DM 200 - Intro to Animation Techniques
SCHEDULED TIME: Mon & Wed 4:20 PM - 6:55 PM
Mac Lab 4 - Room 202
Professor Michael Shaw
Contact: mshaw@mca.edu
Phone: *will be updated in coming week*
Office Hours: (Location and time TBA)
Course Description
In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of traditional animation production. Below are the major blocks of study covered in the course:
I. Introductory Animation Procedures, Timing and Principles
II. Walk Cycles and Locomotion
III. Weight and Object Interactions
IV. Flexibility and Emotion
V. Storytelling and Performance (subtle action, dynamic action, foreshortening)
VI. Storyboarding
Course Outcomes
· Students will demonstrate the capability to organize and present concepts verbally.
· Students will demonstrate the capability to organize and present concepts visually.
· Students will produce evidence of an understanding of the methods of Animation production.
· Students will be able to communicate content in their Animation productions.
· Students will demonstrate the time management skills necessary to complete ALL PARTS of the production process
· Students will demonstrate the capability to effectively publish their Animation production.
· Students will research and identify screening opportunities.
· Students will research and identify career goals.
Professional Goals
· Students will demonstrate the ability to write an artist statement.
· Students will demonstrate the ability to document their work.
· Students will demonstrate the ability to exhibit work beyond the classroom.
· Students will demonstrate computer/software literacy applicable to their field.
Methods
DM200 is geared towards instilling within the students a rich foundation in traditional animation principles, techniques, and philosophies. Students begin the class learning about the mechanics of animation, working on paper to create short cartoons.
Outside of class, students are required to draw in sketchbooks for a minimum of 1 hour per week. The contents of which are to be a combination of gesture drawings from observation, and designs for characters, environments, and objects they may have from their own cartoon ideas. This assignment supplements the drawing practices they have had prior to starting the class, and promotes healthy content creation to for future projects.
Standard class assignments are mostly be regulated to short animation drawing assignments with regular deadlines.
Each week, a lecture is given with interactive demonstrations. Required reading assignments are given each week to supplement what is learned in each class. The next project is introduced with an emphasis on how it builds a well-rounded skill set for future animated projects.
Accompanying each lecture is at least one screening that emphasizes the current skills each student is building. These screenings will embody a comprehensive list of various schools of thought the world, and through Animation's history (in the format of movies, television, web shows, etc) and will be appended to as time goes on.
In creating their animations, students are encouraged to act out and time their respective shots using school equipment (in-house cameras, webcams via imac, or otherwise) and refine their animations through trial and error. For projects spanning more than one week, daily grades will be given for reaching assigned milestones in their projects.
-------------------------ASSIGNMENTS and REQUIREMENTS---------------------------
ATTENDANCE POLICY:
You are required to attend class everyday, on time. Students are allowed to miss via MCA's handbook, 2 absences due to illness or emergency. For every absence afterward, your final grade is lowered one full letter grade. Therefore, missing six (6) classes is the equivalent of failing the course. Three tardies equals one absence. Notify me ahead of time if you will be late to class. Arriving more than 30 minutes into class will count as an absence, as will leaving early, or constant wandering in and out.
In this course you will need to use class time efficiently. This means not leaving early, wandering in and out, or arriving late. Leaving class early constitutes an absence unless an arrangement has been worked out with me. Assignments will require additional time out of class to complete as well. If you miss an assignment due to lateness or absence, take the initiative by checking the syllabus and/or getting it from another student. Notify me ahead of time if you will miss class that day. If you then have questions, email me, or come see me after class or during office hours.
TURNING IN ASSIGNMENTS:
Students are required to turn in assignments on time, on the blog and/or server, as instructed for each assignment. Any assignments that require printing must have their work printed before class, unless otherwise instructed. Failure to print assignments before class will result in that project being considered "Late," and subject to the same
penalties.
Late assignments will not be accepted for major critiques, final projects, midterms, and any other major assignments assigned at my discretion. An assignment that is turned in, on time, with a proficient level of work may be reworked and turned in again at a later date, for a higher grade.
For all other assignments, the class works on a 3 strike policy. Please make note of the following:
1st late project: -1 letter grades. (maximum: B)
2nd late project: -2 letter grades. (maximum: C)
A third late project will not be accepted.
You will have a maximum of 2 days to turn in your project for a grade, with your assignment dropping 1 additional letter grade for each day it is not turned in.
CLASS BLOG, CRITIQUE, AND STUDENT WEB PRESENCE:
All assignments will be posted in full detail to the class blog, located at
http://mca-dm200.blogspot.com. The blog will be updated/checked regularly, so
students are free to reply to assignment postings with questions, comments and concerns.
As we complete projects in the class, we will develop a web presence to showcase our work. (Creating blogs via blogger. or tumblr.) We will also use these blogs to communicate outside of class.
As pitching is important for every artist of an animation production, you will be encouraged to speak up and share feedback. Remember to be open and honest, but stay cordial.
IN CLASS DISCUSSION, CRITIQUE, AND EXERCISES:
You will be expected to do original analysis of your work, as well as the work of
your peers and professional artists. We will do this through communication via blogs, and through in-class critique. As pitching is important for every artist of an animation production, you will be encouraged to speak up and share feedback. Remember to be open and honest, but stay cordial.
VISITING ARTIST LECTURES:
You are required to attend 50% of these lectures and post a short review to your blog.
Materials and Supplies
Materials and Supplies
Textbook: 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
Supplies:
Sketchbook
1 Ream 10f Ingram Bond , 1 plastic peg bar – DM 200 course materials pay in business office bring receipt to class – $42.40 -- Course materials purchased in bulk to save you $10.00
Light box – Build your own approx 20.00 – Buy 119.95 + 15.24 shipping = 135.19 Build/Buy for at least 12f paper size. Do not purchase a 10f box – in the future you will likely want to draw larger.
Pencils
Erasers
Ruler
External Hardrive, large jump drive, or blank DVD's to save work and archive
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 9a.m. on their scheduled dates. Loss of data, files, or other associated items needed for any assignment or project will require that you recreate your work, with no exceptions. 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.
LEARNING ACCOMMODATIONS:
In compliance with MCA policy and equal access laws, I am available to discuss
appropriate academic accommodations that you may require as a student with a disability. Request for academic accommodations need to be made during the first week of the semester, except for unusual circumstances, so arrangements can be made.
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 "EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) Materials
Handling Protocols - September 2007"
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