ClassInfo

ANI 101 Animation for Non-Majors

Lisa Barcy

Office: CDM 502
Fall 2015-2016
Class number: 11423
Section number: 405
TuTh 1:30PM - 3:00PM
CDM 00222 Loop Campus

Summary

ANI 101 - Animation for Non-Majors Fall 2015
Tuesday - Thursday 1:30 - 3 pm
Instructor: Lisa Barcy
lbarcy@cdm.depaul.edu
Office Hours: T, Th ? 12:00 ? 1:30, Fridays by appointment

Course Description As an introduction to the art of animation this course will cover the materials and programs required to create convincing animated movement as well as methods for the production of individual creative content. The material will be covered through weekly assignments, lectures, demonstrations, critiques and screenings of relevant films culminating in a (at least) 15 second final project.

Liberal Studies Arts and Literature Domain
Description ANI 206 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.

Attendance Is mandatory as many of these animation techniques build upon one another. Three or more absences will result in a significant grade reduction.

Tardiness is defined as not in the classroom when attendance is called or departing before the class has been formally dismissed by the instructor. Tardiness that exceeds thirty minutes will be counted as an absence. TWO late arrivals or early departures, or a combination of both, are counted as one absence. If you arrive late for class, it is your responsibility to make sure that you have been marked tardy rather than absent.


Class Work:
This class will require much work on the computer using Flash, Dragonframe, Photoshop and After Effects.
In order to complete all of the digital art production and animation students will have to commit to a considerable amount of time outside of class to work on projects. Even though this is a class for non-majors, animation involves a lot of labor and there?s no way around it. (You should see what we make the majors do.)
Writing:
There will be two 3 page analysis papers about an animation that we watched in class. For some of these the subject will be your choice, other times I may assign a specific animation or subject.
Written work submitted in this course may be verified using Turn-It-In .Turn it in technology ensures that the work is the student's own creation and not in violation of the University's Academic Integrity Policy. Submission of work in this course constitutes a pledge that the work is original and consent to have the work submitted to verify that fact.


Texts
Bibliography Required Text:
The Animation Bible by Maurine Furniss.

Grading

20% Attendance and participation in class
40% Weekly Animation Projects
20% Writing Assignments
20% Final project and Final Critique

A = 100-93, A- = 92-90, B+ = 89-88, B = 87-83, B- = 82-80, C+ = 79-78, C = 77-73, C- = 72-70, D+ = 69-68, D = 67-63, D- = 62-60, F = 59-0.

Prerequisites
NONE.



WEEKLY SCHEDULE

WEEK 1 9/10
This schedule is subject to change throughout the semester.

Intro to the course, projects, facilities and expectations. Animation fundamentals. The joys of flipbook animation!

SCREENING: Trik Film 3 ? George Griffin, The Meaning of Life ? Don Hertzfeldt, Dewline ? Joanna Priestly

ASSIGNMENT: CREATE A 25 DRAWING INDEX CARD FLIP BOOK. Use 3? x 5? or 4? x 6? un-ruled index cards. Make sure your lines are dark enough to photograph well. DUE NEXT CLASS


DISCUSS: Simple Cycles, Morphs, Ease in and Out
Creating animation in Flash. Creating keys, in-betweens and using the basic tools and timeline features. Exporting to Quicktime

ASSIGNMENT: Create an animated metamorphosis beginning with a simple circle, morphing to an object of your choice, then back to a circle again, but this time a different way. You will be graded on the smoothness of your transition, attention to detail, and the complexity in which you transition from one image to another. Export to Quicktime and post to D2L


Week 2 9/15, 9/17
DISCUSS: Key to key vs. animation ?straight ahead?, simple cycles, arcs and motion paths, squash and stretch, anticipation and ?follow thru?. Drawn Animation in Flash vs. Photoshop.

SCREENING: Manipulation by Daniel Greaves, Various classic Warner Bros. animation, more which will be TBA

ASSIGNMENT: Create a simple cycle of a character or object using some kind of force, i.e., stretching, pulling, pushing, tearing, breaking, etc. Complete your keys for Thursday?s class so we can look at them together and have class time to animate. Export to Quicktime and post to D2L


Week 3 9/22, 24
DISCUSS: Intro to 2D stop-motion animation and Dragonframe software, camera settings, varied frame rates, arcs, pauses.

ASSIGNMENT: Using Dragonframe and the clay that was distributed in class, create a 10 second animation using the 12 fps frame rate. Export to Quicktime and post to D2L. Due on WEEK 5

FIRST 3 PAGE ANALYSIS PAPER DUE NEXT WEEK. Choose one film that we?ve viewed in class so far to write about. BEFORE YOU BEGIN, please read the Film Analysis Guidelines posted to D2L under the ?Film Analysis #1? Grade Item or Dropbox.
.
Week 4 9/29, 10/1
DISCUSS: Additional Stop-motion techniques, alternative materials and approaches and in-class exercise possibly involving some sort of mayhem.
Rotoscoping if we have time.

ASSIGNMENT: Part 1 - Sign up for camera time in 818 if you have not already and shoot your stop-motion project.

Week 5 10/6, 10/8
View Stop-motion projects and critique

DISCUSS: Rotoscope animation. Finding and/or shooting footage appropriate for use in rotoscope animation. Importing video layers, and creating clear video layers in photoshop.

SCREENING: When the Day Breaks-- Wendy Tilby, Fleischer Brothers

ASSIGNMENT: Create at least 4 second rotoscope animation. Make sure your timeline is set to 12 fps from the get-go. If you try to change it afterward it won?t work.


Week 6 10/13, 10/15

DISCUSS: The infinite world of walks and walk cycles. creating effective contact and pass position key drawings for a walk. The use of Photoshop to create drawings in layers for animation.

Character acting in animation. Anticipation. Action re-action. Timing for effect in character animation. Exaggeration in poses and timing. Pre production: research, character design, color considerations, layout.

SCREENING: Walking ? Ryan Larkin

ASSIGNMENT: Create a drawn walk cycle in Photoshop employing the contact to pass position key frame technique. Due next week on Tuesday


Week 7 10/20, 10/22
DISCUSS: CGI, motion capture, visual effects and animation for gaming. Intro to After Effects. In class exercise ? pendulum and ball bounce.

DISCUSS FINAL PROJECT

SCREENING: Ryan - Chris Landreth

ASSIGNMENT: Bring both Photoshop and After Effects files for ball bounce / pendulum to Thursday?s class so we can continue to work on them.

For Tuesday - create Photoshop puppet(s) for final project. Due next week. Second 3-page analysis due next week.

WHATEVER YOU DO NEXT WEEK, DO NOT MISS EITHER CLASS!


Week 8 10/27, 10/29
DISCUSS: Importing characters into After Effects, parenting limbs, using the transform options to create movement. In class exercise ? create a basic motion path and tweak the timing, and/or create a pendulum swing.


Week 9 11/3, 11/5
Continue working on final project. Individual meetings. Regular attendance is expected. Adding sound effects to your work.


Week 10 11/10, 11//12

ASSIGNMENT: Lab time to work on final and/or export/rendering of final projects. Individual meetings as needed. Regular attendance is expected.

FINALS WEEK - Final Critique ? All projects must be finished, exported to Quicktime, and uploaded to the class Vimeo Page AND D2L, and not still sitting in a program or it will be considered incomplete. Do not be late! We will watch animation, give honest and thoughtful critiques and celebrate.



GRADE BREAKDOWN

Film Analysis Papers (2) ? 10%

Quizzes (2) ? 10%

Flip Book - 5%

Morph in Flash ? 10%

Simple Cycle in Flash ? 10%

Rotoscope Animation ? 10%

Walk Cycle ? 10 %

2D Clay Stop Motion ? 10%

Ball bounce/ Pendulum ? 5%

Final ? After Effects Puppet Animation ? 15%

Total: 100%



Things I will consider when grading:

While effort counts for a lot, it must be visibly evident in the completed work. Attention to detail, understanding of technical or thematic concepts, submission of correct file formats on the due date, willingness to challenge oneself, class participation in discussions, and thoughtful analysis of films screened are all taken into account.

Revisions:

If you score a C- or less on any assignment, written or otherwise, you are encouraged to revise it after the first critique for the chance at a better grade. The better grade is not guaranteed, only if improvement is significant. The revision must be submitted no sooner than two weeks after the first grade was given. Be sure to email me and remind me in class that you?ve submitted a revision. D2L is not set up to automatically tell me these things so unless you tell me, I won?t know to go looking for it. And don?t be shy about reminding me: There?s always a boatload of grading going on so I do miss one sometimes! I will do my best to look at and grade revisions in a timely fashion.


AND NOW, THE FINE PRINT

School policies:

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 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.
Academic Policies
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 http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.
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:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296




























School policies:

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 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.

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.

Academic Policies

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 http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.

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:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296