For the first time in my life, I created a motion graphic, and I’m so proud of myself!
The video is all about the upcoming production of The Wizard of Oz. Of course, the show has already closed, but this project was my final chance to relive my time as Dorothy. It felt like a meaningful way to close that chapter.
But the journey wasn’t all smooth. I faced a lot of challenges along the way. I’m still trying to become friends with technology. And honestly, it’s not easy for me. That was one of the biggest struggles with this project, since I had to use a program called After Effects, which felt totally overwhelming at first.
While getting the feedback for my first version, I realized that I should start all over again, with a new storyboard. The elements in my motion graphic lacked unity, and I wasn’t using text effectively. As I planned the next version, I learned that I can actually be efficient if I make smart choices, such as staying in the same scene the whole time, and using layers and animations to keep it engaging. Now, my motion graphic demonstrates only one scene; elements and layers move within the scene instead of using four different scenes!
In the beginning stage of the project, when our teacher gave us collective feedback about using minimum scenes and simplifying, I thought that it didn’t apply to me and that I could manage to stick to my original plan. Now I realize that simplifying and prioritizing quality over quantity is a crucial skill to carry to the future, as this will save me a lot of time while prioritizing quality and clear communication of the message.
I definitely learned my lesson the hard way. I got extremely overwhelmed and started pouring all my time into this project. And honestly, it didn’t feel right. I spent seven straight hours working on it in one day, doing nothing else but designing.
Then, around 1AM, just as I was about to finish, a pop-up appeared saying the software had crashed. Moments later, the whole computer shut down, and I panicked. I was desperately praying that my work had been saved.
But when I reopened the project, everything was gone, except for the background image. I couldn’t even be upset at first. I laughed! It just felt unreal. But then frustration kicked in. I was mad at myself for not saving my work regularly.
So, I spent another five hours the next day to recreate everything from scratch. Looking back, it turned out to be a meaningful experience. I learned patience, I grew from it, and most importantly, I now understand that nothing matters more than hitting “save.” 🙂
Overall, I am so proud of the outcome!
