“Motion Graphics” is both self-explanatory and difficult to define. Also called “Motion Media” or “Motion Design,” the field exists at the intersection of graphic design and filmmaking, and most artists approach it by way of one or the other. As someone who came from graphic design, I’ll never forget the first time I saw an image I created come to life with sound and movement. For those with a background in video production, the excitement often comes from telling a story that wasn’t captured with a camera.
Our program requires all Media Arts students, both filmmakers and designers, to take the course MDA 354 Motion Graphics. We offered the course for the first time this spring, and we are pleased to report that our students are rising to the challenge.
For their first class project, students learn foundational animation tools in Adobe After Effects, the long-standing industry standard for motion graphics. They apply these skills collaboratively through a visual music project, the concept of which dates back to color organs in the 18th century and continued to be developed during the early days of film and animation (for examples, see Oskar Fischinger's work from the 1920s-30s). Today, that tradition continues through companies like Ion Concert Media, a Minnesota-based start-up that enables precise synchronization of film and animation to live musical performances—all without the dreaded click track (if you know, you know).
I met Scott Winters, the founder of Ion Concert Media, back in 2015 when we were collaborating on a visual music showcase for the international Speechless Film Festival. Since then, he and I have found many ways to engage students in the creation of visual music, and this class project is my favorite. Though students and I have primarily worked with orchestral scores in the past, this year Scott asked about a new market for Ion—cover bands. I was interested in this idea, as it presented new creative possibilities and a little more overlap with contemporary concert graphics. Scott gave us a few beloved song options from his list of top-covered songs, and after a contentious vote, the class decided on California Dreamin’ by The Mamas and the Papas (1965).
Practically speaking, the song was divided into 9 segments—one for each student. The segments were then stitched together, and I did some refining for unity and colored the piece based on their direction. Overall, the students did a great job capturing the essence of the music and the time period. Scott was happy with the colorful, retro vibe and eager to accept it into his content library. Every time the piece is sold for performance, the Media Arts program will receive a royalty.
I’ll end this by congratulating and crediting the following student animators for their work: Joao Boente, Amber Franson, Katie Hauschild, Allie Johnson, Gavin Leuthold, Omar Navarro, Andrew Sappia, Coda Turner, and Sam Williams. Awesome job, y’all! It is uncommon for students to be introduced to the world of motion graphics with a client project…and you knocked it out of the park. I’m excited for the piece to find a screening audience through Ion’s content library, and even more excited to share it with our campus during the Allen Film Fest coming this April 24!
