Major Project / Lyrics Kinetic Animation

22/09/2025–26/12/2025 / Week 1–Week 14

Hayato Saito / 0350466

Major Project / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's Design School

Lyrics Kinetic Animation

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INTRODUCTION

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Proposal Slides

Fig.1 Proposal Slides

Major Project: Lyrics Kinetic Animation

Project Overview

For this project, I decided to create a kinetic lyric animation for a local Malay band. At first glance, lyric animations may seem simple or straightforward, but they offer a powerful way to visually interpret music and convey emotion. With this song, I wanted to explore how typography, motion, and symbolic imagery can work together to enhance the listener’s experience and bring the lyrics to life.

The project combines kinetic typography and visual metaphors, using imagery to reflect key themes and emotions in the lyrics. I aimed to challenge myself creatively by experimenting with motion design, timing, and visual storytelling—areas I had limited experience with before—while maintaining a cohesive and engaging visual style.

Lyrics Analysis

I stated off with understanding the lyrics of the song so I asked my friend from that band to send me a lyrics along with the accurate translation.

Fig.2.1 Lyrics

Since the lyrics was too long and had so many repetitive part, I decided to shorten the song to be around 1.5-2 minutes.

Fig.2.2 Audio Editing

 I cut off the intro because it was too long and I cut off the part from verse 2. I tried to find the perfect transition point to make thr transition as smooth as possible.

Animating

I used after effect for my editing tool.

Fig.3.1 Opening scene

The animation begins with the song title and the band’s logo prominently displayed, introducing the viewer to the track and clearly indicating the artist. This establishes context immediately and sets the tone for the rest of the animation. I also symmetrically put black and white figures side to side showing the whole concept of this song "double faced people" and for the color scheme, I chose red, black and white. Because  Red represents passion, intensity, and danger. Key lyrics that convey strong emotions or dramatic moments are highlighted in red, drawing the viewer’s attention and amplifying the song’s emotional impact. Black serves as a grounding and contrasting color, giving depth to the visuals and allowing the red and white elements to stand out. It also reflects darker themes or tension within the lyrics. White acts as a neutral or balancing element, providing clarity and readability for the typography. It ensures the lyrics remain legible against the darker background while adding contrast to the overall composition.

Fig.3.2 Scene 1

I made the eyes open from dark. when it says lihat (seen) emphasising the meaning of the lyrics.

Fig.3.3 Scene 2

I made 2 silhouettes speak into a speech bubble that says "Bicaranya Manusia" (the word of human kind) making it look like one.

Fig.3.4 Scene 4

As the lyrics mention "Penuh Dusta" (Full of Lies), the nose of the silhouette grows, using the Pinocchio metaphor to visually represent dishonesty.

Fig.3.5 Scene 5

The bottomless cup serves as a visual metaphor for futility, where liquid poured into the vessel immediately escapes to illustrate the lyric "Pembawakan yang sia-sia." This imagery emphasizes that no matter the effort or "truth" provided, the result remains empty and nothing is retained.

Fig.3.6 Scene 6

Fig.3.7 Scene 6

The running sequence serves as a metaphor for the pursuit of worldly status, where the character desperately chases after things that lack permanence. As the lyrics mention "mengejar namanya dunia," And eventually he falls which visually translates the line "tidak kekal lama" (nothing last forever).

Fig.3.8 Scene 7

Fig.3.9 Scene 7

In this scene, the animation transitions from a literal interpretation of speech to a more internal, analytical perspective. By framing the lyrics "Telahku lihat semua, warnanya manusia" within large, focused eyes,  The use of the word "warna" (color) refers to the hidden character or "true colors" of an individual, which is visually reinforced as silhouettes appear inside the pupils to show the duality of the human soul.

Fig.3.10 Scene 8

this scene serves as the primary visual metaphor for the lyrics "Yang bermuka dua" (Those who are two-faced). The animation begins with the image of an innocent sheep, representing the outward persona of purity and harmlessness. As the lyrics progress, a human figure in a suit lifts the sheep's head away like a mask to reveal a predatory wolf underneath to effectively illustrates the theme of deception, showing that a person's visible "face" is often a calculated disguise used to hide a dangerous or dishonest inner nature.

Fig.3.11 Scene 9

This scene aligns with the lyric "pembawakan yang sia-sia" (a futile delivery), suggesting that despite attempts to "lock away" or hide the truth, it ultimately escapes, leaving the individual empty.

Fig.3.12 Scene 10

Fig.3.13 Scene 10

In this scene, the blood stain slowly spread revealing the "luka yang lama"(old wound) and after that, a red blood stain appears on the chest of a human silhouette, symbolizing an emotional or spiritual scar that cannot be hidden. 

Fig.3.14 Scene 11

Fig.3.15 Scene 11

In this scene I used strong contrast between colors of the background and characters to showcase the meaning the lyrics "wretched humans with double faces"

Fig.3.16 Scene 12

The "Dibalik senyum racun kau bawa" (Behind the smile you bring poison) scene uses the visual metaphor of a rotting apple to illustrate hidden malice. Initially, a bright red apple is shown, a classic symbol of something tempting and sweet, which mirrors the "smile" mentioned in the lyrics. However, as a witch's hand holds it up, the apple starts rotting, visually translating the concept of "poison".

Fig.3.17 Scene 13

In this scene, I used snakes because snakes heavily symbolize fake promises (janji palsumu).

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Final Submission Compilation

Google drive link: Click here

Full song in Soundcloud: Click here

Fig.4.1 Final Lyrics Kinetic Animation

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REFLECTIONS

This project has been a challenging task as well as a fulfilling one. Since the beginning, I wanted to make an animation that should not only visualize the lyrics, but also capture the mood and symbolism of the song. Biggest pproblem I faced was balancing kinetic typography to symbolic imagery in such a way that the visuals should not be overpowering the music and also keeping the consistency of the visual elements and color and the feeling.

The pre-production stage taught me that proper research and development of ideas can be important. The study of visual metaphors enabled me to grasp the value of using abstract symbols to convey messages. 

This project also made me creatively experiment with styles and techniques that I had little experience with, and thus enabled me to grow as an animator. Altogether, I am proud of the final animation because it is my personal understanding of the song but it shows the clear creative process. The experience has enhanced my ability to develop concepts, telling stories and motion design, which I will bring in future projects.