The average hour of television is packed with more motion graphics content than you might realize – with commercials, transitions, and network bumpers brought to life by an increasingly seamless blend of live action and digital effects. The art form has become as much a part of your viewing experience as the programming itself, which is what artists like Alan Hettinger have been striving for.

Graduating from Full Sail almost a decade ago, this freelance motion graphics artist has watched the industry slowly evolve as he’s helped create content for some of the biggest networks on cable.

“You can see it everywhere now, across all media, because there are so many things that are driving the demand for motion graphics,” Alan explains. “Every new show that appears needs an ad package, and the mobile graphics industry is also getting really huge. They keep coming out with ways to deliver the content faster than we can come up with the content.”

Working from his home studio in Atlanta, GA, Alan’s credits have included spots for the Weather Channel, HGTV, Verizon, Macy’s, and TBS, as well as a high-profile Academy Awards commercial for TNT. That diverse list of clients highlights one of his favorite perks of being a freelance artist. “As a creative person it’s really nice to be in on the concept phase with a lot of these bigger companies because you get to create new ideas from start to finish,” he offers. “It’s really a back and forth process, listening to what they’re looking for, and finding out what their audience is – then designing with that in mind. There’s a lot of communication involved, and it’s one of the most fun parts of the job.”

As much as he enjoys the collaborative process, Alan’s favorite project to date was the one he was given the most freedom on – an ID package he put together for the Great American Country network. “They were looking for a fresh look so they said ‘Here’s all these assets, go make something cool with it,’” he exclaims. “That was great because I got to just sit down and play with all these country artifacts, some nostalgic signage, and a huge batch of old photos, then make them interact in whatever weird ways I wanted. It’s one of the most creative pieces I’ve ever worked on.”

Alan’s most recent project is also continuing to stretch his approach to motion graphics in new ways, as he’s currently working with design house Primal Screen on a top secret TV project. And although he couldn’t reveal much about the actual content, he was able to share his excitement about the direction in which he sees his industry evolving.

“I wish I could talk to you about the project because it involves a lot more character animation than I’ve seen so far,” he offered. “In general it seems like [the industry] is starting to get away from the real flashy look it used to, where things look like they were obviously done with software. A lot of studios now want their work to look like they actually shot it – like it’s real. And that kind of stuff is much more exciting to me because I really enjoy things that require intricate and realistic animation. That’s a major trend, getting it away from any kind of preset, standard effects.”

As the motion graphics industry continues to evolve, one of the most surprising things about Alan’s work is how far-reaching it is. Which, as he explained, is one of the great things about working in television – you never know where your efforts will end up.

“It’s really funny because my first national spot was for a Weather Channel show called It Could Happen Tomorrow,” he begins. “And then I find out that the Jimmy Kimmel show actually spoofed it later. The project was this really dramatic show, and they copied it for a segment. That was a pretty awesome moment – the kind of unexpected surprise that happens in this industry. It’s probably floating around on YouTube somewhere if you want to find it.”

* To see Alan’s latest demo reel, visit his website at: www.alanhettinger.com