Harlem Shake — Matrix Dojo Edition

The Business Problem

Student media projects live or die by creativity. When the Harlem Shake trend swept the internet in 2013, the Digital Media Institute saw it as more than a meme — it was a hands-on challenge to see what each student could do with the same raw footage and a blank canvas.

What We Fixed

- Shot all students in robes against a green screen, then each student independently composited the footage into their own environment - This version placed the dancers inside the iconic Matrix dojo — using chroma key compositing, 3D spatial placement, and lighting in Adobe After Effects to integrate the subjects realistically into the scene - Used After Effects' motion and compositing tools to handle everything from the green screen key to the 3D camera work, pushing the technical limits of what a student project could achieve

Estimated Business Impact

While a fun creative exercise, this project demonstrated mastery of green screen compositing, 3D environment integration, and visual storytelling in Adobe After Effects — the exact same skill set used in professional film and broadcast production. It's a snapshot of the technical depth behind the creativity.