ANIMATION DRAW #1
ANIMATION DRAW #2
Create 5 animation bodies
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ANIMATION DRAW #3
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Draw a 5 pose (minimum) HEAD TURN
Key frames and main poses are vitally important in animation, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore what comes in-between! You'll find that you will be animating head turns a lot when you do character animation. A head turn is challenging to animate because the mass and shape need to be consistent, as do the elements of the head such as the eyes, nose, and mouth. Take a look at this preliminary animation of the first head turn (see examples on the side). It starts off with a character looking east (our right), and then he turns west (our left). There are green guide lines to make sure the height of the head stays consistent. That looks okay, but take a look in the mirror and try turning your head from one side to the other. Rarely does your head turn in a perfect straight line. It is more natural to have the head turning and creating a soft arc. For this Animation Draw #3 you will draw (on paper) the poses to a head turn. To test it's effectiveness, scan in your final drawings and put them into FLASH to animate the head turn. HAND IN A QUICKTIME VIDEO OF YOUR HEAD TURN. |
ANIMATION DRAW #4
Draw an ANIMATED "METAMORPHOSIS"
A CONCEPTUAL EVOLUTION Metamorphosis' - the ability for an image to literally change into another completely different image - is one of animation's most distinctive themes. Metamorphosis is a magical transformation that happens before one's very eyes. It is a fundamental technique in the animator's resume and has power because of the trust what our eyes sees. Seeing is believing and when the impossible is made possible, we are utterly engaged. There is a spell-binding quality that comes with seeing impossible changes taking place. For this Animation Draw #4 you will draw (on paper) an object, person, or animal transforming into another object, person, or animal. For a fluid and smooth transition between states you should draw at least 5-6 steps. To complete the challenge you will be creating a minimum of 3 total changes. Scan in your drawings and place the individual stages into frames in FLASH. HAND IN A QUICKTIME VIDEO OF YOUR METAMORPHOSIS. |
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FLASH CS3 TUTORIALSComplete the following tutorials in ADOBE FLASH. These lessons will help you learn the program. We will be using ADOBE FLASH to create animations and bring our drawings to life.
Please follow the tutorials closely. Do not take short cuts because it will show when it comes time for you to animate. Also label your project files correctly (as given to you below). 1. MOTION TWEEN [save as: mtween_yourname.fla] 2. SHAPE TWEEN [save as: stween_yourname.fla] 3. MOTION GUIDE [save as: mguide_yourname.fla] 4. MASKING [save as: masking_yourname.fla] 5. WORKING WITH LAYERS [save as: layer_yourname.fla] 6. BLUR EFFECT [save as: blur_yourname.fla] 7. FADE IN FADE OUT [save as: fade_yourname.fla] 8. ZOOM IN ZOOM OUT [save as: zoom_yourname.fla] FLASH CS5.5 TUTORIALS
Create an example that shows you understand the technique and tools for #2-#9. Save all your work. Save as QUCKTIME videos (FILE>EXPORT>MOVIE), don't submit ".fla" files.
FLASH CS5.5 SIMPLE ANIMATION [Biker]
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a simple biker animation in Flash CS5 with a snowfall effect in the background. This tutorial will teach how to create frames, keyframes, blank frames & motion tweens. You will also learn how to use the deco tool to create a simple snow fall effect. Download the tutorial files below.
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SPRITES + GAME ANIMATION
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CHARACTER DESIGN + PRODUCTION MODEL SHEET
Character design involves developing the appearance and features of characters in an animation. Often an actual model (often referred to as a maquette) will be produced using modelling clay in order to get a better idea of the appearance of the character. Character Model Sheets and Expression Sheets are produced to help animators be consistent with the appearance of characters. Character Line-up Sheets are also produced to compare the scale of the characters against one another.
They provide the construction, structure, proportion, design, etc. for each character. Usually, several models sheets are needed for each character to show the physical and design nuances. Each animator, artist has their own style of drawing. The model sheet guides the 300 or so artists working on the production toward making all the characters look “ON MODEL”. “ON MODEL” means the model sheets have been followed to perfection as if one artist (instead of over 300 ) has drawn the character. PROJECT OBJECTIVE: is to create your own ORIGINAL character design (no tracing or copying). Sketch out possible designs for your character (minimum of 8 variations) in your sketch book. When you have finalized your character, create a CHARACTER MODEL SHEET with the 8 poses for it. A CHARACTER ROTATION should include a front view, back view, 3/4 front (left & right), 3/4 back (left & right), and profile view (side) of the character. These views help the animator (s) understand the character's construction and proportion. The ability to turn a character is an element of animation which increases the character's believability. The easiest and best way to draw out a rotation is to break down the character into its simplest forms. .. then you just rotate the forms. Here's a design tip - make the ball of the head and the body different sizes (big head with small body or small head with a big body). Hand in your drawings. Hand in a Quicktime video of your character rotating (created in FLASH). |
1 & 2 POINT PERSPECTIVE DRAWINGS
…a mathematical system for representing three-dimensional objects and space on a two-dimensional surface by means of intersecting lines that are drawn vertically and horizontally and that radiate from one point on a horizon line… |
Key Points:
Although this definition sounds complicated, the concept is relatively simple. One point perspective is a drawing method that shows how things appear to get smaller as they get further away, converging towards a single ‘vanishing point’ on the horizon line. It is a way of drawing objects upon a flat piece of paper (or other drawing surface) so that they look three-dimensional and realistic. Drawing in one point perspective is usually appropriate when the subject is viewed ‘front-on’ (such as when looking directly at the face of a cube or the wall of building) or when looking directly down something long, like a road or railway track. It is popular drawing method with architects and illustrators, especially when drawing room interiors. To understand more about the history of perspective in art, please read our accompanying Guide to Linear Perspective (coming soon). Note: If you need to draw something that is not facing you directly, but rather has a corner nearest to you, two point perspective is likely to be more appropriate. Surfaces that travel away from the viewer, on the other hand, converge towards a single ‘vanishing point‘. This is a point that is located directly in front of the viewer’s eyes, on a ‘horizon line’ (also known as an ‘eye level line’). |
ANIMATION DRAW #4: ARCHITECTURE & BUILDINGS
Draw 5 interesting & unique buildings
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CHARACTER WALKING CYCLE
PROJECT LESSON LINK from ANGRY ANIMATOR
Walk Cycles are one of the most difficult tasks for an animator...because you have to understand the mechanics of motion and bring that across convincingly, but then - as if that wasn't enough? You must infuse a character and personality into that walk through your timing, spacing and poses. However difficult, though, if you can learn to master a walk cycle then you can animate just about anything. Many events are happening at the same time, and it can seem overwhelming. A single mistake on your first drawing can wreck the rest of the scene. However, the process can be broken down into a series of steps which can go some distance in simplifying the process. A walk cycle can be described by four distinct poses: Rinse-Lather-Repeat.... whoops I mean... CONTACT - RECOIL - PASSING - HIGHPOINT - repeat You can cover the cycle of a full stride in 8 frames. For your first practice walk cycle, it's best to try a stick figure. It's good practice, anyway, as a great way to build your animations is to start by drawing stick figures to get the motion down before building actual solid shapes on top of those stick figures; it can save you a lot of time, and a lot of correction work, as it's much easier to work out timelines and difficult motion issues in stick figures than in detailed forms. MECHANICS OF A WALK CYCLE: Walk cycles encapsulate all of the principles of animation. They also deal with complex issues of weight and timing, in order to be convincing. Offsets, Overlap and Follow Through on every joint are what will keep the motion natural and prevent it from looking robotic. TIMING AND PACING OF A WALK CYCLE: The timing or pacing of the walk can define the character and personality of the walk. Timing and Poses will define the weight and construction of your character and even add elements of character as well. CHARACTER, STATE OF MIND, AND PERSONALITY: Character and personality are what make the walk real and make the audience identify with it on an emotional level. Disney always said "the mind is the pilot" and that is where every motion you create must start. Before even drawing a pose, you need to establish in your mind where your character's head is at. Your final project result will be a strong example of a walking cycle using a character of your own creation. The walking cycle should have 8 poses, I will let you choose whether you want to draw in pencil/pen first, or draw directly into FLASH. |
SOUND DESIGN
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring,
manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety
of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production, and video game
software development. Sound design most commonly involves the
manipulation of previously composed or recorded audio, such as sound
effects and dialogue. In some instances it may also involve the
composition or manipulation of audio to create a desired effect or mood.
A sound designer is one who practices the art of sound design.
When sound was introduced to motion pictures, initially it was seen as an inevitable reaction to the action on screen, something Sound Designer Walter Murch refers to as the Shadow of Sound. This idea mirrored real life where sound acts as a shadow to physical events. If you see a dog bark, you sure as hell expect to hear one. It’s physically impossible to disconnect the two events in the real world, just as you can never escape your shadow. |
OBJECTIVE
To recreate the sound design for an existing Animated feature movie trailer. You and a partner will delete the the existing sound and play in your own choice of musical scores, sound effects, voice overs, and dialogue. A successful project will make the viewer believe that they are watching and taking in a professional creation.
GUIDELINES
- Take an existing MOVIE/ANIMATION CLIP/GAME TRAILER and redo the entire sound design
- Sound bytes can be downloaded on your own or taken from the digital sound collections provided
- Minimum of 3 sound effects must be created and recorded on your own
- Make sure the movie trailer sound is full and does not have lots of empty portions, as professional as you can make it
To recreate the sound design for an existing Animated feature movie trailer. You and a partner will delete the the existing sound and play in your own choice of musical scores, sound effects, voice overs, and dialogue. A successful project will make the viewer believe that they are watching and taking in a professional creation.
GUIDELINES
- Take an existing MOVIE/ANIMATION CLIP/GAME TRAILER and redo the entire sound design
- Sound bytes can be downloaded on your own or taken from the digital sound collections provided
- Minimum of 3 sound effects must be created and recorded on your own
- Make sure the movie trailer sound is full and does not have lots of empty portions, as professional as you can make it
CHARACTER RIGGING- FLASH
In this part of the course, we'll take a hand-drawn cartoon character…and convert him into a fully rigged and vectorized Flash puppet ready to be animated.…We're going to use the basic Flash drawing tools and find out how to name…and layer the symbols.
We will work on the process of character animation in Flash, using nested symbols and motion and shape tweening to create believable characters. The course covers the process from start to finish, from rigging a character to creating a walk cycle animation. Topics include:
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