The first week is dedicated to orientation. Students familiarise themselves with the online learning platform (virtual classroom) and meet the humans there to support them.

In this module, we will introduce the After Effects interface. You’ll learn about the standard animation workflow (starting from scratch or using stock assets this includes created assets from Photoshop and Illustrator), commonly used controls, and keyframes

The introductory module of this course draws your attention to the importance of understanding the audience before you even pick up a pencil or move the cursor. Drawing on digital marketing best practices for understanding your audience, you will be equipped with research techniques that will inform the design and animation decisions you make in your projects. You will also learn about the best practices for posting your animations on social media and the web.

Stories are how we make sense of the world. In this module, you will develop your storytelling skills and understand narrative development. We will also look at some of the tried and tested process for storyboarding to help create an engaging and delightful animation for your audience.

This module will teach you about how you can use layers such as text, shape, and other layers. We’ll also introduce you to masks and mattes. Finding the right assets is just as important as knowing how to use them. We’ll also give you some tips for acquiring and importing assets

This module will introduce the principles that make animation impactful You’ll cover specific topics such as timing, spacing, rhythm, eases, mass weight, anticipation, and more We’ll also work through key principles of composition such as balance, contrast, and emphasis, among others

Let’s get moving. In this module we’ll take a deep dive into advanced animation techniques and the text animator. We’ll also introduce you to various effects and how to make your own transitions and apply them to another animation you’ll create.

Audio is essential in adding momentum and emotion to animation. This module covers how to find copyright-free soundtracks and sound effects, import audio into the timeline, and mix audio and sound effects together with fading, leveling, and trimming. You will also learn about other codecs which you can use to render animations for different purposes.

The final stretch of the course will give you the opportunity to create one final video where you demonstrate the skills you have acquired throughout the course.