Introduction To Animation - Module Handbook PDF

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Summary

This is the module handbook for the module Introduction to animation. It covers all the important aspects of this module, from the required softwares to the hardware passing through the teaching methods, the assignments and the marking schemes....

Description

INTRODUCTION TO ANIMATION MODULE HANDBOOK : MHW622964

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L1 : Introduction To Animation

MHW622964

Module Staff Module Leader: Sarah Dargie : [email protected]

Office : M213

Office Telephone: 0141 331 3770

General Module Information

Software This module will utilise a range of resources and software. All of the software will be from the Adobe Creative Cloud available and accessible to students via GCU App Store. The primary software being utilised will be Animate CC (Formally Flash). The reason for the software choice is to allow a quick introduction to animation principles, techniques and production. It is understood that students may wish to integrate their individual software preferences and pipelines and where possible this will be supported by staff however students should use the software which will allow them to complete the submission requirements for the assessment briefs.

Tutorial Software Students are expected and encouraged to use online tutorial software such as lynda.com and Pluralsite which GCU has prepaid to allow student access to. Hardware Computers are available in the labs for students to use. It is not a requirement for students to have their own laptop however if students do have their own they are invited to bring them. Students should also carry hard-drives/ pen drives to allow them to save and back-up copies of their digital work yo prevent loss of data. GCU has a strict policy towards loss of files and students are expected to manage their own work. Deadlines are rarely given in cases of lost files.

Teaching All teaching has been timetabled for Mondays. Students are expected to attend as many tight components as possible so that the work can be completed on time and to ensure they get the relevant information. Lectures occur first and will cover theory and 2

techniques behind items linked to the practical submissions. Seminars will be used to present, show work and to give feedback. The lecture and seminars will take place 10am -12pm in C110. The practical labs will primarily take place on Monday afternoons from 2-5pm and will usually include a 20 minute staff break at 3pm.

Feedback GCU operates a 3 week turnaround on student work submitted for assessment. Student work which contributes towards the final module grade will be marked and moderated by the module leader and other members of the animation staff. Assessment feedback will be digitally emailed directly to individual students. Feedback will also be given verbally in the labs and students are expected to understand the importance of this feedback and use the labs as time for development, questions and any concerns.

Issues/ Concerns If an issue arises out with the scheduled lab and lecture time or is of a personal/ sensitive nature please email the module leader who will arrange a separate meeting or answer any queries in order to find appropriate assistance : [email protected]

Attendance Where possible students are advised that they attend all of the scheduled labs and lectures. Please ensure that you swipe in using your student card within the first 15 minutes of the class. If a student is unable to attend a class it is recommended that they email the module leader in advance to ensure that any resources can be passed on and an alternative meeting can be arranged if required : [email protected]

GCU Learn The workshop and lecture content will be made available to students on GCU Learn after it is presented in the labs. It is highly recommended that students get into the habit of using GCU Learn to follow any announcements/ resources or changes to information which may have occurred. Module staff will explain where the resources can be found and will answer any queries if a student is having difficulty locating any files. Any changes to assessment submissions, briefs and/or marking schemes will be announced via GCU learn and email.

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L1 : Introduction To Animation

MHW622964

Semester A Module Descriptor : https://www.gcu.ac.uk/study/modules/info/?Module=M1W622964#

Timetable : Based on Current Celcat Timetable WK 1

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

29 Jan 04 Feb

Lecture

Seminar

- Module Descriptor - Module Content /

- Introduction to Stop - Stop Motion Motion task

Practical Lab

Animation group exercise

Structure - Introduction to Brief - Assessment Criteria - Deadlines

- Set up groups and

WK 2

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

05 Feb 18 Feb

Lecture

Seminar

Practical Lab

Principles of Animation 01

- Informal

- Introduction to

assign topics

- Complete presentation

presentation of Face Animation student stop motion task videos and - Introduction to research Drawing in Animate CC

WK 3

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

19 Feb 25 Feb

Lecture

Seminar

Practical Lab

Principles of Animation 02

- Informal feedback,

- Introduction to

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By Following Week - Finish exporting animation

flash help and time to finish base drawing for face animation

Animation tools, shape hints and timeline editing in Animate CC

By Following Week

- Finish base drawing for face animation

By Following Week

- Continue and finish animating face animation

WK 4

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

26 Feb 04 March

Lecture

Seminar

Practical Lab

Animating Walk Cycles - Introduction to Alien - Work on Walkcycle task developing alien walk cycle - Feedback on completed face animation

WK 5

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

05 March 11 March

Lecture

Seminar

Practical Lab

- Animate Cc Help: Adding audio, exporting and setting up scenes

- Feedback on face

- Finish animations

WK 6

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

12 March 18 March

Lecture Synopsis, Storyboard and Animatics

Seminar - Introduction to Storyboard, Synopsis and Animatic brief

animation and alien walk-cycle so far

for assessment

Practical Lab - Begin work on story submission

- Display of student animations from Week 5 submission

WK 7

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

19 March 25 March

Lecture - Character Design and Development

Seminar

Practical Lab

- Feedback on week

- Begin work on

5 submission

- Introduction to character design templates and brief - Feedback on story

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character submission

- Continue work on story submission

By Following Week

- Continue developing alien walk cycle

Week 5 Submission: 5pm Friday 9th March

By Following Week - Continue developing storyboard/ synopsis submission

By Following Week

- Continue developing storyboard/ synopsis/ animatic/ character submission

WK 8

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

26 March 01 April

Lecture History of Animation 1

Seminar

Practical Lab

- Continue

- Begin work on

developing storyboard/ synopsis/ animatic/ character submission

character submission

- Continue work on story submission

- Feedback on work

By Following Week - Continue and Finish developing storyboard/ synopsis/ animatic/ character submission

so far UNIVERSITY SHUT Submission Friday 30th March Week 9 WK 9

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

02 April 08 April

Easter Monday University is Shut.

Easter Monday University is Shut.

Easter Monday University is Shut.

Story & Character Submission 5pm Friday 4th April

Story & Character Submission 5pm Friday 4th April

Story & Character Submission 5pm Friday 4th April

WK 10

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

09 April 15 April

Lecture History of Animation 2

Seminar - Continue developing storyboard/ synopsis/ animatic/ character submission

- Feedback on Week

Practical Lab

- Begin work on

By Following Week Continue Work

character submission

- Continue work on story submission

9 submission

WK 11

Monday 10am -11am C110

Monday 11am - 12pm Monday 2pm - 5pm C110 C117

16 April 22 April

Lecture

Seminar

Practical Lab

Recap of topics and confirmation / questions about final submission

- Informal feedback

- Begin work on

on progress and final animations

character submission

- Continue work on story submission

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By Following Week Continue Work

ASSESSMENT METHODS

You are expected to meet the following deadlines which will be marked as quickly as possible to ensure minimal delay to continued progress: !

• Week 5 :

5pm Friday 9th March CW1 : Part 1 :

Facial Expression and Walk-cycle Animations (10%)

! • Week 9 :

5pm Thursday 29th March CW1 : Part 2 : Synopsis & Storyboard (15%) Character Research/Development (15%)

• FINAL SUBMISSION 5pm Monday 14th May: CW1: Part 3 : Final Flash Sequence (30%) CW2 : Full : Reflective Report

(30%)

Some formative feedback will be given weekly in the seminars and during class time. Summative grades and feedback will be given individually on the completion of deadlines and set tasks throughout the semester. Digital animation production should not be started until you have submitted the story/ character stages and had your idea signed off by module tutors.!

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This is an individual coursework and should be produced in Flash as a 2D Animation. Other software may be used along with this if appropriate. ! Evidence of your planning and development work (storyboard, character development and synopsis etc.) should be submitted at the same time as the required final creative deadlines.! It is your responsibility to look after your digital work and that back ups and multiple copies of the work are kept by yourself to ensure that no data/ work is lost. !

ASSESMENT BREAKDOWN

CW1 (70%) TASK

Practical PERCENTAGE OF CW1 MARK

SUBMISSION

Submission of practical work undertaken in weeks 1-5 in a digital format

10% WEEK 5 Completed face animation Completed Alien Walk-Cycle Animation

Submission of Story and Character work undertaken in weeks 6-9 in a digital format

30% WEEK 9 Completed synopsis, storyboard and animatic Completed Character design and Animate file

Final animated Animate CC Sequence

30% EXAM PERIOD Completed Animate CC file

CW2 (30%) TASK Animation Principles

Written PERCENTAGE OF CW1 MARK

SUBMISSION

10% EXAM PERIOD

350 Words on student use of animation principles Critical Evaluation

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20% EXAM PERIOD 400 Words on stunts evaluation of individual creative sequence

CW1 Part 1 : Short Animation Sequences 10%

Practical Submission TASK

PERCENTAGE OF CW1 MARK

SUBMISSION

10% WEEK Completed face animation Completed Alien Walk-Cycle Animation

Submission of practical work undertaken in weeks 1-6 in a digital format

Throughout Weeks 1-5 you will be working on two short flash projects which you will submit as both working Animate CC files and exported movie files in Week 5. These sequences will be around 5 seconds each and will be worked on during the lab sessions and in your own time using provided files and templates, online resources and tutored guidance from staff. They will be marked according to the marking criteria below. These two sequences will be digital submissions and will consist of : • Self-Portrait Expression Change Animation • An Alien Walk-Cycle Animation

Creativity and Application of Principles Standard /" Improvement: may be in timing, drawing or animation techniques used Technical Constraints and Formatting Standard / Improvement : correct frame rate, correct export setting, resolution 9

Excellent

Very Good

Good

Minimum

Poor/NS

Work shown is of high standard . Very little room for improveme nt

Work is of a good standard little room for improvement

Work is of reasonable standard , some room for improvement

Minimum standard. Good deal of room for improvement

Poor standard. Obvious/great deal of room for improvement

Work shown is of high standard . Very little room for improveme nt

Work is of a good standard little room for improvement

/3

Work is of reasonable standard , some room for improvement

Minimum standard. Good deal of room for improvement

Poor standard. Obvious/great deal of room for improvement /2

Total

/5

5pm Friday 9th March

Submission:

Each student should submit the work digitally in their individual folder on the CT Drive. Each student should submit two folders containing the final Animate CC file and the final exported animation as an .swf or alternative appropriate movie codec. Eg : SDargie200_Part1 SDargie200_Face SDargieFace.fla SDargieFace.swf SDargie200_WalkCycle SDargieWalk.fla SDargieWalk.swf CT Drive Link :

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CW1 Part 2 : Story and Character 30%

Practical Submission TASK

PERCENTAGE OF CW1 MARK

SUBMISSION

Submission of practical work undertaken in weeks 6-9 in a digital format

20% WEEK 9

Submission of practical work undertaken in weeks 6-9 in a digital format

10% WEEK 9

Completed Synopsis, Storyboard and Animatic

Completed Character Design and Animate file

Please note that development feedback will be available prior to the Week 9 submission by module staff during lab and seminar times and students are encouraged to use the targeted workshops and their own time to develop ideas.

SYNOPSIS (5%) The Synopsis should :! • Be between 200 and 300 words long. A Synopsis briefly outlines idea for the final animation. A full script is not required.! • Clearly state which of the sequence types you have chosen (Narrative or Game Trailer) • Clearly state the target audience and format (web, tv advert, children’s show etc)! • Be submitted as a printed A4 word processed document.

Excellent Synopsis

The correct length of Standard /" words is Improvement: used and may be length of language is synopsis, appropriate correct use of language

Very Good

Good

Minimum

Poor/NS

Work is of a good length and mostly correct language is used

Work is of reasonable length and some correct language is used

Minimum length, little correct language is used

Under the required length, or student does /5 not submit

TOTAL 11

/5

STORYBOARD

(10%)

The Storyboard can be in colour or black and white and should : ! • Be between 6 and 12 panels. • Be formatted correctly using the provided template on A4 paper • Be annotated with technical information and not descriptions of what is visually happening in the shot. • Show any camera movements such as pan or zoom • Be clear and composed of visually interesting and dynamic shots • Not contain awkward, complicated angles

Storyboard Standard/ Improvement: story or originality

Excellent

Very Good

Good

Minimum

Poor/NS

Work is of a excellent standard.

Work is of a good standard.

Work is of reasonable standard.

Minimum standard.

Poor standard.

Good deal of room for improvement to story

Obvious/ great deal of room for improvement to story

Story is Story needs clearly told slight and follows a development logical progression.

Some room for improvement regarding the story or lacks originality

ANIMATIC (5%) The Animatic can be in colour or black and white and should : • Clearly convey the ideas presented in the Storyboard • Be timed appropriately according to the final submission • Be formatted correctly with a correct playback speed and aspect ratio

• NOTE : At this point using sound in the animatic will not count towards assessment however it is advised that students begin to consider sound as an important element in their final submission early on.

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/5

/5

Animatic Standard/ Improvement : Correct number of frames size and format

Excellent

Very Good

Good

Minimum

Poor/NS

Correct number of frames, storyboard panels are annotated correctly and are the correct size.

Good amount of the storyboard is correctly annotated and/or the correct size

Some of the storyboard is correctly annotated and/or the correct size

Small amount of the storyboard is correctly annotated and/or the correct size

Student shows very littleof the storyboard or does not submit

Animatic is well timed and formatted correctly

Good amount of the animatic is correctly timed

Some of the animatic is correctly timed

Small amount of the animatic is appropriately timed

Animatic is not timed or clear or not submitted.

TOTAL

CHARACTER (10%)

You must present a unique character from research through development to final design.! The character must:! • Have at least two limbs • Be designed so that it can be animated in Animate CC • Not be overly complicated or detailed • The final Character Submission must include : • Character notes • Final model sheets showing the final design of the character in static form: e.g. showing different emotions through facial expression, different viewpoints, different poses, turnarounds, mouth shapes. You may consider showing how the character walks, blinks and talks.!

• Animate CC file of character ready to be animated. • This file does not need to include a background or any information other than that relating directly to the character design.!

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/5

/5

Excellent