13

Nov

Final Project Info

Create an animation in the style of your choosing. Your film should clearly illustrate that you have a firm grasp on the principles of animation and stylized acting. You have 5 weeks to complete your final.

Download the KeyNote Breakdown of Final shown in class.

Come prepared to share your idea(s) in peer to peer and individual meetings next week via:

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27

Oct

Week #9 Recap & Homework

Use the exercise we did in class to aid you in creating a powerful scene for this week’s homework:

Create a 10 second animation wherein two characters that look exactly the same react oppositely to a ball. Download the handout for further details.

  1. Determine the Universal Truth
  2. Draw your character
  3. Write the name, age, and physical description of your character
  4. Think of a scene this character is in where the universal truth from #1  is apparent. Are there other people there? Is your character alone? What does the setting look like? What time of day is it? What is being said in the scene? What is the character or characters physical doing in the scene?
  5. Determine your character’s goal and motivation for the scene. What they hope to accomplish by the end of the scene? What makes them strive to reach their goal even if an obstacle is in the way?
  6. What is the biggest obstacle your character faces in the scene? What is preventing them from reaching their goal? How does the character feel about their actions?
  7. Return to the scene. Rework the scene so that your character’s goal, motivations, feelings, and the obstacles are reflected.
  8. Add a power shift.  Do goals change? Motivations? Obstacles? Feelings about their actions?

For inspiration, observe the following scenes

While watching, ask yourself:

  • What is the obstacle/conflict? In other words, what is being negotiated?
  • With whom or what is the negotiation taking place? (with him/herself, with another character, with the situation)
  • Who has the higher status at the start of the scene? Does the status remain the same or does it switch?
  • How do the characters feel about what they are doing? What physical movements and expressions demonstrate this?
  • What is the universal truth (aka general principle, theme) the scene is portraying?
  • How is it portrayed specifically in the scene?
  • What is the specific moment that hits you over the head with emotion?
When the Day Breaks (better quality at nfb.ca) by Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tilby, 1999, pencil and paint on photocopies
Madame Tutli-Putli (better quality at nfb.ca) by Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowski, 2007, stop-motion & live action blend.

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19

Oct

Week #8 – Walk Cycle Review & Homework

Great job in class today. Seriously, not only was it amazing because you were using a new medium, but you had nothing but your bodies to pull information from (sans mirror). Watch your animation a few more times and notice where the body positions are the strongest. Why do you think that is? Where are they the weakest? Why?

Check out all of the readings below before you start your homework.

Walk Cycle – The Mechanics of Motion

Walks – Timing

Walk Cycle – Williams & Blair

Walks of 4-Legged Creatures

Homework:

Animate a walk cycle of your choosing for 10 seconds. Add some personality. Be creative. Step outside of your comfort zone and try a technique or style you normally shy away from.

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20

Sep

Lecture Week #3 – Squash & Stretch Recap

As promised, here’s a supplemental reading on anticipation.

In case you want to review what we went over in class:

Lecture Notes from Week #3

If you have some time, take another look at the animations we viewed in class. Take special care to notice

  • how volume remains consistent during squash and stretch movements
  • how the use of strong poses coupled with anticipation heightens an action
  • that the character is reacting in a specific way because of his emotions, (which stem from his thoughts).  Remember – thinking leads to emotions, emotions lead to action.

Your Face  bill plympton, 1987

A recent  interview with Bill Plympton

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07

Sep

Week #2 – Concept Review

If you want a bit of a concept refresher from this week’s class, download the  PDF review of Newton’s Laws of Motion and check out the videos we watched in class as well as a few more:

Eureka! Episode: 1 Inertia

Things like to keep on doing what they are already doing. They don’t like to start moving or stop moving. They are lazy. Another word for laziness is… INERTIA.

Eureka! Episode 2: Mass

Big things aren’t always lazier than small things. It all depends on how much MASS they have. The more MASS the more the inertia.

Eureka! Episode 3: Speed

In order to make a thing change what it is doing, you have to use force, and force varies not only with mass, but also with change of SPEED.

Eureka! Episode 4: Acceleration Part 1

The greater the rate of change of speed, the greater the force required. Another word for rate of change of speed is ACCELERATION. The more you accelerate, the more force you need, but force varies with mass. So, we say that force = mass * acceleration

Eureka! Episode 5: Acceleration Part 2

Eureka! Episode 6: Gravity

Penny & Feather Drop with Air Resistance

Ball & Feather Drop in a Vacuum

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