TEXT: THE ANIMATORS SURVIVAL KIT RICHARD WILLIAMS

GRADING:
35% PARTICIPATION IN CRITIQUES AND ATTENDANCE
45% WEEKLY ANIMATION PROJECTS
20% FINAL PROJECT AND FINAL CRITIQUE

CLASS 1
DISCUSS: INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE. REVIEW FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS OF 2D DRAWN ANIMATION. THE POSSIBILITIES OF DRAWING.
CHARACTER DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT.

ASSIGNMENT: CREATE NO LESS THAN 10 CHARACTER SKETCHES FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT.


WEEK 1
DISCUSS: REVIEW BASIC DRAWN ANIMATION TECHNIQUES: LINE OF ACTION, MOTION PATHS, EASE IN OUT, STRETCH AND SQUASH.
THE POSSIBILITIES OF DRAWING STYLE AND CHARACTER DESIGN:
REALISTIC, DISTORTED/INDEPENDENT CARTOON VISIONS AND EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES. THE MODEL SHEET: ITS USEFULNESS AND METHODS OF CREATING EXACT MULTI VIEW LAYOUTS. LOOK AT AND DISCUSS CHARACTER SKETCHES FOR DEVELOPMENT.

ASSIGNMENT: CREATE MULTI VIEW MODEL SHEET OF ONE CHARACTER AND BEGIN LAYOUT OF JUMP ASSIGNMENT.


DISCUSS: DIGITAL LUNCH BOX PENCIL TESTERS. FILM MOVEMENT AND THE CONNECTING OF IMAGES. ARCS. KEYS AND EXTREMES. ANTICIPATION POSES. IMPORTANCE OF SIMPLIFIED VOLUME AND SHAPE FOR ROUGH ANIMATION.

ASSIGNMENT: USING PRINCIPLES OF STRETCH AND SQUASH, EASE IN-OUT, AND ANTICIPATION POSES CREATE A ROUGH ANIMATION (FROM MODEL SHEET) OF A JUMP FROM, AND TO, HELD FRAMES. DUE NEXT WEEK.


WEEK 2
DISCUSS: FOLLOW THROUGH ANIMATION: LONG AND WEIGHTLESS THREADS VS. HEAVY LUMPY CHUNKS. MULTI JOINTED FORMS. ROUGH ANIMATION: SPATIAL LINES, EYE SOCKETS AND WHAT ELSE TO INCLUDE.




DISCUSS: USING MODEL SHEETS TO ADD CORRECT PROPORTIONS TO ROUGHS. THE USEFULNESS OF PAGE FLIPPING. THE IMPORTANCE OF KEY FRAME CORRECTIONS. THE SEDUCTIVE DANGER OF TRACE OFFS. LIFT AND TRACE INBETWEENING.

ASSIGNMENT: REFINE ROUGH ANIMATION OF JUMPING CHARACTER WITH SMOOTHED MOVEMENT, CORRECTED PROPORTIONS AND AT LEAST ONE FOLLOW THROUGH ELEMENT. DUE NEXT WEEK.

WEEK 3
DISCUSS: MORE ON MOVEMENT AND TIMING. CONCEIVING MOVEMENT. ACTING OUT AND TIMING MOVEMENT. REAL LIFE OBSERVATION. FILMIC OBSERVATION. SINGLE FRAME ANALYSIS OF LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATED FOOTAGE. USING MIRRORS AND PHOTOGRAPHS. USING TIMING FOR EFFECT: REAL TIME, HIGH SPEED AND SLOW MOTION. EFFECTIVE USE OF SINGLE , DOUBLE AND TRIPLE FRAMES PER DRAWING. BEGIN FORMULATING IDEAS FOR THE FINAL.



DISCUSS: THE INFINITE AND COMPLEX WORLD OF WALK CYCLES. KEY FRAMES FOR PROFILE WALKS. ACTING IN ANIMATION THROUGH WALKS. TIMING, TIMING, TIMING AND KEYS! THE WIDE WORLD OF WALKS: SNEAKY, HAPPY, HOPPY, DERANGED, DRUNK, SAD, SHUFFLE, DRAG AND DASH. LEARNING FROM OUR PREDECESSORS AND HOW NOT TO RE-INVENT THE WHEEL. FULL BODY MOVEMENT IN WALKS: HEAD, SHOULDERS, HIPS AND HOW THEY INTERACT. PERSPECTIVAL WALKS. FORCED PERSPECTIVE WALKS.


ASSIGNMENT: CREATE A ROUGH WALK ANIMATION MOVING FROM PROFILE INTO VIEW WALK OFF WHICH EXPRESSES EMOTION OR INTENT.
KEEP IT VERY ROUGH, CONCENTRATE ON MOVEMENT/SHAPE/VOLUME NO DETAIL! DUE NEXT WEEK.





WEEK 4
DISCUSS: PIVOTS AND TURNS IN WALKS. IN PLACE FOOT DRAGS AND OTHER UNUSUAL WALK EFFECTS. RUNNING, HOPPING, SKIPPING AND THE FAST TAKE OFF. UNUSUAL IN-BETWEENS FOR EFFECT AND BREAKING BONES IN WALKS.


OCT. 8
DISCUSS: ACTING IN ANIMATION USING BLINKS: MULTIPLE BLINKS, QUICK BLINKS, HEAD MOVES AND THE USE OF BLINKS. ACTING IN ANIMATION USING THE EVER ELASTIC FACE. EFFECTIVE USE OF HOLDS, WHEN AND FOR HOW MANY FRAMES. USE OF HOLDS WITH FOLLOW THROUGH ANIMATION. ANIMATING LAYERS ON TOP OF HOLDS AND EXPOSURE SHEETING FOR MULTIPLE LAYERS.

ASSIGNMENT: CREATE AN ANIMATED HEAD TURN (REMEMBER ARCS) FROM A HOLD INTO A SECOND HOLD AND ENDING ON A THIRD HOLD WHICH INVOLVES AN ACTION REACTION. USE BLINKS ON HOLDS AND DIPS. AS ALWAYS CONCENTRATE ON MOVEMENT/PROPORTIONS AND NOT ON DETAILS. DUE NEXT WEEK. FORMULATE IDEAS FOR FINAL.


WEEK 5
DISCUSS: THE STORYBOARD AND COMMUNICATING GRAPHICALLY.
BASIC FILM LANGUAGE AND ITS USE IN ANIMATED FILM: SHOT SIZE, CUTS, FADES, DISSOLVES, ZOOMS, PANS, ETC.


DISCUSS: CREATING FRAME TO FRAME CONSISTENCY FOR EVENTUAL FULL CLEAN-UP OF ROUGH ANIMATION. USING LIFT AND TRACE FOR CLEAN-UP. INKING AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF LINE WEIGHT: FLICKERING LINE, CHUNKY LINE, CLEAN STUDIO LINE, BLOCKY GRAPHIC LINE, WAVERING AND FRANTIC LINE, BOTTOM HEAVY SHADOW LINE ETC. ETC.ETC. TIME SAVING MEASURES FOR QUICKER CLEAN-UP AND INKING OF ROUGHS VIA THE COMPUTER.

ASSIGNMENT: SELECT AN ANIMATION FOR CLEAN-UP AND INKING TO BE SCANNED. REMEMBER CLOSED SHAPES. DUE NEXT WEEK. CREATE ROUGH STORY BOARDS FOR FINAL.

WEEK 6
DISCUSS: THE USE OF TOONBOOM AS AN INK AND PAINT TOOL FOR SCANNED ANIMATION. INDIVIDUAL REVIEW OF FINAL PROJECT CONCEPTS.


DISCUSS: OVERLAPPING ACTION AND DRAG IN ANIMATED MOVEMENT.
PERSPECTIVE IN ANIMATION. FLAT VS. DEEP SPACE. SPACING OF KEYS AND THE USE OF MOTION PATHS IN FORCED PERSPECTIVE ANIMATION.
TOONBOOM IN LAB. EDITING AND USING LAYERS. CREATING HOLDS AND CYCLES .
ASSIGNMENT: BEGIN SCANNING AND EDITING INKED ANIMATION. REFINE STORYBOARDS AND/OR BEGIN LAYOUTS FOR FINAL PROJECT.

WEEK 7
DISCUSS: COLOR AND THE COMPUTER PALETTE. EFFECTIVE USE OF COLORED LINE ART. USING TOONBOOM TO COLOR SCANNED ANIMATION. UNUSUAL COLOR EFFECTS AND CREATING A UNIQUE AND EFFECTIVE COLOR SCHEME.

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DISCUSS: MORE ON ACTING IN ANIMATION DYNAMIC KEYS AND VERY EXAGGERATED MOVEMENT VS. KEYS FOR MORE SUBTLE OR REALISTIC MOVEMENT. USING TIMING TO SUGGEST MOOD. TIMESAVING USING MULTIPLE LAYERS IN TOONBOOM.
ASSIGNMENT: REFINE AND COMPLETE STORYBOARDS AND/OR BEGIN LAYOUT FOR FINAL.


WEEK 8
DISCUSS: BACKGROUNDS: LAYOUT FOR PANS USING BACKGROUND RETICLES. NORTH SOUTH PANS. EAST WEST PANS. DIAGONAL OR SWOOPING PANS. THE CYCLED BACKGROUND AND IN PLACE CHARACTER ANIMATION. ANIMATING INTO AND OUT OF THE CYCLED BACKGROUND. EXAGGERATED PERSPECTIVE TURNS IN BACKGROUNDS AND ANIMATING THE TRAIN WINDOW PERSPECTIVE.

DISCUSS: TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF CREATING AND MOVING BACKGROUNDS WITHIN TOONBOOM. ZOOMS AND COMBINED PAN/ZOOM CAMERA MOVES. PLUGGING IN ANIMATED DETAILS AND CYCLES WITHIN BACKGROUNDS.
ASSIGNMENT: FOR FINAL: DRAW, DRAW, DRAW.


WEEK 9
DISCUSS: MORE ON TIMING: EMPHASIZING WEIGHT, FRICTION AND
AIR RESISTANCE.


DISCUSS: EFFECTS ANIMATION: WATER, RAIN, SNOW, SMOKE, FIRE AND EXPLOSIONS!!!!!
ASSIGNMENT: FOR FINAL: DRAW, DRAW, SCAN, EDIT.


WEEK 10
DISCUSS: RENDERING AND EXPORTING.
ASSIGNMENT: FOR FINAL: DRAW, SCAN, EDIT, COLOR.


WEEK 11
FINAL CRITIQUE!!!
WILD, RAUCOUS, SLEEPLESS LAUGHTER BECAUSE YOU HAVE MADE AN AMAZING ANIMATED SHORT!!!!!!!!!