For my final project I chose to create an animation of place in nature that are important to me. I used photos taken by myself or family of all the places we had traveled to or surround our home. The sounds of nature bring me so much peace and joy, so I attempted to create a journey through some of my favorites, with a little wiggle guiding the way through.
Storyboards, Writing, and Inspiration- Step One
I began my project by writing about what I would like to create, mentioning that I was inspired by the sounds of nature that wake me up every morning. Leaning into the sounds of birds, water, rain, and more, I theorized the way I could produce my project.
One of my original ideas was to put all the clips together, and pan from scene to scene without a break in between. Ultimately, I decided to break-apart each scene with a smaller image in between and peaceful piano music.
Final Animation- Step Two:
After compiling my ideas I began to create my animation.
I picked five different scenes and began each scene with a small photo framed by a color, placed on a black background. Then, the small photo jumped into an immersive full screen with either a video or a photo with animated effects layered over. Each video was paired with a corresponding sound, and a peaceful “sleep” sound was played over the whole piece.
To finish off the piece I created a title page with a collage of nature pictures coming in one by one, and a color-coordinated squiggle following each picture through the journey.
Overall, I tried to create a peaceful and immersive journey though the sounds of nature.
Bibliography
“After Effects CC 2022: How to Create Snow.” Mike Murphy Co. December 21, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI9oqivMigw
I used this tutorial to learn how to make a photo appear to have falling snow.
“Easy Rain Effect Adobe After Effects.” Panda Explains. August 17, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9SAH1GwwKg
I used this tutorial to learn how to make a photo appear to have rain fall.
“Make Stars Twinkle! After Effects Tutorial.” Jony Roy. October 27, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo4R0wtas4M
I used this tutorial as an inspiration for how to make a night sky.
“Animating 2D Anime Grass Field Using After Effects” mclelun. April 25, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_huQzTPqSF4&t=58s
I originally used this tutorial to create AI animated flowing grass but chose to stay with a more realistic path.
“Create Advanced Snow Effects in After Effects.” SonduckFilm. December 19, 2022.
I originally used this tutorial to make more detailed snow, but ended up going with the CC effect because it appeared more realistic.
