Week 9: Final Project - Checkin 2 This week, checked yoru animations as they near the deadline date. This animation is due next week (week 10) - This is worth 100 points and it will be used for your final exam grade. Next week, we will be taking our finalized animations and we will be adding sound and sound effects and I will also be giving you a review sheet for a fina exam to be taken during week 11.
You will be tested on the 12 Principles of Animation during week 11.
Also discussed was "Work Ethic" and the importance of it in the professional workplae.
This week, we also learned of the beginning of using computers to assist in 2D animation. Its primary use was to add variety to shots that would normally be too difficult to animate through traditional animation methods, a good example of this is the wildebeast scene in "Lion King" and the effects shots in "Prnce of Egypt".
Week 8: Final Project - Idea Checkin Please follow the plan for our final project shared during the previous week.
This week you shared your ideas for your animation through keyframe drawings. We also had a discussion on "Anime", its popularity, its difference to American productions and its influence. The animations we reviewed were Appleseed (2004) and Ninja Scroll (1995).
HOMEWORK:
Submit a working rough of your animation as a quicktime. Be prepared for revisions and let me know of any questions. This will be due the following week.
Week 7: HOMESTRETCH - Begin Final Project Please follow the plan for our final project. It will be broken down into three parts. Please see the schedule below. Remember that you are to animate a character interacting with an object. You must show your knowledge of the principles of design and it must be at least 3 seconds long (45 frames), it must contain sound fx and a soundtrack, and it must loop.
HOMEWORK SCHEDULE:
The schedule below will be used to keep us on track. Please do your best to complete what is due so that you stay on track.
Week 7:
For this week, your homework is to turn in your keyframe drawings showcasing your idea. On week 8, I will call you up one by one to discuss your ideas. Please be prepared to share and have your drawings ready.
Lecture: Anime presentation.
Week 8:
Begin animating your projects.
Lecture: The Computer and Animation - Lion King
Week 9:
I will call you up individually so you can show me your progress. At this point, you will be assigned revisions and fixes for your animation.
Lecture - Prince of Egypt
Week 10:
Final animations are due (no sound). I will show you how to put sound fx and music on your pieces. The final integrated animations will be due on the last day, Week 11.
Lecture: Jurassic Park
Week 11:
Review final animations as a class. Congrats on a great quarter we break.
Lecture: Toy Story - Current Animation Trends - Animatronics
Week 6: Animating a Facial Take This week we reviewed your walk cycles and your anticipation examples. We also learrned about "Limited Animation". Remember that learning what people have done in the passed is part of your professional development and it can only help you. Flash, for example is a program that benefits a lot from the techniques garnered through the development of Limited Animation. We also went over different combinations for getting different emotions on the face by just changing a few lines.
HOMEWORK:
Animate a facial take in 15 frames. Begin with a starting position. For planning purposes, keyframe the starting position, followed by the squash and stretch, followed by the pop (surprised look) squash and stretch here also (seen above), then have the face settle on an emotion. This assignment is prepping you for the next class when you have to animate dialogue.
Be sure to exaggerate the keyframes of your animation, so it plays smoothly. Below is an emotion sheet for the character RJ in "Over the Hedge" (2006, Dreamworks), that shows great examples of exaggeration. Notice how the face squashes and stretches.
Week 5: Anticipation Anticipation is the action that leads or introduces another action. It is the windup before the baseball pitch. A definition for can be found here:
HOMEWORK: Animate a character exiting a scene (worth 100 points).
A maximum of 20 points will be awarded for each principle. Have fun and do your best.
• Smoothness, careful drawing, size playback and registration (5 points each).
• Ease in and ease out.
• Timing (Show speed)
• Squash and Stretch
• Anticipation
Tip: From the Wile E. Coyote Examples viewed in class, remember that from standing position to the anticipatory pose is about 8 - 10 frames. 3 or 4 of these frames is the actual anticipatory key pose before the take off.
Minus 20 points, if you do not turn in your drawings along with your animation.
Week 4: Walk Cycle Midterm
This week you received information regarding your Midterm Walk Cylce. It will be two parts. Please read how you will be scored below. To you, please look at the walk cycles from various animations that you own, or you may also check out work from the photographer Edward Muybridge as seen below. In class, we looked at other class examples and we studied the walk cycles in Disney's Treasure Planet.
Walk Cycle Paramters: • It must contain 2 cycles. (A cycle is 2 steps, therefore your animation should contain 4 steps.
• 30 frames - 2 seconds
• Smoothness - No Jerkimovement due to poor registration.
• Overall Look and Feel
• Squash and Stretch
• Follow Through
• Arcs
• Deadline Date.
• 30 drawings.
Come to class to get the detailed handout regarding this assignment.
HOMEWORK:
Turn in 10 -12 master key drawings for your walk cycle. (NOTE: These are not the first ten frames of your animation, but the ten keyframes/major stopping points of your animation) and a working Quicktime of your animation. Be prepared to make revisions for your work. Due your best to score during this first go around. It will be worth 80 points. Revisions to your animation, which are due the following week, will be due the following week.
TIPS: Animate the legs first and remember to use reference.
A step can range from 7 - 9 frames, as see in our examples.
Week 3: Follow Through and Secondary Action This week, we learned about the principles of overlaping action/follow through and secondary motion.
Follow through is the idea that something keeps moving. Things don't stop all at once, but gradually lose momentum before they come to a complete stop. Think about a tail, or a cape on a superhero. If they stop, the cape or tail keeps on moving. Learn more about it by clicking here: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Traditional_Principles_of_Animation:Follow_through
HOMEWORK:
Animate a half filled sac of flour falling to the floor. As you animate, keep in mind that you will be applying many of the "12 Principles of Animation" (see diagram).You will be graded on the following parameters below, do your best and have fun.
You will be graded on how well you display the following:
• overlapping action • secondary motion • squash and stretch • ease in and ease out • timing • smoothness (careful drawing) • playback (quicktime file) • 15 drawings in a folder or stapled • meeting the deadline (due at the beginning of class, 20 points will not be deducted if it does not make it in time for the class critique).
Week 2: Bouncing Ball II This week, we expanded our knowledge on the bouncing ball by introducing the principle of the arc. Remember that everything that moves follows a path in the shape of an arc. Its how we accomplish smooth movement in work.
Topics Covered This Week ::
• Arcs
• Review - Squash & Stretch, Timing, Ease In and Ease Out
• Diminishing inertia in a bouncing ball.
• Trouble shooting our work. Be sure your work is aligned and that it plays smoothly.
• Beauty & the Beast - Animation Featurette.
• Spacing Sheet
HOMEWORK ::
Animate a ball coming in at an angle. Include at least 2 bounces in your animation and make it last 2 seconds (30 frames). Submit a working Quicktime of your animation next week. We will review them in class.
Please refer to the diagram below to help you along.
You will be graded on the demonstration and inclusion of the following (15 points max for each of the following):
• squash and stretch
• timing, ease in and ease out.
• ground line
• smooth movement, clarity & alignment
• a working quicktime
• diminishing inertia
• two bounces minimum
Week 1: Welcome Welcome to Intro to 2D Animation. In this class, we will be studying the art of animation. Compared to other art forms, animation is quite young compared to other art forms and it developed as advancements in visual technology in film, tv and the computer. If you are like me, you are attracted to animation because you like stories and characters.
Please keep in mind that the skill of drawing is very important to animation, but its important to note that we are not striving for single beautiful drawings, but a sequence of many drawings that when viewed one right after the other, creates the illusion of movement. You are essentially creating an illusion of life. Keep your drawings fluid, loose and concentrate on the movement, more specifically the timing and spacing between each drawing.
We are learning to make things come alive and the principles of movement apply to not only the 2D and 3D animation disciplines, but interactive media and broadcast mediums as well.
Below is an example of your first assignment.
TOPICS COVERED IN CLASS:
• 12 Principles of Animation overview
• Squash and Stretch
• Animation Paper, technique overview & peg bar.
• keyframes and inbetweens
• straightforward animation vs. pose to pose.
• extreme poses
• Timing (to slow down movement, frames are closer together).
• ease in and ease out.
• The pencil test machine.
• Scanning and creating a Quicktime movie.
HOMEWORK: The Bouncing Ball Due Next Week: 15 drawings for your bouncing ball and a quicktime movie of your animation. Have it ready at the beginning of class. I will prepare a folder before class to which you drop you're assignment
You will be graded on the demonstration and inclusion of the following:
• squash and stretch
• timing, ease in and ease out.
• ground line
• cycle (frame 15 and 1 should relate in order to create a loop).
• smooth movement & clarity
• deadline
