THOMAS ROMAIN: Notes about perspective!
CHRIS OATLEY: Character Design Goes Deep!
PAUL FELIX: Tips on draftsmanship and craftsmanship.
SAKUGA BOORU: Like the living lines library, but with a lot of finished production examples!
FLOOBY NOOBY: A collection of short animated sequences and Cartoons!
LIVING LINES LIBRARY: A collection of high-quality pencil tests and artbooks.
CATSUKA.COM: A great website about the goings on of the international animation community.
CARTOON BREW: A great website about the goings on of our national internet community.
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Monday, August 27, 2018
Assignment for Wednesday, August 29th:
Using the exercise we made in class, I want you to finish improving your other stories!
Bring three fully revised stories to class on Wednesday! Use the post below: "Story editing workshop" To make improvements to your story!
After you complete this, I want you to develop a single image for each story. Take this image as far as you can in the time frame with respects to storytelling, cinematography, staging, and character performance. Make something akin to a "hero shot:" a single image that - if we had no other panels of your story - does a good job telling us what that story is about.
I know the time frame seems short, but I want you to come to class Wednesday with what you believe is a good drawing that represents what your film is about. Word of advice, try to draw it as if it was a panel of your animation.
Bring three fully revised stories to class on Wednesday! Use the post below: "Story editing workshop" To make improvements to your story!
After you complete this, I want you to develop a single image for each story. Take this image as far as you can in the time frame with respects to storytelling, cinematography, staging, and character performance. Make something akin to a "hero shot:" a single image that - if we had no other panels of your story - does a good job telling us what that story is about.
I know the time frame seems short, but I want you to come to class Wednesday with what you believe is a good drawing that represents what your film is about. Word of advice, try to draw it as if it was a panel of your animation.
STORY EDITING WORKSHOP:
STORY EDITING FOR ANIMATION:
In your story:
In your story:
Find a portion of the story you know works well.
- write down: Why does ________ work? / Why do “I” like _______?
- mark them with a star!
- can refer to anything
- story devices, cinematography, art, characterization, audience reaction, anything.
Select the two brainstormed ideas you think will be most successful.
- underline them, highlight them, put a star next to them, try anything.
- use the two brainstormed ideas you underlined in your notes!
- use one card for each idea!
- make two changes to your film, and then review the whole story!
- Draw a new panel for that shot. Replace the old one. Don’t worry if the film is not 100% better. We’re looking for INCREMENTAL growth! Great works of art and cinema are built over time, not all at once!
- This should help you better flesh out your stories, and start to develop a sense of which ones you really like, and which ones you want to change.
- Person A: Give a brief synopsis of the story. Pitch! Be active in your speech and acting!
- Mention the biggest problem you currently face with the story (what is working the least?) Ask Person B about possible solutions!
- Person B: Offer solutions first. Then, make note of anything that is currently working well in each story, and any other constructive comments you may have.
- Switch!
- Designs you would like to try?
- Shot choices you are unsure about.
- Drawing skills you would like to develop.
- Drawing skills you would like to refine.
- Things about the design you think are missing from your film!
- Include any websites or references, other films or sequences to look at, etc.
- The point of this class is to develop a process to direct yourself and figure out solutions to your own problems. The biggest hang-up any film-maker has during the movie-making process is making decisions! The better you can make decisions, the easier it is to improve as an artist, animator, and film-maker! =D
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Homework for Monday, August 27, 2018
Great job everyone! I can see that there are a lot of good ideas developing on our index cards! For homework, I want you to go home and apply this process again!
On Monday, you will come to class with THREE STORIES.
On Monday, you will come to class with THREE STORIES.
- Each story should be ON INDEX CARDS ONLY. I will not accept anything else!
- Each story should be 10-12 index cards. NO MORE, NO LESS.
- Each index card should be colored and have refined cinematography work on it!
- Your character and environment designs will change next week, but we (as a class) should be able to look at your artwork and distinctively know where characters are placed in relation to the camera, and the spacing of them in relation to your blocked-in environments.
- DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ONLY DEVELOPING ONE STORY REALLY WELL, AND THROWING THE OTHER TWO TOGETHER HAPHAZARDLY. If you do, I will make you re-develop the other ones, in addition to what we do next week! =D
- ALSO.... DO NOT DRAW THREE VERSIONS OF THE SAME STORY. THE SAME PENALTY ABOVE APPLIES! =)
- Use the same process for developing your stories further! You will need to redraw and refine the artwork you did in class today, as we've only done some simple sketches so far.
- Start by writing a premise for your story in a single sentence.
- Then write your ending in a single sentence.
- Draw both of these on one(1) index card a piece, writing the scenario on the back.
- you should have two index cards per story.
- Then, add two(2) more index cards. Draw two(2) problems for the characters to face that lead into the ending.
- Afterwards, draw the climax for the story on another separate index card!
- At this point you should have 5 index cards per story.
- Be sure to alternate between stories. Develop them all at the same time to keep your initial ideas fresh. We will have a time in the future where we decide and develop the major story we will use.
- From here, continuing fleshing out parts of the story. You should end up with 10-12 index cards at the end. Each index card should lead into the next with respects to "cause and effect."
- Because (index card 1) happens... (index card 2) happens.
Great job everyone! Good luck with your stories! =D
Monday, August 20, 2018
Welcome to Advanced 2-D Animation!
Course# DM325 | Advanced 2D Animation
Location: Mac Lab 3 -Room 004
Instructor: Michael Shaw
Time: Monday and Wednesday 4:00 PM | 6:30 PM
Office Hours: Monday and
Wednesday: 6:30 PM – 8 PM Mac Lab 3
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Welcome to DM325! This is an
advanced level course that focuses on producing animation work of the highest
quality! This is the course where you channel your experiences in animation
art-creation into making professional level work by semester’s end! Here, you
are both a researcher a theorist, and a skilled executioner in producing
complete assignments. We aim for quality over quantity in this course, so you
will be asked to make multiple revisions to a shorter project as opposed to
working once through a longer one. By semester’s end, you should be well versed
and comfortable in all the avenues of producing quality 2-D animation, and
ready to make self-directed, higher-level work in the classes going forward!
In addition to this, we will do
weekly small activities to improve and stretch your drawing and animation
skills! More info below:
Methods of Study – The Flow of Class is as Follows:
Class Readings:
Each topic we cover in class will have an
accompanied reading or video that provides more information and instructions on
the current study. These readings are
meant to give you means to practice in-class content on your own!
Interactive Demonstrations:
The best way to learn how to animate is to
practice hard, and see how others animate! Keep what works, and scrap what does not! This
semester will have many interactive demonstrations on making quality animated
works. The short you create will be
divided into easily digestible chunks for building your animation skills each week.
Each demonstration will focus on specific principles of animation. Creating a
practical project where we can focus in detail on refining
Projects and Workflow
Each week, you will be given an assignment to
accomplish that will investigate the possibilities of story and visual
development of an animated short. The purpose of these assignments is to prove
that the process of making a film is not magic, but a series of calculated
steps that help you hone in and further develop your creativity. You will be able to combine each assignment
into a professional portfolio by semester’s end, and have all the tools needed
to begin applying for internships, and exploring new content that piques your
interests!
Short Weekly Exercises:
In-between your longer weekly and bi-weekly
projects, we will do short 30-45 minute animation exercises as a class! These
will serve as a way to help you actively practice your drawing and animation
abilities, and see very quickly how all of the content of each lesson is
applied in a practical setting! We will do art jams where we will try to make
short-format content (6-10 seconds) in an even shorter working time (30-45
minutes). These projects can also serve as jumping off points to improve your
portfolio outside of class.
The Flow of the core project of this class is
as follows:
2 Weeks to Review and assess you current
abilities.
2 Weeks for storyboarding and film
development.
8 weeks for Animation Development and audio
production at a minimum of 6 seconds a week. The first two weeks will front-load
a lot of audio preparation.
4 weeks (including finals week) for
additional animation production, post production, and editing.
During this time, we will take
Fields of Study Include:
I. Assessment:
We will spend a week and a half
assessing your current abilities in animation! This is more for you to know how
well you can preform, and at what level, so you can better learn how you work
as an animation artist!
II. Preproduction: You will design your
III. Animation: This semester: We will spend each week
covering a couple of the principles of animation in detail!
IV. Workflow: How to become a more balanced animation
artist. How to design and implement a
successful project, working backwards form the end goal to the beginning!
V. Animation Art and Collaboration: How to properly assess your abilities. How to know how long it takes you to create a first draft for an animation shot, and how to get resources that are beyond your abilities, whether it’s other people, or new skills.
V. Animation Art and Collaboration: How to properly assess your abilities. How to know how long it takes you to create a first draft for an animation shot, and how to get resources that are beyond your abilities, whether it’s other people, or new skills.
VI. Professional
Development: Portfolios,
demo reels, applications for internships, film festivals, and everything else!
DEPARTMENTAL OUTCOMES:
Students will demonstrate
the capability to organize and present concepts verbally.
Students will demonstrate
the capability to organize and present concepts audibly.
Students will produce
evidence of an understanding of the methods of audio production.
Students will be able to
coherently communicate the content their audio productions.
Students will demonstrate
the time management skills necessary to complete the entire sound creation
process.
Students will demonstrate
the capability to effectively publish their audio production via the web, and
integrate it into their current body of work.
PROFESSIONAL OUTCOMES:
Students will demonstrate
the ability to write an artist statement.
Students will demonstrate
the ability to document their work.
Students will demonstrate
basic computer/software literacy applicable to their field.
Students will demonstrate
the ability to give a public presentation about their work.
Students will demonstrate
the ability to research to stay current in their field.
Students will demonstrate
basic knowledge of communication etiquette in their field.
Students
will demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively.
-------Assignments
and Requirements ------
You are
required to attend class everyday, on time. We will start class @ 4:20
every day, unless otherwise noted. As with the Student Handbook, students
who misses 6 days of class will fail the course. This will be strictly
enforced. Prior to this event, any student that must miss a day needs to notify
me ahead of time, long before the start of class. Anyone who wonders into
class at least 30 minutes after class begins will be considered absent for the
rest of the day. 4 absences result in a loss of one letter grade. Three tardies
equate to one absence. If you miss, you must catch up on assignments via
consulting other students first, and myself via email. I reserve the right to
notify students ahead of time for any day that MUST NOT BE MISSED due to course
content be it finals, assessments, midterms, or other coursework.
----Turning in
Assignments -----
Each Assignment will be due on a scheduled date, given at the
beginning of the assignment. Often, this will be the day before the
class, to give students time to listen to, and review other students’
work. Part of your grade will be your review of the creations of your
peers. We will remain objective throughout, even when we are delving into
content that goes beyond our personal taste. When it comes to late
assignments, assignments will drop a letter grade each day they are late. After
3 days, I will not accept your assignment.
Supplies:
1)
If working Traditionally:
1 ream of 10f Ingram Bond Animation Paper and 1 plastic peg bar Purchased for $50.00 at
the business office. Return to me with a recipt of purchase!
2)
Folder and Notebook for
taking notes. You are required to keep track of your notes. You will also be
required to turn in your sketches for review from time to time, so be sure to
keep your sketchbook on hand during class!
3)
$100 Deposit to check out
audio equipment. (optional) Upon completion of the class, or the major, you will
receive this deposit back. This single deposit can count for multiple classes
within the department. If you still have your deposit from last semester, you
can check out as available.
4)
External Hard Drive: Can purchase online and
use with other classes. If you already have it, great! If not, it’s an
investment that can last you long beyond your undergraduate career. The Computers primarily use USB 3.0
connections. The hard drives listed below are examples, compatible with mac and
PC, but require formatting to go cross-platform.
5) Light
Box: You will need a lightbox for your animated projects if you
choose to work digitally! Below are a few very cost effective options for you
to use! You need something big enough to cover a piece of 10f paper, or 8.5” x
11”Huion L4S: 12.20" x 8.26"
Huion 17" With Angled Surface (drawing area is the same)ME456 Tracer: A4 Size (9" x 12")
Huion 17" With Angled Surface (drawing area is the same)ME456 Tracer: A4 Size (9" x 12")
6) TEXTBOOKS:
The Animator's Survival Kit,
Expanded Edition: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer,
Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators - Richard Williams ($25.00)
Your Career in Animation: How to
Survive and Thrive - David B. Levy ($14.46)
http://www.amazon.com/Your-Career-Animation-Survive-Thrive/dp/1581154453
Framed Ink: Drawing and
Composition for Visual Storytelling - Marcus Mateu_Mestre (16.00) http://www.amazon.com/Framed-Ink-Drawing-Composition-Storytellers/dp/1933492953/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421179351&sr=8-1&keywords=framed+ink
7)
Pencils, tablets, erasers, etc!
For those that draw traditionally, it may help to obtain a pack of
non-photo blue and blue pencils for sketching characters and drawings!
8)
Pencils, tablets, erasers, etc!
I recommend obtaining a pack of non-photo blue, regular blue, and red
pencils for sketching characters and drawings!
9)
3 Packs of 4x6 Index Cards! (These are great for storyboarding
and rapid idea development.
10) (If you do not want to
check out pens each day) WACOM INTUOS
TABLET PEN. ($58.00) tablet pens
will be provided at the start of class each day, but will need to be returned
at the end. Additional tablet pens can be checked out via the security desk. https://tinyurl.com/wacompen4students
GRADING:
Each assignment will be awarded a grade based on the following
rubric. Plus(+) and minus(-) will denote more or less intricate mastery of
objectives. Students will be allowed to turn in higher-quality versions
of their projects midterm for a higher grade.
Group assignments will be graded on individual achievement, and
group achievement. Both grades count 50% of any group assignment.
A - Excellent. Assignment objectives are completed above and beyond the
course requirements to great effort and great success. Technical and
conceptual skills are on display in a masterfully coherent manner with clean
craftsmanship.
B - Proficient. The assignment completed
demonstrates most mastery of the skills presented, and objectives are completed
beyond course goals. Much effort, and a clear and concise direction shines
through the final result. There are still a few issues that can be pushed
further.
C - Competent. The assignment completed
demonstrates relative mastery of the skills presented, and objectives are
completed to average sufficiency. Assignments are successful, and
craftsmanship and technical skills are on display -- All are completed at an average
level.
D - Deficient. The assignments completed are missing demonstrations of the
skills presented, and/or required objectives have yet to be completed. There
are conceptual and technical flaws and hurdles that have not been overcome.
F - Failure. The majority of the project
is either not completed, and/or objectives for assignment are not met.
Final Grades will be based on a comprehensive average of all of
your projects, as well as midterm and final milestones for blog upkeep.
*Your blog upkeep factors into your grades for each major
assignment handled out of class.*
Assignments are due at 4:20 P.M. on their scheduled dates unless
otherwise noted. Loss of data, files, or other associated items needed for any
assignment or project will require that you recreate your work, with no
exceptions. I can not grade what does not exist! You are solely responsible for the security
of your files. Your files are not 100% secure on the server or computer. You
should have multiple copies on multiple sources at all times. No files are safe
unless backed up to 3 locations. (Example: Personal hard drive or flash drive,
school network, personal computer, or web service. Note: you can store
work on dropbox. We will discuss cloud storage.)
Copyright
You must receive copyright permission for all non-public domain
media used in your film projects. Public domain material can be found at http://www.publicdomain.org/ and http://www.creativecommons.org/. Visit American
University's Center for Social Media Website for detailed information
regarding the difference between rights infringement and fair use.
Accommodations for
Students with Disabilities
Students with a special
learning need are encouraged to let their instructor know at the beginning of
the course. Reasonable accommodations (such as extended time for exams,
readers, scribes, and interpreters) are provided on an individual basis as
determined by documented need. It is the student’s responsibility to provide authorized documentation
to Student Affairs or Achievement
Center Support Staff as early in the semester as possible.
Course Content and Title IX Reporting
Students should be aware
that information disclosed to faculty (whether through assignments or as a
personal disclosure) that indicate experiencing sexual harassment, abuse, or
violence while a student at Memphis College of Art, requires that your
instructor as a “mandatory reporter” disclose this information to Student
Affairs staff to ensure students’ safety and welfare are addressed. Student
Affairs staff will contact you, and/or those involved, to make you aware of
accommodations, remedies, and resources available at Memphis College of Art.
HEALTH and SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
As more and more work, education and recreation involves
computers, everyone needs to be aware of the hazard of Repetitive Strain Injury
to the hands and arms resulting from the use of computer keyboards and
mice. This can be a serious and very painful condition that is far easier
to prevent that cure once contracted, and can occur even in young physically
fit individuals. Paul Marxhausen - visit his site below.
http://eeshop.unl.edu/rsi.html
http://www.mydailyyoga.com/yoga/rsi.html
DEPARTMENT AND LAB POLICIES:
Immediately submit an online
tech request to report any
problems with a lab computer or printer.
Main MCA computing info site = mca.edu/labs --
go here for answers to frequently asked questions and online tutorials for MCA
specific technologies.
No Food or Drinks in Lab.
Keep the Lab Clean. Dispose of all trash -- Paper scraps, old
media etc.
Leave your workstation in an orderly fashion. All materials left
on the desktop will be deleted. Organize files within the documents folder on
your account. Delete your trash from your desktop and trash bin.
Back up work to an external source. Remember files are only safe
if they exist in 3 separate locations. MCA servers are not to be considered
secure and used only for temporary storage.
Log Out of your workstation prior to your departure. Upon your
departure, the chair should be pushed in. Your monitor, keyboard and mouse
should be placed in their proper positions.
COPYRIGHT:
You must receive copyright permission for all non-public domain
media used in projects. (Music, film footage, etc.) Public domain
material can be found at http://www.publicdomain.org/ and
http://www.creativecommons.org. Visit American University's Center for
Social Media Website for detailed information regarding the difference between
rights infringement and fair use. We will discuss fair-use policies during
class.
EPA MANDATE:
Memphis College of Art students and faculty are required to follow
the standards detailed in the "OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health
Administration) Guidelines” materials located throughout the institution.
Handling Protocols - September 2007"
Monday, December 4, 2017
Finals!
Congratulations! You've made it to the end!
Now that you're here, keep in mind that the end of this class is really the beginning of your future as an animation artist and a production mastermind! Please take the skills you have learned while developing your own film and use it to make many more!
As a reminder, on DECEMBER 11th at 12:00 NOON, I will be looking for the following:
On the server, in your respective folder, create a folder called FINALS.
In that folder, place
Now that you're here, keep in mind that the end of this class is really the beginning of your future as an animation artist and a production mastermind! Please take the skills you have learned while developing your own film and use it to make many more!
As a reminder, on DECEMBER 11th at 12:00 NOON, I will be looking for the following:
On the server, in your respective folder, create a folder called FINALS.
In that folder, place
- A copy of your final film -- complete and ready to go!
- A copy of your animatic.
- A copy of your storyboards.
- All design materials and early sketches and the like.
- I will keep copies of all of your work for posterity, (and in case one of you lose a hard drive or something in the future.)
As stated before, your grade for your film is based on having at least 45 seconds of good, compelling character animation, fully colored, with great cinematography, craftsmanship, audio, and all the production goals you have set for yourself met! Keep in mind that I will also be looking at your development materials. For full credit, you need to turn in copies of your development materials in addition to the final film! You will not receive full credit for the film alone.
If you have any questions between today and next Monday at noon, know that I will be around this week and will be happy to help anyone with any challenges you have with your film!
Other than that, have a great holiday! =D
Other than that, have a great holiday! =D
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