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teaching motion graphics in 2007
Hello all
I’m slated to teach a motion graphics course this Fall
and I’m looking to get an opinion on somethingright now After Effects is the defacto standard in the industry (for obvious reasons in terms of integration with other adobe products) but I have always felt that combustion was a better product Apple’s motion has come into it’s own (at least on paper) with the release of version 3, I have worked with version 2, I have the entire fc studio installed on my machine but have only worked with fcp6 to date
my question /concern is this
with an eye to the future what do those of you out there currently teaching think is the best way to proceed with regards to teaching students and getting them prepared to find a palce in the working world of motion graphics
I’m torn becasue I realize that most content providers/creators have a seat or two of after effects but apple is right there now with motion 3 which does z-depth and particles and has photoshop integration as well
My cocnern as an educator is that while we cannot constantly be on the bleeding edge of technology I feel a bit of responsibility to at least direct my students in the direcgtion that the industry is headed in so that they at least have an idea of what is/ or will be expected of themMy intial idea is to teach the basic concepts (time lines, z-depth, particles and emitters and understanding layers) for the first few weeks and then looking at after effects and motion and possibly combustion
any suggestions or ideas would be greatly apprciated
I hope that all of you enjoy the last weeks of the summer break before we all begin again
take care and best of luck to each of you!
thanks in advance for any helpTodd George
Instructional Media Services
John Carroll University
University Heights, OH 44118 -
1 Reply
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I work in visual effects and finishing, so am a bit biased about which software to use…but believe me, your students will get more out of class if you focus on teaching them concepts and practices rather than “flavor of the month” software. Not saying motion or AE or combustion will become flavor of the month, but you can learn a software package from anyone; your students will rely on you to teach them HOW to make good graphics/ titles / imagery; the tools will change (I’ve had to learn 3 packages in the past 2 years!) but the art and concepts will be forever.
To answer your question, I am partial to AE for motion graphics / logos, Combustion for keying and roto, Shake or Fusion for heavy compositing. That’s my 2 cents, because we use it here everyday for everything from features like Die Hard to commercials for Volkswagen. If I had to focus on one, AE is easily the most marketable, although Combustion is highly specialized and therefore has a built in employer-base. Good luck!
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