For our final, after we watch Masaaki Yuasa's "Mind Game," I want you to write and turn in a brief response, answering the following questions (response should be 1-2 paragraphs per question):
1. What was a memorable shot? Describe the type of shot it was, its formal qualities, and the effects those qualities have on the meaning of the shot.
2. Describe the character design of one character, and relate how the design choices for the chracter reflect on the personality of that character.
3. Describe a moment of a character acting – through body language and facial expression. Describe what the acting was, and what it reveals about the character performing it.
4. Describe your overall response to the film.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Monday, April 30, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Due Monday; Storyboards
Just a reminder: your storyboards for your final animation, drawn in your sketchbook, are due Monday.
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Due Wednesday
Hi everyone -- for the day I'm out, you have one last in-class period to work on your silhouette animations. They will be due at the beginning of class Wednesday. Please remember to include a title screen, and to revise your abstract/music animation with an improved title screen, before wednesday.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Assignments for wednesday, and over break
PLEASE BRING YOUR SKETCHBOOKS TO CLASS WEDNESDAY, SO I CAN REVIEW YOUR SKETCHBOOK ASSIGNMENTS FOR THE MIDTERM
For Wednesday (3/7), I want more thorough storyboards from you all, for our current project – the two characters reacting to each other. If you're still stuck around this, I would suggest you pick a series of dramatic poses for your characters, and use that as your starting point. Also, by the start of Wednesday's class, I'd like you to create a flash file with with separate scenes in each, each scene lasting only one frame. Have your two characters placed in each of the scenes. Then, in each scene, pose your characters so that they are acting out emotions. In each scene, the two characters should be acting out the same emotion – both could be surprised, or angry, or what have you. It will be most interesting if each character acts out the emotion in a different way. Ultimately, both of your characters will be acting out three emotions. We'll show these to each other on wednesday, and see if the emotions we're intending to convey are actually expressed by the characters.
By the time we get back, on Monday (3/19), you have two assignments due:
Sketchbook assignment one: Storyboarding a scene from a movie that's already shot
Find a scene in a movie you like (bring it to class on DVD or email me the URL of a youtube clip), and make a storyboard of the scene. Rewatch and pause the scene to get the shots. This is an exercise in "reverse engineering" the scene, and really understanding how the director created the sequence with a series of choices about where to put the camera, whether to move the camera or not, and so on. These don't have to be beautiful drawings of the shots -- just enough to describe what's going on in each shot. Be sure to bring the DVD or youtube link with you next class, so we can compare your drawn version and the filmed one. Don't pick something that's so complicated, that it's made up of thirty or forty shots -- something that's between ten and twenty storyboard panels would be good. Again, there's no strict formula for this -- certainly each new shot should have a separate panel in the storyboard, but if there is a complicated series of actions that takes place within one shot, one shot may take a few storyboard panels to get the idea of the action of the shot across. You will present the scene, and your analysis of it, to the class on Monday.
Sketchbook assignment two: a paragraph describing your idea for your final animation
You also need to write up, in your sketchbook, a one-paragraph description of your idea for your final animation project. This will be an animation of roughly 1 minute in length. Please also indicate your ideas for the style/technique you will use. You can use any technique (or combination of techniques) you'd like -- rotoscope, jointed armature, etc.
The latitude for what your final animation is about is also very open. I just don't want to see things that are mainly spoofs or ripoffs of something else. It should have a personal dimension to it. That doesn't mean it has to be realistic in any way -- it just has to be your own ideas, images, characters, etc.
If you're stuck for an idea, here are some jumping-off places (some of the past sketchbook assignments could be starting-points):
What's an interesting trip you took?
What's a memorable dream you had?
What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you (you have to be brave to pick this one, but your cartoon might get some good laughs)?
What's something (an event, a place, a person) that you were really excited about, but when the event happened (or when you visited the place, or met the person), it wasn't at all what you expected?
Talk about your favorite daydreams.
Talk about your worst fears.
What's a story (funny or serious) that you've told time and time again, because you know it's a good story?
What was the first time you defied one or both of your parents -- or some other authority figure? And what was the consequence?
What's been the greatest achievement of your life so far (it can be rough to go this direction without looking like you're bragging about yourself, but it can be done)?
What's the most difficult decision you've ever had to make?
What was your first pet?
What's something weird you did as a young child, that seemed to make sense to you as a kid, but in retrospect seems pretty bizarre?
What's the thing you hate most about the world?
You can be funny or you can be serious. It could be as serious as dealing with the death of someone close to you, or as goofy as the most successful practical joke you've played on a friend. Just make sure the story is meaningful to you in some way -- meaningful enough that you won't mind spending about a month working on it.
Another option: pick a folk or fairy tale to adapt. That way, you'll have a whole plot laid out for you -- your trick is to invest it with your own sense of style.
For Wednesday (3/7), I want more thorough storyboards from you all, for our current project – the two characters reacting to each other. If you're still stuck around this, I would suggest you pick a series of dramatic poses for your characters, and use that as your starting point. Also, by the start of Wednesday's class, I'd like you to create a flash file with with separate scenes in each, each scene lasting only one frame. Have your two characters placed in each of the scenes. Then, in each scene, pose your characters so that they are acting out emotions. In each scene, the two characters should be acting out the same emotion – both could be surprised, or angry, or what have you. It will be most interesting if each character acts out the emotion in a different way. Ultimately, both of your characters will be acting out three emotions. We'll show these to each other on wednesday, and see if the emotions we're intending to convey are actually expressed by the characters.
By the time we get back, on Monday (3/19), you have two assignments due:
Sketchbook assignment one: Storyboarding a scene from a movie that's already shot
Find a scene in a movie you like (bring it to class on DVD or email me the URL of a youtube clip), and make a storyboard of the scene. Rewatch and pause the scene to get the shots. This is an exercise in "reverse engineering" the scene, and really understanding how the director created the sequence with a series of choices about where to put the camera, whether to move the camera or not, and so on. These don't have to be beautiful drawings of the shots -- just enough to describe what's going on in each shot. Be sure to bring the DVD or youtube link with you next class, so we can compare your drawn version and the filmed one. Don't pick something that's so complicated, that it's made up of thirty or forty shots -- something that's between ten and twenty storyboard panels would be good. Again, there's no strict formula for this -- certainly each new shot should have a separate panel in the storyboard, but if there is a complicated series of actions that takes place within one shot, one shot may take a few storyboard panels to get the idea of the action of the shot across. You will present the scene, and your analysis of it, to the class on Monday.
Sketchbook assignment two: a paragraph describing your idea for your final animation
You also need to write up, in your sketchbook, a one-paragraph description of your idea for your final animation project. This will be an animation of roughly 1 minute in length. Please also indicate your ideas for the style/technique you will use. You can use any technique (or combination of techniques) you'd like -- rotoscope, jointed armature, etc.
The latitude for what your final animation is about is also very open. I just don't want to see things that are mainly spoofs or ripoffs of something else. It should have a personal dimension to it. That doesn't mean it has to be realistic in any way -- it just has to be your own ideas, images, characters, etc.
If you're stuck for an idea, here are some jumping-off places (some of the past sketchbook assignments could be starting-points):
What's an interesting trip you took?
What's a memorable dream you had?
What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you (you have to be brave to pick this one, but your cartoon might get some good laughs)?
What's something (an event, a place, a person) that you were really excited about, but when the event happened (or when you visited the place, or met the person), it wasn't at all what you expected?
Talk about your favorite daydreams.
Talk about your worst fears.
What's a story (funny or serious) that you've told time and time again, because you know it's a good story?
What was the first time you defied one or both of your parents -- or some other authority figure? And what was the consequence?
What's been the greatest achievement of your life so far (it can be rough to go this direction without looking like you're bragging about yourself, but it can be done)?
What's the most difficult decision you've ever had to make?
What was your first pet?
What's something weird you did as a young child, that seemed to make sense to you as a kid, but in retrospect seems pretty bizarre?
What's the thing you hate most about the world?
You can be funny or you can be serious. It could be as serious as dealing with the death of someone close to you, or as goofy as the most successful practical joke you've played on a friend. Just make sure the story is meaningful to you in some way -- meaningful enough that you won't mind spending about a month working on it.
Another option: pick a folk or fairy tale to adapt. That way, you'll have a whole plot laid out for you -- your trick is to invest it with your own sense of style.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Assignment for Monday (2/27)
For today's class I want to see your two characters in various "acting" poses. You're not changing the designs of your characters, just the poses. So, pick three emotions or "transient states" (angry, drunk, sad, flirtatious -- whatever you want to choose), and make each of your characters act them out.
If, for example, you choose angry, sad, and nervous, I want to see both of your characters looking angry, sad and nervous. So it will be a total of six drawings. Bonus points if your characters have different poses for the same emotion. For example, a big, macho character might express anger differently than a meek character would. The big character might look threatening, and the meek character might look ridiculous.
By the beginning of class Monday, have a rough storyboard of your two characters acting and reacting to each other. If you don't have a story in mind, perhaps you can use some of your poses as a starting point. You will eventually be making a short animation where your two characters are acting together, and the storyboard will give you a blueprint for this. The drawings can be very sketchy.
An online article on storyboarding, which has some examples I showed in class, is here, if you want to revisit some of the examples:
http://pingmag.jp/2006/10/27/storyboard-design/
And one last detail, left over from the music project: I want everyone to re-work their title screens, to give them more "style," and align them with the style used in the animations themselves. Here's a blog that has screen captures of a ton of movie title screens, if you're looking for inspiration:
The Movie Title Stills Collection
If, for example, you choose angry, sad, and nervous, I want to see both of your characters looking angry, sad and nervous. So it will be a total of six drawings. Bonus points if your characters have different poses for the same emotion. For example, a big, macho character might express anger differently than a meek character would. The big character might look threatening, and the meek character might look ridiculous.
By the beginning of class Monday, have a rough storyboard of your two characters acting and reacting to each other. If you don't have a story in mind, perhaps you can use some of your poses as a starting point. You will eventually be making a short animation where your two characters are acting together, and the storyboard will give you a blueprint for this. The drawings can be very sketchy.
An online article on storyboarding, which has some examples I showed in class, is here, if you want to revisit some of the examples:
http://pingmag.jp/2006/10/27/storyboard-design/
And one last detail, left over from the music project: I want everyone to re-work their title screens, to give them more "style," and align them with the style used in the animations themselves. Here's a blog that has screen captures of a ton of movie title screens, if you're looking for inspiration:
The Movie Title Stills Collection
References for Monday's Class
Here are the best tutorials I've been able to dig up on using armatures in Flash CS4. The first is a good intro to the basics, and the six embedded tuts get into the nitty gritty of creating a fully articulated puppet of a person.
"Create a Simple Inverse Kinematics Animation with Flash CS4," by Lee Brimelow, for Layers magazine:
http://www.layersmagazine.com/create-a-simple-inverse-kinematics-animation-with-flash-cs4.html
Matt Maxwell's six-part tutorial:
As I said in class, I find the bone tool a little buggy, but here are some tips that, I've found, make creating a jointed Flash "puppet" a little more effective.
Firstly, as shown in the tutorials above, you need to make an extra symbol at the sternum, which will act as a branching-off point to connect the shoulders and the neck.
This seems to be the best sequence for creating the armature:
1. Start at the waist, connecting the waist to the two hips.
2. Connect the wast to the torso, then the sternum.
3. Finish connecting the legs to the hips.
4. From the sternum, connect the arms, then the neck and head.
Make sure joint rotation is disabled for the two bones going from sternum to shoulder.
Once you start keyframing your puppet, it can be difficult to manipulate the puppet back into a neutral starting point -- when you start copying the armature, you end up copying your whole string of keyframes. For this reason, it's a good idea to save your puppet in a single-frame fla, in a neutral pose, separate from the fla you are creating your animation in. You can cut and paste the neutrally posed armature into various scenes in your animation fla, so that you're not pasting whole layers of keyframe poses that have to be readjusted.
Moving your puppet across the stage, through space, can induce all kinds of buggy distortions. The "cleanest" way to move your character through space is to animate the character moving in one place, then copying and pasting that animated armature into a new symbol, and moving that symbol across the stage. This can prove difficult when there is a lot of interaction between the puppet and its environment, because you have to anticipate the movements of the character before you position it in its final spot in the environment.
I've had some luck moving the character through space by selecting the armature, then hitting command-A (for "select all") and moving the character by grabbing it with the free transform tool (the third tool in the toolbar).
"Create a Simple Inverse Kinematics Animation with Flash CS4," by Lee Brimelow, for Layers magazine:
http://www.layersmagazine.com/create-a-simple-inverse-kinematics-animation-with-flash-cs4.html
Matt Maxwell's six-part tutorial:
As I said in class, I find the bone tool a little buggy, but here are some tips that, I've found, make creating a jointed Flash "puppet" a little more effective.
Firstly, as shown in the tutorials above, you need to make an extra symbol at the sternum, which will act as a branching-off point to connect the shoulders and the neck.
This seems to be the best sequence for creating the armature:
1. Start at the waist, connecting the waist to the two hips.
2. Connect the wast to the torso, then the sternum.
3. Finish connecting the legs to the hips.
4. From the sternum, connect the arms, then the neck and head.
Make sure joint rotation is disabled for the two bones going from sternum to shoulder.
Once you start keyframing your puppet, it can be difficult to manipulate the puppet back into a neutral starting point -- when you start copying the armature, you end up copying your whole string of keyframes. For this reason, it's a good idea to save your puppet in a single-frame fla, in a neutral pose, separate from the fla you are creating your animation in. You can cut and paste the neutrally posed armature into various scenes in your animation fla, so that you're not pasting whole layers of keyframe poses that have to be readjusted.
Moving your puppet across the stage, through space, can induce all kinds of buggy distortions. The "cleanest" way to move your character through space is to animate the character moving in one place, then copying and pasting that animated armature into a new symbol, and moving that symbol across the stage. This can prove difficult when there is a lot of interaction between the puppet and its environment, because you have to anticipate the movements of the character before you position it in its final spot in the environment.
I've had some luck moving the character through space by selecting the armature, then hitting command-A (for "select all") and moving the character by grabbing it with the free transform tool (the third tool in the toolbar).
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Due on Wednesday (2/22): Two Character Designs in Your Sketchbook
Your next project will involve creating (and then animating) a character in silhouette. First we'll concentrate on creating the silhouettes, and then we'll worry about posing them so that their emotions "read" to the viewer, and then finally we'll bring them to life by moving them through a series of poses.
But first -- just worry about the silhouettes themselves. I want you to create two silhouettes, each with a distinct "essential character" or personality. These are the types of qualities that define their identity. This is the realm of stereotype, and of course you can ultimately play against what the "essential character" of your silhouette appears to be. Regardless, an audience will make assumptions about characters based on that first visual cue of what they look like. So -- for example -- you could make a character that seems mean, and a character that seems nice. Or a character that seems pious, and a character that seems devilish. Vain and charitable. Wimpy and belligerent. And so on -- but you only have to pick two.
Eventually, you will have to separate out the various pieces of your character, so that they can exist on independent layers in flash. Think of them as pieces of a jointed paper doll. The pieces should include: head, neck, torso, pelvis, upper arms, lower arms, hands, upper legs, lower legs, feet. Don't worry about separating out the fingers and toes. As you are designing your character, keep in mind that at some point the pieces of your character will have to exist as separate symbols.
In Wednesday's class, you'll execute these characters in Flash. But before the start of class, I want to see a sketch of your two characters in your sketchbook.
Here's Lotte Reininger's silhouette animation from "The Adventures of Prince Achmed," which I showed in class:
But first -- just worry about the silhouettes themselves. I want you to create two silhouettes, each with a distinct "essential character" or personality. These are the types of qualities that define their identity. This is the realm of stereotype, and of course you can ultimately play against what the "essential character" of your silhouette appears to be. Regardless, an audience will make assumptions about characters based on that first visual cue of what they look like. So -- for example -- you could make a character that seems mean, and a character that seems nice. Or a character that seems pious, and a character that seems devilish. Vain and charitable. Wimpy and belligerent. And so on -- but you only have to pick two.
Eventually, you will have to separate out the various pieces of your character, so that they can exist on independent layers in flash. Think of them as pieces of a jointed paper doll. The pieces should include: head, neck, torso, pelvis, upper arms, lower arms, hands, upper legs, lower legs, feet. Don't worry about separating out the fingers and toes. As you are designing your character, keep in mind that at some point the pieces of your character will have to exist as separate symbols.
In Wednesday's class, you'll execute these characters in Flash. But before the start of class, I want to see a sketch of your two characters in your sketchbook.
Here's Lotte Reininger's silhouette animation from "The Adventures of Prince Achmed," which I showed in class:
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sketchbook Assignment for Wed. 2/15: Character Design Analysis
For Wednesday's class, I want you to select a cartoon character that you think has an interesting design. I want you to make a sketch of that character in your sketchbook, paying special attention to all the elements of of its design – hair, clothing, body type, facial structure, etc. In a paragraph under the sketch of the character, I want you to write out an explanation of the personality of the character, with details of how that personality is visible in the design of the character itself. For example, a character who has a sinister personality might have sharpened, pointy teeth, or heavy eyebrows that point downward. Include elements of the character's costume in your explanation as well.
Your abstract/music animation is due at the beginning of class.
Your abstract/music animation is due at the beginning of class.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Sketchbook assignment for Monday
You have a sketchbook assignment for next Monday -- or rather, two short sketchbook assignments. They are both exercises in thinking in images. They are:
1. I want you to draw a sketch of a memorable image. This could be an image from a film, a poster, a painting, a TV show, a book (in which case you'll have seen the image in your mind's eye, not in "reality") -- some vision that sticks in your brain. And then, also in the sketchbook, write a short paragraph about the image -- where you saw it, what it means -- and why you think that image is memorable.
2. Make a sketch of something memorable that actually happened to you -- in particular, something you saw or experienced that was intensely scary. It could be from a movie that you saw as a kid; it could be something that actually happened to you and really spooked you -- just make sure it's something that left an impression on you. As with the other sketchbook exercise, write a short paragraph about the scary event, and explain what made it so scary.
Here are the two videos I showed in class today:
1. I want you to draw a sketch of a memorable image. This could be an image from a film, a poster, a painting, a TV show, a book (in which case you'll have seen the image in your mind's eye, not in "reality") -- some vision that sticks in your brain. And then, also in the sketchbook, write a short paragraph about the image -- where you saw it, what it means -- and why you think that image is memorable.
2. Make a sketch of something memorable that actually happened to you -- in particular, something you saw or experienced that was intensely scary. It could be from a movie that you saw as a kid; it could be something that actually happened to you and really spooked you -- just make sure it's something that left an impression on you. As with the other sketchbook exercise, write a short paragraph about the scary event, and explain what made it so scary.
Here are the two videos I showed in class today:
Monday, January 30, 2012
Audio and Vector resources
Megan sent me a brief demo on how to scrub vocals from a music track. Evidently this method is hit-or-miss, depending on the song you use, but it could be worth a shot:
The program used in the demo is Audacity, which is on our macs; it is freeware, and can be downloaded for your own computer here:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
I'll be talking about vector art in Monday's class (the drawing tools in flash create vector art). There are many resources online that provide free vector art that can be used in Flash. Here are a few sources:
Vector portal logo shapes
Freevectordownload's design vectors.
Freevectors.net
Vecteezy.com
Bittbox has some great stuff.
Of course, you can also google "free vector art downloads" and it'll turn up a lot of links as well.
Most of this vector art will be in Adobe Illustrator format. Open your downloaded vector in Adobe Illustrator, then copy it and paste it directly into Flash. Most of the time that works -- if it doesn't work, just bug me in class and we'll fix it.
Lastly, here is a recent music video that uses abstract shapes in an interesting way. I'll screen it in Monday's class:
The program used in the demo is Audacity, which is on our macs; it is freeware, and can be downloaded for your own computer here:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
I'll be talking about vector art in Monday's class (the drawing tools in flash create vector art). There are many resources online that provide free vector art that can be used in Flash. Here are a few sources:
Vector portal logo shapes
Freevectordownload's design vectors.
Freevectors.net
Vecteezy.com
Bittbox has some great stuff.
Of course, you can also google "free vector art downloads" and it'll turn up a lot of links as well.
Most of this vector art will be in Adobe Illustrator format. Open your downloaded vector in Adobe Illustrator, then copy it and paste it directly into Flash. Most of the time that works -- if it doesn't work, just bug me in class and we'll fix it.
Lastly, here is a recent music video that uses abstract shapes in an interesting way. I'll screen it in Monday's class:
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Abstract Animation Assignment
By next class (wednesday), you should be ready to begin your first flash animation assignment -- an abstract animation, of a duration somewhere between 30 seconds and a minute, set to music.
At the beginning of next class, you should have:
1. A sound file of the music you'll be using -- the music can be any genre, but must be completely instrumental (at least the portion you'll be using for your cartoon). Sound formats that can be imported into flash are: WAV, AIFF, and mp3. Bring your audio file on your zip drive or a CD.
2. At least two pages of sketches in your sketchbook, of visual ideas you'll be using in your piece. These could be colors, shapes -- perhaps they are images or forms that appear to you when you listen to the music. You won't have to follow these sketches exactly; it's more to give you a jumping-off point. But try to identify some forms/images/colors that feel like they have the same emotional quality of the music itself. You can briefly use representational images (like the houses that flicker in and out of McLaren's "Begone Dull Care") but the vast majority of your animation must be non-representational. Think of how rhythm, color, contrast, composition, form, contrast, motion and texture can be used to evoke a reaction in the viewer.
Does a zig-zagging line have a different effect or "meaning" than a straight or curved line? Does a large shape have a different effect than a small shape? How about a quickly moving shape versus a slowly moving one? Does the color blue have a different effect when it's placed against purple, as opposed to yellow?
Each of these choices will produce different emotional results. These are the basics of visual information -- composition, color, motion, timing -- that provide the structure of all animation. In representational animation, these components usually have a subliminal effect on the viewer; in this project, the components will be laid bare. If you never make an abstract animation again, the principles you will explore here will continue to be applicable to narrative animation.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Snow Day Today
Class has been canceled today, due to the weather.
The above still is from Paul Grimault's Le Petit Soldat (1947)
Friday, January 13, 2012
Welcome, and first assignment
Welcome to the blog for the animation class at SNC. Your first assignment -- due next Wednesday -- has two parts.
1. Make a flipbook. A pad of sticky notes might be a good thing to use. Show something that involves some action (or series of actions); or show an object from several points of view; or show something transforming into several other things. The subject matter is really wide open -- just have fun drawing.
2. Start your dream journal. Write down what you remember of your dreams (useful images might percolate out of this). You will be asked to share one of these dreams next class.
Also, by next class you need to have your portable drive and your sketchbook (you can keep your dream journal in your sketchbook).
Lastly, if you'd like a copy of the syllabus, you can download one here:
http://www.box.com/s/dqbpqrx3k157v8pi9agz
The image above is from a cartoon directed by Tex Avery
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