Explicit Meaning in Film

Referential Meaning in Film

This is a good intro video on the use of meaning in film. In it I discus Referential Meaning.

How to Draw Concept Art

Concept drawing is great for design, fashion, set design, graphic novels, etc. Here is a system for effective concept art drawing.

Lift Sound From the Net For Sound Effects and Foley Art

Use your creativity to find great sound on the net that you can use for your film and animation

Film Theory 1

Look at the composition of a film as a musician would toward the song he/she is working on.

Troubleshoot Render Problems in After Effects

Are your After Effects renders crashing? Here is how to stop most crashes and make it not that big a deal for the occasional crash.

D.I.Y Markers for Motion Capture

Why spent money on over priced pre-made markers for mocap (motion capture) when you can make them yourself? We are artists aren't we?! Markers for mocap need to be light, bead shapes and a color contrasting to it's surroundings.

The second half of this video covers fitting captured motion the 2D images for animating. Hope this is helpful. If you are doing similar animation please let me know!

How To Track Points That Go Out Of View

For motion capture or complex tracking situations, this is an easy way to track points that frequently become obscured from view. Using After Effects.

Create Vast Scenes in After Effects and Animate

If you want to animate vast scenes in After Effects it can be hard to place the many images involved, and control them. This approach give you control over many (hundreds if you like) randomly placed images to make the work of setting up a scene, much, much easier. Use it to scatter clouds, trees, people, rocks, what ever you need to fill you scenes with.

Looped Moving Background for Car Ride Scene

Learn how to make a looped, moving background like the ones used in animation and cartoon. Good for run and walk scenes, car scenes, moving waves, flying through the clouds and much more.

Easy Blur and Depth of Field Control in After Effect

You can use a Null object to easily control where the camera focuses in After Effects. It's easy to set up with an expression in the depth of field control setting. This tutorial is a good into to camera settings, blur and depth of field.

Setting Up Scenes for Animation in After Effects

To prepare images for animated scenes it's important to translate the movement of the camera into the dimensions of the image. You can use the semi-3D environment of After Effects to enhance your animations.

The Secret of Multiple Track Points in After Effect

You can track as many points in AE's motion tracker as you like. This is very helpful for Motion Capture. Thanks to Meli Alexander for action-acting footage used in this tutorial.

Tips for Motion Tracking in After Effects for Animation

After Effects has a great motion tracking feature. Here are some tips for using it for motion capture for 2D animation.

Create Looped Background Footage

For film artists and VJs This video will show you how to make looped footage for seamless, endless play in your projects.

How to Animate a Dress, Walk Cycle

Cut out in After Effects is pretty simple when animating limbs such as arms and legs but to animate cloth, hair and other deforming masses takes a few extra steps.

Home Mocap for Animation Head Rotate

Us After Effects and one camera for 2D motion capture. This tutorial shows you how to rotate a head following a motion capture.

Face Motion Capture for 2D Intro

This is the most inexpensive, 2D facial mocap solution that I have found. It only requires a video camera or webcam and After Effects. You can do this at home on your PC.

Facial Motion Tracking in After Effects

Facial motion tracking in After Effects can be done!

Attaching Animated Tears to an Animated Face

This shows you how to use the After Effects puppet tool and motion tracking to attach to video files together to add moving tears onto an animated face.

The Basics of Motion Design

The Basics of Motion Design from Rogge & Pott on Vimeo.

This is some great 101 for film and animation planning.


The Basics of Motion Design from Rogge & Pott on Vimeo.

After Effects, Matching Time when Time Remapping

This example is taken from an animation project of a character. The character's body is nested in it's own composition. To get the head to follow the body an expression needs to target not just a null object in the body composition but a null object is the nested composition so that the time remapping will apply.

code: thisComp.layer("nested comp").source.layer("null object in nested comp").transform.position

Motion Tracking for 2D Animation Only Needs One Camera

Here is an overview of motion tracking for animation, 2D. This approach uses After Effects.

Motion tracking for Animation in After Effects Walk-Through

This tutorial offers step by step on motion tracking for animation in After Effects.

Use of 3D to Animate Heads in After Effects

Here is another approach to animating heads for animation in After Effects.

motion track head movement to null 1
make all objects 3D
make new null, position as pivot point, name "rotator"
add expressions to "ratator" X Rotation and Y Rotation
parent layers to "rotator"
arange objects on Z plane


"rotator" X Rotation expression:

0-this Comp.layer(null 1).transform.position[0]


"rotator" Y Rotation expression:

0-thisComp.layer(null 1).transform.position[1]

Animated Head Turn in After Effects

Use After Effects 3D capabilities to created animated head turns.

Cut Out Animation in After Effects

Some tips and advice on how to rig a cut out puppet for animation in After Effects.

3D Animation in After Effects, Interior

3D or 2.5D interior scenes in After Effects can be made by arranging Photoshop images in virtual 3D space. This video shows how.