Daily Animation
Day 2: ScarfHatGlassesMask. Music "Optimistic Upbeat_Short Version" by MusicalWave.
The last week of the year I am making one animation per day in the attempt to absorb After Effects tools and processes. Day 1 (below) I created a milkweed animation which was very subtle. Day 2 (above) is a more narrative animation, with music, which depicts the conundrum of layering in the winter, during Covid-19.
Day 1: Milkweed.
On the third day I found inspiration in the archives of the New York Public library, my own family history, and the book, "The City We Became" by N. K. Jemisin, one of my favorite books of the year.
I used an image of a workroom from some time in the 1920s or 1930s, from 23rd Street in Manhattan. I realized that around that time, my grandmother was a dressmaker in New York, possibly working in the Garment District.
I used an image of a workroom from some time in the 1920s or 1930s, from 23rd Street in Manhattan. I realized that around that time, my grandmother was a dressmaker in New York, possibly working in the Garment District.
The windows were what attracted me to the image: I wanted to make a layer of what was happening outside. I found these anemone on Canva. This reminded me of Jemisin's book, and the nebulous and menacing white tendrils that try to invade the city. In the book, people can push back against the tendrils through genuine human connection, personal creativity, and embracing the funky uniqueness of the city, over a polished and sanitized version.
So the animation: A woman creates a brilliantly colorful dress, which pushes the tendrils away through her handiwork.
So the animation: A woman creates a brilliantly colorful dress, which pushes the tendrils away through her handiwork.
Last note -- I had only 2 hours to work on this today, and am quite happy with the results.
Photo credit: Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy, The New York Public Library. "First Avenue - East 27th Street" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1887 - 1964. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e2-eed7-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Day 3: The Dressmaker
On Thursday (New Year's Eve), I animated with text, and learned more about lighting and some render effects. With more time I would do more motion in the actual letters. This was a fun project for embracing my word for 2021: LIVE.
My final official day of my personal animation camp is also New Year's Day. Happy 2021! So I created a simple animation to celebrate the new year. I did more with light and movement of layers, and tried for more subtlety. I felt like this design set out to do what I envisioned more than any other I've done so far. It's been a great week of learning new techniques, and I plan to continue to explore animation in After Effects.
