Motion Design Love -

So, tell us a little about yourself, who you are, where you work now and how long you’ve been in the industry?

My name is Jimmy Weber and I’m a freelance motion designer from Denver, Colorado. I’ve been doing motion design for about three years but have only been doing freelance full time for the past seven months. I graduated from the University of Colorado Denver majoring in Writing and Directing Film. While I was in school, I spent most of my education making horror movies while learning motion design on my own. I’m very proud to say I’m a graduate of the Andrew Kramer/FXPHD/Greyscale Gorilla Academy.

What made you go into motion graphics or how did working in Motion graphics come about?

I’m very passionate about filmmaking and have always been in love with great title sequences. When I was in film school, I discovered it would be extremely difficult to make a living being a camera operator or crewmember in Denver. So I started teaching myself motion design hoping to land steady work in that field.
When I wasn’t working on films, I watched tutorials and learned After Effects and Cinema 4D. I created the title sequences for my movies, friends’ movies, and other random projects. Eventually, I started looking for work on Craigslist. After a year of doing smaller jobs for various clients around the country, I got an internship at Digital Kitchen Seattle. At the end of the first week at DK, I knew this is what I wanted to do forever.

What do you enjoy most about working in motion graphics?

I love how broad it is. Motion graphics can be anything from hand drawn animation to 3D animation to stop motion. There are no rules or boundaries. I also enjoy taking people on a journey through an alternate universe in just a few seconds with some shapes and words. When I’m making a film, I lay out all the rules and regulations making the audience understand the characters. With motion graphics, I can just jump right into the deep end of the pool and get to the good stuff.

What do you enjoy least about working in motion graphics?

Initially, I worried that dealing with clients and fast turnaround times could be issues. Fortunately, I haven’t had many difficult clients and the turnarounds have only challenged me to work more efficiently. The one thing I don’t like is determining what to charge for each job. The transition from the part-time job during college that paid $8 an hour, to asking for $200-$400 a day was terrifying at first. There are a billion tutorials on how to fix the Temporal Interpolation in After Effects, but there isn’t a single one on how much to charge a client.

What has been your biggest highlight in motion graphics.

Interning at Digital Kitchen Seattle was a pretty big deal for me. DK is one of the best design studios on the planet, so to work there shortly after I started designing was amazing. The people there are so helpful, creative, and inspiring. I’ve also been doing a lot of graphics packages for Fox Sports Network for the Colorado Rockies. FSN has been really supportive and the Producers at FSN basically let me do whatever I want. I’m also a Rockies fan, so it’s really fun to see my work while watching the games.

What skill do you think a Motionographer needs?

Obviously, learning the theories of Color, Design, and Typography is extremely important, but I am a big believer in learning the software. Some people will tell you that software changes constantly while design principles don’t, but you can’t get your work done if you don’t know your tools. Spending too much time and energy learning on the clock is trouble, especially if you’re working from home and don’t have any coworkers to answer your questions. I make certain I know my way around a program before I start using it for a job.

Is there any advice you’d give to an aspiring Motion graphics artist?

Watch Nick Campbell’s video “How to be Creative and Get Paid.” (http://greyscalegorilla.com/blog/2009/02/presentation-how-to-be-creative-and- get-paid/) I pretty much followed his rules step by step and I’ve had steady work since I got out of college. The key is to have a reel shorter than a minute, a website that’s easy to navigate, and links to both posted everywhere. If your stuff stands out, work will come to you faster than you’d imagine. Also, do not fall in love with anything you design. Most of the time, the thing you love most about a piece is the first thing a client wants to change. Your job is to be a great designer and make compelling art, but at the end of the day, they’re paying you to make them a product. So gladly make the changes they want and move on. You can always put that cool thing in your reel or on your site.

What are your future plans in Motion Graphics?

I’m heading to Washington DC to work with Shine Creative for the next three months. It’s political season and I’ll be helping them generate a lot of campaign commercials. It’s going to be challenging and very exciting. After that I’ll come back to Denver and continue doing freelance. I hope to work with more studios in Colorado and meet more local designers. I don’t plan on working anywhere full time or starting my own studio anytime soon. I really like the “few weeks on – few weeks off” schedule.

So, Cinema 4D is your main software of choice, what do you like about it?

It’s so much easier to move around and work in 3D. There’s a lot more keyframes in 3D and the compositions get more complex, but Cinema 4D is really intuitive. I’ve tried 3D Max and Maya, but I always felt like I was programming a computer. Cinema 4D is geared to motion designers and it’s a blast to play with, let alone use it for work. Maxon is doing a great job and it won’t be long before Cinema 4D is taken very seriously throughout the 3D community.
Is there a particular motion graphic piece you would recommend to someone else?
I watch a lot of HGTV so I see Buck’s commercial for Sherwin Williams (http://buck.tv/library/sherwin) almost every commercial break. Every time I see it, I can’t get over the technical mastery of it. It’s beautiful, inspiring and uplifting.
Also, I like anything Gkaster makes (www.gkaster.com). Sometimes I don’t believe he’s a motion designer but a Wizard who has managed to capture moments from another dimension.

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