Motion Graphics and Compositing - Final Project: Abstract Motion Graphics
21/04/2025 - 18/05/2024 (Week 01 – Week 04)
Wang Yifan / 0368363
Montion Graphics & Compositing / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylors University
Final Project: Abstract Motion Graphics
Final Project: Abstract Motion Graphics
In the final project, we will synthesis the knowledge gained in task 1, 2 and 3 for application in task 4. Students are to create an theme based abstract motion graphic video that consist a good audio visual say it in 3D/2D, mix media or any experimental visual output that has strong theme.
Background & Inspiration
This project is inspired by one of my favorite films, Green Book. It tells the true story of a Black pianist and his Italian-American driver traveling through the segregated South in the 1960s. What really touched me was how their journey started with tension and misunderstanding but eventually led to mutual respect and deep friendship.
Instead of retelling the film’s plot, I wanted to reinterpret that emotional journey through abstract visuals. I thought it would be meaningful to use motion graphics to explore the idea of how people from completely different worlds can slowly start to understand each other.
Core Concept
The main message I want to express is that “distance” between people isn’t just about location — it’s also about identity, race, and personal experience. My video tells a symbolic journey where two different characters travel through physical space (using map and road symbols) while also slowly closing the emotional gap between them.
Through shapes, textures, contrast, and sound, I hope to reflect the process of conflict, transition, and eventually, connection. I included a key quote in the video: “There is no map on the road to respect”, which I think perfectly sums up the whole concept.
Moodboard
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| Visual Texture and Graphic Language |
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| Road Journey and Film Atmosphere |
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| Cinematic Contrast & Dramatic Framing |
Colour Scheme
This palette creates a nostalgic and cinematic mood.
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Light Gray offers neutrality and calm.
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Burgundy adds emotional depth and seriousness.
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Olive Green connects to nature, the road, and the “Green Book” theme.
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Ivory White softens the visuals and gives a warm, vintage texture.
Together, they reflect a grounded, reflective journey.
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| Color palette |
Typography:
I used the decorative type “GREENBOOK” to highlight the film title with a bold, emotional presence.
The script-style “America is still divided” was chosen to feel more personal and reflective.
Normal serif font helps to keep other text readable and balanced.
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| Typography Choice |
Video References and Inspire:
I was inspired by its use of geometric composition — the layering of lines gives a very strong and abstract visual rhythm.
The stylized, retro silhouette figures gave me the idea to use strong shape contrast and limited color, which suits my story's time period.
The way the visuals match the background music’s beats helped me think about how to time my scenes better to the audio track.
Audio:
Google Drive Link ：https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tEWKyrCmG-e8mnGBkOY8OpaKDVa0Qs9q?usp=sharing
Storyboard:
Initially, my storyboard was more symbolic and experimental, but I realized it might be too abstract for a short film. After further developing the concept and looking at inspirations like The Movie About Lines and retro-style motion graphics, I began to shape a more structured narrative. I kept the essence of contrast and conflict, but added stronger transition elements, such as walls and a spinning globe, to show the growth from personal to universal understanding. It's not just about a road trip, but about bridges that bridge the differences between people.
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| storyboard |
sketches：
These two sketches, through black and white character silhouettes and handwritten subtitles, clearly explain that the background is 1962, emphasizing that the United States was still in a state of racial division at the time, and successfully established the emotional tone and thematic tension of the film.
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| sketches Styleframe: My style frame uses vintage maps, road signs, tumbleweeds and tangled wires to symbolize the confusion, disorientation and cultural tensions of travel.
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After deciding on the theme of racial conflict, I started researching Green Book and related visuals. I created moodboards with vintage textures, protest photos, and movie stills to build the tone. Then I organized everything in Adobe Illustrator—breaking it into sections like moodboard, color scheme, type, references, and storyboard. This helped me clearly visualize my concept before animating. The final outcome reflects the shift from conflict to connection through symbolic and abstract visuals.
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| Ai screenshot |
Here are my slides/ proposal for project 4.
Project Proposal
Visual Elements Used
At the beginning of my video, I used two standing silhouettes—one in a suit and the other in casual clothing—to represent Tony and Don. The black-and-white contrast visually shows their different backgrounds: one is a white Italian-American bouncer, the other a highly educated Black pianist. I also added a scratched texture background and a vertical dividing line to emphasize the social distance and racial boundary between them. This setup clearly sets the tone of conflict and division right from the start.
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| Act 1: Separation & Contrast |
As the story moves into the journey phase, I brought in a vintage map with a marked route from New York to Southern cities like Birmingham and Jackson. I used traffic signs, road direction arrows, and a yellow warning sign to represent different stops and symbolic decisions they had to make. A tumbleweed rolls across one scene to create a sense of loneliness and unfamiliarity. The power pole adds to the realism and reflects the rural landscape they passed through. These elements all helped build the feeling of traveling through space—and between cultures.
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| Act 2: On the Road |
To express Don’s musical identity, I used a sheet music texture and a realistic piano image. These show how music is more than entertainment—it’s his language and pride. I also used layers of old newspaper collages as backgrounds or texture fills to reflect the social pressure and racism embedded in the media of that era. These collaged texts act as silent commentary, adding to the tension while highlighting the time’s atmosphere. It helped me tie their personal journey to the bigger cultural context.
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| Act 3: Culture & Identity During the turning point of their relationship, I used a side-profile silhouette of Tony and Don facing each other. This moment shows their shift from confrontation to connection. I used high contrast black-and-white to simplify them into shapes—almost like symbols—so the focus moves away from race and towards humanity. At the same time, the background became more open and less textured, symbolizing the softening of their emotional walls. |
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| Act 4: Turning Point |
At the climax, I wanted to show that their relationship had reached a new level. I used a starry night background and a rotating Earth animation to create a cosmic feeling. These visuals suggest that what they found on the journey was bigger than race or status—it was human understanding. The camera zooms out from the map to space, turning their personal story into something more universal. That was my way of ending on a hopeful and reflective note.
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| Act 5: Beyond Race, Toward Humanity |
Editing Process:
Part 1: Opening Scene (0s–10s)
I started by downloading silhouette figures from Pinterest and bringing them into AE. Inside a pre-comp, I used alpha matte to combine the character with newspaper textures. I adjusted the tone using Curves and Color Balance to unify the look. In the main comp, I lowered the opacity and slightly moved the character to create a glowing/light motion effect. I used an expression for a "pop-in" bounce animation to introduce the figure. For the background, I added extra textures using Soft Light blending mode. The typewriter-style text animation appears word by word, accompanied by sound effects. I also created a basic 3D camera to allow subtle zoom and depth.
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Silhouette Texture Blend
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| Typing Text with Texture |
Part 2: Journey on the Map (10s–20s)
For the middle section, I used AI tools to extract a flat map image and color-graded it to match the visual tone. I placed the tumbleweed in the center and animated it to roll from the top (North) to the bottom (South) of the map. Using keyframes and camera tracking, I made sure the tumbleweed stayed at the center. A power pole was added in the foreground to create spatial depth—it entered and exited the frame with the camera. Along the path, I used expression-based “pop” animations to show road signs, symbolizing different regions passed through.
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| Map Journey Begins |
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| Foreground Depth Element |
Part 3: Conflict Deepens (20s–30s)
At this point, I used the pen tool to draw stylized silhouettes of a Black and a white man, again filled with newspaper textures. Through keyframes, I gave slight motion to their bodies to make the frame more dynamic. I used a slow camera push-in to build intensity. The background here was a blended video clip from the movie using Soft Light mode, echoing the social tension between them. I placed text on screen and made it move along with the camera’s pace, guiding the viewer through the development.
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| Racial Silhouettes Conflict |
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| Film Blended Background |
Part 4: Emotional Climax (30s–40s)
For this scene, I used masks to extract space footage from an online video and layered it with starry backgrounds. I added effects like “Wave Warp,” “Noise,” and “Venetian Blinds” to simulate an old TV distortion. Then I introduced a rotating Earth and masked out the previous shot into a shrinking circle, using opacity keyframes to smoothly transition into the Earth scene. The main quote “All misunderstandings will fade” appears as the central message. A piano animation (Soft Light blending mode) fades in subtly to remind the viewer of music as a connecting theme.
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| Mask to Star Transition |
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| Earth + Key Quote Moment |
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Part 5: Ending Scene (40s–50s)
After the Earth scene ends, I animated a collage-style road sign sliding down into frame—bringing the focus back to the “road” as a storytelling backbone. The camera slowly zooms out to reveal the final title: “GREEN JOURNEY.” The title was made using newspaper textures with multiple fonts. I hand-drew highlight shapes using the pen tool, then blended them with Soft Light and animated the opacity to create a glowing finish. This ending links all previous visual elements and leaves a lasting emotional tone.
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| Collage Sign Slide-in |
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Project Proposal
REFLECTION
Experiences
This project was my first time working on an abstract motion piece with a strong narrative backbone. I really enjoyed the process of combining visual symbolism with sound design to express complex themes like race, identity, and understanding. Using After Effects, I experimented with different techniques like texture blending, 3D camera, and expression-driven animations. The workflow was quite challenging at first, especially organizing pre-comps and matching animation timing with audio. However, as the project progressed, I became more confident with structuring my scenes and maintaining a consistent visual tone.
Observations
I noticed how powerful visual metaphors can be when placed in motion. Simple elements like silhouettes, road signs, or textures became emotionally loaded once they were animated with purpose. The transition from literal to symbolic was key in making the message felt, rather than just shown. I also realized the importance of pacing—how slow camera pushes or text timing can completely shift the emotional impact. Working abstractly allowed me to focus more on mood, rhythm, and concept, instead of strict realism.
Findings
Through this project, I learned that abstract design doesn’t mean random—it still requires strong structure and meaning. Every element on screen needs to have a reason to be there. I also found that combining symbolic visuals with meaningful audio greatly enhances emotional depth. Most importantly, I discovered that I enjoy this kind of conceptual storytelling. It gave me freedom to experiment, while still pushing me to communicate clearly. Moving forward, I hope to apply more visual metaphors in future work, especially when dealing with social or emotional topics.
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