# AI for Video & Motion Graphics Course

Canonical URL: <https://www.graduateschool.edu/courses/ai-video-motion>

## Overview

This hands-on hybrid course introduces creative professionals to the power of generative AI within professional motion graphics and video editing workflows. Aimed at adult learners experienced with Adobe Creative Cloud tools such as After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, and Illustrator, the program guides participants through the entire production pipeline—from concept development to final delivery—leveraging AI tools to boost efficiency, creativity, and output quality.

 

Participants will work with a variety of AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Midjourney, Leonardo.ai, Runway, and others, to enhance research, scriptwriting, design, animation, sound design, and project delivery. They will also develop practical skills for creating custom automation scripts with ChatGPT to streamline workflows in Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects.

## What you'll learn

- Understand how generative AI tools work and how they apply to creative production
- Use AI to support each stage of a motion design/video project: research, scripting, design, animation, audio, and delivery
- Prompt effectively across different AI tools (text, image, audio, video) for usable results
- Create AI-enhanced visual assets, scripts, voiceovers, and animatics
- Generate and run basic JavaScript/ExtendScript code using ChatGPT to automate repetitive tasks in Adobe Creative Cloud apps
- Deliver a short motion graphics or video piece enhanced by AI tools from start to finish

## Prerequisites

Students should have a basic understanding of video editing and motion graphics design, including terminology, techniques, and common software.

## Curriculum

#### Section 1: Intro to Generative AI & Creative Workflows?

- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - ChatGPT (LLM)
  - Midjourney / Leonardo.ai (Image Gen)
  - ElevenLabs / Descript (Voice AI)
  - Runway / Pika (Video AI)

#### Section 2: Research + Ideation with AI

- **Workflow Step:** Research & Concept
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - ChatGPT / Perplexity for research
  - Leonardo.ai / Midjourney for visual brainstorming

#### Section 3: Scriptwriting with AI

- **Workflow Step:** Script
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - ChatGPT
  - ElevenLabs (free tier) for AI VO preview

#### Section 4: Building the 2-Column Script

- **Workflow Step:** Style Frames
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - ChatGPT for formatting AV
  - Boords or Google Docs

#### Section 5: Creating Style Frames with AI

- **Workflow Step:** Research & Concept
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - Midjourney or Leonardo.ai
  - Photoshop with Generative Fill

#### Section 6: Storyboarding with AI

- **Workflow Step:** Storyboard
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - ChatGPT (describe scenes)
  - Leonardo.ai / Midjourney (illustrate)
  - Boords (organize)

#### Section 7: Animatics & Rough Animation with AI

- **Workflow Step:** Animatics & Rough Timing
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - Premiere Pro auto-caption/timeline tools
  - Runway / Pika / Kaiber
  - ChatGPT for pacing logic

#### Section 8: Final Animation & AI-Assisted Effects

- **Workflow Step:** Final Animation
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - After Effects (Roto Brush 2, Sensei tracking)
  - EbSynth (stylization)
  - Photoshop Firefly (cleanup)

#### Section 9: AI in Sound Design & Mix

- **Workflow Step:** Sound Mix
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - Adobe Premiere (AI Audio Remix, Auto-duck)
  - AIVA / Beatoven / Soundraw (music)
  - Descript (voice)

#### Section 10: Delivery + Metadata with AI

- **Workflow Step:** Delivery
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - Adobe Media Encoder (auto-reframe/export)
  - ChatGPT for social tags and descriptions

#### Section 11: Scripting with ChatGPT – Photoshop & Illustrator

- **Workflow Step:** Research & Concept
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - ChatGPT
  - Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator (with scripting console)

#### Section 12: Scripting with ChatGPT – After Effects Automation

- **Workflow Step:** Research & Concept
- Topics:

- Tools Introduced: 
  - ChatGPT
  - After Effects (with scripting panel)
  - ExtendScript Toolkit or VS Code

## Schedule
- Jun 18, 2026 – Jun 19, 2026 — Live Online
- Sep 1, 2026 – Sep 2, 2026 — Live Online
- Oct 26, 2026 – Oct 27, 2026 — Live Online
- Dec 10, 2026 – Dec 11, 2026 — Live Online

## Instructors

### Bruce Gay — Instructor

Bruce is an engaging trainers and program manager who brings 25+ years practical experience to deliver effective and experiential training to students. Able to engage adult learners with a range of backgrounds and professional experiences. Successful at building effective stakeholder relationships and coordinating multi-disciplinary teams for solution delivery.

Bruce has over 25 years of project and program management experience across multiple industries. He has a Masters degree from The George Washington University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. 

Bruce currently runs his own freelance training and consulting business, helping project managers and team leaders improve their business skills, become better leaders, and achieve professional greatness. 

Bruce is a well-received speaker in the areas of design thinking, project management, cross-team collaboration, and AI tools for projects, and has presented at regional and international conferences.

### Steve Pesklo — Instructor

Steve is an energetic trainer who focuses on applying technical concepts to everyday work practices. He is the founder and president of SoftLake Solutions, a company that specializes in providing data and AI applications to identify fraud for Internal Audit, Criminal Investigations, Forensic Accounting, Privacy, and Compliance.

Steve brings a large amount of experience across multiple industries and government agencies. He is an expert in implementing large data analysis projects across the world, including Inland Revenue in the UK and Argentina, New Zealand, Africa and across Europe. Previously, he was the manager of Data Architecture and Data Services for a large mortgage company. He is a frequent speaker on data analytics and project management topics and speaks fluent German. He has been teaching at the Graduate School for over 10 years.

Steve has an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas and a B.S. in Computer Science from California Lutheran University and the Universität Salzburg in Austria. He is certified as a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Project Management Professional (PMP), and a Certified ScrumMaster (CSM).

### Brian Simms — Instructor

Brian Simms is a seasoned educator and training leader with extensive experience developing and delivering innovative learning programs in project management and emerging technologies. Over the course of his career, he has designed adaptive learning models that combine instructor-led sessions, live online experiences, and self-paced study, ensuring professionals can access training in flexible and effective ways. His work has emphasized the integration of artificial intelligence into professional development, helping organizations and individuals understand how AI can be applied to solve real-world challenges in leadership, project execution, and decision-making. 

In addition to his instructional expertise, Brian has guided curriculum development, led large training initiatives, and advanced the use of collaboration tools that improve learner engagement and retention. His depth of experience and forward-looking perspective make him uniquely equipped to prepare federal professionals to navigate the complexities of data, project management, and the transformative potential of AI.

### Clarissa J. Corbin — Instructor

Clarissa J. Corbin is an accomplished corporate trainer, project manager, and business consultant with over 25 years of experience designing and delivering impactful learning experiences. As President and CEO of Projections Training Solutions, she partners with federal agencies, private corporations, and international organizations to provide results-driven training in leadership, project management, business analysis, and emerging technologies.

Clarissa has trained more than 10,000 professionals worldwide, serving clients such as the DoD, NASA, FEMA, Microsoft, Citibank, PNC Bank, Del Monte, and Symantec. Her expertise has taken her across the globe, leading initiatives in Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea, Africa, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and St. Thomas, USVI. Known for her ability to engage diverse audiences and create interactive, high-impact sessions, Clarissa equips participants with practical solutions they can apply immediately.

At Graduate School USA (GSUSA), Clarissa is regarded as one of the most versatile and trusted instructors. She teaches across multiple programs. She played a pivotal role in redesigning the flagship “Managing for Results” course, while also contributing to the development and review of numerous others. Her contributions have earned her two GSUSA Customer Excellence Awards and a two-year appointment to the GSUSA Instructor Advisory Council, underscoring her commitment to innovation, quality, and learner success.

### Natalya H. Bah — Instructor

Natalya Bah has been a part-time instructor at the Graduate School USA for over fifteen years. Natalya teaches across multiple curricula, including Leadership and Management, Project Management, and Human Resources. She has created a curriculum for the school, including Change Management Workshops and project management courses. She has served as an action learning coach, instructor, and facilitator for government leadership programs in the Center for Leadership and Management. Natalya also provides self-assessments and dynamic team-building sessions on behalf of the Graduate School USA.

Outside of Graduate School USA, Ms. Bah is a self-employed business owner providing executive coaching, training, and consulting services to the public and private sectors. She created the Define and Achieve Your Goals Process™ and is a certified Birkman Method© Consultant. She received her Master of Science degree in Project Management from George Washington University’s School of Business, where she served as a teaching assistant and received the Project Management Award. She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

### Michiel Pruijssers

Michiel is a Principal Designer and Forward Deployed Engineer at Microsoft's Industry Solutions Engineering Division, where he partners with strategic enterprise customers to architect and ship production AI systems. With over 15 years of experience, he operates at the intersection of user research, design, engineering, and cloud architecture, anchored by deep expertise in machine learning. His career spans senior roles at Snorkel AI, Determined.ai, and earlier Microsoft teams behind foundational AI products including LUIS.ai, Azure Bot Service, and Azure Stack, where he led both customer discovery and platform design for some of the industry's most technically ambitious ML offerings.

He pairs rigorous qualitative research with hands-on building, shipping his own production SaaS products in Python while also teaching students through cohort-based AI courses.

His instruction is grounded in real practice: what it takes to design, build, and operate AI systems that actually hold up in the wild.

## Pricing

**Tuition:** $695