Finals Checklist for AN325:

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, December 3rd, 2018: Last day of class! Bring your final project to class for us to view! We will discuss your film, and where to go from there! Details below!

Monday, December 9th @ 12:00 Noon: Final Deadline for updates on any previous assignments, and organization of your files on the server!


STUDENT FILM PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Project:  The goal of an animator in AN325 is to gain the necessary skills to write, develop, edit, and produce a film of one's choosing!  The project within demonstrates the necessary skills to apply a self-driven attitude flexible sense of diligence and creative problem solving throughout the process!

The Project has been divided into these sequences:

Preproduction: Thumbnails, Designs, Scripting (where applicable) Storyboards, Animatics
(This is the development phase, where ideas are considered and directions are chosen!)

Production:  Layout, Key Animation, In-between Animation, Sequencing, Color.
(This is the main creation phase, where all of the planning at the beginning of the semester is executed in a manner that works best for the production and the artist in tandem.)

Post Production: Editing and Compositing, Visual Effects, Audio, Timing via Adobe Premiere, etc.
(The developed art is ran through filters, edited together, and compiled into a movie that is the sum of it's individual parts! The challenge here is to take all of the little elements of a film and make them into something that is the sum of its parts.

The final version of your film demonstrates mastery of the three facets of production by presenting a clear viewing experience to the audience!


Final Project Description:

On the last day of class, students present a version of their film that is compiled from beginning to end with a title card, and end credits.  The importance of the "finished work" lies solely in its presentation as such! This, for some, is the hardest part of filmmaking. We spend so much time in each individual part of the process that we forget about the big picture. We worry about the number of drawings we "should" create. We overthink the creation process and fall behind in pulling all of the elements together.

Your final project is the antithesis of that. Take the story you have developed, and present it as a short feature! Use what you know about editing to make each scene interesting, and the story and characters come to the forefront of your film. Leave us paying more attention to your ideas than your artwork!

Things to remember about Character Animation:

• Worries like "number of drawings" or "how fluid the animation is" matter less than the quality of the story and the timing of your actions! When you worry about everything being "the best it possibly could be," you spend more time than necessary on polishing little details that don't matter in the long run. If you're going to spend a lot of time on any part of your film, focus a lot of your time on development and research!
• The film's interest comes from your characters, their reactions, and the settings you create. Sound and audio and editing helps, but remember that each element only works when the others are there as well.
• Color and lighting is subject to interpretation, but can enhance your character's surroundings! We've mentioned multiple ways to edit the visual look of your film. Find a way that works best for you!
• If we don't see it, or hear it, it doesen't exist! You are not the first to create a short film by semester's end. At this point, the true goal is to take all the elements you have and present your film as "complete," even if you have other elements you would like to add. We will see it as film if you present it as one!
• The final lesson to learn this class are about you as an artist, not the art itself! Present your art the way you want it to be seen, even if you are not sure how it will be interpreted!
• The films you make s

Links (of various "completed" films):
Flooby Nooby - August Shorts
Flooby Nooby - September Shorts
Flooby Nooby - October Shorts
Art of the Title: A website of title sequences from different movies.
A quick google search for title cards for various cartoons.
Reminders of Cinematography and Animation Notes

SERVER FOLDER LAYOUT CHECKLIST:

On the server, in the Classes —> AN200 section, create a folder with your first and last name.  You should submit the following production content labeled as such. Review the following links to see examples of art that have been compiled into a final work. The folder list below is similar to midterms with one exception: Each folder has been updated to show the current level of skill and quality with your film!

Main Folder: Film Materials

Folder Should Contain the Following Subfolders: thumbnails, storyboards, animatic, character design, environment design, color design, scheduling, completed sequences

Subfolder --> "Thumbnails:"

Include pictures of your index card stories from the beginning of the semester.  All three stories should be properly photographed or scanned in. Clearly label your stories from left to right, with 4 or 5 images per row.

If you have alternative endings, make sure they are scanned in seperately and labeled as such!

Subfolder --> "Storyboards:"

Your storyboards should be exported from storyboard pro with the following formats: 

"Full Page", "3 Panel Horizontal", and "Overview 4x3 or Overview 8x10.” 

Please include ALL notes for Action, Dialogue, Slugging )if necessary), Scene Names, Panel Names, and Duration of each shot. As we begin building scenes with full color and crafting environments and the like, these notes will be essential.

Subfolder --> "Animatic:"

Your animatic should be listed as a video file in this folder.  “lastname_storyname_animatic” If you have created updates to your animatic, please add a subheading to the name indicating such ("_v1” “_v2” etc.) Be sure to convert your file! Make sure your entire story is accounted for.

Subfolder --> "Character Design:"

Include color model sheets with RGB codes for each character in your film. if you are having trouble with your color design, please add your ideas for your artwork.  Your model sheets should also represent your wishes for the look of your final film in terms of lineart size and volume.

Subfolder --> "Environment Design:"

Include screenshots of the environments in your film!  Each one should be in a separate file!

Subfolder --> "Color Design:"

Any additional color palette design samples should go here. Any notes for visual effects you have tried or any screen shots for color tests can go here as well. 

Subfolder --> "Scheduling:" [Be aware that this content is new!]
Before, I asked you to make a schedule for producing your film.  Now that you are close to the finish line, I would like you to produce a new schedule! Take the knowledge you have about your own production process to build a schedule of how you would have made this film if you had all the knowledge you have now! Go week by week. Keep the old one you made before and have both copies in on the server!

Subfolder --> "Completed sequences:"

Self explanatory. In your own hard drive, name these files however you need for now. When you are turning them in, label them as “lastname_seqence1” , “lastname_sequence2, etc.” The individual movie files from your film before compositing will be placed here.

SubFolder --> "Screenshots"
Include 5 screenshots from your final film! Label them as lastname_screenshot1, lastname_screenshot2, etc.  These should be (at minimum) 1920x1080px images of your favorite moments from your film. These moments, in quality and design, would serve as a presskit if you were to feature your film on your website or someone else's website.

SubFolder --> "FINAL MOVIE"
In this folder, place a copy of your compiled and exported movie to showcase. This file will be the main one we look at in class on Monday!

SubFolder --> "Process:"
In this folder, place a video file, or a sequence of images that demonstrates the "making of" your movie! Show how you take your film from concept to completion! This can be a simple transition from sketches, to lineart, to color, to fx, or include concept art and the like. Make it so the person that has never seen your art before understands your creative approach!

SubFolder --> "Documentation:"
Include a word file that includes the following:

• Name
• Title of Film:
• Film Runtime
• Short 1-sentence Description of your Story
• Reason for Creating your Film
• What you Learned in the Process (Mistakes made, new techniques, how you overcame challenges etc)
• Personal Reminders of important tips or techniques for you to use again in the future.

SubFolder --> "Extra Credit" (Equivalent to 1/3 of a letter grade, or the difference between a C+ and a B-, or a B and a B+)
Any additional short animated sequences you have created in your spare time can go in this folder. Include a document that describes what you were creating, how you tried to create it, and what you would do differently next time.

Be sure to CONVERT ALL VIDEOS! 


Finals grading will be determined by the following:

1: Clarity of Action and Storytelling in Animatics and Animated Sequences (At a glance, do we understand the story of your sequence?)

2: Composition/Spacing/Staging of Action: (Are you using the camera frame to the best of its ability?)

3: Timing of Action: (Are your sequences well-paced?)

4: Craftsmanship: (Clean lines? Clear lineart?)

5: Organization / Production Coordination

6: Completion of Preproduction Materials
7: Completion of Production
8: Editing and Post Production Quality (Title cards, credits, everything involving the way your film is presented)
9. Organization of your folders!