School of Motion Podcast

The #1 podcast for designers who animate, animators who design, and anyone who is 3D-curious. We interview Designers, Animators, 3D Artists, Producers, Studio Owners and other folks related to motion design and creativity. We get deep into the geeky world of Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D, Photoshop and Illustrator. We talk about the business and art of Motion Design. Dig in.

Why Moonvalley's Approach to AI Video Makes Sense 07/02/2025

Sarah Beth Morgan Gets Real About Parenthood, Career Crisis & Her New Podcast 05/13/2025

Mack Garrison, Dash Studio, and Building Creative Community 04/29/2025

Already Been Chewed and the Journey to Motion Design Success 03/19/2025

Already Been Chewed and the Journey to Motion Design Success EJ jams with Barton Damer, the creative muscle behind Already Been Chewed (ABC)...basically the Tony Hawk of motion design. This dude turned his skateboarding obsession into a full-blown 3D animation studio that now cranks out mind-blowing work for Nike, Adidas, Star Wars, and Marvel. Check out the corresponding blog post with key takeaways: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/already-been-chewed Artists Barton Damer https://www.linkedin.com/in/barton-damer-92a32918 EJ Hassenfratz https://www.youtube.com/@eyedesyn/videos Nick Campbell https://greyscalegorilla.com/about-us/ Paul Babb https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulbabb/ Rob Dyrdek https://robdyrdek.com/ Mark Fancher https://www.youtube.com/c/MarkFancherFX Dan Arsham https://www.danielarsham.com/ PJ Richardson https://www.laundry.studio/ Jonathan Winbush https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmzWP6o2cw73moEF7LO_KvA Studios Already Been Chewed (ABC) https://www.alreadybeenchewed.tv/ Greyscale Gorilla https://greyscalegorilla.com/ Maxon https://www.maxon.net/en LRG https://l-r-g.com/ Nike https://www.nike.com/ Adidas https://www.adidas.com/ Under Armour https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/ Street League Skateboarding https://www.streetleague.com/ MTV https://www.mtv.com/ ESPN https://www.espn.com/ Discovery Channel https://www.discovery.com/ New Balance https://www.newbalance.com/ Louis Vuitton https://www.alreadybeenchewed.tv/louisvuitton Tiffany and Co. https://www.tiffany.com/stories/collaborations/daniel-arsham-pokemon/ Legwork https://legworkstudio.com/animation/ Laundry Studio https://www.laundry.studio/ SoFi Stadium https://www.laundry.studio/ooh/project-four-l3zw3-jecsr-hr7em-6yptl Work Fantasy Factory https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/rob-dyrdeks-fantasy-factory/ Rob & Big https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_%26_Big Snack Off https://tv.apple.com/us/show/snack-off/umc.cmc.3cjzt6066id3jq5koxur3vx9p Ridiculousness https://tv.apple.com/us/show/ridiculousness/umc.cmc.234le4y5rrb4satzsf28ix6yx Digital Artist of the Year https://www.behance.net/gallery/12189735/COMPUTER-ARTS-MAGAZINE-Digital-Artist-of-the-Year?locale=en_US Resources NAB https://www.nabshow.com/ Cinema 4D https://www.maxon.net/en/cinema-4d After Effects https://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects.html Computer Arts Magazine https://www.creativebloq.com/computer-arts Adobe Photoshop https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html Adobe Illustrator https://www.adobe.com/products/illustrator.html Final Cut Pro https://www.apple.com/final-cut-pro/ iMovie https://support.apple.com/imovie Houdini https://www.sidefx.com/products/houdini/ Unreal Engine https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US Behance https://www.behance.net/onboarding/hirerCreative Nixon https://www.nixon.com/ Rob & Bart Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frJ4rcpyFvI /episode/index/show/schoolofmotion/id/35677655

From Self-Taught Animator to Oscar Winner: Gints Zilbalodis on Creating "Flow" 03/05/2025

Unreal Engine, Creative Communities, and Career Growth with Cart & Horse 02/26/2025

Unreal Engine, Creative Communities, and Career Growth with Cart & Horse What happens when a small group of motion designers in Detroit evolves into a powerhouse of collaboration and innovation? The crew from Cart & Horse sat down with Joey on the School of Motion podcast to share their journey—from navigating the tight-knit creative community in Detroit to pioneering new workflows in Unreal Engine. Check out the corresponding blog post and key takeaways here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/cart-and-horse 👉 CHAPTERS 👈 00:00 Chapter 1: Welcome! 01:27 Chapter 2: Chris's Experience in Detroit 03:08 Chapter 3: Dan's Journey from LA to Detroit 04:34 Chapter 4: Unreal Engine Early Adopters 08:06 Chapter 5: Why Is Unreal Engine Making Its Break Out Right Now? 11:58 Chapter 6: Live Working Sessions with Clients 17:43 Chapter 7: Unreal Engine's Learning Curve 24:22 Chapter 8: What Types of Projects Are You Using Unreal For? 28:44 Chapter 9: Virtual Production and the Travelers Spec Collab Project 43:22 Chapter 10: The Value Proposition of Virtual Production 57:42 Chapter 12: Cart and Horse Origins Artists: Dan Maurer https://www.linkedin.com/in/maurerdan/ Kris Bargen https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisbargen/ Julie Craft https://juliecraft.work/ John Einselen https://jeinselen.com/ Clemens Conrad https://www.linkedin.com/in/clemens-conrad/ Elliot Ruddy https://www.elliotruddy.com/ Jonathan Winbush https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmzWP6o2cw73moEF7LO_KvA John Bugg https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbugg/ Joel Pilger https://www.joelpilger.com/ Andy Blondin https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyblondin/ Geoff George https://www.geoffgeorgedp.com/contact Studios: Cart and Horse https://www.cartandhorse.studio/ Launch by NTT DATA (formerly Vectorform) https://launch.nttdata.com/ Gunner https://gunner.work/ Rocket Mortgage https://www.rocketmortgage.com Activision https://www.activision.com/ Golden Hour https://www.goldenhourgr.com/ Lunar North https://www.lunarnorth.tv/ Work: Travelers https://vimeo.com/938752533 The Mandalorian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mandalorian 8 Mile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_Mile_(film) Michigan Lottery commercial https://vimeo.com/938889801 Resources: MoGraph Mondays https://www.mographmondays.com/ Unity https://unity.com/ LightWave https://www.lightwave3d.com/ Rive https://rive.app/ After Effects https://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects.html Cinema 4D https://www.maxon.net/ Unreal Engine https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US Octane https://home.otoy.com/render/octane-render/ Redshift https://www.maxon.net/en/redshift Nanite https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/nanite-virtualized-geometry-in-unreal-engine Lumen https://lumenandforge.com/services/animation-visual-storytelling/ Activision https://www.activision.com/ Viz Artist (Vizrt) https://www.vizrt.com/products/viz-artist/ Chyron https://chyron.com/products/all-in-one-production-systems/3d-real-time-graphics/ Fox Sports https://www.foxsports.com/ Miro https://miro.com/ Datasmith https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/datasmith Cineware for Unreal https://support.maxon.net/hc/en-us/articles/4411492995730-Cineware-for-Unreal /episode/index/show/schoolofmotion/id/35429280

Inside the Mind of Territory Studio: VFX, UI, and an Epic Dune Graphics Breakdown 02/12/2025

Mastering Blender and Navigating a Creative Career with Elijah Sheffield 01/29/2025

Mastering Blender and Navigating a Creative Career with Elijah Sheffield Blender artist and motion designer Elijah Sheffield shares how he transitioned into 3D, built a standout demo reel, and turned personal projects into career-defining moments. Check out the corresponding blog post (with episode highlights) here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/elijah-sheffield-blender 👉 CHAPTERS 👈 00:00 Coming Up 00:22 Elijah Sheffield's Background and Early Career 01:29 Discovering Motion Design 03:32 College and Grad School Experience 13:30 First Job and Career Challenges 18:11 Finding the Motivation to Make Demo Reel Pieces 23:31 Transition to Freelance 26:41 Social Media's Impact on Career 34:52 Having a Freelance Plan 42:00 Pain and Rainbows of Freelance Work 44:18 Challenges and Rewards of Learning Blender 49:35 Finding a Style 55:16 Blender Learning Curve 01:03:28 Integrating Blender into Your 3D Pipeline 01:20:21 The Future of Blender 01:24:12 That's a Wrap! 🗒️ SHOW NOTES Artists: Elijah Sheffield https://www.behance.net/sweetboymotion# EJ Hassenfratz https://www.youtube.com/@eyedesyn/videos Myles Bolden https://mylesjbolden.myportfolio.com/ Jonathan Winbush https://www.youtube.com/@JonathanWinbush/ Norm MacDonald https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norm_Macdonald Chris Smith https://csmithstudios.com/ Joey Korenman https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeykorenman Andrew Kramer https://www.videocopilot.net/ Studios: School of Motion https://www.schoolofmotion.com/ SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) https://www.scad.edu/ Pixar https://www.pixar.com/ DreamWorks https://www.dreamworks.com/ Work: Museum of History and Magic https://www.museumhm.org/ Killdozer https://www.instagram.com/sweetboy.motion/p/Cw0os46AIZN/ Spider-Verse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man:_Across_the_Spider-Verse Ninja Turtles Arcane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcane_(TV_series) Resources: Greyscalegorilla https://greyscalegorilla.com/ Maya https://www.autodesk.com/products/maya/overview?term=1-YEAR&tab=subscription ZBrush https://www.maxon.net/en/zbrush Cinema 4D https://www.maxon.net/en/cinema-4d Blender https://www.blender.org/ Unreal Engine Course https://www.schoolofmotion.com/courses/unreal-engine-for-3d-artists Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/ Demo Reel Dash https://www.schoolofmotion.com/courses/demo-reel-dash Arnold https://www.autodesk.com/products/arnold/overview Eevee https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/render/eevee/introduction.html Grease Pencil https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/grease_pencil/index.html Clay Pencil https://pepeschoolland.gumroad.com/l/ibbls Donut Tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0J27sf9N1Y&list=PLjEaoINr3zgEPv5y--4MKpciLaoQYZB1Z STL files https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format) Blender Market https://blendermarket.com/ Freelance Manifesto https://www.amazon.com/Freelance-Manifesto-Modern-Motion-Designer-ebook/dp/B071JRYMSG /episode/index/show/schoolofmotion/id/35061395

Standing Out in Motion Design: Joel Pilger's Strategies for Success 01/16/2025

The most EPIC 2024 roundup of all things Motion Design 12/30/2024

The most EPIC 2024 roundup of all things Motion Design 2024 was a transformative year for motion design - from AI disruption to the evolution of real-time tools, emerging platforms, and a changing economic landscape. In this comprehensive year-end roundup, Joey Korenman, EJ Hassenfratz, and Aharon Rabinowitz break down everything that shaped our industry and peer into what 2025 might bring. We also asked some industry luminaries to weigh in, so you’ll hear from the likes of Buck, Scholar, Motion Hatch, Colosseum, Curious Refuge and more! Get ready for candid insights on the state of motion design, software updates that changed the game, the impact of AI, and how artists are adapting to an ever-shifting landscape. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just getting started, this conversation covers the trends, tools, and opportunities that matter. Plus, hear our panel's bold predictions for 2025 - from the future of real-time rendering to emerging platforms and where the next big opportunities lie for motion designers. 🔥 IN THIS EPISODE: Best motion design work of 2024 The state of the industry and economy Major software updates (After Effects, Cinema 4D, Blender, Unreal) New tools and tech to watch out for The rise of AI and its impact on motion design The return of in-person events and meetups Predictions and trends for 2025 Head over to our blog post for links to everything we talk about: Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:21 In the Beginning... 00:01:50 Defining Motion Design 00:02:51 Evolution of Motion Design 00:08:51 School of Motion Updates 00:12:34 Favorite Works of 2024 00:28:49 Shoutouts to Studios and Artists 00:37:40 Innovative Marketing Strategies 00:39:15 The Rise of Niche Studios 00:45:14 Advancements in After Effects and 3D Tools 01:17:37 Exploring Maxon Studio and Its Strategy 01:21:03 Grayscale Gorilla's Big Release 01:25:30 Adobe's Substance Integration 01:28:16 The Future of Generative AI in Textures 01:35:58 Blender's Growing Influence 01:52:42 Will Blender Take Over? 01:55:48 Cinema 4D vs Blender: Industry Adoption 01:59:37 The Rise of After Effects in Motion Design 02:04:47 Unreal Engine's Impact on Motion Design 02:25:59 Unreal Marketplace Missteps 02:31:03 Rive: The Future of Interactive Animation 02:40:54 The Return of 2Advanced 02:47:32 The Future of Lottie? 02:50:45 Exploring Womp: A New 3D Modeling Tool 02:55:49 Cavalry: The Houdini of 2D Animation 03:07:30 Other Motion Design News 03:16:50 Meetups Are Back: Highlights and Events 03:20:55 Tech Updates: Apple Vision Pro and Meta's Orion 03:23:19 Adobe vs. Procreate: The AI Debate 03:34:56 The Mo Economy: Trends and Predictions 04:05:55 The Rise of Rive in Animation 04:09:55 Future Trends in Motion Design 04:16:11 The Importance of Editing Skills 04:21:09 Effective Marketing Strategies for Freelancers 04:39:22 The Impact of AI on the Industry 04:54:08 AI's Impact on Creative Work 04:55:59 AI as a Tool for Artists 04:57:48 Historical Context and Future Predictions 05:01:51 The AI Plateau and Future Tools 05:22:11 2025 Predictions 05:34:49 The Future of AI Aesthetics 05:47:22 Economic Outlook for Motion Design 05:51:22 Niche Markets and Specialization 06:02:41 AI's Impact on the Artist Community SCHOOL OF MOTION COURSES All Courses - Guided Courses - Instant Access Courses - After Effects Courses - 2D Animation - 3D Courses - Design Courses - /episode/index/show/schoolofmotion/id/34457865