It is incredibly difficult to know where our industry is headed—almost as challenging as defining "motion design" itself. Where is animation or experiential or VR/AR going over the next five years—or even the next five months? Then there are the tools we use everyday, and the ones on our list to learn. Does anyone have the answers? We asked some industry experts to sit down and think about the future...and the results were inspiring. Check out this sneak peek from our brand new course, Level Up!...
Sep 23, 2020•53 min•Ep. 101
In the wild early days of the Internet, Motion Design was a much smaller community. Unless you had proper training, it was easy to feel overwhelmed by the learning curve. With many people struggling to get their careers off the ground, one person decided to be their copilot. Andrew Kramer is synonymous with Motion Design. As an artist, a teacher, and a friendly cohort, Andrew inspired countless people to join this community. For the 100th episode of our podcast, we are incredibly proud to share ...
Sep 09, 2020•1 hr 54 min•Ep. 100
Motion design can be used for a number of purposes. It can be an advertisement, a stunning piece of art, or even a moving message. Kentucky-based studio The Furrow partnered with some of the top artists in the industry to collaborate on a powerful project, providing information and insight into a changed world following COVID-19. We joined Creative Director Seth Eckert to talk about his journey into motion design, what it’s like to collaborate with other artists, and tips to succeed in an evolvi...
Aug 26, 2020•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 99
One the of the hardest parts of freelancing is managing your risk. Lucky for Colin Hesterly, he's never been afraid of taking a chance. Whether it's crossing the country for a degree, landing an internship with Buck off a student film, or jumping headfirst into freelancing only three months into his career...Colin is ready to take the plunge. We finally managed to lock him down long enough to extract some golden nuggets of advice, so crank that volume and break out a pen and paper. Class is in s...
Aug 12, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 98
No one arrives in this industry ready to jump straight into freelancing. You don't instantly get the skills just because you downloaded the software. Nuria Boj put in the hard work—and the homework—to find and define her strengths as a designer/illustrator. Along the way, she's worked with some incredible studios and clients...including on a project near and dear to our hearts. Get ready to meet one fantastic artist.
Jul 29, 2020•48 min•Ep. 97
What if you had an amazing idea for an animated series, but had no idea where to start? That's where Matthew Senreich and Seth Green began, chasing a funny idea across Hollywood to bring their dream to life. The end result, after 15 years and going on 200 episodes, was the legendary Robot Chicken. We sat down with Matthew to talk about his start with Wizard Entertainment, running rampant over pop culture, and his plan to dominate future. Don't miss this one!
Jul 15, 2020•30 min•Ep. 96
Imagine setting out into the world as an artist, traveling from country to country, with each step in your career taking you further from home. Motion Designer Jiaqi Wang began her journey in China, but she's practiced her craft from Shanghai to Turin, Italy, to sunny Los Angeles, California. Still, she's only looking toward the future, and what tomorrow might bring.
Jul 01, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 95
At some point, every artist struggles to find their voice—that unique style that makes everything they do specifically theirs. We often talk about the structure of animation, or the foundational elements of motion design, but all of that is just the groundwork for your art. To learn more, we sat down director Cat Solen to learn how she found her voice in her new Adult Swim show, "The Shivering Truth."
Jun 17, 2020•46 min•Ep. 94
Adult Swim is known for shows that push the envelope for both what you can show on TV, and how you bring your stories to life. "JJ Villard's Fairy Tales" is a twisted and hilarious take on the Grimm Brothers' famous works. In this episode, JJ joins us to discuss the incredible show, overcoming numerous setbacks, and what it was like to work with the cast of his dreams. If you're hoping for a creative career, don't miss this one!
Jun 03, 2020•28 min•Ep. 93
Territory Studio has become one of the biggest players in the game when it comes to FUI work with huge feature films like Avengers-End Game and Guardians of The Galaxy under their belt. Lately, they have seen ventures into Experimental and Future Design by creating the UI for the cars of the future. In this episode, Co-Founder and Creative Director Marti Romances explains how the right mindset and smart business decisions can pave the way to success.
May 20, 2020•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 92
Youtube has become an incubator for content that blurs the lines between VFX studio and hobbyists with contributors creating some pretty impressive stuff with consumer gear. Daniel Hashimoto; AKA "Hashi" AKA "Action Movie Dad" has shown us what ingenuity, technical chops and a couple of cute kids can do with budget filmmaking. Oh, did we mention that Hashi happens to be Senior Content Creator at Red Giant Software?
May 06, 2020•42 min•Ep. 90
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" Director Kris Pearn joins us to discuss his new Netflix Original Movie, “The Willoughbys,” how they achieved such a unique visual style, and what it’s like inventing new worlds. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/animated-feature-film-director-kris-pearn
Apr 22, 2020•50 min•Ep. 90
Studio ownership is unforgiving when you consider the great effort it takes to get one up and running, never mind operating for a long period of time. Block & Tackle is one of the very few studios that have existed since the pioneer days of Motion Design, and they are still thriving. Owners Adam Gault and Ted Kotsaftis join us on this episode and talk about how they have maintained their sharp edge in the industry while producing an expansive collection of different looks and styles.
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 89
When you see slick, cutting edge digital design being used by big brands, your brain probably conjures up images of a bustling studio in a big city like New York or LA where the cost of living is astronomical and your lifestyle is limited to your surroundings. What if we told you that that same cutting edge design was being created in small-town America where living cost is palatable and there are more opportunities for you to have the life you want. Barton Damer, owner and Creative Director at ...
Mar 25, 2020•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 88
Can you imagine being so good at imagining and creating FUI that Marvel comes to you to create it for their feature films like Iron Man 2 and Black Panther? What about taking it a step further and being so good that real-world companies come to you to for consulting on products that don't even exist yet? In this episode, Chief Creative Director John LePore talks about how Perception Studios is doing just that.
Mar 11, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 87
Do you have a favorite plugin that you can't live without? Have you ever thought about who the person was that created that plugin that has saved you countless hours of work? This special episode of the School of Motion Podcast has been pulled from our Expression Session vault. It features instructors Zack Lovatt and Nol Honig interviewing Adam Plouff who you may know as the mad genius behind Battleaxe; which, may we add, is responsible for the massively popular and useful plugins Rubberhose and...
Feb 26, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 86
Starting a motion design career is hard and leaves you with a lot of questions. There are so many hurdles that new artists stumble into; it can feel like there is no clear path forward. Joe Donaldson joins us on the podcast and breaks down how he balances work and life, all while riding a wave of continual success.
Feb 12, 2020•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 85
Today's podcast is pulled directly from VFX for Motion, hosted by course instructor and Stu's former colleague, Mark Christiansen. When it comes to pulling knowledge directly from the source, this podcast is the holy grail. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/stu-maschwitz-interview
Jan 29, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 84
James Ramirez joins Joey in a one-on-one nostalgic trip back to the early 2000s. From a small Texas town to Los Angeles, James unpacks his career between his time at the legendary MK12 Studio to directing the Spider-verse titles and much more.
Jan 09, 2020•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 83
It was a heck of a year for the MoGraph industry, and for School of Motion. SOM's 2019 Motion Design Industry Survey revealed greater participation, enthusiasm, opportunity and income than ever before; and SOM's business, course curriculum, core team, enrollment and online reach and engagement grew at exceptional rates. Not to mention SOM's rebrand with Chris Do and The Futur, the brand manifesto video with JR Canest and Ordinary Folk, and the completely redesigned website coming soon. On the 20...
Dec 31, 2019•4 hr 21 min•Ep. 82
Allen Laseter Talks Productivity, Passion Projects, People Management, Motion Design, Direction, and Developing Your Own Style Nashville-based animator, illustrator and director Allen Laseter didn't 'study' motion design; the famed creative, known for his bold, striking scenes and uniquely stylized characters, transitioned from live action with trial and error and online tutorials. One day, after graduating with a BFA in Film, he was offered an animation project from a friend of a friend — and t...
Dec 11, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 81
Nov 27, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 80
Some of the coolest work in the industry blurs the line between motion design and visual effects. School of Motion's VFX for Motion course teaches you to move in and out of these worlds with ease. On Episode 79 of the SOM Podcast, we go behind the scenes of VFX for Motion, discussing in depth what went into the course's creation with the creator himself, Mark Christiansen. The developer of the After Effects Studio Techniques series of books that helped launch a generation of visual effects artis...
Nov 13, 2019•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 79
Will Johnson, creative innovator, co-founder, director and partner of industry-leading motion design studio Gentleman Scholar speaks with School of Motion founder, CEO and Podcast host Joey Korenman about the importance of passion and work ethic; the naming, creation, development, key differentiators and success of Gentleman Scholar; and much more.
Oct 30, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 78
Liz Blazer was a successful fine artist, but the fine art world wasn't for her. She chose to blaze her own path, telling stories through animation — like Ozzy Osbourne fighting Elton John to the death. Now a famed filmmaker, art director, designer and animator, Liz has worked as development artist for Disney, director for Cartoon Network, special effects designer for MTV, and art director for Sesame Street in Israel. Her award-winning animated documentary Backseat Bingo was shown at 180 film fes...
Oct 16, 2019•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 77
Haitian American multidisciplinary artist and animator Handel Eugene personifies the very best of the superheroes he's maneuvered on behalf of Marvel films: like Black Panther, Handel is a master of advanced technologies; and, like Spiderman, he has that "Spidey sense" — for what works and what doesn't. On episode 76 of the School of Motion Podcast Handel talks about how his tireless work ethic and precise work flow have enabled him to succeed in the increasingly competitive motion design indust...
Oct 02, 2019•2 hr 15 min•Ep. 76
To commemorate the 75th episode of the world's number-one motion design podcast, we speak with none other than Bradley G. Munkowitz, popularly known as GMUNK, a prolific Berkley-based director, designer and artist who's worked not only in motion design and animation, but also in graphic design, UI/UX, experiential design, live action direction, installation art, robotics, projection mapping, LED, and more. In his conversation with our podcast host (and founder and CEO) Joey Korenman, the genius ...
Sep 25, 2019•1 hr 53 min•Ep. 75
Ryan Honey of premier motion design studio Buck talks landing a motion design job, creativity and collaboration in the workplace, and more. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/studio-ascended-buck-cofounder-ryan-honey-som-podcast
Sep 04, 2019•1 hr 44 min•Ep. 74
Portland-based art director, illustrator and designer Sarah Beth Morgan discusses her new SOM course, Illustration for Motion https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/podcast-illustration-for-motion-course-sarah-beth-morgan
Aug 28, 2019•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 73
An Illustration for Motion exclusive podcast made public featuring Illustrator and Director Tuna Bora. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/tuna-bora-podcast-interview
Aug 14, 2019•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 72
