Midterms Checklist For AN200

Upcoming Dates:

Monday, October 1st: Bring to class a video of your first walk cycle, completed.  Also bring sketched out ideas for your next character walk cycle!  Your midterm project will be to create a walk cycle with PERSONALITY! Give your character an interesting walk! For this project, you are allowed to design a character to animate. I will give notes on character design for animation next week. Check out the rest of the "Walks" section of Animator's Survival Kit for ideas on constructing interesting walks!

Friday, October 5, 2018: Turn-In for midterms assignments. (All assignments due before 4:30 PM. Key Animation for your walk cycle with personality should be completed by this date!)

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On the server, in the Classes —> AN200 section, create a folder with your first and last name.  You should submit animated videos of your assignments labeled as such.

Ball Bouncing Project:

lastname_p1_ballbounce1, 

lastname_p1_ballbounce2, 

lastname_p1_ballbounce3

Shape: Emotion Project:

lastname_p2_shapeproject

Character Action Part 1:

lastname_p3_characteractionsequence

lastname_p3_jumpinganimation

Character Action Part 2:

lastname_p3_researchproject(or lastname_p3_floursack)

Walk Cycle:

lastname_p4_walkcycletest1

lastname_p4_walkcycletest2

lastname_p4_walkcycletest3

lastname_p4_walkcyclefinal

Be sure to CONVERT ALL VIDEOS! Midterm grading will be determined by the following:

1: Clarity of Action and Storytelling (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?)

Recap of Notes from Today, September 24th, and Wednesday, September 19th

SEPTEMBER 24TH

INBETWEENING FOR ANIMATION AND PENCIL TESTS:

• purpose
• fluidity
• context and quality of movement
• difference between teleporting and “clear” action.
• Key Drawings - Give the story.
• In-between Artist:  Dedicated animator that fleshes out character action sequences.
• IN-BETWEENS ALSO SOLIDIFY YOUR PRESENCE IN YOUR FILM
• “if you can not see it, or hear it, and no one acknowledges it, it DOES NOT EXIST.”
• SCANNING IN IMAGES:
• FRAME PADDING: adding zeroes to keep your files in alphabetical order
• Example:  Shaw1 —>  Shaw0001
• COMMON PITFALLS FOR WALK CYCLES:
• Remove any of the following in version 2:
• Sliding (skating) feet.
• Key drawings for feet that  are not drawn in the same general area.
• Body Parts that are stretched (too long or short)
• Stretched or smushed body parts to cover a large or small area.
• Switching/ Confusing the left and right arm or leg. (switch places)
• Check your drawings and make sure each foot carries one FULL STEP.
• Jagged Movement (things appear jittery)
• #1 Check to make sure you have your keys
• C D P U C’ D’ P’ U’ C
• Make sure your body parts are moving forward in a CONSISTENT MANNER. 

SEPTEMBER 19TH

HOMEWORK:

Produce 3 walk cycle pencil tests!

Each pencil test will be NINE(9) Drawings!

• Story: “__________” walks, taking two steps forward.
• F1: Contact (start with first foot)
• F4: Down
• F7: Passing Position
• F10: Up
• F13:Contact* (next foot in front)
• F16: Down*
• F19: Passing Position*
• F22: Up Position*
• F25:Contact** (First foot is in front again)
• advice: Flip through your paper: See if the animation is correct.
• If you would like: Scan in your drawings and time them out in toonboom.
• Recommendation: Scan your drawings using the library copier.
• Advice2: As you are working:  When you finish, make your lines darker.

Homework For Monday, Sept 17th:

Using what you have learned about character action:

A. Add context to your scene that you started on Monday! Build up the action and improve the content of your story!  We started with four panels. Can you flesh that story out?

B. Revise your homework from last week! You probably see a lot of improvements you can make to your scenes!  Review the homework post below for more information!

C. Clean up your jumping animation!  Make it a little cleaner and make it tell a more effective story!

Homework For Monday, Sept 10th and Notes from today (9/5/2018):

Using what you have learned so far, create one(1) of the following:

OPTION A:  

A 6-7 second RESEARCH project, where you try to recreate one animated character action scene from another animated work of art. This is good for people that want to try to break down the structure of another animation artist's work.

• As with before, DO NOT cut the camera.
• Have the entire character in frame when you animate the sequence.

OPTION B:

A 6-7 second FLOUR sack animation, where you animate a sack of flour moving about.  This is good for people who want to better harness their fundamentals!  Use the same approach you used for your simple 3-D object to create this animation. Give the sack a name, a simple story to tell, and try to tell that story! There are a lot of references for animating flour sacks online, as well as information on why this is one of the first "characters" animators learn how to draw. 

• As with before, DO NOT cut the camera.
• Have the entire character in frame when you animate the sequence.

Regardless of your choice, I STRONGLY suggest doing a google search for "flour sack animation" to get a myriad of examples! I also have some general notes on character animation that will help you this weekend. Think of it as an introduction to making characters that builds off of our animated sequences of simple shapes!

Bring ALL of your assignments to class to turn in on Monday!

NOTES FROM TODAY:

Production Checklist (for an animated sequence):

• 1. What is the story about? 
• make the sentence you write “active”
• If the story is good…
• 2. Is the character(s) acting in a well paced manner?
• look at your artwork as if you are your audience.
• pacing —> timing?
• too fast? less timing. (less frames)
• too slow? extend timing. (more frames)
• 3. Can we CLEARLY see the most important action taking place?
• context in the number of key drawings, breakdowns, and in-betweens (in that order)
• list your actions in your sequence. 
• check off each one that is shown clearly.
• put a star next to the ones that need more attention.
• for the drawings that need more attention: 
• determine what type of drawing you need (key, breakdown, in-betweens)
• add a select number of them. (less than ten to start.)  re-review your artwork. Go to question 2. If the answer is yes, go to 3. If good, then you’re set!
• 4. HOW does it look with respects to craftsmanship/ polish?
• Visual aesthetic: Line quality, color theory, size of line art!
• Question: Are your characters and objects held together with line, or with volume?

Introduction to Character Animation (we will talk heavily about animating characters on Monday!):

When animating a character on screen, follow these four simple rules.

1. Start with a simple mass.
• Use basic 3-D shapes to construct your character.
2. Stack your simple mass.
• Stack your shapes on top of each other to achieve accurate bends in the body and limbs.
3. Find your center of gravity!
• Draw a line down the center of your character. That line will help you bend your character in different ways.
4. Remember to move that mass!
• Animation is about movement over time. Be sure to stretch, push, and pull your characters by manipulating the mass underneath. Skin works like a sheet: If you move everything underneath, everything on the surface moves with it!