Motion Design
- Semester: Fall 2026
- Instructor: Michael McDermott
- Location: Art and Design Building, Room 1020
- Timing: Mondays from 1:30–4:10pm
- Office Hours: Scheduled here
Exercise 8
Wash, Rinse, Repeat
Description
First read these pages and watch the videos:
- School of Motion: After Effects Expressions 101
- School of Motion: Amazing Expressions in After Effects
- School of Motion: How to Use the Loop Expression in After Effects
Pick an object in your house that can make a repetitive motion (stapler going up and down, scissors cutting, light turning on and off, etc.) and make a short animation of that object. Use the loop expression to make the motion repeat over at least 15 seconds of video even though the actual motion might be a second. If you can, think about the secondary motion that can happen in the video to help build complexity. Can you add extra graphic elements to exaggerate a motion? Can something subtle be happening in the background to make the world you are building feel more real?
Requirements
- 1080x1080
- As long as it needs to be
Things to Keep in Mind
- Don't bail on using expressions
- Build the motion knowing it will loop
Objectives
- Introducing expressions
- Reiterating Illustrator to After Effects workflow
Final Submission
- Turned in on time
- All requirements met
- Video file submitted on Canvas
- Video uploaded to Vimeo and added to the class group