That's right! I'm making tutorial content too - how's about that??
Learn with Me!
Wisdom Sharing
Things I've learnt bumbling about in animation and motion graphics.
For those folks new to the industry or mid-transition or just keen to get more engaged with the Creative Industry, I've collated some of the things I've learnt on my adventures. By no means is it exhaustive, but hopefully it gives someone a bit more confidence to get on out there and hustle . If there's top tips I'm missing, glaring omissions or embarrassing goofs, let me know!
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This started as an email to send to my students once they finished their studies but it has continued to grow and evolve from there.
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(Also, keep in mind I'm based in Melbourne so it's pretty localised)
Get on the socials
Share your stuff everywhere. You never know where a potential client might stumble upon your work. Get your work out to the audiences that are really looking for it.
Self Promotion
You’ve got to have a website. It doesn’t have to be fancy, it doesn't even have to be paid (free Wix accounts are great) but it should cover your essentials:
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Who are you?
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What can you do?
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What do you enjoy doing?
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How do we get in contact?
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Where are you based?
This last point is more about time zones than where you will be working these days - Remote work IS CERTAINLY an options.
You MUST have a quick way for people to find you and also promote you - let others share around your website and recommend you too!
BE SEEN
Check out Events
There are heaps all over the globe and a bunch locally. It's a wide spreading community so don't limit yourself to local stuff but definitely try and get to events whenever you can. You never know what you might see that inspires you or who you might meet. It could be your next collaborator, client, full time employer or new bestest bud. You just never know!
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A lot of big events and conferences now are being filmed too so if you can't make it to some of the big ones, check them out online #2020
Adobe Max
AGDA
Annecy
Blend Fest
Festival of the Photocopier
Loop de loop
Melbourne Webfest
MIAF
MIFF
Node Fest
Pictoplasma
Semi Permanent
Get on the Blogs
Some of the coolest studios give away their secrets through their blogs and newsletters. If you stumble upon animators or studios you like, follow them, check in on what they're up to. Even get in contact and tell them they're rad. Let them know you exist and you never know what might happen!
Holdframe
Animade
Buck
Giant Ant
On Animation
Motionographer
Pictofolio
Everything Animated
Boom
Wine After Coffee
Ball Pit Mag
Ice Cream Hater
Gregg Gunn
Alex Grigg
Tune into Podcasts
It's a massively expanding realm at the moment and heaps of our favourite studios are popping out their own podcasts and interviewing all the fanciest folk about.
You can gain a wealth of knowledge from these. Incredible insights into the industry, issues people have faced and overcome, awesome opportunities that have arisen and how to cultivate such epicness in one's own life. I cannot recommend enough, the benefits of listening to quality podcasts.
SEE OTHERS
ENGAGE
Competition Time
Follow those hashtags and get involved with competitions and challenges. Find that community that spends their spare time doing cool stuff just like you.
Get involved and stay inspired
OzAnimate
Brilliant resource, showcasing a lot of local Aussie work as well as learning and job opportunities.
www.facebook.com/motionographer
OzAnimate is modeled on Motionographer. This is a global resource that everyone in the industry is getting all up in on. They've also got job listings from all over the place.
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All sorts of animation news n stuff.
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www.facebook.com/AnimationMagazine
More animation news and jazz.
Wine after Coffee
vimeo.com/channels/wineaftercoffee
Inspirational content. All the time. Heaps of trendy, happening animation and motion graphics stuff.
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A daily dose of motions graphics, 2D and 3D animation inspiration.
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Most active on Instagram and Twitter, this channel is a great source of all the hawtest animation memes as well as open and honest discussions about industry salaries.
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Follow online communities and get involved there. Keep an eye out for their specialist events too.
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There's loads of Slack and Discord groups popping up too so I encourage you to get out there and find your tribe.
Masters of Motion
www.facebook.com/themastersofmotion
A Melbourne based but Australia-wide servicing resource for all manner of jobs, events and ongoing support in the animation/motiongraphics/film/tv industry.
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Motion Melbourne
www.facebook.com/groups/melbournemotion
A little facebook group setup for animators in Melbs. Posts questions and jobs and new plugins.. all sorts!
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Hugely useful resource. Specifically for motion design with job postings, technical support, podcasts, advice and sweet community in general.​
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​Panimation
www.facebook.com/groups/punanimation
A community of women, trans and non-binary friends working with animation and motion graphics.
Mixed Parts
Forum community with heaps of wizz-bang animators ready to share their wisdoms, answer questions, collaborate on cool stuff and generally share interesting work.
KEEP GROWING
Never stop learning
Beyond all the sites listed, a lot of our favourite creators are publishing shit hot content for your learning pleasure too.
A fun selection of quick, clean, to the point AE tutes that cover some of sweet tips, tricks and handy dandy downloads.
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While teaching on School of Motion, Ben Marriot has a whole host of sweet sweet tutes up on youtube.
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Another page the started small on youtube and has continued to grow, creating all sorts of wicked tutes and packs.
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What started out as tutes, become a weekly chat with Motion designers and creators. A broad mix of After Effects and Cinema 4D.
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Flash based tutorials from way back, he doesn't appear to be puttin gout new content but the content that is there is so solid, I aint even mad about it.
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Another 2D champ that covers Flash and Toonboom tutorials in a super simple, approachable way.
Oli Putland
A Toonboom master, his best tutes and support you'll find on his Patreon., he's also putting out a book! I cannot recommend his teaching enough, to get your into Toonboom, undaunted.
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After Effects tricks
www.GoogleDoc.com.SpreadsheetOfWonder
This little document has been released to the world and filled with hand dandy tips and tricks for After Effects. Super useful!
Keep up with current and emerging trends as well as new technologies. Always keep building on your toolset wherever you can.
School of Motion
An incredible resource with seemingly endlessly growing lists of courses in animation, design, modelling, rigging...
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Motion Design School
Another ever-growing source of motion graphics skills in 2D and 3D from leading designers across the globe.
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A subscriptions service that is open too all levels of teachers and students so it's a bit of a mixed bag what you'll find (I have classes on it, so take what you will from that!)
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A service similar to Skillshare though paid per class and teachers have to apply and be accepted, so the calibre tends to be a little higher as a general rule.
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A company that has been creating epic plugins for donkeys ages, and developing solid tutorials for all things After Effects for just as long.
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Owned by LinkedIn, it's the #business place to go for online tutes - detailed, often dry but gets the job done. (And often claimable through work if you can swing it)
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The place to go for all things Cinema 4D.
Learning in all sorts of fields plus interviews with awesome artists and creators.
"I would like an animation please. How much does that cost?"
Insert snort laugh here*
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There is no one answer for this question. It will very project to project and person to person. I've gathered some hot resources below to get your started.
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Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA)
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But most importantly, talk to your peers. You're not alone in this, your fellow creatives are all in the same game.
And be ready to negotiate, but remember your worth.
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Check out EC Abrahms vid on pricing Motion Design.
Know your worth
But most important of all..
Keep in contact! Talk to your peers, your colleagues your friends, the lady at the newagency, the dude who makes your morning coffee. Talk about the thing you do, the thing that makes you tick. Random encounters have been some of my most fun and long serving jobs, and I never would have found them if it weren't for being a gas-bag.
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I'm also always happy to have a chat. Shoot me an email if you want, we can get all nerdy about animation - I love that stuff! ​alyssasmedley@gmail.com