Reverse After Effects

Rather than make my animation in reverse, I can make it as normal, then add in a Time- Reverse Layer over the top of it. This will cause my animation to play in reverse, and I believe that this will help me achieve the affect I am looking for to a more believable standard, rather than trying to guess how it would animate from finish to start.

Root Research

I have come to the decision that I will base my motion graphic around plants roots, and how they grow from a single seed, much like this video shows.

However, I may have my animation start from the end, and work backwards; starting from the roots, and ending at the seed. I plan to have the roots work around the 3D space, and I plan to use the camera to rotate around the space. I will use textures for the 3D space, to give it an authentic underground feel, but I may just use vectors for the roots, as I don't want to go for a completely photorealistic look.

3D Movement Test

This is a test of moving the 3D layers that I have created in After Effects. I like this feature of the programme, as it allows me to move my workspace, as well as the actual animation. This is something that I cannot do with a 2D layer.

I have gained a larger knowledge as to how the 3D aspect works, and I believe that it will work well in my final piece.

2D on 3D Test

This is a quick test on using 3D in a 2D environment. This was mainly just to try out something like this, as I have never attempted it before. It is a fairly simple process, but of course I would like my motion graphic to be more polished than this, and not go inside the object when it doesn't need to.

Motion Graphic Theme

As I would like my motion graphic to be based around a 3D environment, I would like my theme to be something that I could easily implement in one. The things I am focusing on mostly is that my animation will flow nicely, with no abrupt pauses, and that the graphic will spread throughout the environment that will be working in. Thinking about it this way, a theme that could work would be water, or something, flowing throughout the environment, or the spreading of a bacteria or disease, and how it will effect the environment.

However, in the case of using something like the latter idea, I will try to exaggerate it as best as I can, to make something that isn't realistic, but retains the same idea. For this I could shift my research into a more medicinal area, and study the movements and patterns from medical videos, and implement this into my motion graphic. I would stick with making it realistic, but I would like my motion graphic to be able to appeal to most people, not just people who are interested in medicine, and to do this I will back away from the realistic aspect of it.

That being said, I may drift from this idea if anything else comes to mind, but at least I have the basic idea as to what sort of things I want my motion graphic to feature.

MUTO- by Blu

Even though this is not digital, it is quite similar to what I want to achieve; more specifically the fact that it uses 2D to go around a 3D environment. I find this effect quite appealing, and believe it draws the user into the piece, allowing them to become more involved in it. Of course, I won’t be able to do my work with paint on real buildings, but using the 3D layers tool in After Effects I can simulate a 3D environment in which I can work around.

However, I don’t want the 3D aspect of my motion graphic to be the main feature, but rather a three dimensional canvas upon which I can work.

MUTO- by Blu

3D Test

This is a short animation I made in After Effects testing out the 3D Layers and camera tool. As I want to incorporate some 3D like this in my motion graphic, I decided to get used to how the camera tools work, and how to get it to zoom, as well as pan around, an object. Now that I have a larger knowledge to how the tool works, I can incorporate it into my final piece.

I believe that working in 3D adds some depth to the piece, and allows the viewer to become more involved in the work. Also, it allows me a larger area to work within, as I am now not restricted to solely work in one, single, plane.

However, I will not just work entirely in 3D, as I want the majority of my animation to be in flat layers, but working around 3D environments. I may have my animation work around the 3D object/s in my motion graphic, similar to some graphics were a graphic is running along the sides of a building, and along the floor.