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The basic technique was using one dot created in illustrator and moving it across the screen in 3D space. I added 40 or so other dots and tied them to the first dot with expressions, just offsetting them a bit. It was a simple technique, but there were many layers and expressions. I'm sure there is a more efficient way of doing this, but this won't twist your brain with difficult mathematics. We wouldn't want that!

The project was created at 16:9 and will be output from an avid (with lots of other footage) and will finally end up on DVD - that is, if we use it at all.

Note: This tutorial might get confusing as hell around step 7, so I'd recommend looking at the project file if you're having trouble following my lucid rambling. I'm sure there is a much easier way to do this if you have a thorough understanding of expressions in After Effects.

1. Create a dot in Adobe Illustrator or a similar program. You could also create a dot on a layer with a mask. I chose to use Illustrator so I could use continuous rasterization.
2. Create a new comp. For 16:9 widescreen the settings are 864x486, 29.97 fps, 2:15 in length. I made the background a deep rosey-marooney color.
3. Drag the dot into your comp. Turn on 3D for the layer. You will want to set keyframes for position, rotation, scale, etc., at the first frame and then just over halfway through the comp. Make sure it clears both sides of the comp so that you can't see the dot at the first frame or after your last keyframe.
4. Drag another dot into your comp. We'll first concentrate on the first column of dots and then add the dots that follow. You can name the dots if you like, but I chose to color-code them. You'll have 4 columns and each row can be color-coded a different color. This will help you keep track of things.
5. I also renamed the layers to 1, 2, 3 and 4, just to make it easier to keep track of those layers. There will be a lot before we are done. Number them backwards (see the picture to see what I mean). Make sure the 3D box is checked for each layer.
6. Let's start with layer 2. We'll be adding expressions to the orientation, scale and position parameters. If you hit the "P" key, the position parameter will show up in the timeline. If you hold down the shift key and hit the "s" key, scale will appear too. Hold down shift and hit "r" to get rotation to appear. Learn your shortcuts and save time! Hopefully you already know them.
   
   There are a couple of ways to add expressions. The easiest is to open the same parameters for the "1" layer. Hold down the option/alt key as you click the stopwatch and an expression will be added. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, please check the manual or online help to learn more.)
   
   Drag the pickwhip from layer "2" position to the position text in layer "1", or just paste this into the position expression: this_comp.layer("1").position
   
   Do the same for Scale and Orientation. This is the scale expression:
   
   this_comp.layer("1").scale
   This is the orientation expression:
   this_comp.layer("1").orientation-6),
   (this_comp.layer("1").orientation+48), (this_comp.layer("1").orientation)
   
   Paste the text above into the expression for Orientation. This is basically taking 6° off of the X setting, adding 48° to the y setting and copying the z setting straight from layer "1".

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