Summary of the course
Animation Production I
I. Instructor
Jason Hopkins
Phone: (312) 961-7551
E-mail: jhopki@artic.edu
II. Course Description and Expectations
This course is designed to allow advanced digital animators and compositors to develop a three-minute piece which may incorporate 2D, 3D and/or live-action video worlds, drawing from a combination of techniques including: 1) hand-drawn frame-by-frame animation, 2) digital cut-out animation, 3) rotoscoping, 4) motion tracking, and 5) compositing. The course will primarily rely on Adobe After Effects and Autodesk Maya, particularly exploring their 2D, 3D, and Live capabilities. Photoshop, Painter, Flash, Toon Boom, and other programs may also be utilized as necessary. We will draw upon a canon of animated and live action films to observe successful techniques that can be applied in our own computer work, and also to develop our sensitivity to the artistry of animation.
Students will be evaluated on their creativity and diligence in applying the course tools to produce cogent and polished animated shorts. Our goals are to go beyond simply achieving technical proficiency, as we will also focus on learning principles of good animation in preparation for both artistic and commercial endeavors.
III. Course Materials
I strongly recommend that you purchase an external hard drive.Students are responsible for having their work available for viewing in class during weekly class critiques. You do not need to submit your work to me on any kind of disk or storage device as long as I can view it in class. Note: hardware problems are no excuse for late or missing work. The hard drives of the lab computers are notoriously unreliable, and constantly get erased! Make backup copies and save your work on media besides the schools hard drives! Files can become corrupted.
IV. Attendance
Attendance is mandatory. Three absences will result in a loss of credit for the course. Students arriving more than 30 minutes late to any class will be considered tardy. Three tardies are equivalent to one absence.
V. Assignments
1. Brief presentations
Each student will be expected to give a brief 10-15 minute presentation of an animation/film(s) they deem particularly interesting and why.
2. Written materials and in-class technical exercises
Students will be required to hand in printed copies of: 1) a concept acquisition assignment, 2) a rough script, 3) a final script, and 4) a storyboard. Please submit your written assignments and in-class technical exercises via COL.
3. Final Project
The final project for this class must demonstrate an understanding of the concepts discussed in the course. The guidelines are extremely flexible: you should show that you understand the techniques and software discussed, that you can incorporate principles of good animation and compositing, and that you have the creativity and dedication to produce a sophisticated piece. You will have ample class time both to work on the project itself, as well as to use me and your fellow students as resources. You neednt produce a catalog of every single concept we discussed in class. I am most concerned that you produce a thought-provoking and personal piece, one that you can really be proud of as a film maker, gamer developer, or artist. The final result should be a piece that you would be proud to show at an animation or film festival!
We will view and critique the final projects during exam week. But
THE FINAL PROJECT DUE DATE will be
the last day of class.
To receive credit for this course you have merely to complete the following simple tasks:
Drop off your rendered 720 x 480 QuickTime animation (properly compressed if its huge) on COL.
It must be at least two-minutes in duration (no cutting corners with lengthy credits)
It must have sound. Perhaps dialog or sound effects. I do not want cheesy music slapped onto your piece in simple music video format.
VI. Class Schedule and Assignments
All of these lectures maybe subject to change according to the interests and needs of the class.
Class 1:
Syllabus
Revisiting After Effects, Photoshop, and Maya
Discussion: Types of Compositing: 2D, 2 1/2D, 3D, and Live Action
Assignment: Decide as quickly as you can what kind of piece youd like to make. You have full freedom to choose your path, but must clearly define the parameters of your project. Type up your brainstormings and prepare to hand them in next week.
Class 2:
After Effects: Reviewing Transformations (Position Scale Rotation Opacity)
Rendering QuickTimes and Film Strips
Photoshop .psd Files
Painters onion skinning (those familiar with Toon Boom may use it as well)
Maya: Parallax using image planes, camera animation moving holds
Review concept acquisitions
Assignment: Start on rough scripts. Start gathering or creating materials to animate. Live action folks begin shooting get it done ASAP.
Class 3:
After Effects: Character Rigging and Setup
Parenting Hierarchies
Cutout Animation, motion parallax
Maya: Cut-out techniques, transparency shaders
Rigging: FK, IK basics
Script-writing: Narration, Voice Over, Dialogue, Exposition
Assignment: Finish up rough scripts and prepare to hand them in next Tuesday. Make a 3D cut-out character. Class 4:
After Effects: Rotoscoping
Time Remapping
Chroma Key
Compositing
Maya: Modeling 3D environments, organics, and inorganics
The holy Background Shader
Paint Effects
Go over rough scripts
Assignment: Revise the rough scripts for a final draft to hand in next Wednesday. Continue gathering or creating your materials. 3D folks -- start modeling if you havent already.
Class 5:
After Effects: Secondary Motion
Motion Blur
Looping Action
Maya: Light and Shadows
Scripts due! Discussion and critique. If youre shooting live action footage must be shot and shown!
Storyboarding
Assignment: Bring in sound clips of dialogue. Please try to bring WAV or AIFF formats. Complete storyboards for next week. Keep modeling.
Class 6:
After Effects: Sound -- Body and Lip Sync
Revisiting 2D
Filters and Effects:
Brightness/Contrast/Hue/Saturation Phonemes
Maya: Toon Rendering
Vector Rendering
Render layers: Beauty, Shadow, Ambient Occlusion passes
Sound in Maya for sync
Storyboards due!
Assignment: Begin to record/finalize the sound for your final project.
Class 7:
Maya: LIVE and motion tracking
Assignment: Start tracking your footage. Dont underestimate the time this takes!
Class 8:
After Effects: Masking
Matting
Splitting Layers
Particle Effects
Maya: The good ol VISOR: Particle, Fur, and Fluid Effects,
Review Maya Live
Assignment: Keep tracking your footage, finish modeling/ rigging etc. Create several playblasts of your projects shots and bring in everything youve created thus far for a personal pre-final check-up. Try to bring me an animatic.
Class 9:
Pre-final check-up: troubleshooting and tying up loose ends.
Assignment: Finish your project.
Class 10:
Final Trouble-Shooting. Hand in your project by the end of class.
FINAL EXAM
Grades will be determined by the following criteria:
Concept/ uniform aesthetic is it appealing? Were two or more unrelated worlds successfully merged? Does the piece have redeeming or critical social merit?
Technical complexity how advanced is the piece and how well was it executed? How good was the composite?
How well did the student follow the above listed directions regarding the final project?
School policies:
Online Instructor Evaluation
Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over two weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online at https://mycti.cti.depaul.edu/mycti
Email
Email is the primary means of communication between faculty and
students enrolled in this course outside of class time. Students should
be sure their email listed under "demographic information" at
http://campusconnect.depaul.edu is correct.
Academic Integrity Policy
This course will be subject to the academic integrity policy
passed by faculty. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/
Plagiarism
The university and school policy on plagiarism can be summarized as follows: Students in this course should be aware of the strong sanctions that can be imposed against someone guilty of plagiarism. If proven, a charge of plagiarism could result in an automatic F in the course and possible expulsion. The strongest of sanctions will be imposed on anyone who submits as his/her own work any assignment which has been prepared by someone else. If you have any questions or doubts about what plagiarism entails or how to properly acknowledge source materials be sure to consult the instructor.
Incomplete
An incomplete grade is given only for an exceptional reason such as a death in
the family, a serious illness, etc. Any such reason must be documented. Any incomplete
request must be made at least two weeks before the final, and approved by the Dean of the
College of Computing and Digital Media. Any consequences
resulting from a poor grade for the course will not be considered as valid reasons for
such a request.
Resources for Students with Disabilities
Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential. To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted either: - PLuS Program (for LD, AD/HD) at 773-325-4239 in SAC 220
- The Office for Students with Disabilities (for all other disabilities) at 773-325-7290 Student Center 307
|
