Challenge: animating a longboarding video for Australian comedian Nina Oyama

No smartphone app can produce content this good.

In partnership with Punkee, we challenged our graduates to put the skills they learnt at Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia to the test.

Enter Anthony Vu: a consummate motion graphics designer and Billy Blue graduate. Anthony was tasked with adding animation, effects and motion graphics to Australian comedian Nina Oyama's longboarding videos.

The result? Downright awesome. Watch Nina’s reaction as Anthony dives deep into Adobe After Effects (no, you can’t do this in iMovie) to apply animation techniques that match the comedian’s energy.

“I learnt rotoscoping and track motion at Billy Blue. It’s a useful skill which is actually essential for most animators to know,” says Anthony, who now works his magic at the ABC.

Design and Animation students at Billy Blue are given the space to push their creativity to the max and master industry-standard software. Did we mention we’re one of Australia’s only Higher Education Houdini certified schools? Bonus. You’ll graduate well-versed in a range of 3D skills - the exact ones that employers are looking for.
Plus, our courses are designed together with industry. Which means our students leave here with the theoretical know-how, business insights and practical skills to launch a successful career.

Steps to animating a video 

To add your own animation to existing footage, follow Anthony’s steps:

strong>1. Read the brief
Understand the task at hand and begin ideating solutions to the proposed brief or creative problem.

2. Conduct research and look for inspiration
Plan your approach by researching ideas and finding inspiration for the design you want to create.

3. Map out your design
Based on your research and capabilities, decide how you want to manipulate the existing footage to get your desired result.

4. Experiment in Adobe After Effects 
This is the fun bit. Start using different tools to see what works best. What effects do you want to add? What graphics, colours and copy will bring the footage to life?

 Want to see Anthony’s final creation? Full video including Nina’s reaction below:

Start your adventure into 3D Design and Animation today.