ANI 455 Stop Motion Animation
Summary
Stop-Motion Animation - ANI 355/455 Spring 2014
Wednesdays 5:45 - 9
Instructor: Lisa Barcy lbarcy@cdm.depaul.edu
Office Hours: M, 9:30 ? 11:30, Wed. 2-5, Friday ?hours vary, best to email ahead of time
Course Description:
The principles of animating in real space are emphasized as students are introduced to clay animation, armature building, character design, lighting, and scene composition. Students are expected to complete three short animations of increasing complexity including a final project with no more than two characters. (30 seconds, min.) Sound, as well as designing and creating sets and puppets out of unconventional materials are highly encouraged. The safe use of sculpting materials and tools is also stressed. Students should expect to complete the majority of animation outside of regular class time. Stop-motion films are screened and discussed weekly.
Learning Goals:
1. Students will strengthen their animation skills by working with tactile materials.
2. Students will explore concepts and themes germane to animating real objects.
3. Students will gain sculpting and building skills, as well as learn the camera and lighting equipment specific to stop-motion animation.
4. Students will come out of this class with 5 short animation pieces structured around varying themes and materials.
Attendance: Two absences are allowed with the third resulting in a one-letter grade reduction for the course. Two "lates" count as one absence.
Grading: 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.
A indicates excellence, B indicates good work, C indicates satisfactory work, D work is unsatisfactory in some respect, F is substantially unsatisfactory work.
Books of Interest: (Recommended, but not required):
The Advanced Art of Stop-Motion Animation -
Stop Motion: Craft Skills for Model Animation, Second Edition - Susanna Shaw
Cracking Animation - The Aardman Animation Book
Required Tools: White Sculpey clay or any oil based modeling clay. (DO NOT PURCHASE REGULAR, WHITE SCULPEY. Get "Sculpey III" or "Super Sculpey". Wire snips (cutters) and needle-nosed pliers (any hardware store), disposable rubber gloves (Walgreens).
Other Useful Materials: A glue gun, miscellaneous fabrics or art supplies as needed. Foamboard, cardboard, or any interesting found objects you can either use as set pieces or puppet parts.
Materials Supplied - (Unless we run out mid-quarter): Armature wire, plummer?s epoxy, tie-downs, gaffers tape, Elmer?s glue.
And now....
IF YOU READ ANYTHING ON THIS SYLLABUS, READ THIS!!!!
About the Assignments:
It is very possible that your assignments will be too large to fit on COLweb. We will have a class Vimeo page and posting your homework there is preferred. You are responsible for backing up your work each week. Bring in your back-up to view in class each week just in case there?s an issue with uploading. Do not leave your assignments on the laptop and expect me to search for them. We often view assignments in a separate room so getting your stuff off the laptops is crucial. Losing work or technical snafus are not an excuse for not handing in work on time. This sounds mean but I am actually a very nice person.
The Schedule
Week 1 ? 4/2
The Shadow Box. Exploring basic movement and composition with non-narrative, abstract animation. (It's more fun than it sounds, I promise.) Demo on arcs, ease-in and out, replacement animation. 15 seconds. Make every frame count! Due on Week 3 at the beginning of class.
Demo on simple set construction and working with clay.
Screen films of the week.
Week 2 ? 4/9
Continue working on Shadow Box animation ? assemble sets if needed. Sign up for camera time and stage time.
Demos on working with Stop-motion Pro, camera and lighting your set. Practice animating clay in class.
Introduce practice puppets. Demo on basic armature construction and intro to useful materials and resources. Begin constructing humanoid armature. Alternative approaches ? Svankmayer, PES, Chris Sullivan
Week 3 ? 4/16
View Shadow Box animations and critique
Continue assembling practice puppets. Group animation exercise ? Stretch!
Assignment: Sun Salutation (or how to move really, really, really slowly) Due next week. Use one of the spare puppets if needed.
Week 4 ? 4/23
View Sun Salutation animation
Planning out or logging your movements. Timing, timing, and more timing.
Assignment:
Live! Nude Puppets!!! ? (see assignment sheet for requirements) You must chart your movement as you go and show me the X-sheets so I know you're thinking about it. Due next week.
Week 5 ? 4/30
View last week?s assignment and critique.
Walks! Finally! Group exercises in class.
Fast and cheap ways to flesh out your armature. Finding the story in the puppet. Playing with materiality and space.
Assignment: Make your character take a walk ? see assignment sheet for details. 15 seconds. Due next week
Week 6 ? 5/7
View walk animations, Expressing mood, adding personality, Using video references.
More animation demos, in-class time to practice, and building techniques.
Assignment: Create a 15 second animation where the character clearly expresses an emotion or state of mind. (Worried, weepy, angry, excited, bored, sleepy, nervous, etc.)
Week 7 ? 5/14
Begin working on Final animation. See assignment sheet for details.
Thinking cinematically in stop-motion, or "How to Avoid Everything Looking Like it's Taking Place on a Table". Camera moves, lenses, focus pulls, etc.
Assignment: Create a storyboard for a 30 ? 45 second animation and be prepared to present it to the class for critique next week. Bring in everything you need to work on puppets or props.
Week 8 ? 5/21
Critique storyboards, give feedback. Begin work on final. Individual meetings and tech assistance as needed.
Assignment: Complete puppet(s), gather or make props or backdrops. Bring in everything next week. You may be able to shoot during class time. Reserve equipment and take turns.
Week 9 ? 5/28
Work on final. Individual meetings and tech assistance as needed. Keep animating. By next week you should be at the half-way point with your animation. Post a work-in-progress to the class Vimeo page.
Week 10 ? 6/4
View works in progress. Animate, edit as you go. SFX or music.
Week 11 - Final Critique ? 6/11
FINAL CRITIQUES - ATTENDANCE MANDATORY - DO NOT BE LATE. NO ONE IS STILL ANIMATING OR EDITING. Screen films, give constructive feedback, party down.
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.
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 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:
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Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
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