?Animation
Mechanics
ANI 321

Fall 2015 | TTh 10:10 - 11:40am | CDM 527

Instructor Scott Roberts

sroberts@cim.depaul.edu Office: CDM 507

Office hours TuTh 11:45-12:30

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Course Description

Students in this course will rigorously investigate the foundational aspects of animation through traditional and digital methods. Basic principles, including timing, spacing and the abstraction of movement, will be analyzed and questioned through experimentation. Students will experience how the process of making work can be used to generate emergent ideas, and be challenged to push the art form beyond the accepted conventions.

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This class will focus on the abstraction and caricature of how the world works. We?ll use simple hand-drawn animation in Flash and TVPaint to explore the methods developed by traditional and experimental animators. Each class will follow a similar schedule:

• Critique of homework assignment
• Discussion of readings, viewings and concepts/techniques
• In-class exercises exploring concepts/techniques
• Assignment of homework assignment, which will incorporate concepts/techniques explored in class

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The animation concepts, techniques and exercises will include as many of the following as we can fit into the quarter:

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Each topic will begin with a discussion and demonstration. Then everyone will work through the process in class. After this we?ll look under the hood to see how each principle works and how to make adjustments, and then try it out.

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The reason we?re using hand-drawn Flash is because it?s the fastest way to visualize the concepts while allowing for easy adjustments. We?re not focusing on the drawing (stick-figures will work), but on the principles that can be applied across all animation methods and media.

Learning
Goals

• Hands-on, thorough knowledge of the animation foundational principles, including timing and spacing, staging, weight, anticipation, observation, squash and stretch, and arcs.
  
  
• Familiarity with basic animation processes, including straight-ahead, pose-to-pose, extremes and in-betweens, morphing, ease out and ease in.
  
  
• Experience with the timing and spacing of effects animation.

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Attendance

• 0-2 absences = no effect on your final grade
• 3 absences = -10% of your final grade
• 4 absences = -20% of your final grade
• 5 absences = failing grade for the course (F)

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The student is responsible for any lectures or assignments missed. If an assignment is due a week that you are absent, it is your responsibility to make sure it still arrives on time. This is for your benefit. A good portion of our class time will be spent doing hands on tutorials, screening films, and critiquing work. Lecture notes will not make up for these missed learning experiences.

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READ THIS: You may not miss the final class date. Doing so will equal an automatic two letter grade reduction of your final grade. If for some reason you cannot make one of these dates you must contact your instructor BEFORE the class that you must miss. Excuses given after the fact will not be accepted.

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Class Work

This class is project-based and work-intensive. Your grade will be based on in-class and homework projects. All assignments and grades will be listed on our D2L site: https:// d2l.depaul.edu

Software

This class will mostly involve drawn animation in Flash, and possibly TVPaint. If you?re unfamiliar with Flash you should view the training videos on Lynda.com

Critiques

Unless I tell you otherwise, assigned work must be completed and submitted through D2L 20 minutes BEFORE class starts. Handing in something unfinished is always better than nothing at all. Attendance at critiques is important for feedback, so your project grade will be lowered if you aren?t there, whether you?ve handed the project in or not:

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Missing critique: project grade lowered by half a grade, even if project submitted on time.

Project not submitted in time for critique: project grade lowered 1 full grade, and an additional grade for each additional class until submitted

Missing final critique: final project grade lowered by 1 full grade

Final project not submitted in time for critique: lowered 2 full grades

All assignments will be posted on our D2L site: https:// d2l.depaul.edu

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Resubmissions
for Regrading

If a project is submitted on time, you have four weeks to resubmit for a revised grade. You need to email me to tell me that you resubmitted. You?re limited to two resubmissions of each project. If a project is submitted late you waive your right to resubmit.

In-Progress Grades

Many projects are done in stages. They will be critiqued for feedback to help you with the next stage of the project. In-progress stages are graded pass/fail. If you submit an acceptable attempt at the stage on time you get one point. If you don?t submit a stage before we move to the next stage you receive zero. In-progress stages cannot be resubmitted, and won?t be accepted after the following stage.

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Grading

8-10% In-class work, in-progress work, pass/fail assignments

70-72% Out-of-class projects

20-22% Final project

A = 4.0, A- = 3.67, B+ = 3.34, B = 3.0, B- = 2.67, C+ = 2.34, C = 2.0,
C- = 1.67, D+ = 1.34, D = 1, F = 0

A indicates excellence, B indicates good work, C indicates acceptable work, D work is unsatisfactory in some respects, F is unacceptable work.

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No incompletes will be given without documented proof of circumstances beyond your control.

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Academic Integrity

Work done for this course must adhere to the DePaul University Academic Integrity Policy, which you can review in the Student Handbook or by visiting http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/homehandbook.html

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Bibliography

Required Texts:

• The Animator's Survival Kit (ASK), Second Edition, by Richard Williams. Faber, 2009.

• Timing for Animation, Second Edition, by Harold Whitaker and John Halas. Focal Press, 2009.

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Suggested Text:

• Elemental Magic, by Joseph Gilland. Focal Press, 2009.

Online Videos

We are lucky to have the entire Richard Williams Animation Masterclass videos available for you to watch online. This is an incredible resource that passes down the craft developed during the golden age of Disney and Warner Brothers, and you will be expected to watch these videos outside of class to prepare for lectures.

Richard Williams Animator?s Survival Kit Videos

http://coltube.cdm.depaul.edu/

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Facebook, etc.

Don?t use facebook, games or email during lectures and critiques. It?s distracting and impolite. If this happens we may turn all the monitors off.

Schedule

Most classes follow the same schedule. We start by critiquing the previous assignment. Then we?ll discuss the next topic and watch animations that show it in depth. You will do an in-class version of the assignment which we?ll then view and critique. We?ll then discuss the larger project, which in most cases you?ll have 1 week to complete. The final project is in stages, and is due at the final critique. This plan may change in response to the needs of the class (you).

SCHEDULE

This schedule is subject to change throughout the semester
and will be adapted to fit the needs of the students.

Tu

Th

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9/10

Pendulum, Bouncing ball, 2 bouncing balls

9/15

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Rotating irregular object

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9/17

Wave action, fluid animation

9/22

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Jump

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9/24

Jump with overlapping action

9/29

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Weight lifter, simple vibration

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10/1

Hammer and anvil

10/6

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Exaggeration

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10/8

Passing position walks

10/13

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Expressive walk

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10/15

Front walk

10/20

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Sneak and Run

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10/22

Winged flight and takes

10/27

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Explosion and smoke

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10/29

Side-to-side vibration

11/3

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Breakdowns

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11/5

Splash, Final project animatic

11/10

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Final project

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11/12

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11/17

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11/19

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FINAL CRIT 9:00 to 11:00 AM ? ATTENDANCE MANDATORY