ANI 422 Animation History and Practice
Summary
ANI 422 Animation Styles & Techniques ? Winter 2016
Wednesdays, 5:45 ? 9 p.m.
Lisa Barcy ? lbarcy@cdm.depaul.edu
Office Hours: Room #502 Mondays and Wednesdays 12-3, Fridays by appointment (best to email me first.)
Course Description:
The history of animation is explored with a focus on inspiring the students? own work. Students will be involved in an intense study of animation, from its inception to the present day, and are required to view a significant amount of work outside of class. Animation lectures will be structured by time period, geography, theme, and/or technique. Through writing and group discussions students will examine the significance of the technique and subject matter. They will put this study into practice by creating short animated films based on their reactions to the films. Prerequisites: Animation Mechanics.
Learning Goals:
? Students will gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of animation throughout history.
? Students will complete several short animations inspired by historical works.
? Students will develop their critical thinking skills as they write about, discuss and deconstruct historical animated works.
? Students will improve their ability to talk and write about their own work, and to constructively critique the work of others.
? Through the various projects students will have the opportunity to hone the animation principles that are inherent in all techniques.
Required Text: The World History of Animation ? Stephen Cavalier
Course Reserves: password ANI422
What You Should Bring to Class Each Week:
- A lot of energy and enthusiasm ? you will animate something every week.
- The ability to discuss work screened and to ask questions (class participation)
- The ability to accept constructive criticism.
- Your assignments ? Posted on D2L (writing) and/or the class Vimeo group.
- Your bi-weekly reading questions ? take home quizzes
- Any art materials or files needed to complete your assignments. If you?re not prepared to work it will negatively affect your grade.
Our Vimeo Page: (be sure to join it so you can upload all your assignments here)
Viewing films: There is a large amount of film viewing outside of class time, to allow us more time for production during class. Much of the work will be made available for you to view online, and in a pinch I?ll even direct you to YouTube, (although I try to avoid this.) Roughly 50% of films will be shown in class to give us a chance for more immediate discussion. It is your responsibility to keep up with the viewing and I?ll quiz you regularly on it.
Grading: You will be graded on the finished quality of your animation and its relevance to the assignment. All work must be ready for viewing on the due date, not still sitting in a computer program. I?m not concerned with fancy titles or canned filter effects, so don?t rely on the technology to make your animation better. The only way to be a better animator is to animate.
Late Assignments: I will accept late assignments one week after the due date, with a one-letter grade reduction. Anything later than that will not be considered. If you have a medical excuse and a doctors? note there may be exceptions, but even in those circumstances it sometimes becomes impossible to make up the work and I may recommend dropping the class if you are too far behind.
Absences and Lateness: Two absences with the third resulting in a one-letter grade reduction for the course. Tardiness happens to all of us, but frequent lateness is just rude. If you?re late frequently it will negatively affect your grade.
Grading Breakdown for Homework and Exams:
Contribution to in class discussions and critiques ? 5%
Reading Questions / Take Home Quizzes (4 @ 7.5% each) ? 30%
1 research paper, 2000-word count min., double-spaced no font larger than 12 pt.? 10%
Animation Project 1 ? 10%
Animation Project 2 ? 10%
Animation Project 3 ? 15%
Final Project (#4) ? 20%
Total 100%
Class Schedule (subject to change depending on film availability)
1. Jan. 6
Optical Toys, Early Pioneers - From Blackton to Starewicz
Artifice, looping actions, showmanship, madness, character appeal, self-referential, Optical toys, hand drawn, morphing, pixilation, chalk and talk presentations.
Project 1 due Jan. 20 ? Post to D2L and class Vimeo page
Research Paper due Feb. 20th -see guidelines on D2L>Assignments>Research Paper for details
Screening homework: See film screening list ?Week 1? posted in Documents section of D2L
Read: Cavalier ? pp. 15-33, 36-53, 58-59, 62-64, 73, 88 ? 91, Crafton-chap.3 and 4 (course reserves)
2. Jan. 13
Visual Music and Motion Painting
Music, abstraction, intuitive, rhythmic, non-narrative, motifs, texture, ?Cameraless? ? ?straight ahead? ? non-linear approach- tactile, randomness vs. pattern, intuitive.
Screening homework: ?Week 2?, posted on D2L
Read: Cavalier ? 54-57, 82-87, 110, 114, 117, 125, handout on Fischinger, Experimental Animation interview w/ Len Lye, pp 65-71 (course reserves)
Project 1 due next week - Post to D2L and class Vimeo page
3. Jan. 20
The Beginning of the Studio System.
Project 1 due
Otto Mesmer, The Fleischer Bros., The ?Rubber Hose Factory?
Disney?s beginnings ? Early shorts ? sound ? color- multi-plane
Pre-code, adult vs. kiddie humor, musicality, self-contained characters vs. morphing, black and white palette vs. Technicolor.
Screening homework: ?Week 3?, posted on D2L (you get the idea)
Begin project #2 ? Due on Feb. 3
Read: Cavalier ? 66-69, 74-79, 81, 97, 98, 100, 105- 108, 115
4. Jan. 27
Disney Features, Golden Age of Warner Bros. ? Termite Terrace
Tex Avery at MGM ? Chuck Jones? masterworks
Parody, satire, and extreme drawing.
Read: Cavalier: 118 ?126, 128- 132, 136- 137, 141-142, from Of Mice and Magic:
Project 2 due next week ? Post to D2L and class Vimeo page
5. Feb. 3
Project 2 due today
War, Propaganda, and the Studio System, Animation from Japan
Soviet Era Animation ? propaganda and hidden protest
Project 3 due ? Feb. 24
Read: Cavalier ? 143, Cohen - (handout or course reserves)
6. Feb. 10
1950?s High Style ? UPA, The Hubleys, Early T.V. Animation
The National Film Board of Canada ? Norman McLaren
Quiz #3 on Screening/ Reading material
Read: 156-157, 178-179, also on course reserves- John Hubleys Animation Revolution, and The John and Faith Hubley Story ? In Collaboration
7. Feb. 17
Experimental Animation in the 50?s and 60?s
Feature Animation for Adults
Research Papers Due Today
Works by Robert Breer, Larry Jordan, John Whitney, Jordan Belson, Harry Smith, Suzan Pitt,
Read: 160-163, 166-167, 171,180, 184, 189, Experimental animation, interview w/ Larry Jordan, also article on Harry Smith.
8. Feb. 24
Stop motion ? ?Claymation?, Surrealism, and SPX
Project 3 due today
Puppets, subverting objects, the history of the object, humans vs. monsters
Techniques: Clay animation, armatures, found objects, green-screening,
Final Project due ? March 16
Read: (on course reserves) Unsilent Nights; The Brothers Quay, Michael Atkinson, pp. 25-38, Dark Alchemy-Interview with Jan Svankmajer, Peter Hames, pp.96-118.
9. March 2
Animation enters the Digital Age
Whitney Bros., Lillian Schwartz, nascent Pixar
Anime
? Osamu Tezuka and the resurgence of the Japanese Studio system.
- Hayao Miyazake, Katsuhiro Otomo, Satoshi Kon, etc.
Complete final project and upload to Vimeo.
10. March 9
Works by Contemporary Independents ? Hybrid forms ? lo-fi to hi-fi, new Features for Grown-ups
Begin work on Final Project. Due on Finals Week
Read: excerpt from Unsung Heroes of Animation, and Animators Unearthed (will be either paper version or on course reserves)
11. Finals Week, March 16, 5:45 - Final Project Due ? Don?t? be Late!
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.
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