Geometric Dance Party
Project Description
A Jazz-influenced shape animation.
Credits
Client: Personal Project
Animation and Design: Jacki Reed
Software: After Effects, Illustrator
Music: “Black Cabaret” by Premiumbeat.com
Goal/Brief
Animate shapes to a musical selection.
Conceptual Development
I began research for the concept by creating a Pinterest Mood board. My musical selection contained a lot of Jazz and brass elements, so I took inspiration from 1940-50s modern art and 1962 James Bond. I took note of trends such as bold color, abstraction, minimalism, and patterns. For example, modern artist, Piet Mondrian, used minimalist shapes to convey a bustling New York City, complete with street grids and moving lights. The musical beats in my selection seemed to depict fast-paced city nightlife. The geometric elements in the James Bond title captured the idea of "the chase" commonly conveyed in jazz rhythms.
Storyboard
I usually plan the motions of my animations through storyboards. Doing a rough sketch on paper allows me to get ideas out quickly. The loose material also allows me to write notes, refine designs, or layout any parenting chains before I hop into a program.
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For this animation, I used multiple points of tension and redirection to convey the constantly active feel of city life. The shapes are rapidly thrown in back and forth, in sync with the energetic music transitions. I create an abstraction of a passing train to emphasize a tonal change.
Style Frames
After finalizing the storyboard, I created some style frames so I could determine the color palette. I chose a mix of cool and warm colors, with a focus on bold tones and contrast.
Key Skills
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Anticipation
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Overshoot
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Graph editor
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Timing vs Spacing
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Squash and stretch
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Audio syncing
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Bounces
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Color theory
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Musical tone
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Geometric shape layers
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Overlap
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Secondary animation
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Positive vs Negative space
Challenges
To maintain tempo, I had to find multiple ways to depict beat changes. I drew inspiration from jazz and how different instruments use entrances and exits to create a melodic push and pull. For example, In one scene, a sequence of the music repeats but is amplified the second time, so I created an abstraction of a passing train using two contrasting shapes. Another example is when the yellow circle is initially hit. By using shape trials, trim paths, and a revolving, flashing background, I created a fun scene that captures the building energy in the music and pushes the focus forward.
Gifs
