“Advanced Motion Methods” is a 9 week intensive course by School of Motion designed to sharpen high-level animation skills. I took the course in 2020, right after moving to the U.S., with a clear goal: push my skills beyond clean keyframes and into more intentional, expressive, naturally inspired motion.

Across the program, I completed a series of assignments focused on geometry, rhythm, match-cuts, and transitions overall, all rooted in understanding how things move in the real world. The result was a set of polished, high-contrast, 2D geometric animations that pushed both my technical range and creative instincts forward.

At the time, I knew how to animate, but I wanted to animate better. I wanted curves that felt technical, transitions that felt seemless, and visual decisions supported by more than intuition alone.

The challenge became learning how to make motion feel natural, even when working with purely geometric, abstract shapes. That meant:

• Studying the math behind movement
• Understanding visual rhythm
• Applying natural proportions (like the golden ratio)
• Breaking old habits in favor of more intentional outcome

And beneath all of that was a personal goal: build a portfolio strong enough to stand out in a new country, with pieces that reflected not just skill, but taste and thoughtfulness.

This course was a solo journey, but not an isolated one. Each week, I worked through assignments independently while receiving:

• Tailored critiques from a dedicated Teaching Assistant
• Group-wide breakdowns where TAs highlighted standout student work
• Notes that pushed my animation beyond “technically correct” into “creatively memorable”

I brought the concepts to life, trusting the process and challenging myself to apply every lesson with intention.

One of the early realizations in the course was how much motion is shaped by the world around us, physics, timing, proportion, and behavior. Every exercise traced back to nature in some way:

• How leaves fall
• How objects ease in and out
• How rhythm creates expectation
• How geometry can feel organic

This shifted my entire mindset. Motion wasn’t just about curves, it was about empathy, observation, and feeling.

Each assignment began with provided style frames, which I then:

1. Broke down into movement paths
2. Mapped onto geometric proportions
3. Animated in After Effects with carefully tuned curves
4. Refined using match-cuts, masks, and seamless transitions

The workflow was a blend of analytical and intuitive, study the geometry, then make it sing.

Weekly critiques were invaluable. Some of the most helpful insights came from:

• Making impacts feel more physical
• Creating smoother visual rhythm
• Using negative space intentionally
• Pushing timing beyond “comfortable” to “dynamic”

These notes helped me polish each piece until it felt cohesive, intentional, and confident.

By the end of the nine weeks, I had a small collection of geometric, rhythm-driven animations that showcased:

• Clean, purposeful motion arcs
• Abstract and organic movement studies
• Creative match-cuts and seamless transitions
• Golden-ratio timing and proportion
• Thoughtful visual storytelling without characters or narrative

The pieces were stylistically diverse but unified by a shared foundation: motion that feels rooted in the real world, even when built from simple shapes.