After Effects School Club

[estelan94491880]

Hi, I am 11 years old and I am starting a After Effects club at my school. By the end of the year we need to have a project. I don't want it to be all about blowing things up. Maybe something with a higher purpose. Does anyone have any ideas?

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[Rick Gerard]

I am glad you are thinking about something better to blowing things up. I suggest you try and tell a short story. Try and make somebody feel something. Feel happy, feel sad, learn something about your actors character and feel something. Find a story that your members want to tell and then start planning. Finding the story and figuring out how to tell it is the hardest part. There are a million or more ways to tell the same story so you'll have lots of opportunity to come up with some good ideas. We  would love to see it when you are done and there are lots of folks on the forum that will be happy to help you with the technical details.

I did a short film (30 seconds) a zillion years ago that was nothing more than a guy walking down a street and going into his house, then turning on the water in the kitchen and taking a drink. It won first place in the in a pretty major film festival because the story worked and had a surprise at the end. Not gross, not scary, just a unique and a little bit funny way to show somebody washing away their cares after a hard day. It was only 6 shots and one special effect in the next to the last shot. It took me a couple of months to plan it and about 4 hours to shoot it. The only line of dialogue was in the last shot when my actor said "That's better."

One of the best things you can do in your AE club is to learn how to collaborate on ideas, assign tasks and get things done. That is what it takes to succeed at school, at work, and in life.

[estelan94491880]

Thank you so much. I would really like to see the short 30 second video that you made.

[RobShultz]

Love this! Maybe something local about an event or need in your community.

[P.M.B]

There is classic structure to an effective story.

At it's most basic

Protagonist:   Main character

Plot:  Main character's goal.   A task or tasks the protagonist needs to complete to reach their goal.

Conflict:  Protagonist encounters obstacles that stand in the way of them reaching their goal.  Could be internal or external.

Resolution:  Protagonist overcomes the conflict and achieves their goal......or not

Comedy or Tragedy?   This has nothing to do with whether the story is funny or sad.

Comedy means the protagonist overcomes conflict and achieves goal/goals. Success!!

Tragedy means the protagonist fails.  

Try thinking about some movies you've seen or stories you've read and see if you can identify all these aspects of the story.

Who is the protagonist?

What is their goal?

What is the conflict?

Resolution.  Is it a comedy or a tragedy?

[estelan94491880]

Thank you. I have taken your advice and I am planning a short film to present to my school directors at the end of the year.

[P.M.B]

I hope it goes well for you

[Kevin-Monahan]

Awesome EstelaN! How's it going so far? Let us know if you need help or assistance.

Thanks,
Kevin