Motion Graphics & Cinematics

01Recreate a kinetic-typography exercise from the School of Motion tutorial series (precompose, layer markers, sync text to audio beats).

02Design an original lower-third + title card for a fictional brand, animating in/out with a clear type hierarchy and one restrained motion idea.

03Repair an over-animated title: take a busy example (or your own), cut animation count by half, and justify each remaining motion against readability.

01Complete the DaVinci Resolve free 'Cut/Edit page' training chapter, rebuilding the example timeline and exporting it.

02Cut an original 30-second edit from your own or free-stock clips with a defined intent (e.g., build tension), choosing cut points on action/beat.

03Debug a broken export: deliberately mis-set frame rate / codec / resolution, diagnose the artifacts, then produce a correct delivery and document the spec.

01Recreate a guided explainer-style animation (shape layers + keyframe easing) from a free tutorial and document each animation principle used.

02Build an original 10-15s lower-third + icon animation pack for a fake product, controlling spacing/timing to feel deliberate.

03Take a clip that 'overanimates' and produce a restrained variant: fewer moving elements, clearer focal hierarchy, same message.

01Study a free 360 stitching/editing workflow and reframe a sample equirectangular clip into a flat 16:9 'overcapture' shot with intentional reframe keyframes.

02Plan and shoot/source an original short 360 scene, then write a 'viewer perspective' map of what is in front/behind and how you guide the eye (audio cue, motion, light).

03Diagnose and repair a visible stitch/parallax error in a 360 clip; compare optical-flow vs. template stitching modes and pick the right one.

01Do the bouncing-ball + weight exercise in Blender (squash/stretch, timing, ease) following the Manual's animation/graph-editor sections.

02Animate an original 5-second pendulum/tail or simple prop action demonstrating follow-through and overlapping action.

03Repair a 'floaty' animation: identify missing weight/ease and re-time it, then present before/after with graph-editor evidence.

01Replicate five canonical shot types (wide, medium, close, OTS, insert) of one subject, matching reference frames from a film.

02Shoot an original 20-30s sequence using one deliberate camera move (dolly/pan/handheld) motivated by the action, plus varied shot sizes.

03Reframe a weak shot under constraint: re-stage composition (rule-of-thirds, headroom, lead room) and compare to the original.

01Complete the DaVinci Resolve color-page primary correction lesson (balance, contrast, scopes) on the training footage.

02Match two shots filmed under different lighting into a continuous look, then build a stylized secondary grade on top.

03Repair a broken grade (crushed blacks / blown highlights / skewed skin tones), diagnosing it on scopes and producing variants for two moods.

01Re-cut a provided/own coverage set of a short dialogue or action beat to maintain eyeline, screen direction, and matched action across cuts.

02Cut the same footage two ways to produce two different emotional readings (tense vs. calm) by changing pacing and shot order only.

03Repair a continuity error you find in your own edit (jump cut, crossed line, mismatched action) and explain the fix.

01Turn a storyboard into a timed 2D animatic in a free NLE: hold each panel for its intended duration with scratch audio.

02Block a low-detail 3D previs in Blender: grey-box set, simple camera moves, and a timed camera cut sequence for one scene.

03Iterate the previs after a timing problem surfaces (a beat drags or a move is unreadable); produce v2 and log what changed.

01Benchmark a Blender scene: render at default, then optimize samples + denoiser + light bounces and record time vs. quality deltas.

02Write a reusable render checklist/template (output specs, color management, naming, denoise, overwrite/version policy) and apply it to a real render.

03Diagnose a render bottleneck (noise, fireflies, slow geometry/texture) and fix it, comparing before/after time and artifacts.

01Follow the free Dragonframe tutorials to shoot a bouncing-ball or simple-object stop-motion test with onion-skinning.

02Produce an original 5-10s stop-motion or experimental (paper cutout, pixilation) piece with a clear single idea.

03Repair flicker/jitter in your test (exposure drift or uneven spacing) and present a stabilized re-shoot.

01Pull a green-screen key in Fusion (inside free DaVinci Resolve) or Natron: despill, refine edges, and integrate onto a new background.

02Integrate the keyed element convincingly: match black levels, add a light wrap/edge blend, and unify grain between plate and element.

03Write a short keying/integration checklist or mini-tutorial others can follow, then prove it on a second clip.

01Set up an ACES 2.0 / OCIO-managed project in DaVinci Resolve (or Blender) and read the ACES Central + OCIO docs on input/output transforms.

02Grade one clip and deliver both an SDR (Rec.709) and an HDR (PQ/HLG) master from the same color-managed timeline, comparing the two.

03Diagnose and fix a color-management mistake (wrong IDT, double transform, clamped values) and document the symptom-to-cause mapping.

01Build a three-point lighting setup (key/fill/back) on one subject following No Film School's guide; vary key-to-fill ratio for two moods.

02Light an original short scene with motivated lighting (a practical or window justifies the key) and write what mood/story the light supports.

03Repair a flat or muddy lit shot: add separation/contrast and re-shoot, comparing to the original with a diagram.

01Capture a short clip with free Rokoko Vision (webcam/video), export FBX, and retarget it onto a Blender character/rig.

02Clean up the captured data: fix foot slide, smooth jitter, and fix one obvious pose error on the retargeted result.

01Follow Blender's Motion Tracking docs to track a handheld clip, solve the camera, set scene orientation, and place a simple 3D object that stays locked.

02Add a 2D screen-replacement or sign track in Natron/Fusion and integrate replacement art that follows perspective.

03Diagnose and repair a failing track/solve (drift, jitter, high error): re-place markers, reject bad tracks, re-solve, and compare.

01Build a basic particle system in Blender (emitter -> forces -> lifetime) following the Manual's particles section and render a short loop.

02Create an original effect (sparks, dust, or abstract motion-graphics particles) tuned for natural movement and timing.

03Repair an unnatural sim (too floaty, too uniform, dies wrong) by adjusting forces/randomness and compare before/after.

01Rig a simple biped/limb in Blender (armature, weight paint, IK/FK) following the Manual's rigging sections, then test deformation through a pose range.

02Animate a short weighted action (a step, lift, or reach) on your rig that reads emotion/intent, documenting it as a small case study with the constraints you hit.

01Extend a real photographed environment with a digital matte (2.5D projection or painted layers), matching horizon line, perspective, and light direction to the plate.

02Add atmospheric integration (haze, depth fade, matched grain) and present a case study of how you sold the extension under its constraints.

01Run a Blender cloth sim (flag/cloth drape over a collider) and a basic fluid or rigid-body test, tuning substeps/quality and reporting stability vs. time.

02Repair an unstable sim (cloth exploding, fluid leaking through collider, jitter): isolate the cause (scale/substeps/collision margin) and present a stable result as a case study.