Advanced Animation Studio — Syllabus

Advanced Animation Studio
ITP | Spring 2012

Animation is the magic of giving life to objects through motion. Whether through linear story-telling, or through interactive experiences when another sense of wonder is achieved.
This course is focused on basic and advanced animation techniques and principles, to further add character and expression, to animated objects.
The course is divided into four parts, covering the foundation principles of motion, visual storytelling, non-linear animation in the context of interactive and new media projects and introduction to the vastly diverse aesthetic approaches of motion graphics.
The main tool to be used is Adobe After Effects. You will be required to dedicate time for guided self study of After-Effects techniques and features, alongside demonstrations of selected technical subjects in class.
There are short weekly assignments to embed the concepts introduced in class, and two broader scope projects — a mid-term and a final project.

The class blog is at http://itpanimationstudio.wordpress.com
The blog is for all of us to share links to learning resources and feature inspiring works of interest.. You are required to post to this blog, at least twice along the semester.

Grading is based on successful completion of all assignments, blogging, class participation and attendance.

Part 1 — Principles of motion

Class 01: Wednesday, January 25
Introduction to the course
Intro to animation and moving picture art.
View: examples to different styles and techniques of motion, and animation across media.
Discussion — what is animation? keyframes and inbetweens — traditionally and in digital animation.
Demo: After-Effects — timeline, key-frames, keyframes interpolation, and graph editor.
Assignment: 5 sec animation. A single shape enters the screen and reveals a trait / attribute.
Reading: 12 principles of animation
Video tutorial:  Animation techniques and keyframe interpolation   (go through the first tutorial in the series if you need to review the basics of using AE)

Class 02: Wednesday, February 1st
Critique / review of the first assignment.
Discussion: Motion styles as expressive tools. The 12 principles of animation with examples from motion graphics. Ease-in, ease — out, reaction, anticipation.
Demo: After-Effects — deeper look at key-frames, as a concept and as tool. How are they utilized for the basic concepts of motion to express stretch and squash, anticipation, weight, acceleration, and materials. [Motion — path and bezier curves. Masks, shape layers, alpha matte layers].
Assignment: Bouncing ball / interaction between shapes — weight, density and personality
Reading: making motion matter (handout), 12 principles of animation in motion graphics
Keyframe interpolation in AE — in depth review
Video tutorial: Masking and duplicating layers

Class 03: Wednesday, February 8
Guest speaker TBA
Critique: bouncing ball/ interaction assignment
Discussion: Principles of animation continued.  Motion paths, interaction between shapes, secondary motion, organic — vs none organic motion.
Demo After Effects: parenting, null objects and animation hierarchy, intro to layer composite and blending modes
Assignment: design and animate a loop of a simple, yet interesting machine — organic / mechanic.
Reading: Animating layers in AE 
‘The Grammar of cinema’ http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/gramtv.html
(optional) Principles of traditional animation applied to 3D computer animation, by John Lasseter of Pixar
Video tutorial: Parenting

Part 2 — visual storytelling

Class 04: Wednesday, February 15
critique of machine assignment.
Intro to cinematic jargon — shots, cuts, camera positions, camera moves, transitions.
Pre-production processes: Concept design, style frames, layout design
Convey space and environment, depth of field, camera ‘lenses’, rack-focus, color-theme
Demo AE: 3D layers, cameras, perspective and parallax.
Assignment: pre production for mid-term project — synopsis and style frames.
Reading: Virtual cinematography in After Effects
Video tutorial: 3D in After Effects

Class 05: Wednesday, February 22
Storyboard — intro to basic storyboard concepts and conventions. DIfferent techniques to produce a storyboard .
Basic principles of composition, layout, perspective and staging.
Demo AE: Pre-compositions, intro to using effects.
Assignment: progress with pre-production of mid term project — finalize a storyboard.
Video tutorial: Pre-comps, and master comps

Class 06: Wednesday, February 29
Critique: mid-term project storyboards.
Timing, motion and emotion — how can timing express emotions and ideas.
After-Effects — timeline, time-remapping, time warp. Frame-rate and timing in animation.
Understanding work with video footage, inside an animated project, ideas and methods for seamless composite of the two.
Mid-term project studio — discussion of work in progress (motion tests).
Video tutorial: Time remapping

Class 07: Wednesday, March 7
Mid-term critique
Animation across media.
Intro to non-linear forms of animation — food for thought for the spring-break.

Part 3 — Non linear

Class 08: Wednesday, March 21
Intro to algorithmic / interactive animation:
Linear vs. generative — understanding the differences.
Demo: code generated animation in Processing and in After-Effects, integration between the two.
Reading: The Spatial Narrative: Animation and Art Installation
Interactive animation assignment

Class 09: Wednesday, March 28
Algorithmic animation — more approaches.
Animation across media — web, mobile, installation, live-performance, video-games
relation and expectations with users.
what are the elements of interactive animation?
Review and critique of interactive animation assignment.

Part 4 — Aesthetic and visual approaches — intro to motion graphics

Class 10: Wednesday, April 4
Intro to motion graphics — design and motion approaches — relevance to typical ITP projects, and to the non-linear/algorithmic context.
Assignment: proposal for end-term project. Linear/non-linear. Style-frames, techniques and story/experience flow.

Class 11: Wednesday, April 11
Motion graphics continued — intro to compositing as an art and a technique.
lights and shadows,green screen intro,merge 2D graphics with 3D animation or video footage — motion tracking.
Final project studio — review of students proposals, and workshop.
Assignment: Full storyboard for final project.

Class 12: Wednesday, April 18
Compositing and special effects in AE — (weather, fire, abstract) particles systems and trapcode plugins.
discussion — fantasy and realism — painted and photographic imagery collage
Critique: storyboards for final animation project (or other presentation for non-linear projects)

Class 13: Wednesday, April 25
Final project studio
Overview of experimental directions in animation / motion graphics.

Class 14: Wednesday, May 2
Final projects review + critique.