car (to communicate speed), that when complete, drives across the screen as the text flies behind it.
I used this again towards the end of the video to create a unique shout out to their city since Snip is only offered in Cleveland. On the slide that explains how their fiber optic connection is better than coaxial, I communicated the infrastructure element of their business by having a line, symbolizing fiber cable, trace the skyline of the city of Cleveland and connect to the word “Fiber.”
An extremely helpful tool was the function Easy Ease in the Keyframe Assistant menu. To explain it easily, it creates a bell curve to your motion. The motion is slower towards the beginning and end and most of the speed is saved for the middle. It gives the motion a really nice flow. There’s also a graphic editor to adjust this further.
Conclusion
I am now looking at motion graphics as a skill to invest in and develop. I really enjoyed this creative process and I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to grow. Just like any other creative discipline, skill is only as good as the story it tells. Interactive storytelling makes any piece of content more compelling. Finding ways to engage with your audience in fresh ways creates a positive impact on returns.
Without further ado, here is the finished project.