School of Motion Podcast

In this episode, we go into Ariel Costa's past and find out how he ended up finding his unique style, how he got on the radar of GIGANTIC bands, and what the economics behind animated music videos. He also drops TONS of wisdom about freelancing, balancing paid and unpaid work, and lots more. Seriously, this episode is PACKED, so get a notepad. Did we mention he's a Buck Alumni?... https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/ariel-costa-interview

On today's podcast episode, we sit down with Simon Holmedal, a Motion Designer and Technical Director who spent a big chunk of his career at the legendary studio, Man vs Machine. Simon's work is insane and there's a good chance that you've drooled over his work in the past few years. Simon recently transitioned from MvM to work with some friends at a studio called Panoply. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/simon-holmedal-houdini-interview

Our guest today is no stranger to determination. Sergei Prokhnevskiy is a Ukrainian born MoGraph artist who was forced to leave his home as a refugee at the age of 12 along with his twin brother Vladimir. After landing in the United States (and not speaking any English) he would go on to work on MoGraph projects including the Fox Sports Robot for the Super Bowl. Recently Sergei and Vladimir quit their full-time jobs to exclusively work on Ukramedia, an online Motion Design education site. On this episode, we'll talk with Sergei about the transition to full-time MoGraph education and talk about his incredible life-story. This is a super inspiring episode. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/sergei-ukramedia-interview

In this week's podcast episode we sit down with Paul Babb to discuss his role as CEO of Maxon. Along the way we'll get to know a little bit about Pauls background and talk about why Maxon is 'artist first' instead of 'feature first'. This is one of our favorite episodes ever. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/paul-babb-interview

We understand that learning Cinema 4D can be a challenge. So we asked EJ Hassenfratz and David Ariew to Answer common Cinema 4D questions from the School of Motion community. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/cinema-4d-questions-ej-hassenfratz-david-ariew

Mitch Myers is an art director, Motion Designer, and artistic celebrity in the Motion Design world. Mitch has done work for Universal, GoPro, the NFL, and Southwest Airlines. On this podcast episode, Mitch talks about your worth and value as a Motion Designer, how to build a strong brand, and why consistency is important to aspiring MoGraph artists. Get your notepad out. You're going to want to take a lot of notes. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/mitch-meyers-interview

In today's episode we sit down with Carey Smith the creative mastermind behind Division 05. Carey is arguably the best tutorial creator in the world and a huge advocate for learning Motion Design the 'right' way, with an emphasis on essential skills like composition, art-direction, and inspiration. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/carey-smith-division-05

Monica Kim left her home at age 14 to pursue her dreams without a clear career objective. Over time her hard-work and determination have led her to work in amazing places like Google in New York City. Her incredible career has spanned two continents and her lifestyle crazy fascinating. In the podcast, we'll talk about everything from meditation to her love of birds. We're stoked for this one. Enjoy! https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/monica-kim-interview

Today's podcast guest is Terra Henderson. Terra is a freelance Motion Designer who has lived in Texas, New York, and Georgia. Despite growing up in a small Texas town, Terra pursued her dream of becoming a Motion Designer by moving away. After completing school at SCAD she took the ultimate professional leap and moved to New York City. Over time Terra has learned valuable lessons in networking, specializing, and the freedom of being freelance. Terra's laid-back perspective on work and life is a cool reminder that you don't have to live in the biggest cities to be a successful Motion Designer. So, grab some kava and say hello to Austin-based MoGraph artist Terra Henderson. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/terra-henderson-interview

Yeah Haus's fun and colorful style is certainly a reflection of owners Michelle and Chad. In this podcast episode, Michelle Ouellette talks about the process of creating and maintaining the studio in Detroit. Along the way, we'll learn about Michelle's background in Graphic Design and Illustration. You're going to love this one. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/growing-mograph-studio-michelle-ouellette

In today's episode, we talk with Angie Feret, a pioneering MoGraph artist, who uses her hobbies to rejuvenate her 3D work. Angie' background in modeling (the real-life kind) and motorcycles led her to become a unique 3D artist and even a presenter for Maxon. Angie's first-hand experience with female discrimination is also a helpful reminder that our industry has a lot of room for improvement. We promise you've never met a 3D artist like Angie. This is a really fun episode. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/angie-feret-interview

What's it take to be a master of hand-drawn animation? In this interview we sit down with Rachel Reid, one of the best animators in the Motion Design world. Rachel's work at Gunner, one of the hottest Motion Design studios on the block, has been seen all over the world. Her animation work has been staff picked by Vimeo, picked-up on Motionographer, and we frequently talk about her work here on School of Motion. Rachel was kind enough to sit down and chat with Joey about her experience in the industry. In the podcast Rachel get's into all of the details about her equipment and process. It's fantastic insight into one of the most challenging disciplines in art. Enjoy! https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/rachel-reid-animator-interview

It's pretty common knowledge at this point that the world of Motion Design education is changing. From online bootcamps to tutorials, the need for brick-and-mortar schools is slowly fading. You can thank this trend, in some part, to today's guest Michael Jones. Michael is the founder and CEO of MoGraph Mentor an online education platform that is designed to help Motion Designer's grow their skills and become hirable in the modern era of freelance. The work Michael does at MoGraph Mentor has always been a huge source of inspiration for the team here at School of Motion so we thought it'd be fun to sit down and chat about what it took to create MoGraph mentor. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/michael-jones-mograph-mentor

In this weeks podcast we sit down with Andy Contiguglia for the second time to finish our two part series on legal questions for Motion Design. This week we're talking about legal entities and it is fascinating. Get your pen and paper out. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/the-best-way-to-form-a-motion-design-business

Andy Contiguglia is lawyer with years of experience representing small businesses and freelancers in legal affairs around the United States. Andy was kind enough to come on the podcast and answer our burning legal questions for Motion Design. His brain has more legal knowledge than we knew how to handle so we broke this episode up into 2 parts. In part one Andy talks about contracts for Motion Design work. You owe it to yourself and your business to listen to this one. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/contracts-for-motion

We sat down with Brett Morris to talk about his career in the industry, including his time at Capacity. Brett has recently partnered up with his friend Steve Panicara to start their own studio, Ranger and Fox, out in Los Angeles. Brett's passion for Motion Design is intoxicating. This is definitely worth a listen. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/podcast/brett-morris-interview

In this episode Joey sits down with Ryan Summers to talk about the biggest stories in Motion Design from 2017. We talk about everything, from new tools to amazing MoGraph projects. www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/motion-design-news-2017

We sit down with Nol Honing to discuss how his experience as a political Motion Designer led to teaching After Effects in college and online. Have you ever messed up so bad on a Motion Design project that it makes headlines on the news? We'll our guest today has. In today's interview Nol Honing, the creator of our After Effects Kickstart course, tells us about his experience in the Motion Design industry. Nol made a name for himself by working on political campaigns for high-level politicians like Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton. After working his way to the top of the political world Nol switched gears, by becoming a teacher at Parsons New School. As a contributor to Motionographer and Staff Pick awardee, Nol is no stranger to the MoGraph industry. He just so happens to be one of the most interesting people in the world. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/interview-nol-honing

If you're anything like the normal Motion Designer than chances are you probably learned most of what you know online. Maybe you learned by watching tutorials on YouTube or maybe you took an online bootcamp like the one's here at School of Motion. But you may have never thought about the process of creating tutorials… This week we're talking to the Motion Design Education extraordinaire, Jake Bartlett. To say that Jake Bartlett is just a tutorial creator would be an understatement. From creating classes for Skillshare to the Explainer Camp at School of Motion Jake has mastered the art of educating Motion Designers. On this week's episode we sit down with Jake to talk about his work in the industry. Along the way Jake shares insights into how he creates his courses and talks about Explainer Camp here at School of Motion. It's a great interview with a great guy. www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/teaching-motion-design-with-jake-bartlett

Imagine doing work for Google, Coca-Cola, and Facebook. That'd be pretty sweet, right? But what if you were tasked with raising 4 kids at the same time. Do you think you could do it? David Stanfield is a director, animator, and designer in Charleston, South Carolina. For years he's been designing 2D masterpieces for the biggest brands in the world while being a father. On this podcast episode we talk to David Stanfield about how he balances family and work. Along the way David shares how he uses social media to get new gigs. It's a super enlightening podcast. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/motion-design-family-david-stanfield

When you're working on a Motion Graphic project usually the final video will be viewed on a phone or computer, or if you're really lucky a theater screen. But what if you could have your work projected at a concert with thousands of people in the audience? That'd be pretty sweet, right? Our guest today has done just that for HUGE artists like Lady Gaga, U2, and Niki Minaj. In the podcast Joey sits down with Casey Hupke and talks about his experience in the world of projection mapping for live events. In the podcast we get down into the knitty-gritty about how Casey puts one of these projects together from start to finish. https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/casey-hupke-projection-mapping

In the Motion Design industry the role of creative director and studio owner is glorified. The thrill of owning your own business and leading a team of artists is intoxicating, but what is the actual reality of running a Motion Graphics studio? In this week's episode Joey sits down with Zac Dixon to discuss his experience as Creative Director/Owner at IV. Zac is super honest about the reality of owning a modern studio. No frills. No fluff. In addition to his work at IV, Zac is the host of the incredibly popular Animators podcast, which you should absolutely subscribe to once you're done listening to this podcast. Check out the Show Notes here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/zac-dixon-interview

What's the real state of the Motion Design Industry? At this point you've probably already seen the results our 2017 Motion Design Industry Survey. If not, go check it out... In the survey we asked Motion Designers from around the industry about their experience. There was actually quite a bit of data that wasn't included in the survey or infographic so we thought it'd be fun to put together a podcast sharing the results. In the podcast we talk about everything from the gender pay gap to the most popular After Effects channels on YouTube. Prepare to learn something new... https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/podcast-motion-design-industry

It seems like just about everyone's job is threatened by automation, but what if automation is the secret to getting more MoGraph work out into the world? What if you could edit an entire After Effects composition from a spreadsheet? Then even if you're an accountant you could get amazing MoGraph sequences in only a matter of minutes. Sounds pretty cool right? Our next podcast guest has done just that with a sweet company called MoShare. MoShare is the pet-project of Fraser Davidson a founder of the incredible Cub Studio. Fraser's experience working with sports clients led him to seize an opportunity in the Motion Design market. As a result he is able to steady out his studio's income between projects. Along the way Fraser talks about the modern realities of running a studio and talks about his background in the industry. It's going to leave you inspired and ready to start your own side projects. https://schoolofmotion.com/blog/fraser-davidson-interview

Can drugs make you a better artists? We'e been programed our entire lives to believe that only harm can come from drugs. The thought is, if it causes you to have a chemical reaction in your brain it must be bad for you, but maybe that's not always the case... On this podcast we're talking with animator/director Caspian Kai about the potential benefits of psychedelics in Motion Design. Instead of drugs, Caspian likes to use the term tool, because psychedelics can be used as a tool to create some amazing art. The podcast talks about the physical effect of these different tools on your art. It's a wild ride and you're definitely going to learn something new. Check out the show notes here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/caspian-kai-psychedelics

Have you ever had a director say 'I shouldn't have hired you...'? Our guest today is proof that hard work can get you anywhere. Andrew Vucko (pronounced Voo-co) is killing it in the Motion Design world. He's had big-name clients like Facebook, Toyota and Patreon. His work is consistently featured on Motionographer. And he's an all-around great guy. For Vucko, animation school was simply not an option. So how did he get to where he is today? And what advice does Vucko have for someone looking to get deeper into the Motion Design industry? All of these questions will be answered in this weeks podcast. So grab a snack, a comfy chair, and a notepad. Vucko's dropping knowledge bombs for over an hour. Check out the episode on our site: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/vucko-interview

Motion Graphics covers a huge range of skills... Like design, animation, editing, directing, 3D, and much more. There's a lot of work that goes into one piece, and often there's a huge team behind some of the best work out there. But occasionally you'll find a Unicorn in this industry, someone who can do a lot more than just design or animate. In this episode of our Podcast we talk to Onur Senturk, a Turkish born director who is best known for his work on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo titles. Onur's skills are not limited to directing alone, he also designs, animates, and he understands the most technical parts of using 3D software. In this interview Joey digs into Onur's brain and tries to figure out how he comes up with the incredible visuals that he's known for, and how he juggles the conceptual and creative side of this field with the really technical side. They get into the nitty gritty of what it's like to direct for Motion Graphics, working all over the world, and even how much you can make being a director for MoGraph. If you're curious what it's like to direct in this industry you will get a ton out of this episode. Check out the show notes for this episode here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/beyond-the-dragon-tattoo-directing-for-mograph-onur-senturk

Have you ever wanted to work with no pants on… No commuting, no clients, just you and your creativity cranking out cool stuff and then making tutorials. Sounds like the dream, right? It totally is, and School of Motion is not the only place where that dream is a reality. There are quite a few places with people making a living off of tutorials including our good buddy Nick Campbell, founder of Greyscalegorilla. In this episode Nick goes deep into what it's like making a living off of creating amazing tutorials and other products to help the MoGraph community. He tells the story of how Greyscalegorilla got its start, how he built it into what it is today, and gives some great practical advice on how to take the leap into starting your own business. Hint: It's not as simple as sitting in your PJ's making cool stuff. Check out this episode on our site: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/how-to-be-a-greyscale-gorilla-nick-campbell

DP's are like real-world 3D artists. Think about it. They have to take a three-dimensional world and use cameras and lights and objects and people to produce an image that is two-dimensional. It's a difficult task, and anyone who's ever opened up Cinema 4D understands the challenge in using 3D tools to create an image that isn't 3D. Mike Pecci is a master of his craft. He's a Director and D.P. who has been creating stunning imagery for clients as varied as Bose and Killswitch Engage. In this episode of our podcast Mike talks about ways to think about camera and lighting (among other things) that have helped him learn to hone his image-making ability. All of this knowledge can be translated into 3D, and if you use Cinema 4D you're going to want to take notes. Check out the show notes here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/lighting-and-camera-tips-from-a-master-dp-mike-pecci

Design sure is hard, ain't it? That's one of the reasons we built Design Bootcamp. In that course we dig into the principles of design but, more importantly, how to apply those principles in the real world. Knowing color theory is great, but when you're looking at a blank screen in Photoshop it's not enough to know what a triad color scheme is... you need to have some tricks up your sleeve to make the design process happen on your client's schedule. Part of the Design Bootcamp experience is the course podcast. All of our big courses have them, and we interview some of the industry's best artists so we can dig as much knowledge and as many workflow tips as possible out of them. Normally registered students of these courses get to hear these episodes, but we wanted to share some of the amazing content with you. In this episode, we've compiled some of the best tips from over 12 hours of Design Bootcamp podcast audio. You'll hear from Kevin Dart, Joe Donaldson, Bee Grandinetti, Ryan Moore and Andrew Brown of Gretel, Erica Gorochow, and My Tran. Check the show notes for links to their work, and check out Design Bootcamp for the full podcast series and an incredible Design education. Check out the show notes here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/design-tips-from-designers

We've all been there… You're working on a project in After Effects and BAM, brick wall. After Effects just doesn't have the feature that you need. It's times like this that we all turn to places like aescripts + aeplugins, and to the real MoGraph heros, the plugin and script developers. They create the tools that we Motion Designers need to get our jobs done, or maybe just make our lives easier. If you've ever used an AE plugin, script, or expression you're going to want to check out this interview with Zack Lovatt. You might not know him by name, but you probably know some of the tools that he's worked on, like Flow and Explode Shape Layers. In this episode of our Podcast Joey gets the inside scoop on what it's like to be a plugin developer for After Effects. They talk about everything you could want to know about becoming a developer, from how to get started to how much you can make (hint; it's more than just beer money), and even what the future of developing tools for After Effects might look like. Check out this episode on our site: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/how-much-do-after-effects- script-developers-make-a-chat-with-zack-lovatt

Nuke is the better tool... ...for compositing. After Effects is king in many areas (like animation) that are important to us Motion Designers, but Nuke is a far more powerful tool for compositing things like VFX and 3D passes. Now, as a Motion Designer you might think that knowing compositing is a waste of your time, but if you've hung around School of Motion long enough you know that compositing is a super important skill that every MoGrapher should know at least a little bit of. Not only will you be able to land more jobs, you'll also be able to think like a compositor which is a very valuable skill to have in your arsenal. Compositing Pro-Tips from a Master. In this episode of our Podcast Joey is going to pick the brain of Hugo Guerra, who is an absolute compositing genius. Hugo is so good at what he does that he ran the entire Nuke division at The Mill in London. He also has a YouTube channel called Hugo's Desk where he shows you how to composite like a pro. Hugo drops a TON of knowledge bombs in this one and by the end of it you'll be itching to dive deep into the compositing world, and maybe even learn some Nuke yourself. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/smoke-without-fire-compositing-pro-tips-hugo-guerra/

There is a TON of MoGraph work out there. If you're only checking it out at places like Motionographer (who we love very dearly), you're only seeing the tip of a massive MoGraph iceberg. Our goal here at School of Motion is to expose you to as many sides of the industry as possible, not just the work that big MoGraph studios are putting out. Let's talk Television…. In this podcast episode Joey talks to the very funny and extremely passionate husband and wife duo, Joke and Biagio. They run Joke Productions, a small studio that does unscripted TV programs, which is a very broad genre of film that covers everything from reality TV shows like Jersey Shore to documentaries. Over the years these two have worked on all manner of unscripted film for networks like MTV, Oxygen, NBC, CNN, and many more. With all of that experience they give us a ton of insight into the process of producing unscripted television. They also have some very solid, actionable advice that you can use right away to break into the TV production word; from getting booked doing MoGraph for TV shows to designing with a kit mentality. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/going-unscripted-world-producing-reality-tv/

When it comes to location L.A. is undoubtedly the best place for a motion designer to network and thrive, but that's not to say that studios in other parts of the country are doing less-cool work. One great example is the team at Digital Kitchen. For years Digital Kitchen has been churning out incredible work and they just added one of the best MoGraph creative directors, Ryan Summers, to their team. Ryan's passions and hard-work have led him to work on projects for Guillermo Del Toro, Starbucks, and National Geographic, among many other incredibly cool clients. In this podcast episode Joey sat down with Ryan to discuss how he rose to the top of the MoGraph world. Ryan takes us on a journey from his upbringing in South Chicago, to his freelance career in L.A., to his homecoming at Digital Kitchen. This episode is packed full of helpful info and tips for freelancers and aspiring motion designers. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/do-creative-directors-actually- create-anything-with-ryan-summers/

As a motion designer NAB isn't just a conference, it's really a rite of passage. With over 100,000 attendees there is no bigger platform to network with people from around the industry. It's an insanely huge event, and if you've never been to it you're going to want to listen to this Podcast. In this episode Amy, Joey, and Caleb talk all things NAB and Vegas giving you all the tips and tricks you need to know to make it through Vegas (mostly) unscathed. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/nab-2017-motion-design/

Think back to the last time you cut a reel... It probably went something like this. You sat in front of the computer, picked out that perfect track of music, found all of your projects, brought them into After Effects, and then you had to make a TON of decisions.... What shot do I chose? When do I cut? Is there a better shot for this? Did I cut that too soon? What beat of the music do I cut on? Is that shot too long? Does that shot look good next to that other one? Is that shot too slow? There's no expression or plugin to help you cut a good reel. You need to learn how to... Think like an Editor. We've got a new Podcast episode ready for your ears featuring Mike Radtke, the Editor Extraordinaire from Digital Kitchen. This time Joey plays devils advocate to really dig into why we need editors in our industry, why MoGraphers don't do both jobs, and what a MoGrapher can learn from the editing world to get better at their own craft. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/why-do-we-need-editors/

Our Podcast has always been interviews, but in this episode we're going to shake things up. This time Joey will be flying solo, giving you his most tactical, actionable Freelance tips that you can start using right now. Some of these tips are from our course, Freelance U, and others are from our first book, The Freelance Manifesto, which you can look forward to adding to your summer reading list in June of 2017. Whether you're a veteran or just starting out by the end of this episode you'll be a more confident freelancer. You will get Joey's best tips on finding Freelance work, impressing your clients, and getting paid to do the work that you love. Keep a notepad handy, you'll want to write these down. Check out this episode on our site: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/better-freelancer-right-now/

If you don't already know who Chris Do is, you need to. He is the CEO of Blind, a studio which he founded 21 years ago that's still going strong today. He's also the creator of The Futur where he teaches MoGraphers like you how to be a creative entrepreneur. He has a TON of experience in the creative industry, and he's more than happy to share his wisdom with you. Our Industry is changing in big ways. Joey and Chris tackle some hard truths about the future of our industry, including why right now might not be the best time to start a studio. They also give you step by step instructions on how to land killer freelance gigs, and even tell you how to get hired at Blind. This interview is PACKED full of tactical, actionable advice that you can use right away.

Imagine a world without After Effects. Every time you sit down in front of the computer to animate you have to write code. Not just a few lines like you do with most expressions; hundreds of lines with variables, if-then statements, pixel dimensions, and crazy math formulas for your eases. This nightmarish way of animating has been, until very recently, the sad reality for app developers. Airbnb has a new way of animating. Lottie, a new open-source tool, is a game changer for App developers and the Motion Designers that work with them. It takes your animation from After Effects (with a little help from Bodymovin') and spits out all the code you need, ready for use on a variety of platforms. In this interview Joey talks to Salih Abdul-Kareem and Brandon Withrow of Airbnb. They dig into all the details of how Lottie works, why it's needed, and the role of Motion Design at a company like Airbnb. Check out the show notes: http://www.schoolofmotion.com/after-effects-to-code-lottie/

Producers do more than budgets. They are the conductors of the MoGraph orchestra... they do the dirty work so the artists can give total focus to their craft. They have to master the art of telling clients "no" without saying "no," they have to read the tea-leaves when it comes to budgeting and scheduling. And, of course, they are often the gatekeepers to getting booked as a freelancer. Our guest today makes Producing look easy. In this podcast episode, Joey talks with Erica Hilbert, Producer Extraordinaire at The Mill in Chicago. She knows all about the art of wrangling a project; keeping everything on schedule and under-budget. This interview is a real eye opener for any artist who has never stopped to think about the importance of the Producer and what our lives would be like without them. Dont forget to check out the show notes! http://www.schoolofmotion.com/the-conductor-producer-erica-hilbert-mill/

Motionographer does a lot for our industry... They inspire us, interview industry professionals, educate us, and put on the amazing F5 Conference. In this interview Joey talks to Motionographer Co-Founder Justin Cone about their Patreon campaign and the latest project Motionographer is heading up, The Motion Awards. Justin and Joey get deep into the nitty gritty about this new award, why the industry needs it, and what makes it different from all of the other award shows out there. Justin also offers his wisdom on what makes great design, well, great. We'll give you a hint, it has nothing to do with originality. If you want more than that you'll have give this one a listen. Don't forget to check out the show notes below for links to all of the studios, work, artists, and resources mentioned in this podcast. http://www.schoolofmotion.com/enter-the-cone-zone-the-motion-awards/

Cinema 4D is one of those apps that you start learning and never stop. Frankly, most of the apps we Motion Designers use fall into that category. EJ Hassenfratz has built up a reputation as an amazing C4D artist and teacher. His tutorials have been featured on GreyScaleGorilla, he has presented for Maxon at various conferences, and his work shows that he can also walk the walk. Joey had the pleasure of chatting with EJ about the tutorial scene, how they both learned Cinema 4D, and the challenges of learning such a massive app (not to mention the challenges of understanding the 3D workflow in general). EJ is gentleman, a scholar, and a beer enthusiast. We hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did. Make sure to check out EJ's work and more at EyeDesyn.com! http://www.schoolofmotion.com/cinema4d-ej-hassenfratz/

Lilian Darmono is an Australian / Indonesian-Chinese artist living in London. To say she has a diverse background is an understatement. She is not only multi-cultured and well traveled, her illustration style is a constant exploration of new styles. Yes, she tends to be on the cute side of things, but why not? Sometimes we just need to say "awwww" and feel a bit fuzzy inside. In this interview, I tried to dig into Lilian's talent to find out her secret... how does she combine colors so masterfully? How does she (seemingly effortlessly) jump from one style to the next? Lilian speaks very candidly about her career as a designer and illustrator and how being a woman has shaped that experience. She doesn't hold back, and I think this conversation has an incredible amount of wisdom and actionable strategies in it. http://www.schoolofmotion.com/nobody-born-designer/

Want to know what it takes to be a pro at sound design? To say that Frank Serafine might know what he's talking about is probably a huge understatement. Frank has been around doing sound design since before many of you were born. He's seen technology change they way that things are done, not just in audio, but in film also. In this epic chat, Frank and Joey geek out over how he developed sounds such as the Light Cycles in Tron, massive Spacecraft in the Star Trek movie, and many others... all without the benefit of ProTools or other modern bells-and-whistles. He has a TON of great tips on how to become a sound designer, whether you just want to add sounds to make your animations stand out or maybe even do it as a pro. Take a listen. http://www.schoolofmotion.com/frank-serafine/

Ever hear of Houdini? No, not the magician, the software by SideFX. Joey got a chance to have a very nerdy talk with the super genius Christopher Hendryx about his work at Disney as an FX Animator. Christopher was the lead artist in charge of Elsa's ice magic on a little film you may have heard of called Frozen. He created a very flexible and powerful rig in Houdini to create the effect, and shares a lot of insight into how he goes about making the insane visuals that he's responsible for. He also talks with Joey about why Houdini is turning out to be the "software of choice" for FX, and how one might go about learning it. Prepare yourself, things are about to get real nerdy. http://www.schoolofmotion.com/an-interview-with-the-brilliant-chris-hendryx/

Matt Frodsham is a Cinema 4D Black Belt. His reel is full of weird and wonderful work, much of it completed with his friends at the incredible Berlin-based Zeitguised. His work is abstract, provocative, playful, and extremely polished. Check out his reel to see what strange places his mind has been whilst sitting in front of an insanely powerful multi-GPU computer-beast with Cinema 4D opened up. https://vimeo.com/121924175 In this episode Joey chats with Matt at length about his experience working with such an amazingly creative group of people, how he (and Zeitguised) balance doing work for the reel versus work for the meal, and about how he deals with burnout. The goal of this interview was to paint a picture of what Matt's career looks like, and hopefully you leave inspired and ready to go get funky and weird with your own work. http://www.schoolofmotion.com/matt-frodsham/

Want to know the secret to amazing work? Us too. Unfortunately, the secret is "work really really hard." Working out of his home office in the capital of Slovenia, Nejc Polovsak is consistently turning out some of the most creative, polished, and beautiful 3D work in the Motion Graphics world. What's really incredible about Nejc is that he's more or less self-taught. He never received a formal education in design, animation, or any of the hard-core 3D techniques he uses to make his work look so incredible. Check out Nejc's reel. https://vimeo.com/125433577 In this episode Joey talks to Nejc about how he got so damn good at doing this stuff, and then really dis into his process, his favorite tools, and his style. By the end of this interview you'll feel incredibly inspired to go make something cool. http://www.schoolofmotion.com/interview-twisted-poly/

New Zealand-based 3D Artist extraordinaire Rich Nosworthy is about as humble a guy as you'll ever meet. He single-handedly makes some of the coolest photorealistic 3D animations you've ever seen, and still finds time to be pestered with all kinds of questions from people who want to discover his secrets to killer work. If you haven't already seen this... take a minute to check out this great piece he just released to promote the 99 Frames Competition. https://vimeo.com/121563328 In this interview, Joey asks Rich to take him from-start-to-finish through the entire process of making this piece. They get deep into modeling techniques, texturing strategies, VRay specifics... it gets geeky fast and it stays there. Find out more about the 99 Frames competition as well as all of the resources we talk about in this interview by looking below at the Show Notes section. Enjoy! http://www.schoolofmotion.com/interview-with-the-almighty-rich-nosworthy/