Assignment · Project 5: Motion Reel + Brand Spot

Weeks 14–16 · Runtime 30–60 seconds · Weight 35%

Brief

Your portfolio centrepiece — a short reel or fictional brand spot that combines at least six of the ten skills into one cohesive, intentional piece. This is what you submit against the rubric.

Classes that build it

Week 14 — Rotoscoping
Week 15 — Expressions
Week 16 — Final — Showcase

Must deliver

Uses ≥6 of the 10 skills, meaningfully (not gratuitously)
At least one working expression and one tracked/composited shot
Graded, sound-synced, correctly exported, 30–60s runtime

How it's graded

Scored on the full 7-criterion rubric (0–100) × 35% — the portfolio centrepiece. Portfolio-ready is 80+, and your reel should use at least 6 of the 10 skills meaningfully. See the Course Overview for the complete rubric.

Submitting your work

Render your final movie to spec (H.264 MP4, 1080p, at the project's frame rate).
Upload the rendered movie only — not the project or source files.
Archive your project (collect files) into a single ZIP for your records.

See the course's Rendering and Submission pages for the exact steps.

Final rubric (score 1–4 per row)

Criterion (weight)	1	2	3	4
Animation Principles & Timing (20%)	Linear, mechanical motion; constant speed; no weight.	Some easing, but timing is uneven or generic.	Confident easing and spacing; motion has weight and intent.	Polished, purposeful timing; anticipation & follow-through throughout.
Technical Execution (20%)	Visible jitter, chatter, broken keys or messy masks.	Mostly clean, with a few rough or unstable moments.	Clean keyframes, tidy masks/roto, stable tracks.	Flawless execution; no chatter, slip or stray keyframes anywhere.
Compositing & Integration (15%)	Elements look pasted on; wrong scale, no grounding.	Readable composite but edges or lighting give it away.	Believable integration; matched edges and contact.	Seamless — a viewer can't tell the elements were separate.
Color & Finishing (15%)	Flat or clashing color; no deliberate look.	A grade exists but is inconsistent across shots.	Cohesive, intentional grade; scopes are legal.	Distinctive, controlled look that elevates the whole piece.
Concept & Creativity (15%)	No clear idea; random effects strung together.	An idea is present but design choices are generic.	Clear concept with coherent type, layout and palette.	Original, memorable idea executed with strong design taste.
Technical Breadth (10%)	Fewer than 4 of the 10 skills used.	4–5 skills used, some only superficially.	6–7 skills used meaningfully in service of the idea.	8+ skills woven in naturally, each earning its place.
Delivery & Craft (5%)	Wrong settings, render errors, audio out of sync.	Plays back, but codec/runtime/sync need work.	Correct export, resolution and frame rate; audio in sync.	Spec-perfect master file, ready to upload anywhere today.