School of Motion Podcast

We've all been there… You're working on a project in After Effects and BAM, brick wall. After Effects just doesn't have the feature that you need. It's times like this that we all turn to places like aescripts + aeplugins, and to the real MoGraph heros, the plugin and script developers. They create the tools that we Motion Designers need to get our jobs done, or maybe just make our lives easier. If you've ever used an AE plugin, script, or expression you're going to want to check out this interview with Zack Lovatt. You might not know him by name, but you probably know some of the tools that he's worked on, like Flow and Explode Shape Layers. In this episode of our Podcast Joey gets the inside scoop on what it's like to be a plugin developer for After Effects. They talk about everything you could want to know about becoming a developer, from how to get started to how much you can make (hint; it's more than just beer money), and even what the future of developing tools for After Effects might look like. Check out this episode on our site: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/how-much-do-after-effects- script-developers-make-a-chat-with-zack-lovatt

Nuke is the better tool... ...for compositing. After Effects is king in many areas (like animation) that are important to us Motion Designers, but Nuke is a far more powerful tool for compositing things like VFX and 3D passes. Now, as a Motion Designer you might think that knowing compositing is a waste of your time, but if you've hung around School of Motion long enough you know that compositing is a super important skill that every MoGrapher should know at least a little bit of. Not only will you be able to land more jobs, you'll also be able to think like a compositor which is a very valuable skill to have in your arsenal. Compositing Pro-Tips from a Master. In this episode of our Podcast Joey is going to pick the brain of Hugo Guerra, who is an absolute compositing genius. Hugo is so good at what he does that he ran the entire Nuke division at The Mill in London. He also has a YouTube channel called Hugo's Desk where he shows you how to composite like a pro. Hugo drops a TON of knowledge bombs in this one and by the end of it you'll be itching to dive deep into the compositing world, and maybe even learn some Nuke yourself. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/smoke-without-fire-compositing-pro-tips-hugo-guerra/

There is a TON of MoGraph work out there. If you're only checking it out at places like Motionographer (who we love very dearly), you're only seeing the tip of a massive MoGraph iceberg. Our goal here at School of Motion is to expose you to as many sides of the industry as possible, not just the work that big MoGraph studios are putting out. Let's talk Television…. In this podcast episode Joey talks to the very funny and extremely passionate husband and wife duo, Joke and Biagio. They run Joke Productions, a small studio that does unscripted TV programs, which is a very broad genre of film that covers everything from reality TV shows like Jersey Shore to documentaries. Over the years these two have worked on all manner of unscripted film for networks like MTV, Oxygen, NBC, CNN, and many more. With all of that experience they give us a ton of insight into the process of producing unscripted television. They also have some very solid, actionable advice that you can use right away to break into the TV production word; from getting booked doing MoGraph for TV shows to designing with a kit mentality. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/going-unscripted-world-producing-reality-tv/

When it comes to location L.A. is undoubtedly the best place for a motion designer to network and thrive, but that's not to say that studios in other parts of the country are doing less-cool work. One great example is the team at Digital Kitchen. For years Digital Kitchen has been churning out incredible work and they just added one of the best MoGraph creative directors, Ryan Summers, to their team. Ryan's passions and hard-work have led him to work on projects for Guillermo Del Toro, Starbucks, and National Geographic, among many other incredibly cool clients. In this podcast episode Joey sat down with Ryan to discuss how he rose to the top of the MoGraph world. Ryan takes us on a journey from his upbringing in South Chicago, to his freelance career in L.A., to his homecoming at Digital Kitchen. This episode is packed full of helpful info and tips for freelancers and aspiring motion designers. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/do-creative-directors-actually- create-anything-with-ryan-summers/

As a motion designer NAB isn't just a conference, it's really a rite of passage. With over 100,000 attendees there is no bigger platform to network with people from around the industry. It's an insanely huge event, and if you've never been to it you're going to want to listen to this Podcast. In this episode Amy, Joey, and Caleb talk all things NAB and Vegas giving you all the tips and tricks you need to know to make it through Vegas (mostly) unscathed. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/nab-2017-motion-design/

Think back to the last time you cut a reel... It probably went something like this. You sat in front of the computer, picked out that perfect track of music, found all of your projects, brought them into After Effects, and then you had to make a TON of decisions.... What shot do I chose? When do I cut? Is there a better shot for this? Did I cut that too soon? What beat of the music do I cut on? Is that shot too long? Does that shot look good next to that other one? Is that shot too slow? There's no expression or plugin to help you cut a good reel. You need to learn how to... Think like an Editor. We've got a new Podcast episode ready for your ears featuring Mike Radtke, the Editor Extraordinaire from Digital Kitchen. This time Joey plays devils advocate to really dig into why we need editors in our industry, why MoGraphers don't do both jobs, and what a MoGrapher can learn from the editing world to get better at their own craft. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/why-do-we-need-editors/

Our Podcast has always been interviews, but in this episode we're going to shake things up. This time Joey will be flying solo, giving you his most tactical, actionable Freelance tips that you can start using right now. Some of these tips are from our course, Freelance U, and others are from our first book, The Freelance Manifesto, which you can look forward to adding to your summer reading list in June of 2017. Whether you're a veteran or just starting out by the end of this episode you'll be a more confident freelancer. You will get Joey's best tips on finding Freelance work, impressing your clients, and getting paid to do the work that you love. Keep a notepad handy, you'll want to write these down. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/better-freelancer-right-now/

If you don't already know who Chris Do is, you need to. He is the CEO of Blind, a studio which he founded 21 years ago that's still going strong today. He's also the creator of The Futur where he teaches MoGraphers like you how to be a creative entrepreneur. He has a TON of experience in the creative industry, and he's more than happy to share his wisdom with you. Our Industry is changing in big ways. Joey and Chris tackle some hard truths about the future of our industry, including why right now might not be the best time to start a studio. They also give you step by step instructions on how to land killer freelance gigs, and even tell you how to get hired at Blind. This interview is PACKED full of tactical, actionable advice that you can use right away.

Imagine a world without After Effects. Every time you sit down in front of the computer to animate you have to write code. Not just a few lines like you do with most expressions; hundreds of lines with variables, if-then statements, pixel dimensions, and crazy math formulas for your eases. This nightmarish way of animating has been, until very recently, the sad reality for app developers. Airbnb has a new way of animating. Lottie, a new open-source tool, is a game changer for App developers and the Motion Designers that work with them. It takes your animation from After Effects (with a little help from Bodymovin') and spits out all the code you need, ready for use on a variety of platforms. In this interview Joey talks to Salih Abdul-Kareem and Brandon Withrow of Airbnb. They dig into all the details of how Lottie works, why it's needed, and the role of Motion Design at a company like Airbnb. Check out the show notes: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/after-effects-to-code-lottie/

Producers do more than budgets. They are the conductors of the MoGraph orchestra... they do the dirty work so the artists can give total focus to their craft. They have to master the art of telling clients "no" without saying "no," they have to read the tea-leaves when it comes to budgeting and scheduling. And, of course, they are often the gatekeepers to getting booked as a freelancer. Our guest today makes Producing look easy. In this podcast episode, Joey talks with Erica Hilbert, Producer Extraordinaire at The Mill in Chicago. She knows all about the art of wrangling a project; keeping everything on schedule and under-budget. This interview is a real eye opener for any artist who has never stopped to think about the importance of the Producer and what our lives would be like without them. Dont forget to check out the show notes! http://www.schoolofmotion.com/the-conductor-producer-erica-hilbert-mill/