Notes from Monday: Nov 19th and Homework for this weekend:

CHECKING YOUR ANIMATIC:

• storytelling: Is the story clear/ clearly told?
• actions and presence: Can we clearly see what characters are doing and where they are going?
• avoid sequences that skip “too much” information
• Example: Character goes to fridge to open jar of jelly.
• Panel 1: Character at kitchen table.
• Panel 2: Character at fridge with jelly already in hand.
• What’s missing: Panel of character opening fridge to pull out jelly.
• Timing: ut or too slow?

Advice for Producing Longer Format Animation:

• Divide your sequence into small chunks!
• Set a small time limit for each part of your animation sequence.
• Small sequences are divided by actions.
• Setting small time limits helps you draw ONLY the MOST important drawings you need for that sequence.
• General average for fully complete 2-D animation:
• 6 seconds per week
• Always figure out timing first!
• Calendar and Homework:
• Nov 19-23: (Thanksgiving) Lineart Key and In-between animation.
• Nov 26-30: Color, Sound, and Title and End Cards (Treat this like a film! Figure out what you want the title and end card to look like)
• Dec 3: Watch Films 
• Dec 10: All academic work is due!

Notes from Monday, Nov 12

• Animating Small Sequences
• Storyboarding
• Animation Production Practices (Portfolios)
• Goal: Selecting Stories and Optimizing Storytelling
• We Divide the Animation Process into a PIPELINE:
• Our Animation Pipeline
• Pre-Production
• Thumbnails
• Sketches
• Storyboards
• Animatics
• Layouts
• Animation Production
• Post Production
• Sound Fx
• Compositing
• About Storyboards:
• think of them “as a sample of key drawings”
• together, they create a sketch of your animation
• we are able to see the film before the film is created!
• Questions to Ask Yourself When Developing A Story:
• Does the story resolve in an interesting way? 
• Does the story make sense to others? 
• Does the story’s content show a genuine struggle or problem to solve? Does it get resolved?
• What is the most interesting scenario to you? How can you make it more interesting?

Animation Preproduction Development:

• This does not have to be a complicated process.
• Thumbnails are selected and redrawn with respects to storytelling. This creates our STORYBOARDS.
• Our storyboards are set to time in a video-editing program. This creates our ANIMATIC.
• Our Animatic serves as a map for the final film. We develop LAYOUTS by creating drawings that show where and what the final artwork should look like. (and where the camera should go)
• From there, all the hard work is figured out, and we spend the rest of our time ANIMATING our idea!

 STORYBOARDING AND FILM NOTATION:

• Time Code:   Numbers that represent the current “run time” of your film.  (Ex:  00:00:01.12 = 1 second, and 12 frames.)
• TOON BOOM STORYBOARD HOTKEYS:

HOMEWORK:  Continue fleshing out your animatic!

Homework for Monday: Nov 7th

Purchase a pack of index cards!

Using your index cards, produce 4 possible scenarios for your next short animation! Details below:

Runtime: 6-15 seconds. Quality over quantity!

Story: Character lifts heavy object.

Production method: traditional media for sketches and pencil test, can be cleaned up on computer w/ color and final lineart.

Content needed on Monday: 

Character design w/ model sheet colored. Environment design. 

Thumbnails for key character poses and moments.  

Research and reference for character actions.

This weekend, produce the developmental materials for your new story! Be thorough! Next week, we will take the most important elements of each of your stories and begin producing them!  While you are free to start animating this weekend, I want you to make sure you fully develop your sequences ideas. Don’t be surprised if I ask you to change something or revise your story, or trim part of it to make a stronger film. ;)

Remember what we learned in class today!

For your film:

Show the Struggle.

How can you take something familiar and make it interesting!

Does your character succeed or fail?

GET THE REFERENCE!

MOVIES WE WATCHED (links will be posted soon):

Steamboat Willie

Jackie Chan - How to do Action Comedy by Every Frame A Painting.

Nerf John Wick

Additional References;

Flooby Nooby: Storyboarding And The Exchange