A good introduction can say a lot about who you are. Whether its an elevator pitch or a physical video introduction, learning to introduce yourself shows confidence and leadership. And this week, I’ve had the pleasure to create my own! Lets go on a journey of creating and making your own video introduction!

Learn to Animate Your Story

Making my own introduction would be difficult, but not impossible. I once again visited Animated Storytelling by Liz Blazer to gain a better understanding of the direction I could take. This week’s focus follows 3 new chapters: Storytelling, Unlocking Your Story, and Storyboarding. Each would teach a valuable lesson on how to structure your animation.

Chapter 2: Storytelling

Of all the chapters, storytelling is one of the best. Blazer shows the reader how to create a story structure. To start, she tells people to lay out their story beats, or the moments that move their story forward. Doesn’t matter how you accomplish it; your goal is to have the best emotional impact.

With these beats, you organize them into the 3 act storytelling structure. Most of the time, it is the following:

1. A character has a problem.
2. The character and others work towards a solution.
3. The character solves the problem.

And no matter what you make, separating content into 3 acts not only provides a timeline of events, but also a structure where you can easily place where your beats go. This is the case with the non-linear structure, too, where you have 3 acts but are told out of order. No matter the elements, having beats and structure allows for an easier way to manage your story​

Chapter 3: Unlocking Your Story

A great story can only go so far. Blazer acknowledges that with a great story, you too must know where you go. She explains that there are two major ways to explore your storytelling abilities: Narrative Exercises and Experimental Forms. I love this chapter too, because no matter which way you go with your story, these two ways help turn your vision into a clear reality.

Firstly, Narrative Exercise focuses on the narrative. So perhaps the conflict changes later on, or there’s a secret only the reader knows, the point is that you are impacting the narrative elements to create some level of plot. The different narrative forms are:

• Clear Conflict, Reveal It Early
• Start Later
• Biggest Secret
• Get Graph-y

Meanwhile, the experimental forms focus on what you can do differently, going on a non-linear path. Experimental forms work best when you have a dream-like, almost abstract outlook on what you want. And there are many elements you can choose to pursue, but Blazer lists some of the following:

• Visual Music
• Pure Poetry
• Repetition/Evolution
• Continuity/Diversity
• Anthology
• Cut It Out and Play

Chapter 4: Storyboarding

A fun yet often tricky step in the process, storyboarding is the next step. This process involves turning your story scenes into physical form. These tend to be drawn on paper. While not the longest chapter, Blazer does talk about how to make your storyboarding exceptional.

For starters, vary your shots responsibly. This means having scenes “shot” or filmed/animated in a variety of ways. Change the size of the shot, use different angles like the rule of thirds, and more. Doing this allows for your scene to be enhanced, but also results in clever/beautiful composition. Secondly, have a sense of continuity. This can include transitions and creating framing elements so that everything is consistently connected.

Lastly, turn your storyboard into a simple animation. Known as Animatics, these are just your storyboard turned into a playable form, so you can see what most audiences would see before filming. Here you can tweak the timing, pacing, and even effects you’d like to add to the story. So while storyboarding may seem like a small step, it does allow the creator to visually see how their story will be shot and what revisions may need to be made to enhance the story.

A Little Here, a Little There, Guys, Motion Graphics are Everywhere

All across the media, motion graphics exist. Whether they are your favorite edits or clever visuals that convey a message, they are effective for what they serve to do. And I wanted some of my favorites to showcase today! So here are some recent ones that do a great job, while only being 15 seconds to a minute long.

Seven: I’m Lost

A simple but motion graphic, I’m Lost by Seven does a great job showing how a short graphic can still be very effective. From the text of “finding my way” next to a compass transitioning into a series of keys on hook with the text “I’m lost” on screen. It’s a clever and smooth graphic of knowing your way (compass) only to be given a series of options with clues but with nowhere to go (keys). 

Y6richo: Darling, I

Motion graphics don’t have to be graphic heavy. Sometimes, text can be the focus. This is the case with Y6richo’s video on the song Darling, I by Tyler the Creator. The use of typography is exceptional! The contrast of big and little text to the limited graphics makes the song lyrics the main aspect of the edit. Plus, the added effects cause the focus to constantly change, giving viewers an easy way to follow along.

Apple: Introducing Airpods Pro 3

One company that has always benefitted from motion graphics is Apple. They have many examples of motion graphic ads. A recent example I found was their ad for the Airpods Pro 3. The video has a nice mix of text and video, using graphics/text to showcase their product. The company also utilizes some 3D animation of their products as well, showing off their product’s fluidity and flexibility. A great ad with a lovely motion graphic.

The Graphic Presents…

My Introduction! And genuinely, I enjoyed the process of creating it. For starters, using After Effects was a very different change. While Photoshop and Animate do well for their set skills, After Effects just overall is the king of editing. The content you can add, edit, and make is very fun to explore!

I also learned a lot to make this project happen! I learned to edit audio, mask, and utilize certain effects to make the edit have a nice mix of fun and entertaining content. If I give any advice, take your time making an introduction. Rushing only resulted in work I wasn’t proud of. If you’d like, please watch the introduction! But either way, thank you for following me on this journey!