Motion Graphics Returns 2 April 2024

Our next Motion Graphics 12 Week Evening Course returns on 2 April 2024.  The course is taught by experienced industry professionals, and aims to prepare students for careers in the motion graphic and motion design industries.

The market for skilled motion designers has never been bigger, and London is host to the world’s largest motion design community.   To find out more, visit the official course page here.

Motion Graphics Demo Reel

What is Motion Graphics?

Motion Graphics at Escape Studios

Industries as diverse as broadcast, games, web, advertising and UX/UI all use some form of motion design to communicate with their audiences.  

Motion design is a rapidly-evolving discipline that combines animation and design principles to create compelling moving image content.  This course introduces students to the theory and practice of creating motion graphics.

Meet Your Tutors

Adam Bennett

Adam Bennett 

Adam Bennett is a London-based digital artist with over 15 years experience working in the motion graphics industry, creating work for clients such as Paramount, HSBC, BT, Sony, Sky, Universal, Conde Nast, Warner Brothers, VISA and ITV. 

Adam started his career working in DVD menu design, winning BVA awards for best menu design in 2009 and 2010 for Son of Rambo and Monty Python: Almost the Truth, before working his way up to Head of Design and overseeing a team of designers.

To read more about Adam and his work, see this blog post.

Edmund Brown

Ed Brown

Edmund "Ed" Brown is a freelance CG Generalist and Motion Designer working in broadcast and entertainment visuals. Over the past decade he has made the switch from being a 2D Character Animator to a diehard 3D Generalist, learning Cinema 4D and working with a diverse list of clients around the world. 

Recent projects include Concept/background art for The Lehman Trilogy,  and rigging puppets for the Take That 2019 Tour.

To read more about Ed and his work, see this blog post.

Software

Software includes Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Maxon Cinema 4D and Redshift. 

Course Content

Module 1 - Motion Graphics Basics

Week 1 - Introduction to Motion Graphics

History of motion graphics from experimental animation through to moving design communication.

• Motion history, theory and implementation 
• Fundamental After Effects workflow 
• Name animation 
• Colour theory 
• Basic shape animation 
• Letter animation 
• 3D layers and cameras 
• Alpha and Luma Mattes
• 12 Principles of Animation 
• Introduction to expressions 
• Editing
• Introduction to animation principles  
• Animation styles 
• Keyframing

Week 2 – 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 own motion design pieces. 

• Storyboarding for Motion 
• Text Animation 
• Kinetic Typography  

Week 3 - Organic Animation  

Learn to make work that looks less computer-made and more handmade as we explore a variety of techniques to give animations more character and vibe. 

• After Effects – cel animation styles, cut-out style, hand-drawn line art animation, liquid effects
• Keying/ Rotoscoping   

Week 4 - Cel animation

Learn how to film or draw reference to create an animation which combines computer made graphics and hand drawn, frame by frame elements.

• Onion skin animation using Photoshop 
• Cel Animation in After Effects  

Module 2 - Motion Graphics Intermediate 

Week 5 - MoGraph 101

A mix of different techniques most "mographers" will be required to be familiar with. 

• After Effects camera tracking
• Introduction to compositing techniques
• Isometric animation
• Exploring expressions

Week 6 - Character animation in AE

Learn how to design and animate characters using the DUIK plugin in After Effects.

• Design and animate characters
• Introduction to the DUIK plugin in After Effects

Week 7 - Introduction to Cinema 4D and animation in Cinema 4D

Core skills – software usage, animation timing, shot composition, generating appeal in motion design   

Week 8 - CG basics   

Core skills focus on material building, modelling, as well as initial response and ideation to brief. 

• Lighting 101 
• Materials 101 
• Modelling 101 
• Modelling 102 

Module 3 - Motion Graphics Advanced

Week 9 - The motion graphics system in Cinema 4D
Learn how to duplicate objects with cloners, arrange objects with effectors, control the effectors with fields, and how to control animation with fields. 

• Cloners
• Effectors
• Fields

Week 10 - Redshift Week

Learn how Redshift differs from Cinema 4D's native renderer, how to convert scenes into Redshift scenes, how to set up materials. 

• Lighting 102
• Materials 102
• Redshift Render Settings

Week 11 - Compositing and image finishing
Learn how to polish shots in After Effects, using native tools to colour correct, enhance and beautify shots. 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. 

• Compositing theory and technique
• Exporting Animation from Cinema 4D to After Effects
• Compositing Cinema 4D render passes in After Effects
• Compositing 3D into footage
• Exporting 3D on alpha from 3D

Week 12 - Feedback & finesse
Invaluable 3rd party feedback from industry professionals and support to create the foundations of your showreel.

Industry Partners

Industry Partners

Industry partners influence everything we do, from the curriculum we teach and how it's delivered to our webinars and events.  We work alongside VFX, Games and Animation studios including Industrial Light & Magic, Framestore, Blue Zoo, MPC, Jellyfish Pictures, PlayStation London Studio and Creative Assembly.

Careers in Motion Graphics
The market for skilled motion designers has never been bigger, and London is host to the world’s largest motion design community. Industries as diverse as broadcast, games, web, advertising and UX/UI all use some form of motion design to communicate with their audiences. With the skills to be gained from taking this course, you will be well-equipped to start your motion design careers, and have a strong showreel to get you a foot in the door.

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link. To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here. For the next 12 week animation course, click here.