Kinetic Typography as a Core Motion Graphics Technique Animation Av2

AV2 Assignment

Brief

You are asked to create a unique piece of motion graphics for one of the following:

• New/Existing/Fictitious Product Advertisement
• eLearning/How-to Explanation Video 
• Interview (famous/interesting person)
• Movie Scene
• Any dialogue-based extract

Your animation must incorporate kinetic typography as a core motion graphics technique, ensuring that text dynamically responds to audio cues and enhances the narrative. Text should not remain static; instead, it must be animated in a way that supports the flow, tone, and key moments of the dialogue or narration.

You may choose to use some of the methods covered throughout the module or adopt new approaches that better suit your idea. However, animated text (kinetic typography) must be a key compositional element used to visually reinforce spoken words, instructions, or promotional messaging.

This assignment is worth 100% of your overall marks for this module and is divided into the following five parts to help with time management:

• R&D Document (60%)
• Video Animation (30%)
• Presentation (10%)

Storyboard

Rather than designing ‘on the fly,’ you should sketch out a rough storyboard so that you know the sequence of events in your animation. If your project includes spoken dialogue, your storyboard must indicate how text will be animated to highlight key words, phrases, or moments.

Script

To ensure a well-structured animation, you must submit a written script for your chosen audio/dialogue. Your script should include:

• Spoken dialogue or narration, formatted clearly.
• Timing cues indicating when key phrases or words should appear on screen.
• Notes on kinetic typography, specifying how and when text will animate to enhance the spoken content.

Final Animation

• Use your storyboard as a guide and apply kinetic typography techniques to reinforce dialogue, narration, or key messages.
• Ensure animated text is responsive to the timing and rhythm of the audio, enhancing clarity, emotion, and engagement.

Workshop 1: Animate the Inanimate

Objective

Animate an inanimate object or object that isn’t normally alive, infusing it with personality, movement, and emotion.

Brief

In this workshop, you’ll animate an everyday object (like a pencil, cup, shoe, etc.) and bring it to life by giving it personality through movement. You’ll need to consider the object’s purpose, its environment, and how it would behave if it were alive. The goal is to create a believable animation that reflects the essence of the object, whether it’s playful, quirky, dramatic, or even emotional.

Instructions

Choose an Object:

• Select an inanimate object (e.g., an umbrella, coffee cup, pen, sock, etc.).
• Think about the object’s behaviour and characteristics. What would it do if it were alive? Is it clumsy, graceful, shy, or energetic? How can you exaggerate its movement to reflect its personality?

Plan Your Animation:

• Sketch out a storyboard or rough plan of your animation.
• Decide what actions your object will take (e.g., bouncing, rolling, spinning, reacting to external forces).
• Think about the timing and rhythm of your animation. How does the object respond to motion? How does it start, move, and stop?

Animate in After Effects:

• Use basic animation techniques like keyframing, easing, and motion paths.
• Focus on making the object’s movements feel natural (or exaggerated in an intentional way).
• Experiment with scale, rotation, opacity, and path animation to bring your object to life.

Enhance the Animation:

• Consider adding sound to complement the object’s movements (e.g., a squeak when a toy moves, or the sound of footsteps for shoes).
• Optional: Add background elements to provide context for your object (like a room or environment).

Workshop 2: The Power of Pause

Objective

Use pauses and stillness in your animation to enhance the emotional impact and rhythm of the scene.

Brief

In this workshop, you will animate a short scene or object that relies on pauses, timing, and deliberate stillness to create an emotional effect. A pause doesn’t mean inaction - it can build suspense, create emphasis, or allow the audience to feel the weight of a moment. You’ll experiment with different types of pauses to control the pacing of your animation.

Instructions

Choose Your Scene or Object: Think about an object or character that can take action but requires a pause to emphasise the moment (e.g., a character preparing for something, an object in mid-air before it lands, or a dramatic scene where silence adds weight).

Storyboard Your Animation: Plan the key moments of action and identify where pauses would be most effective. o Think about the emotional or narrative impact of each pause. What emotion do you want to evoke during the pause? Does it build tension, suspense, or highlight a dramatic reveal?

Animate with Pauses: Use After Effects to animate your scene, focusing on timing. Set keyframes and use the Graph Editor to control the pacing and timing of the pauses.

Workshop 3: Kinetic Typography

Objective

Create a kinetic typography animation that brings text to life by animating it in sync with a message or concept.

Brief

In this workshop, you will animate a piece of text (a quote, lyric, or simple phrase) and bring it to life through dynamic movement and motion. Your goal is to emphasise the meaning and tone of the words through thoughtful animation. The text should visually reflect the rhythm and meaning of the message.

Instructions

Choose Your Text:

• Select a phrase, quote, or song lyric that resonates with you. It should have a strong emotional or rhythmic component (e.g., a quote about empowerment, a lyric with a strong beat, or a powerful speech).

Plan Your Animation: 

• Break down the text: Which words or phrases should stand out? How can the motion emphasise their meaning (e.g., bold words could explode or shrink to show importance or impact)?
• Sketch a rough storyboard or write down keyframes for how the text will move (e.g., words floating, bouncing, scaling, or rotating in sync with a rhythm or meaning).

Animate the Typography in After Effects:

• Use keyframing to animate the text. Focus on how to match the movement of each word with its emotional or rhythmic intent.
• Play with different text animations (e.g., typewriter effect, bouncing, scaling, opacity changes) to add depth to your design.

Add Movement to the Words: 

• Synchronise your text animation with sound or music. This could be the rhythm of the words or a beat in the background.
• Add a few extra effects like subtle motion blur or colour changes to keep the typography interesting.

Summary of Assessment Requirements

The AV2 assignment is a 100% graded motion graphics project requiring students to create a unique animated video that integrates kinetic typography as a core technique. Students may select from options such as product advertisements, eLearning videos, interviews, movie scenes, or dialogue-based extracts. The key components of the assessment include:

1. Research & Development (60%): planning, idea generation, and preparatory work.
2. Video Animation (30%): final motion graphics project with kinetic typography.
3. Presentation (10%): explaining the creative and technical process.
4. Storyboard & Script: essential planning tools for animation sequencing and text placement.

Key Requirements:

• Animate text in sync with audio cues, enhancing tone, rhythm, and meaning.
• Text must be dynamic and reinforce spoken words or narration.
• Use workshops as guides:
  • Workshop 1: Animate inanimate objects with personality.
  • Workshop 2: Apply pauses for rhythm and emotional effect.
  • Workshop 3: Master kinetic typography.

Step-by-Step Approach Guided by the Academic Mentor

Step 1: Concept Development & Research (R&D Document)

• Mentor Guidance: The student was instructed to select a project type (e.g., product ad or dialogue scene) and research examples of effective kinetic typography.
• Process: Conducted analysis of existing animations, identified suitable audio, and outlined text animation ideas.
• Outcome: A clear R&D document providing concept justification, technical references, and initial sketches.

Step 2: Script & Timing

• Mentor Guidance: The student was guided to write a detailed script including:
  • Spoken dialogue or narration.
  • Timing cues for each key word or phrase.
  • Notes on how kinetic typography would emphasize meaning.
• Process: Script formatted with clear visual cues for text movement, highlighting words that required emphasis or creative motion.
• Outcome: Script served as a blueprint for animation, ensuring timing accuracy and visual-text alignment.

Step 3: Storyboarding

• Mentor Guidance: The student was taught to translate the script into a storyboard showing visual flow, camera angles, and text animation.
• Process: Created frames mapping out the movement of text, pauses, and key moments.
• Outcome: Storyboard provided a visual roadmap, preventing errors during animation and guiding scene composition.

Step 4: Animation in After Effects

• Mentor Guidance: Focused on kinetic typography techniques: keyframing, scaling, rotation, easing, and motion blur. Also emphasized syncing with audio for rhythm and emotion.
• Process: Animated text dynamically according to the storyboard; experimented with typewriter effects, bouncing, scaling, and opacity changes; synchronized movements with audio cues.
• Outcome: Final animation clearly emphasized dialogue, narration, or messaging through dynamic text movements.

Step 5: Applying Workshops Techniques

• Workshop 1: Animated an object in a way that reflected personality.
• Workshop 2: Used deliberate pauses to enhance emotional impact.
• Workshop 3: Integrated kinetic typography as the central motion design element.
• Outcome: Student demonstrated mastery of motion graphics principles by combining object animation, timing, and dynamic text.

Step 6: Presentation & Reflection

• Mentor Guidance: The student prepared a brief presentation explaining the creative process, animation decisions, and technical challenges.

• Outcome: Demonstrated understanding of motion graphics workflow, text-audio synchronization, and the importance of pre-production planning.

Outcome Achieved and Learning Objectives Covered

Final Outcome:

• A polished motion graphics video with kinetic typography enhancing the chosen audio/dialogue.
• A well-structured R&D document, storyboard, and script supporting the animation.
• Professional presentation showcasing creative reasoning and technical skills.

Learning Objectives Met:

• Understanding and applying kinetic typography in motion graphics.
• Mastery of storyboarding and pre-production planning for animation.
• Synchronizing animation with audio to enhance narrative and emotional impact.
• Developing creativity in animating inanimate objects and applying pauses for effect.
• Demonstrating proficiency in After Effects techniques and workflow.

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