I recently began working with After Effects for an upcoming YouTube series about modifying old VW Beetles. Back in the early 2000s, I was really into Flash animation, but like many things, it took a back burner over time, and Flash was eventually phased out. I never had the extra time to learn or mess around with After Effects... until now. And wow! This application has gobsmacked me with its capabilities, particularly using JavaScript for expressions.

In 2022, I spent all of my time heads down in front-end development which ultimately and recently ended with my company running out of money at the same time the NFT market tanked. So I need a creative outlet, this is where my old dusty passion for animation and my slammed1965 VW Beetle come into play. I used After Effects to create a quick animation explaining the excessive camber on slammed Beetles. I tried to recreate an old projector aesthetic using over-glow, blurring, and resharpening effects to achieve the look I wanted.

This is just the first of many animations I have planned for the series, and I'm excited to incorporate my love for animation, Illustrator, and my VW Beetle into the project. Stay tuned for more!