lighting and masks

I created a mask around a duplicate layer of my foreground, and then feathered it, to create the area where the light from my create will "bounce" off.

I then tracked the path of my forms using a null object, which I then parented to a couple of feathered circles, which mimic the colour of my forms. This creates two coloured ellipses that follow my forms.

So that these ellipses dont effect anything else, I used a track matte in after effects, to have them appear only on the alpha channel of the fore ground layer.

I also wanted the composition to be more dynamic, so I added in some light layers in the background, to mimic the way light rays sometimes travel through the ocean from above.

In the final animation, they also drift slowly to the left/right, to add some subtle dynamic movement to the whole composition.