Finals: All work is due on December 5th @ 9:00 AM

1. Complete your final project.
2. Update any of your older projects for improved grades.
3. Export and compress all movies.
4. Gather all conceptual art you have created the semester.
5. Place all of your work in the FINALS folder on the server.
6. Upload your work to youtube and create a blog to showcase your art! Refer to the previous post for instructions.  My example for you:  
7. Complete your Extra Credit Assignment.


On the day of finals, we will start class by screening everyone's final project. In addition to this, you will have all of your work posted in the FINALS folder on the server, with the same format as I have indicated. Refer to my sample folder, labeled "shaw_michael" for review.  You have 8 projects in the 16 weeks you have been in class, with your organization and presentation of your blog as your final project.

In addition to this, remember to compress your video files for submission AHEAD of time. I repeat: AHEAD of time. You will not be able to finish uploading and submitting work if you start 30 minutes before class.

That day, we will screen everyone's work, and then have a group discussion to review, and the semesters.  Your participation in this discussion will be part of your grade!

PLEASE BE ADVISED. ATTENDING THE FINAL CLASS OF THE SEMESTER IS MANDATORY. We will also make time for you to fill out your course survey in the last 20 minutes of class.

Between now and then, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me!

Good luck! =D

Readme: Portfolios, Publishing, and Polish!

Congrats! You have (nearly) completed your first animation class!  At this point you only have one thing left to do, showcase your art!  Below is a list of steps to get you started showcasing your animation art via the web! For this you will need the following:

A: A blog !

B: A youtube or vimeo account. (http://youtube.com or http://vimeo.com)

C: Your video files!

STEP 1: Prepare your video files!

If you have been keeping track of your animation files, this is already working! You need each of your video files arranged in a project folder ready to go!

If any of your video files stutter, you will need to compress your video files. Compression takes videos that are large in file size and makes them small enough to run on any device! Instructions below:

STEP 2: Compressing any video files:

The easiest way to do this is by opening MPEG Streamclip in the Applications Folder.

Click FILE -> OPEN FILES and search for your movie, or CLICK and DRAG your movie into the main window.

After hitting play to look through your movie, click FILE -> Export to MPEG 4.

Below are the settings you want. The frame size should match the size we are working with in class. The quality determines the quality of the image we export.  Lower quality equals smaller file sizes! (Every video on the internet goes through compression. This quality number defaults to 50, but select what works best for you!)

After that, click MAKE MP4.  You will be asked for a name for your new file. Save this one, and keep it!

After you do this: Next is uploading videos!

STEP 3: Uploading Videos!

Make a youtube account, and sign in to youtube! (automatically comes with a gmail account. If you make a new account, you will receive the following message below:

On youtube, once you’re signed in, click UPLOAD. If this is your first time uploading a video, you will receive the following message: It asks for whatever name you would like to go by as a content creator. Type the name you want, review their terms of service, and click Create Channel.

Next you will have a window that tells you to select videos to upload. You can either click on that window, or drag videos into the window.

You will get an uploading screen, much like this one! Give the video a name, a description, and any tags you want to attach to your video. Keep the link for your video!

Once done, click PUBLISH.

Your video is ready! Be advised, large file sizes may take a while to upload. If you ever upload anything that is 5 minutes or longer, expect about a 20 minute wait. Go get some food or something!

After that, you want to take the video and add them to your blogger page!

STEP 4: MAKING A PORTFOLIO

On the internet, you can make a portfolio with any blogging website if you’re smart about it! Below I have a sample blog page I made, with a simple layout. This way, when someone comes to check out my animation work, they can get straight to the videos! (Granted, showcase your work however you see fit.)  Take your blog, and follow the steps below to add your videos to your page!

In blogger: Click NEW POST.

Under post settings, name the post whatever you want this image in your video to be. You have two options: Divide each video into a separate post, or make ONE BIG POST that contains a lot of videos!

After this: you want to go back to your YOUTUBE VIDEO, and click the EMBED link:

A little window will come up with a line of text. This text will let you put your video into your blog post! Copy the text.

On your blog post, click the HTML BUTTON, HERE. When you do, you will get a huge window that you can paste information into. Past your code here. (this tells the blog you want to play something from youtube.)

When you’re done hit PUBLISH!

You now have the beginnings of a solid portfolio! To showcase your work in its entirety, upload every movie file for your projects into youtube! You can type a description below each one. Check the link to see my example!

http://mikemakescartoons.blogspot.com

Preparation for your Final Project

Over the semester we have worked on a number of projects dealing with acting, weight, flexibility, character interaction, drawing, craftsmanship, acting, and the like. Our next goal is to put all of the skills we have been working on together into making some polished animated of which we can all be proud!

For this reason, we have been working on your storyboarding and animatic skills. Now we will do the following:

Final Project Part 1:

Ultimate goal: Produce a 10 - 20 second animation that encompasses everything you have learned this semester and tells a compelling story!

As a student, you have 2 choices:

• Take the animatic you have been working on so far and carry it to a finished production, or
• Use what you have learned about storyboarding to create a new final project.

With this project, we will finally talk color for animation, as well as strategies for tying your skills together.  Your animation needs to demonstrate the following:

• Believable Weight
• Flexibility in Character Action
• Spatial Recognition in Camera Choice
• Convincing Perspective
• Clear anatomy and definition
• Design approaches and craftsmanship that demonstrates the progress you have made in your animation.
• A character ( or characters) that grab the audience’s attention.

You must also submit cleaned-up versions of the following projects (these projects must also demonstrate :

• Your walk cycle
• Your Character Action Project

--------------------------

Your homework for Monday, Nov 14th:

Create a schedule for yourself that allows you to deliver a finished final project to the class on Monday, December 5th!

This gives you almost an entire month to take the work you have to a completed state.  Think about what you want to do for your final project, how long it would take, and come up with a reasonable schedule that takes into consideration the following:

• 
  
• Sketches
• Lineart for Key Drawings, BreakDown Drawings, and In-betweens
• Color
• Time to revise your old projects if you have not already.

The trick here is to create something that can be completed, not something that it perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal in art. Instead, we should strive to communicate clearly, and use our artwork to project our voice to the world!

Today we will talk a few techniques to help you produce your projects!

Storyboard Case Study: Batman the Animated Series

As you work on your storyboards, it's easy to pour too much work into the wrong section of your story. The most important thing your storyboards should do is COMMUNICATE the actions on screen TO US.

Again, COMMUNICATE..... TO US.

So fancy drawings mean nothing if they are not clear!  As an example, take a look at the intro to the award-winning Batman: The Animated Series Below:


Batman The Animated Series: From Storyboard to Animation
Storyboard Images

You see the storyboards have been put together to create an animatic for us to view. While there are some slight changes, the storyboards are drawn in such a way that we can very well understand the action at hand without needing much else.

They achieve this with

1. Clear, simple drawings.
2. Efficient camera movements, where the camera serves the characters and setting, not the other way around.
3. Drawing the BEATS, or changes in action between panels!


Storytelling is always important in animation, but even more important than storytelling is character performance.  Showcasing how your character moves between shots uses your acting skills and makes the characters much more interesting to us!

 Review these to help improve your skills in storyboarding!

I'll add some additional links below for you to check out at your leisure!

SHAZAM: Superman Animatic
Scribd.com: Adventure Time Stoyboards (need to sign up with an email address to download)

In-Class Group Assignment and Homework for Monday, Oct. 31, 2016:

Please be advised:  If you were absent from class today, you will need to meet with one of your classmates to receive feedback on your Storyboard Assignment From Last week.

A. Using what you have learned about three act structure, time out the twelve drawings you have created to make a story that breathes-- that is, a story where characters are given time to think, and react to the actions that are happening.

B. Divide into the groups you have randomly selected (1, 2, 3, or 4) and spend 30 minutes talking to each other about the contents of your story! Focus on the following checklist:

• What is happening in the story?
• Can the audience understand what is happening? Yes, or No?
• Point out the clearest 3 drawings from the story. What is clear about the storytelling?
• Staging? Character Drawing? Posing? Clear action? Or something else?
• Point out the 3 drawings that are needed the least? What is unclear? What can you throw out?
• Staging? Character Drawing? Posing? Clear action? Or something else?
• What can the animator do to improve the story?
• What is missing that needs to be added or clarified to better tell the intended story? (Example: drawings, different poses, changes to the environment, framing, camera angle, etc.)
• When finished, type up the feedback you received and turn it in to my Dropbox before Friday. Make notes of changes you intend to make to your work. Turn it in with the format "lastname_first_feedback"

C. Decide whether to KEEP or change the first 12 Drawings you have made. For those who are absent, I will review your drawings once you turn them in. Notify me in an email of the place on the server you have turned in your work.

D.  Going home, refine the timing of your 12 Drawings. 

EXPORT A VIDEO FOR CLASS WHEN YOU ARE DONE.

Then, draw an ADDITIONAL 12 NEW DRAWINGS that happen between the 12 you have already created.  Place them in-between the current 12 to give better context to the story at hand!

E. EXPORT A SECOND VIDEO of the 24 Drawings for Monday!

Bring to class the following:

1. Your 12-Drawing Animation

2. Your 24-Drawing Animation

3. Your character designs.

4. Your environment designs.

5. Your hero shots.
6. Any and All Extra Credit Reference you have shot for your studies!

Next week, we will do this exercise again and begin talking about designing color for animation!

In-Class Group Assignment

Please be advised:  If you were absent from class today, you will need to meet with one of your classmates to receive feedback on your Storyboard Assignment From Last week.

A. Using what you have learned about three act structure (clink this link for a review), time out the twelve drawings you have created to make a story that breathes-- that is, a story where characters are given time to think, and react to the actions that are happening.

B. Divide into the groups you have randomly selected (1, 2, 3, or 4) and spend 30 minutes talking to each other about the contents of your story! Focus on the following checklist:

• What is happening in the story?
• Can the audience understand what is happening? Yes, or No?
• Point out the clearest 3 drawings from the story. What is clear about the storytelling?
• Staging? Character Drawing? Posing? Clear action? Or something else?
• Point out the 3 drawings that are needed the least? What is unclear? What can you throw out?
• Staging? Character Drawing? Posing? Clear action? Or something else?
• What can the animator do to improve the story?
• What is missing that needs to be added or clarified to better tell the intended story? (Example: drawings, different poses, changes to the environment, framing, camera angle, etc.)

C. Decide whether to KEEP or change the first 12 Drawings you have made. For those who are absent, I will review your drawings once you turn them in. Notify me in an email of the place on the server you have turned in your work.

D.  Going home, refine the timing of your 12 Drawings. 

EXPORT A VIDEO FOR CLASS WHEN YOU ARE DONE.

Then, draw an ADDITIONAL 12 NEW DRAWINGS that happen between the 12 you have already created.  Place them in-between the current 12 to give better context to the story at hand!

E. EXPORT A SECOND VIDEO of the 24 Drawings for Monday!

Bring to class the following:

1. Your 12-Drawing Animation

2. Your 24-Drawing Animation

3. Your character designs.

4. Your environment designs.

5. Your hero shots.

Introduction to Cinematography: Shot Types, Blocking, Rule of Thirds, Composition, and More!

Note: The following resources were compiled from various resources on the internet. Pick and choose and find what works best of you! That said, there are three books that will need to be in your library if you want to be the best at what you do, be it animation, illustration, or more cinematic photography.

Why are we learning shot types?  The only way for you to expand your knowledge as a visual storyteller is to know all of the formulas and conventions you have at your disposal.  Even one new frame could be the difference between an amateur production and presentation and a visual masterpiece of storytelling!

A list of helpful books for cinematic storytelling, good for both Animation and Live Cinema!

http://www.amazon.com/Cinematic-Storytelling-Powerful-Conventions-Filmmaker/dp/193290705X

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Shots-Vol-2nd-Techniques/dp/1615930876/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Shots-Volume-Shooting-Dialogue/dp/1615930558/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z

THE RULE OF THIRDS:

http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds

http://vimeo.com/14315821

VARIOUS CAMERA SHOTS:

Basic Shots: http://www.mediacollege.com/video/shots/

Advanced shots begin to manipulate the camera and treat it as more of a character in the film, moving and swaying between angles and shots to create a more lived in space:

Examples:  http://revision4gcses.wordpress.com/media-studies/camera-anglesmovementshots/

Dolly shots are some of the most advanced, yet easiest to preform in animation.  Dolly shots are where the camera trucks, weaving in and out of the scene, around characters, key environment elements, and other places.  (in short, move the camera from one side to the next)

Two Shot: A medium shot with two subjects.

Overhead shot (bird's eye view):  Camera is facing down from above.

Canted shot:  When the camera is tilted on it's axis so that normally vertical lines appear slanted to the left or right.  Ordinary expectations are frustrated.  Often used to create mystery and suspense in films to create a sense of unease in the viewer.

http://www.slideshare.net/StaceySmith1/camera-shots-and-angles-5618222

Handheld Shot:  "shaky cam"  sometimes played up in action scenes to suggest a state of unrest.

Remember that the shots you use already come loaded with information for your character to use.  Also remember that keeping the camera steady in some instances will give your character pivotal moments to come alive.

BONUS: Notes on camera angle diversity: Notes on camera diversity.

http://www.demotix.com/blog/advice/1072724/creating-shot-list-diversity-your-camera-angles-and-image-submissions

FOCUSED CASE STUDY that Teaches Cinematography: 
The Cinematography of the Incredibles, parts 1-3.

Staging and blocking for animation: 

Why do we stage and block shots?  To better plan our animation.  It's a good idea to have a list of documents for what our cartoon will be.  Printouts of our character and our character's expressions for easy reference.  Printouts or organized sketches for your characters.  Documents of the action and shot direction. Drawings of where you think your shots will be.  And, it makes you feel better about the work you do. Seeing the pieces of your cartoon come together creates a sense of pride in your cartoon, as if you are doing something important that many people are simply unable to do.  It's the truth.

Things to remember when planning cinematography:

Practice your draftsmanship!  Draw lighter in the beginning, sketch first, refine second!  We will animate our character through drawing frames!  Block out each shot.  Export your drawings out of Storyboard pro as a pdf.  You can board on paper, or photoshop, and scan in too.  but we will make an animatic of your work for the final.

STORYTELLING: Three Act Structure:

Review the formula for a movie's "Three Act Structure" at these links:http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ThreeActStructure
http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/pruter/film/threeact.htm
http://scripteach.com/?page_id=223

Homework For Monday, October 10th 2016

1. Make note that I will check for the movies of your previous work starting on FRIDAY!  Please turn in final versions of your early projects no later than the 12PM Thursday!

2. Expand on the idea you created in class for your next performance animation.

• Film acting reference for your story!
• Time: 6-8 seconds.
• Story: _______ walks across the screen, then something happens.
• You define the "something" that happens! What does your character do? How does your character react?
• Produce 25-30 key drawings that tell the story of this character moving and acting within the scene!
• Remember that your character needs to be clearly defined and designed!
• Scan those drawings into Toon Boom Harmony, time out your drawings to your scene, and bring a pencil test of your animation with you to class on Monday.
• Monday, I will check for the REFERENCE VIDEO, PENCIL TEST as well as your DRAWINGS!
• Bring your supplies to class to make corrections on Monday!

Homework for Wednesday and Midterm Grading Checklist:

For Wednesday:

• Revise your walk cycles! Put any final touches you would like to have to it to add both life and craftsmanship to your animation. 
• Please place any final improvements or life drawing samples I've asked you to do on the server. 
• Bring to class an idea for your walk cycle with personality. 
• Remember to add a "stamp" to your performance, where your character takes a moment to think, change direction, or does something else before he continues to walk!
• With your idea, bring a sample reference you have filmed yourself, using your phone, camera, or something else.  Practicing your reference at home will better inform what we do in class that day!
• Make notes of important parts of your character's figure. How does the character walk? What primitive 3-D shapes make up the different parts of your character? Where is the line of action? What joints are being stressed? Where are the major points of tension in the character's posing

This week, we are creating our first big performance: A walk with emotion!  To prepare for this, you have begun on an in-class exercise where a character picks up an object and interacts with it!  This will help you produce everything we create from this class, forward.

For midterms, I will be looking at all of the assignments you have produced thus far, and providing full feedback for each! In the MIDETERMS folder: please place on the server one movie file of the following assignments, and one folder of your drawings labeled as such:

1. Your ball bounce project (lastname_p1)
2. Your shape emotion project (lastname_p2)
3. Your research project (lastname_p3)
4. Your walk cycle (lastname_p4)
5. A folder with your figure drawings and caricatures in it, including the ones I asked you to produce (lastname_sk1)
6. In addition, bring your walk cycle project drawings to class so I can look at them along with your work!

Midterm is moved up a week from where it has been in the previous years. Because of this, remember that we have all of this week and next week before fall break. The review I give you during midterm will help give you the necessary tools to accomplish everything you need to do the next two weeks!

Homework for Monday, September 19th!

A. Complete the following assignment!

• Read pages 102 - 166 of the Animator's Survival Kit! 
• This section covers walk cycles! We will take everything that you have learned from the last few weeks and apply all of your skills to create believable walk cycles!
• Awesome notes: One of my other students, Julie Lasseter, found a good reference for the 12 principles of animation for all of you, using Disney sequences. Please refer to these references at this link!
• Prepare two potential character designs for your walk cycle!
• IMPORTANT NOTES FOR CONSIDERATION
• Your character will be a biped/humanoid/anthropomorphic character! (2 legs two arms!
• Pay attention to the design of the character’s
• body
• head
• skeleton
• arms
• legs
• feet
• hands
• clothing!
• You will create 2 model sheets! One for each character, with the following poses:
• Front, 3/4 Front, Side, 3/4 Back, Back.
• You will create the following from observation:
• 10 figure drawings: lineart only, at least 8 are full body.
• 5 caricatures

B. For those of you who have yet to pay, pay for your supplies!

• PAY FOR YOUR PAPER and peg bar ($55.00 paid in full at the business office)
• Bring your Light Box and Animator's Survival Kit to class!
• I will check for your animation paper, your light box, and your copy of the Animator's Survival Kit!

Thank you all for your patience with this Monday. We will now resume our regularly scheduled classes. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at mshaw@mca.edu. Good luck with the rest of the week! 

Assignment # 3: Research assignment!

Congratulations! At this point you have begun developing the necessary drawing and observation skills to produce quality animated content! Up next is a short assignment we will engage in before taking our skills to the wonderful world of traditional animation!  From here on out, we will animate full-body characters. To work up the necessary practice, you will create the following!

1. Produce a 6-7 second animation where you recreate the action in an animated sequence of choice!
2. Select an animated sequence you like that displays clear, decisive character performance.  Animate this scene making note of EXTREME DRAWINGS (EXT), KEY DRAWINGS (KEY), BREAKDOWN DRAWINGS (BK), and INBETWEEN DRAWINGS (IBT)!

• Make an X Sheet for me that shows your initial estimations of your character's timing.
• Animate ONE CHARACTER only! I'd rather see quality over quantity.
• When animating the character, do not REDRAW the character itself. Produce an armature, or your own character design over this character!
• Pay attention to these concepts:
• Arcs
• Line of action
• Weight and Balance
• Keeping characters ON MODEL.

When complete, make a blog at http://blogger.com, and an youtube channel at http://youtube.com. We will use these as places to produce final work as well as initial concepts! Bring your finished work, along with your created websites to class!

HOMEWORK FOR WEDNESDAY!

CREATE a 6 - 10 second animation that illustrates the following story.

(character name), a (character shape),  feels (insert emotion here.)

Example:  Jenny, a cube, feels SO EXCITED! =D

You need to demonstrate the following principles of animation:

• Staging
• Solid Drawing
• Arcs
• Easing (slowing down and speeding up)
• As well as the RULE OF THIRDS!

A couple notes for success:

• Remember to do your thumbnail sketches and a sample X-Sheet. (examples are on pages 70 - 77 of the Animator's Survival Kit!
• Do not do heavy detail first!  Sketch your animation first, check it, revise, and then add your details!
• If you are having trouble nailing down a specific emotion: remember BODY LANGUAGE!
• Don't rely on facial expressions or props! I will ask you to redo your assignment if it has an abundance of either!

Read pages: 64 - 101 of the Animator's Survival Kit!

Bring in some ideas for your next project: A research assignment where you recreate a scene from an animation of your choice! (6 seconds)

• Reference should be a video. Gifs are great secondary resources
• Your choices should have great examples of character animation without any camera cuts!

Homework for Monday

Read the following excerpt (pages 24-63) from the animator's survival kit, provided at this link!

Create 3 Ball bounces for me in ToonBoom Harmony! Bring your work to class finished! We will make these into videos at the start of class Monday!  Below is a list of notes that we have covered in class.

• Remember to make a sketch layer first to draw your animation, then make a cleanup layer to continue working!
• It may help to work alongside another classmate to make sure your work is telling a good story!

Below are notes from today as well as an image of the interface with some notes from class.



NOTES:

Remember to use a brush size of 15 or lower!

CONTROLS:

1 & 2: Zoom in and out.

Hold Spacebar and Click:  Pan Camera and Drawing

Hold Option and Command: Rotate Canvas

Shift + M: Reset your view.

F5: Creates Holds, and extends drawing frames.

Comma and Period Keys:  Previous and Next Frame, Respectively.

F and G Keys:  Move between Key Drawings!

Option + Shift + R: Create Empty Drawing

+ and - keys: Increase and Decrease Exposure (Can also right-click your drawings in the timeline and select “Set Exposure to X”

Concepts:

Onion Skinning: Turns on light table, lets you see through your drawings.

On Model: Drawing a character or object with PROPER PROPORTIONS!

“Hold” - A single drawing lasting longer than a single frame, on screen.

Welcome to AN200! =D

Course# AN200 | Intro to Animation

Location: Mac Lab 4

Instructor: Michael Shaw

Time: Monday and Wednesday 9:00 AM | 11:30 AM

Contact: mshaw@mca.edu; 901.282.3902

Office Hours:  Monday and Wednesday: 6:30 – 8:00 PM, Mac Lab 4

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Welcom to AN200! 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

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! We will hold class discussions where you are expected to ask questions, present new information, and help each other learn new techniques!

Interactive Demonstrations:

The best way to learn how to animate is to practice as much as possible, while researching in real life and film to see how others animate!  Keep what works, and scrap what does not! This semester will have many interactive demonstrations on learning the fundamentals of animation and animated storytelling. You will produce a mix of exercises and more developed content that will supplement everything you’re learning in your other courses.

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!

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 @ 9 AM 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 (for those of you who elect to work traditionally) Additional paper can be purchased for $50.00 We will need to place an order soon.

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.

Western Digital Brands:

3TB My Book |  http://tinyurl.com/HD4mac

3TB My Book Essential | http://tinyurl.com/HD4win

5)    Light Box: You will need to purchase a lightbox for your animated projects! 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")

AGPtek Light Table (A4 Size)

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) Keep in mind there are many places to order this book!

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!

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 the beginning of class 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.

OSHA Mandate

Memphis College of Art students and faculty are required to follow the standards detailed in the OSHA material safety guidelines.

The link below contains a PDF of our current course schedule (subject to change at my discretion) 
You will need to log into your school email to view!