If you’re working in creative industries or film industries, I am pretty much sure that you’ve heard the term “motion graphics” several times already because of its explosive popularity nowadays. But what is Motion Graphics exactly all about? In Wikipedia, Motion Graphics are pieces of animation or digital footage which create the illusion of motion or rotation and are usually combined with audio for use in multimedia projects. Motion graphics are usually displayed via electronic media technology, but may also be displayed via manual powered technology (e.g. thaumatrope, the phenakistoscope, stroboscope, zoetrope, praxinoscope, flipbook). It is used in music videos, feature films, video games, applications, and more. Therefore any form of experimental or abstract animation can be called motion graphics. To simply put, Motion Graphics are animated graphics that tell a narrative.
Viewers enjoyed appealing videos because of motion graphics, the content message is best conveyed with the touch of entertainment thus we can say that motion graphics play a vital role in delivering and explaining the concept of the video or the product. And thanks to Michael Betancourt, the very first film theorist who conducted a study about motion graphics. He is also a critical theorist and art and film historian. He was born in 1971 in New Jersey. Because of his love for live performance and with the influence of visual music, he decided to dig deeper about motion graphics and published an article about it later on.
Motion Graphics or Mograph is a group of objects which allow for procedural modeling and animation within Cinema 4D. These objects include the cloner, which is the core of the MoGraph system according to the worldwide web.
Uses of Motion Graphics:
1. Information Sharing
2. Movie and other video titles
3. Logo Graphics
4. Digital Marketing
Advantages of Motion Graphics:
1. Cost and time effective
2. Attractive/appealing
3. Supports and different effect
4. Easily Shareable
5. Elegant style
Motion Graphics Software:
1. Adobe Photoshop
2. After Effects
3. Cinema 4D
4. Maya 3D
11 Types of Motion Graphics:
1. Explainer Video – a short-form video usually used for marketing or sales purposes that highlights a company’s product, service, or business idea in a compelling and efficient way
2. Video Marketing – is using videos to promote and market your product or service, increase engagement on your digital and social channels, educate your consumers and customers, and reach your audience with a new medium.
3. UI (User Interface) Animations – is the process of adding motion to UI elements to enhance a product’s interactivity.
4. Icons – Animation reflects the action an icon performs in a way that adds polish and delight. The animation of each icon is aligned with both the visual design and the action they perform.
5. Logos – is a step ahead of the static/image-only logo, where there are no effects whatsoever
6. Short Films – or movies are sometimes called short subjects. … Another term used for short films is avant-garde or “avant-garde short films”. The term featurette originally was used for a movie or film longer than a short subject, but shorter than a standard feature film.
7. Titles (Movies and TV) – motion titles are pre-made animated text clips that you can use to create meaningful videos with engaging graphic elements.
8. Presentations – These types of motion graphics take visual elements of a presentation, such as bar charts, and create a movement to engage the audience.
9. Instructional Videos – This is very similar to explainer videos, this is mostly used in cooking tutorial videos.
10. Broadcast Graphics – Broadcast graphics add more visual appeal to programs where the scene rarely changes, such as a football pitch.
11. GIFs – is hugely popular among the types of motion graphics. We mostly use GIFs in sending replies through FB messenger to express our opinion or reaction in a fun way. While a lot of GIFs are live-action videos that have been turned INTO a GIF, others are made specifically to be GIFs.
How to create motion graphics?
Step 1 – Write a script that tells a story – start with an idea, what message do you want to convey? To create a good story, you have to ask yourself these questions: Who am I trying to reach? What do I want them to learn? Remember? Do? How do I want to make them feel?
Step 2 – Storyboard while you brainstorm the visual treatment – create a sequence of drawings/sketches
Step 3 -Take your storyboards into the design – visualize your ideas.
Step 4 – Animate the final designs – this is the final stage where everything comes together for a final video/result. It involves final selection in animation style, timing, music, and sound effects.
Final Words:
In a nutshell, Motion Graphics are similar (but not totally the same ) to Animations and a powerful tool of every company because of their effective way of conveying the brand message. and can create brand awareness effectively. Everything will start with your idea and with the motion graphics, you will be surprised how your idea will turn out, that’s called magic!