???????????????????????????????????
?
ANI101 Animation for Non-majors
?
?
I. Instructor
?
Jason Hopkins???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Phone: (312) 961-7551
E-mail:?
jhopki@artic.edu
?
II. Course Description and Expectations
?
Animation is an art form that predates cinema
itself.? It provides a unique form
of expression that can incorporate an almost unlimited variety of disciplines:
drawing, photography, sculpture, music, poetry, narrative, game design, math,
dance, etc. Animation has always had an attraction for college-age students,
and this interest is stronger today than ever before.
?
Films, critical texts, research, lecture and discussion
will be utilized to study the theory and practice of creating sequential images
in motion.? Through experimentation
and the study of historical examples from a variety of countries and cultures,
the course examines the expressive strategies potentially usable in the
creation of manipulated moving image art forms: image and object construction,
performance through inanimate objects, composition, narrative, sound, and
timing.? Students will engage in
written analysis and critiques that will develop their visualization and cinema
literacy skills and build their analytical/critical vocabulary.? Material, expressive and stylistic
experimentation are encouraged through projects that allow students to put
theory into practice.
?
ANI
101 is included in the Liberal Studies program as a course with credit in the
Arts and Literature Domain. Courses in the Arts and Literature Domain ask
students to extend their knowledge and experience of the arts by developing
their critical and reflective abilities. In these courses, students interpret
and analyze particular creative works, investigate the relations of form and
meaning, and through critical and/or creative activity to come to experience
art with greater openness, insight, and enjoyment. These courses focus on works
of literature, art, theatre, or music as such, though the process of analysis
may also include social and cultural issues. Students who take course in this
domain choose three courses from such choices as literature, the visual arts,
media arts, music, and theater. No more than two courses can be chosen from one
department or program.
?
By the
end of the course, students should be able to analyze animated cinema in terms
of formal structure, thematic elements, plot, composition, performance, genre,
sound, and visual style, and communicate this analysis in writing.? Students should also be able to utilize
these concepts in their own work and will be evaluated on their
creativity and diligence in applying the course tools to produce cogent and
polished shorts.? Our goals are to
go beyond simply achieving technical proficiency, as we will also focus on
learning principles of good digital filmmaking in preparation for both artistic
and commercial endeavors.
?
III. Course Materials
?
Textbooks
|
Recommended: The Animation Bible by
Maureen Furniss is a good overview text ? it covers a variety of
methods and mediums.
?
Recommended:
The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams?a
must-read for the serious animation student.
?
Recommended:
The
World History of Animation by Stephen Cavalier
?
|
I strongly recommend that you purchase an external hard
drive.??Students are responsible for having their work available for
viewing in class during weekly class critiques.?
You do not need to submit your work to me on any kind of disk or storage device
as long as I can view it on D2L in class.? Note: hardware problems are no excuse for late or missing
work.? The hard drives of the computers are notoriously unreliable, and
constantly get erased!? Make backup copies and save your work on media
besides the school?s hard drives!?
Files can become corrupted.
?
?
?
?
IV. Academic Expectations
?
All students are required to manage their class schedules each
term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as
indicated in the?University Academic Calendar.??Information on
enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at: cdm.depaul.edu/enrollment.
?
Attendance: Students are expected to
attend each class and to remain for the duration.? Coming 15 minutes late or leaving 15
minutes early constitutes an absence for the student.? The overall grade for participation
drops one-third after any absence.?
Three absences for any reason, whether excused or not, may constitute
failure for the course.
?
Class
Discussion:
Student participation in class discussions will be measured in two ways.? First, students are highly encouraged to
ask questions and offer comments relevant to the day?s topic.? Participation allows the instructor to
?hear? the student?s voice when grading papers.? Secondly, students will be called upon
by the instructor to offer comments related to the reading assignments.? Students must keep up with the reading
to participate in class discussion.
?
Attitude: A professional and academic
attitude is expected throughout this course.? Measurable examples of non-academic or
unprofessional attitude include but are not limited to: talking to others when
the instructor is speaking, mocking another?s opinion, cell phones ringing,
emailing, texting or using the internet whether on a phone or computer.? If any issues arise a student may be
asked to leave the classroom.? The
professor will work with the Dean of Students Office to navigate such student
issues.
?
Civil
Discourse: DePaul
University is a community that thrives on open discourse that challenges
students, both intellectually and personally, to be Socially
Responsible Leaders.? It is the
expectation that all dialogue in this course is civil and respectful of the
dignity of each student.? Any
instances of disrespect or hostility can jeopardize a student?s ability to be
successful in the course.? The
professor will partner with the Dean of Students Office to assist in managing
such issues.
?
Cell
Phones/On Call:? If you bring a cell phone to
class, it must be off or set to a silent mode. Should you need to answer a call
during class, students must leave the room in an undisruptive manner. Out of
respect to fellow students and the professor, texting is never allowable in
class. If you are required to be on call as part of your job, please advise me
at the start of the course.
?
?
V.?
Assignments
?
1.? Technical Exercises:
?
Each
week students are expected to complete a technical exercise as explained in
lecture and submit it under the assignment tab on col.cti.depaul.edu.? Ideally these assignments could work
toward one?s final project.?
Assignments will be graded according to aesthetic appeal, technical
excellence, use of sound (when pertinent), and social importance.
?
2.? Papers:
Papers
will be assigned at random, may be given as in-class exercises, and will
generally compare and contrast the below-mentioned criteria. The
Liberal Studies program requires that you write up to seven pages of
content?you will most likely be expected to write more.
?
3.? The Final Project:
?
The final project for this class must demonstrate an understanding
of the concepts discussed in the course.?
The guidelines are extremely flexible: you should show that you understand the techniques and
software discussed, that you can incorporate principles of good animation, and
that you have the creativity and dedication to produce a sophisticated piece.
You needn?t produce a ?catalog? of every single concept we discussed in
class.? I am most concerned that you
produce a thought-provoking and personal piece, one that you can really be
proud of as an artist.? The final result should be a piece that you
would be proud to show at a film festival or to a future employer!?
?
We will view and critique the final projects during Final Exam
Week (Dates listed on D2L).
To receive credit for
this course you have merely to complete the following tasks:
?
1)????
Drop
off your rendered 720 x 480 QuickTime
movie (properly compressed if its huge) on D2L on the above mentioned date.
If I don?t receive the .mov file on the computer by the designated time, credit
will not be given!
2)????
It
must be at least one minute in
duration (no cutting corners with lengthy credits)
3)????
It
must have sound.? Perhaps dialog or sound effects.? I do not want cheesy music slapped onto
your piece in simple music video format.?
I?m not kidding.
4)????
Your
brilliance (and grade) will be evaluated considering the following criteria:
Aesthetic, Technique, Sound, and most importantly Social Importance/Criticism
?
?
VI. Class Schedule and
Assignments
?
Week 1:? ???????? Four Attributes for Filmic Analysis:
????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 1)Aesthetic
? How does it look and move?
??????????????????????????????????? Two
conflicting yet synergistic aesthetics to consider:
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? a)
Commercial ? sleek, sexy,
higher budgets, work of many hands, technically complex, derivative, safe,
easily accessible ? sells products/?sells out?, makes trendy
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? b)
Avant-garde/ Fine/High Art ?
breaking new ground/cutting edge, innovative, independent, gritty,
inaccessible, low budget, technically limited, sells ideas, starts trends,
feeds the commercial
????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 2) Technical ? How was it made?
Discuss examples of each type.
??????????????????????????????????? Types
of animation: 2D ? hand drawn frame-by-frame, smudge, cut-out,
??????????????????????????????????? 2.5D
, 3D ? traditional stop motion, CGI, etc.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 3)
Sound ? 51% of the success of your film, not limited by aspect ratio,
can bridge action, can define timing, provides greater punch
??????????????????????????????????? Two
types to consider: diegetic ?
sound in frame ? dialogue, foley
??????????????????????????????????? non-diegetic
? sound outside of the frame -- score, narrator, etc.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????? *4) Social ? time to get weighty, personal, specific,
controversial, should resonate with humanity ? discuss historical
background, racism, sexism, religion, politics, etc.
??????????????????????????????????? *this
is were the ?A? student distinguishes him/herself -- the stuff by which Oscars
are won.? Great animation brings
general education and the diverse interests of the artist into itself.
?
??????????????????????????????????? Films: (2D hand drawn work, classic and
contemporary) -- discuss attributes of analysis
??????????????????????????????????? Warner
Bros, Chuck Jones ? ?Long-Haired
Hare??the battle between high and folk/pop art, Adult Swim -- ?Venture Bros ? Brisbee Land? (15
min clip) ?? post-modern
parody,
??????????????????????????????????? Windsor
McKay -- ?Gertie the Dinosaur? ? vaudeville
tradition, Fleischer?s Studio ? ?Bimbo?s
Initiation? ? creepy pre-censorship/code, conformity, Don Herzfeldt
? ?Ah, La Amour!? ? the
femme fatale, and ?Lily and Jim??male
and female psyches from an animator who doesn?t really draw
?
??????????????????????????????????? Weekly
Technical Assignments and Discussion:?
HAND DRAWN
??????????????????????????????????? On a post-it note pad or other stationary,
tangibly hand in 30 drawings depicting the persistence of vision and be
prepared to introduce yourself.? Tell us your passion, your major, and
something unforgettable.
?
??????????????????????????????????? Using photoshop with document settings at
12 fps, make a 30-drawing digital flipbook, varying brush type and thickness.
Make your movements as fluid as possible, and export to a quicktime movie,
compressed using H.264.
?
Week 2:?? ??????? Films: (ROTOSCOPING, classic and
contemporary)
??????????????????????????????????? Fleischer?s
Studio ? ?Minnie the Moocher?
? they invented the technique, Disney ? ?Snow White and the Seven Dwarves? ?uninteresting prince vs.
amazing dwarves, Richard Linklater ? ?Waking
Life? clips and ?Scanner Darkly?
intro ? Why animation and not just live action? Fluid but often lacks
exaggeration.
?
Weekly Technical Assignment:? ROTOSCOPING
Keepvid.com (or some
other url ripping device).? Download
a video clip from online, bring it into Photoshop, adjust the frame rate, and
roto over it using video layers.?
Render out a quicktime in Photoshop.? Review and critique digital flipbooks on
instructor share and allow for lab time to work on rotoscoping.
?
Week 3:?????????? Films: (SMUDGE TECHNIQUES, classic and
contemporary)
??????????????????????????????????? ?
In Class Exercise and Discussion 1 -- Ryan Larkin?s ?Syrinx? and William Kentridge?s ?Felix in Exile?? -- Love that Never Meets Fruition,
background in Greek history, Debussy, Apartheid, ?white guilt?, metaphorical
work vs. traditional Hollywood plot arc: intro, conflict, resolution
???????????????????????????????????
Weekly Technical Assignments:? SMUDGE
Create 30 digital drawings utilizing the smudge tool in
Photoshop as demonstrated in class. ?Upload your assignment to COL using
H.264 compression. You will be evaluated on fluidity, brush variation, and
length (30 drawings at 12fps).
?
Week 4:?? ??????? Films: (PARALLAX, classic and
contemporary)
??????????????????????????????????? Disney
? ?The Old Mill,? ? Iwerks
invention of the multi-plane camera,?
?Bambi? intro ? slow
methodical, for art?s sake, ?Tarzan? Son
of Man clip ? fast-paced, Phil
Collins music video, Yoshiaki
Kawajiri ? ?Vampire Hunter D
?Bloodlust? clips part 1
??????????????????????????????????? In Class Exercise and Discussion 2
? The Profane and the Sacrosanct ? compare
and contrast the aesthetic, technical, sound, and social aspects of Disney?s ?Night on Bald Mt.? with that of
Alexeieff and Parker?s
Weekly Technical Assignments and
Discussion:? PARALLAX
Using three or more drawn or photo-retouched layers, utilize
transformations (position, rotation, scale, and opacity) in After Effects to
convey a convincing sense of motion parallax as described in class.
?
?
Week 5:?? ??????? Films: (Principles of Animation, classic
and contemporary)
??????????????????????????????????? Chuck
Jones ? ?The Dover Boys?
? exquisite exaggeration and satire
Richard Williams ? ?Thief and the Cobbler??animated
on ones, wild graphic look
?Disney?s ? ?Pinnochio? musical clips ? mastery of the traditional
animation principles ? romantic, dark, German-expressionist aesthetic,
moral parable ? differs markedly from contemporary Disney individualist
attitude,
??????????????????????????????????? ?
Weekly Technical Assignments and
Discussion:? BOUNCING OBJECT (ball)
The following principles John
Lasseter extracted from Disney should be emphasized:
Discuss Newton?s 3 Laws of
Motion (F= ma) as well as formulas for Potential (PE = mgh) and Kinetic Energy
(KE = 1/2mv^2) ? classic pendulum?s a good example
?? 1. Squash and Stretch - defining
the rigidity and mass of an object by distorting its shape during an action
(have someone jump in class from a standing position)
?? 2. Timing and Motion - spacing
actions to define the weight and size of objects and the personality of
characters
?? 3. Anticipation - the preparation
for an action
?? 4. Staging - presenting an idea so
that it is unmistakably clear
?? 5. Follow Through and Overlapping
Action - the termination of an action and establishment of its relationship to
the next action (have someone with long hair head bang at a rock concert)
?? 6. Straight Ahead Action and
Pose-to-Pose Action - The two contrasting approaches to the creation of
movement
?? 7. Slow In and Out - spacing of
the in-between frames to achieve subtlety of timing and movement (have someone
throw a fake punch and have another react to that punch)
?? 8. Arcs - the visual path of
action for natural movement
?? 9. Exaggeration - Accentuating the
essence of an idea via the design and the action (show high speed punches on
youtube.com)
? 10. Secondary Action - the action of an
object resulting from another action
? 11. Appeal - creating a design or an
action that the audience enjoys watching
?
Personality in character
animation is the goal of all of the above.
?
??????????????????????????????????? Using the principles of animation we
discussed in class, animate a bouncing object. ?Your goal is to exaggerate
while appealing to principles of physics using anticipation, action, and
follow-thru (squash and stretch, etc)?using position, rotation, and scale
transformations in after effects. ?Make the movement as interesting as
possible while avoiding CG "floatiness."
?
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Week 6:?????????? Midterm Animatics, Story, and Status
Negociation
Don Bluth ? ?Secret of NIMH? intro ?
observational exercise: who, where, when, why, what?? Great screen writing for setting up the
whole film.
The Eight Questions
??????????????????????????????????? 1.
?Who is the Main Character/Hero? Act I
??????????????????????????????????? ?2.
What does he want? Act I
??????????????????????????????????? 3.
What?s standing in the way? Act I
At this point we now have a good character, we know where he is and what?s
wrong with his life.
4. What?s the Catapult? Act I
The catapult is a collision of narrative forces
which create an explosion that propels our character into Act II. He cannot
stay put. The status quo is no longer possible.
??????????????????????????????????? 5.
How does he meet the challenge? Act II
??????????????????????????????????? ?6.
Where?s the Twist? Act II
??????????????????????????????????? 7.
What is the Climactic Moment? Act II
??????????????????????????????????? ?8.
How does it end? ?Act III
?
????????????????? ????????????????? Basic script structure, directors
terms: XCU, CU, MS, LS, fade-in/out
Types ? tragedy comedy,
melodrama, and satire
Character studies ?
motives, habitats
Dialogue
Narration
Voice Over
Montage
Flash Back
Exposition
????????????????? Elements
of a good Story:
Status:? A good story is one which ingeniously
displays and reverses the status between characters
?
Exercises:? Try to get your status just a little
above or below your partner?s. a)both lower status; 2)both raise status; 3) one
raises, one lowers; 4) status is reversed during the scene. No action is really
motiveless.? Have a student leave
class and come back in and act as if they?ve entered the wrong room.
Insult
game:? Have someone buy
something.? We want to see someone
being insulted but they must be ornamentation to the scene not the scene
itself.
Play out
a scene where you explain to your father you have an STD.
?
You can
be low in status but play high.? The
see-saw principle.
Jokes
and comics work in this way:? ?Oh,
there?s are roach in the bathroom! ? We?ll then you?ll have to wait ?til
he?s finished then!?
?
Mrs X: I
had? a nasty? turn last week.? I was standing the a queue waiting for
my turn to go into the cinema when I felt ever so queer.? Really, I thought I should faint or
something>
?
[Mrs X is attempting to raise her
status by having and interesting medical problem.? Mrs Y immediately outdoes her.]
?
Mrs
Y:? You?re lucky to have been going
to a cinema.? If I thought I could
go to a cinema I should think I had nothing to complain of at all.
?
[Now Mrs Z blocks Mrs Y]
?
Maximum status gaps:
Excuse me miss . . .
Next cashier please.? I?m just going off duty.
Er . . .no, no . . . I?m not a
customer.
If you?ll just join the queue
over there, sir . . .
I?ve got a note. Here.
No, no . . . er . . . here, this
one.
Hand over the money? This is a
stick-up!
Not so loud.
Well, how much did you want?
All of it!
Don?t be absurd!
Yeah, well, just a few bucks
then, to tide us over.
I shall have to refer this to Mr.
Cabuncle.
$50 then!
?
?
Tragedy
works because we feel pleasure moving up in status when a high-status person
falls.? People scan each other for
status in the street and the lower one moves aside. Humans have a subconscious
pecking order.
?
Dominance
of gaze ? he who looks firmly and then away first is the more dominant,
moves smoothly, sits back and spreads out ? confidence of space, head is
still. A lot of humor packed into observation of master/servant relationships
? its interesting because the audience knows that if the servant steps
out of line, there?ll be trouble.
?
Exercises:? Say something nice, then nasty to the
person next to you.? Stare at each
other ? double takes feel feebler.?
Add ?ers? and ?ums? to phrases make you sound weak.? People have a preferred status; they
like to be low (Don?t bite me, I?m not worth the trouble) or high (Don?t come
near me, I bite.)? Go to a coffee
shop ? observe what people do when someone leaves or joins the group.
Master/servant
-- 1) nice master, nasty servant; vice versa 2) both teams interrelate and
quarrel; keep the servant on the hop and not challenging the master.? The over- confession.
?
Spontaneity
?
Imagine
yourself as a happy-go-lucky hippy type ? you?ll be a better divergent
thinker.?
?
Schools
often encourage the unimaginative ? we?re taught not to reveal things
about ourselves.? To create
something means going against one?s education.? Adults are atrophied children.? Imagination is as effortless as
perception, unless we think it might be wrong, which is what our education
encourages us to believe.? Our
imaginations go wild when we read ? we instantly paint mental pictures of
things that aren?t there.
?
Spontaneous
acts are often deemed unsatisfactory because society perceives them to be:
1) Psychotic ? we want to present
ourselves as safe but we love to watch madness
2) Obscene -- don?t allow students to let
inhibitory considerations stand in the way of voicing ideas that come to them
spontaneously
3) Unoriginal ? don?t try to be
original or clever; just tell the truth.?
An artist who is inspired is being obvious.? He accepts his first thoughts.
?
a) we
struggle against our imaginations, especially when we try to be imaginative;
b) we
are not responsible for the content of our imaginations;
c) and
we are not, as we are taught to think, our personalities, but that the
imagination is our true self. (superego vs. id)
?
Yea and Naysayers.? No?s are more common.? Low-status players tend to accept,
high-status players block.? The
improviser has to understand that his first skill lies in releasing his
partner?s imagination.? Blocking is
a form of aggression ? bad improvisers block action.? We want to see actors yield and say
?yes? to things on stage that we wouldn?t do in real life.
?
?
Exercises: Imagine a box.? What?s in it?? Name some objects ? whatever pops
into your immediate consciousness.?
Say a word.? What?s the
opposite of starfish?? Answer. Say
it.? Mime taking something off a
shelf.? What is it?? Put your hand in an imaginary box.? What do you take out?? Takes something else out.? What?s written on it?? One student can be responsible for the
content and development of the scene, the other assists.
It?s Tuesday --? No . . . it can?t be . . . it?s the day
predicated for my death by the old gypsy woman! (it doesn?t matter how crummy
the idea is, it?s the intensity of the reaction). ?Feed the goldfish!? That?s all he ever thought about, that
goldfish . . .
Yes, But . . . Is that your dog?? Yes, but I?m think of selling him.? Will you sell him to me? Yes, but he?s
expensive.? Is he healthy?
Verse ? spontaneous start
speaking horrible verse: At last I?ve got you in my clutches: I?ll keep you
here and take your crutches.??
Yell ?take the crutches!??
Then one student falls over and says, ?Oh please sir Jasper, let me go!
You must not treat a cripple so . . .? Don?t care what is said.
?
Narrative Skills
?
He used
to tell artists that they are responsible for the effects of their work and
must be ?committed? ? now he believes that content should be
ignored.? If you are honest and
create spontaneously, you have to accept that your innermost self will be
revealed.? You have to accept what
your imagination gives you.? Once
you ignore content it becomes possible to understand what a narrative is,
because you can concentrate on structure.?
Content really is important but will come once students have a more
truthful concept of what they are.
?
A
dictionary describes a story as a sequence of events that have or supposedly
have happened.? Even small children
know that?s an oversimplification because, they often say ?And is that the
end??? Stories have a stopping place
and utilize reincorporation or recapitulation.
?
Here?s a
good night story made up by the author and a six-year-old:
What do
you want a story about?
A little
bird.
That?s
right. And where did this little bird live?
With
Mummy and Daddy bird.
Mummy
and Daddy looked out of the nest one day and saw a man coming through the
trees.? What did he have in his
hand?
An axe.
And he
took the axe and started chopping down all the trees with a white mark on. So
Daddy bird flew out of the nest, and do you know what he saw on the bark of his
tree?
A white
mark?
Which
meant?
The man
was going to cut down their tree.
So the
birds all flew down to the river.?
Who did they meet?
Mr.
Elephant.
Yes.? And Mr. Elephant filled his trunk with
water and washed the white mark away from the tree.? And what did he do with the water left
in his trunk?
He
squirted it over the man.
That?s
right.? And he chased the man right
out of the forest and the man never came back.
And is
that the end of the story?
It is.
?
At the
age of six she has a better understanding of storytelling than many university
students.? She links the man to the
birds by giving him an axe.? She
links up the water left in the trunk with the woodcutter, whom she remembers
we?d shelved.? She isn?t concerned
about content but any narrative will have some (about insecurity, one might
suppose).
For most
people to ?free associate,? one must create an environment free from
punishment; they can?t be held responsible for the content of their
imaginations.? People hesitate
because they don?t want to give themselves away.? By pass the censor by writing while
counting down from 100 aloud.
The best
way to think up questions is to start a sentence without knowing how it?s going
to end.
Don?t
think of making up stories but rather interrupting routines ? keep the
action on screen between actors ? don?t get diverted to action that has
happened elsewhere or at another time, and don?t cancel the story.
?
?
Exercises:? Make up a story.? Suppose I think of one and you guess
what it is? ?I?ve thought of one but
I?ll only answer ?yes (when it ends in a vowel),? ?no (to any question ending
in a consonant,? or ?maybe (for a question ending in ?y?).?? This game shows that people who claim to
be unimaginative can think up the most astounding stories, so long as they
remained convinced that they weren?t responsible for them.? When people say they can?t think up a
story, it really means that they won?t ? it?s a refusal, not a lack of
talent.
Get
people into pairs, student A tells a story for 30 seconds, then B finishes it
in 30 seconds.
Say a
word; whatever comes into your head.?
The next person completes the sentence.?
Dreams.? Have a student lay down.? Close her eyes.? ?You?re on a beach.? Is it sandy or stony? Etc.
?What
sort of stories do you like??
Okay.? Imagine a lake
surrounded by mountains.? You are
swimming in the lake.? Can you see
any fish? Large ones?? Shoals of
little ones turning and darting??
There is one particular fish??
What do you do with it? Etc.
The Expert -- has agreed to answer the
problem as part of the game and he understands that the interviewer is trying
to help him in demanding an immediate answer.
Word at a Time ? ask one student for the
first word of a story, and another for the second word, etc.?? The story will seem as if it?s
being told by some outside force.
?
???????????????????????????????????
Create an animatic in Photoshop toward your final project as
outlined in lecture.? Bring that .mov file into After Effects for adding
sound from www.sounddogs.com.
You will be evaluated in the following way:
1)Aesthetic--are you varying brush sizes, are your images
clear
2)Technical--are you using interesting shots with depth (XCU,
LS, etc?)
3)Sound--are sounds synching with the images?
4)Social--what does this say about our world and
ourselves?? Is the story appealing?? Does it satisfy our need for
an intro, conflict, and resolution?
5)Group bonus point--has everyone in your group successfully
fulfilled the assignment?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
|
?
?
?
Films: (Non-Linear Animation, classic and contemporary)
??????????????????????? Ub
Iwerks ? ?Skeleton Dance? ? ?rubber
hose? aesthetic, irritating loops
??????????????????????????????????? Paul
Robertson ? ?Pirate Baby Cabana
Battle? ? video game based mayhem with ultra-violent pop-culture
detritus
??????????????????????????????????? Yoshiaki
Kawajiri -- ?Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust?
clips part 2, economy through complex cycles.
??????????????????????????????????? Chris
Sullivan?s ?The Beholder? ? stream
of consciousness cycles, recording street experience
?
??????????????????????????????????? Weekly
Technical Assignment and Discussion: Idles, Back-and-Forth, Loops, and Cycles
? Non-Linear Animation
??????????????????????????????????? Compare and Contrast the attributes of Jim
Trainor?s ?The Bats? vs. Eric
Yearwood?s ?My Masters.?
Existentialism/nihilism vs. Theism, clash between Left and Right ideologies.
What can be classified as art?? Does
religion still have a place in today?s art-world? Cross-culturally it created
the work of the past.
???????????????????????????????????
??????????????????????????????????? Revisit
frame-by-frame animation ? this time, in After Effects:? Interpret footage ? Main ?Loop.? Extend time using looping,?idling,?or oscillating techniques.
???????????????????????
?
Week 7:?????????? Films: War and Racism
??????????????????????? WB
? ?Herr meets Hare? ?
de-humanizing and demonizing the enemy through idiocy, racial slurring part of
animation?s tradition ? think Betty Boop?s immigrant parents
??????????????????????? WB ? ?Bugs Bunny Nips the
Nips? ? stereo-typing of the East (mention Japanese Internment)
??????????????????????????????????? Disney
? ?Song of the South? clips
? shuffling ?Uncle Tom?/ Remus (content with lot as slave)
??????????????????????????????????? Bob
Clampett ? ?Coal Black and de
Sebben Dwarves? -- as technically accomplished as it is jabbing --? race/ war propaganda. Discuss racial
stereotypes: Uncle Tom, the over-sexed mulatto, the mammy, the pimp ? the
concept of Civil Rights in this country is really only 50 years old!
Disney ? ?Education for Death? ?
frightening war propaganda itself, emotionally manipulative
?
Weekly Technical Assignments and
Discussion: Intro to Cut Out Animation
Juri Norstein ? ?Hedge Hog in the Fog? and selections
from Lotte Reineger?s ?Adventures of
Prince Achmed? -- brilliant traditional use of the technique
Introduction to simple
hierarchies in After Effects ? make a character jump and introduce
students to sound recording and bringing sound clips into After Effects for
synch, discuss layers of audio
?
Week 8:?????????? Films: African American Animation
??????????????????????? Bill Cosby ? ?Fat Albert? Playing Hookey episode ? economic animation for
TV, moral lessons
??????????????????????????????????? MLK
speech ? is the black man free? Chris Rock stand-up comedy ? civil
war between black folk ? Education is liberation
Aaron
McGruder ?Boondocks:? The Itis and Return
of the King episodes ? banned by BET, discuss character profiles,
scathing perspective on contemporary culture
?
??????????????????????? Weekly Technical Assignments: Cut-out Animation
Continued
??????????????????????? Anthony Lucas?
-- ?The Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello? ? Romantic sensibility vs. Post-modern
??????????????????????????????????? Josh
Raskin -- ?I Met the Walrus? ?
hybrid of digital techniques we?ve explored with content every bit important
today as it was in the 60s and 70s.
Show
and discuss student examples: ?The
Neighbor? and ?BAMTNP? ?
avoid ?the fight scene? even though Feras did it well
??????????????????????? Using After Effects and Photoshop, make a more
complex cut-out character do a walk cycle remembering the 4 essential
components:
a) arms move opposite to legs, shoulders opposite
to hips (contrapposto)
b) rise and fall (think Jim Hensen?s muppets) --
lowest at points of contact
c) forward lean ? walking is controlled
falling
d) toe lift ? human machine is efficient,
foot shouldn?t raise too high
??????????????????????? Puppet
Tool.
??????????????????????? Show
Ryan Larkin?s ?Walking? ?
non-narrative, contemplative, wide range of expression through a repeated
mundane gesture
??????????????????????????????????? Disney?s
? ?Icabod and Mr. Toad? ?
Ichabod?s hilarious cycle
?
Week 9: ????????? Films: Women in Animation
Richard
William?s ?Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
? Jessica Rabbit?s intro contextualizes this lecture nicely ? the
male fantasy contrasted by:
Caroline
Leaf ? ?The Street? ?
paint on glass, incredible insight into the human psyche
Nicole Van Goethem ? ?A Greek Tragedy? ? caryatids holding up a crumbling
patriarchal order
Joanna Quinn ? ?Girls Night Out? ? role reversal
Suzan Pitt?s ? ?Asparagus? ? if you dare
Is
there a Feminine Aesthetic? (there?s a rejection of ?Boopism?) How do women
represent themselves? (as subjects not objects) How do they represent men?
(emotionally detached)
?
??????????????????????? Weekly Technical Assignments: Introduction to 2.5D and Effects ?
in Photoshop make objects orthographic, in After Effects create a camera,
lights, set objects up in z-depth, go over basic color correction, blurs (to
simulate rack focus), demonstrate ?weather? freebie effects like rain, snow,
etc. Use this class to tie up any extraneous questions or loose ends.
??????????????????????????????????? Show Dylan
Thomas -- ?Ultimate Comp Reel? and
Eminem -- ?Mosh? video ? if
things can be done in 2.5D they will be for cost effectiveness.? Begin to talk about the future of the
industry as they look to 3D
??????????????????????? Discussion: Jan
Svenkmejer ? ?Food? ?
surrealist, anti-communist sentiment, Czech stop-motion animator for special
effects, live action as animation: pixelation -- metaphor for dysfunctional
government/society, Breakfast --
abuse each other, Lunch -- eat each
other, Dinner ? eat self
?
Week 10:??????? Editing, Titles, and Credits
??????????????????????? Yoshiaki
Kawajiri ? ?Ninja Scroll? intro
? lighting quick editing results in an action ambiguity and narrative
tension, secondary action ? ?visual herons? aren?t critical but are
lyrical and punctuate action
??????????????????????????????????? Check
out movie trailers for title animations ? less is more, make sure you can
read words comfortably twice, choose a tasteful font, discuss serif and sans,
sometimes creating your own hand-written font is best for a grittier aesthetic,
use spell check and have some else proof read!
??????????????????????? Show
student work ?Ex-Patriots? followed
by ?Kung Fu Panda? or ?Wall-E?s? ending credits ? keep
credits short, avoid gratuitous self-promotion (ex] directed by Billy Bob,
animated by Billy Bob, sound design Billy Bob, dedicated to my dog Butcher,
etc.), provide your name, e-mail, your school?s name, a copyright symbol and
year ? credits shouldn?t make up a third of your film unless you can
justify them creatively.??????????????????????????????????
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Week
11:??????? Final Critique!? Students are to create a one-minute, 720
x 480 compressed Quicktime movie (under 50 MB), utilizing good animation
principles with sound synch using any or all of the techniques discussed in the
course. Students should be aware of this from day one and be encouraged to
direct their weekly technical assignments toward this goal. No late projects
accepted?no exceptions.
?
Changes
to Syllabus
This
syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter.? If a
change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under
Announcements in D2L or COLWeb and sent via email.
Online
Course Evaluations
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback
regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the
instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet
the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They
are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the
highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and
administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to
check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is
completely separate from the student?s identity. Since 100% participation is
our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do
not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the
evaluation online in?CampusConnect.
Academic
Integrity and Plagiarism
This
course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More
information can be found at?http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/. If you have any questions be sure to consult
with your professor.
?
Students
with Disabilities
?
Students
who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability
should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All
discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your
needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably
within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the
Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at: csd@depaul.edu.
Lewis
Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296
?
?
This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course
content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The
evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely
separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation.
Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.
This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you
have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.
All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that
you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296