#Media Design: InSync PLUS

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My routine is broken and my brain is spinning aimlessly. Thanks twitter.

ANYWAY

InSync PLUS is a company that has worked on the franchise doing a variety of things alongside other partners. This has included producing trailers, gifs and of all things the netflix icons. At the time these were discovered their website was a firewall !!!ing mess which led to their facebook and instagram page. While they have been removed since, these chonky boys were on said facebook:

The one exception was Archie who wasn't. HTTYD_TV on twitter came to the rescue and managed to grab a larger version so while not as meaty as the above ones it's still nice!

Since all this happened they finally got their website fixed! While it (Frustratingly) still has images of "lets stick white borders around to fit the website" it did include this Merlin which as far as we're aware has not been used.

As a bonus for fun, these two were banner screenshots direct from netflix. Gotta give the Jilaire fans an extra treat :)

This one was blowing around the internet unsourced.

These two however are also from Insync PLUS directly so are larger! There's usually a variety of sizes for different purposes but finding them is like pulling teeth.

[momentumgo]

Laura Porat

Freelance Motion Graphics Designer lauraporat.com Los Angeles, CA Age 24 She/Her

How did you get your start in motion design, animation, or whatever it is that you do?

Ever since I was a kid, I was always being creative. I asked for papers and markers for every birthday and Hanukkah. I would spend hours in front of the TV drawing whatever came to my mind.

Throughout my childhood, my mom was very supportive of my artistic endeavors and signed me up for art lessons and I took a stop motion class one summer. When it came to applying for colleges, my mom encouraged me to major in animation. I went to Emerson College which is a small film school in Boston.

Life at Emerson College was unique as they place a lot of emphasis on extracurriculars so I joined clubs where I designed and animated things. I soon got the reputation for being one of the few animators on campus so students would seek me out for my animation skills. I got an internship at a post-production studio after my sophomore year of college which is where I was forced to learn After Effects on a much deeper level. I fell in love. I had a few different internships in college which made me realize that I wanted to be a full-time motion graphics designer.

After I graduated, I landed my first freelance role at a small virtual reality company in Burbank. I freelanced steadily for a few months until all of a sudden, I could not find any work at all. I spent the entire summer making no money. I was desperate to find a full-time job at a studio but everyone wanted someone who was older and had more experience.

Then, out of the blue, I received a phone call the night of Yom Kippur. My family is pretty religious so I had to lock myself in the bathroom and conduct this phone call in secrecy. It was from a producer who needed an animator starting the following Monday. I immediately accepted. I ended up working at that creative agency, InSync Plus, for a year where I honed and crafted my skills. I learned the workflows for animation and what it was like working in a team. It was a great experience. After a year of working there, I felt confident enough about my portfolio and skills that I decided to quit to rejoin freelancing full-time. I haven't looked back.

Since entering the freelance world, I've had the opportunity to create designs and animations for the NBA, Snapchat, Live Nation, and so on. I've gotten to work with amazing studios and clients. I get to determine my own schedule and choose the projects I work on.

What are some best practices you use today?

I am always looking for inspiration from different sources. I love watching movies, I read books, I go to museums, I travel, I take improv comedy classes and so on. I study and observe people around me. All of this influences the work that I do. It's so important to not just look to other motion designers for inspiration but to look outside. This leads to a great diversity of work and better results.

How have you learned to practice self-care? What do you do to take care of yourself?

Self-care is incredibly important in our field. We're pressured to constantly create content for others to consume. It can be very easy to fall in the trap of "oh well, I have to make something today or else it hasn't been a productive day." That mentality is so dangerous. If you don't feel like creating something, don't force yourself. See a movie, take a walk, go outside of your office or studio.

I participate in a kickball league so I get exercise at least once a week. I also plan for vacations where I don't do any work whatsoever on the vacations. Even if it's just a staycation, it's important to take plenty of breaks. That way, I come back to work re-energized and recharged.

What advice do you have for those just starting out?

There is no "correct" way of entering this field. You don't need to go to a fancy art school. Youtube, Lynda, etc have excellent online resources for learning.

Be active in your local motion graphics community. Go to meet ups and make friends! Don't go in there expecting something from someone. Just go to meet ups with a positive attitude and the mentality of learning about other people. I've gotten a lot of gigs from friends who have been too busy with work so they pass the project on to me.

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO POST YOUR WORK ON SOCIAL MEDIA! This is the biggest killer I see in artists. They're too afraid to post their work because they don't think it's good enough. Chances are, someone else will see it and really like it. Social media is a fantastic way of getting potential clients or even making friends. It costs $0 to post your work on Instagram, Twitter, Behance, and so on.

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Season 2 Poster Process

Something I have been absently trying to figure out is the source of the absolutely fantastic season 2 poster. While I found the original watercolour a while back it took until yesterday to find the source of the finalised version so now I can present them in all their progression glory.

Above is the original design by Mike Butkus. [Source]

The above two images are by Robert Dunbar. [Source]

The final poster design (And gif) is by InSync PLUS. [Source]