Tuesday 18 June 2013

Animation Sequence Background Task SESSION 1


1. On the first A3 sheet, sketch out your ideas for the background.

2. On the second A3 sheet, divide into 5 frames, remembering the BACKGROUND will be stationary and not move. 
3. In PHOTOSHOP, create a new project.
Height: 1080  Width: 7087  Resolution: 72pi

4. Create the 5 layers needed for the parallax scrolling effect.

5. You can use images from the internet, but use the Photoshop 'Artistic' and 'Brush Strokes' filters to give the images a painted or drawn look.

Tuesday 30 April 2013

SESSION 22: AO4 - CHARACTER ANIMATION MOVEMENT SEQUENCE


1. Go to Flickr and choose your character movement:

Click on the image.
Select 'View all sizes'.
Select the 'Original' size.
Download the original size image (4252 x 1080)

2. Open the character movement image in PHOTOSHOP:

Create a new LAYER
Using your WACOM TABLET, trace your character over the top of the first stage of the movement sequence.
Use a new layer for all the other stages of the movement sequence.
DO NOT ADD COLOUR TO YOUR CHARACTER AT THIS STAGE.
This character movement sequence will be printed for your portfolio.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR./>

Wednesday 27 March 2013

SESSION 15: LINE ANIMATION STAGE 2 - THE BALL MORPHING INTO A CHARACTER


LINE ANIMATION STAGE 2
THE BALL MORPHING INTO A CHARACTER

FRAME 32 = BALL

FRAME 33 to 42 = the INBETWEEN FRAMES of the ball transforming in to your character.

FRAME 43 = CHARACTER

Starting at FRAME 33, create the INBETWEEN FRAMES of the ball transforming in to your character.

N.B. Your character should be a side view looking LEFT.
The next stage is the running/walking sequence where your character walks or runs across the page.

ANIMATION SESSION 15: Animation Practitioner 3 - BLU



• Blu is the pseudonym of an Argentinian artist who conceals his real identity. 
• He lives in Bologna and has been active in street art since 1999.
• In 2008 the Tate Modern in London presented an exhibition on the phenomenon of street art and invited Blu to paint on the Tate Modern building.

LINKS:
BLU website
BLU Vimeo Channel
BLU YouTube
Street Art @ The Tate

Tuesday 19 March 2013

ANIMATION SESSION 11: STOP-FRAME ANIMATION EVALUATION


SECTION 1: TECHNIQUE

Explain the animation technique. How it works and how you achieve the technique. 
[iStopMotion | frames per second | onion skins]

SECTION 2: PRACTITIONER
Give an example of a professional practitioner, a director or production team that use stop-frame animation in their work.
Write a short biography and give details of the animation work they have produced.
[Jan Svankmajer | Sumo Science | PES | Aardman]


SECTION 3: CASE STUDY
Choose an example of your practitioner’s work (give the title and date it was created). Using images to illustrate, describe in detail the techniques used in the making of the piece of animation.

SECTION 4: BOX & LIMERICK
Describe the process of working in a group to produce the two short stop-frame animations in class. Use images and screen-grabs to illustrate the animation techniques you used.

SECTION 5: EVALUATION
Evaluate the stop-frame animation technique.
[technical quality | creative quality | compare with professional animations | appeal to target audience | use of equipment and software]



N.B. Use the photographs on Flickr of the project in your evaluation

FINAL LIMERICK VIDEOS


3P1(GREEN) - GROUP 5 - College Professor limerick


3P1(GREEN) - GROUP 4 - Godzilla limerick


3P1 (GREEN) - GROUP 3 - Monster limerick


3P1(GREEN) - GROUP 2 - Lady from LIckenham limerick SHORT


3P1(GREEN) - GROUP 2 - Lady from LIckenham limerick FULL


3P1(GREEN) - GROUP 1 - Tiger limerick


3P1(GREEN) - GROUP 6 - Spitting on a bus limerick

Wednesday 6 March 2013

Practitioner Talk: Ben Blair - Character Animation


I've mentioned this a few times this year already about Ben Blair giving a inspiring and informative talk on his knowledge of the world of 3D animation last year. Here's a few links and other bits of information.

In 2010, after studying for degree at Huddersfield, Ben self-financed a trip doing the Maya Fast Track with Gnomon School of Visual Effects in LA. He is now being mentored by leading animators from Dreamworks.

BEN BLAIR'S BLOG: CHARACTER ANIMATION
SHORT FILMS AND OTHER RANDOM BITS
http://blairanimation.blogspot.com/



ONLINE ANIMATION COURSES:

iAnimate - Advanced Character Animation Training

Gnoman - School of Visual Effects

Animation Mentor

Friday 22 February 2013

ANIMATION SESSION 3: Cutout Animation / Limerick Exercise PART 1



Long Road student music video (2008)

Limerick Cutout Animation Exercise

In your groups animate your chosen limerick using drawn cutouts on an A3 drawn / painted background.

Plan the project using the planning grid.


GROUP 1 - Abi, Ellen, Hazal & Jack
GROUP 2 - Sam H, Sam Mc & Will Ho
GROUP 3 - Annabel & Faye
GROUP 4 - Dave, Isaac, Jackson, Jay & Tom
GROUP 5 - Aaron, Robert, Will C & Pheonix
GROUP 6 - Will L

DODU - THE CARDBOARD BOY (2010)

ANIMATION SESSION 3: Stop Frame Animation Practitioner 1 - PES



Fresh Guacamole - PES 2012
In January 2013, Fresh Guacamole was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. It is the shortest film ever nominated for an Oscar. 

An early influence on PES's animation style is the work of Czech surrealist Jan Å vankmajer.

Western Spaghetti - PES 2008



Game Over - PES 2006

ANIMATION SESSION 3: Stop Frame Animation Practitioner 2 - SUMO SCIENCE



Gulp - The making of video (2011).

'Gulp' is a short film created by Sumo Science at Aardman, depicting a fisherman going about his daily catch. 

Shot on location at Pendine Beach in South Wales, every frame of this stop-motion animation was shot using a Nokia N8, with its 12 megapixel camera and Carl Zeiss optics. 

The film has broken a world record for the 'largest stop-motion animation set', with the largest scene stretching over 11,000 square feet.



Animation Practitioners:

SUMO SCIENCE


Ed Patterson & Will Studd are an award winning directing duo specializing in different forms of animation. Together they are Sumo Science, their aim is to create a fresh mix of styles using elements of stop-motion, puppetry, 2D and live-action.

They are currently represented by Aardman Animations and have directed a range of commercials for clients such as Innocent Orange Juice, Weetabix, KP, Hellmans and Nokia.

Their biggest success to date is for Nokia with the film 'Dot.' The spot went on to win 15 major advertising awards as well as claiming a Guiness World Record for the smallest stop-motion character in a film. It has become a huge success online with nearly 3 million hits.



They have recently finished another film for Nokia called 'Gulp.' This film is currently enjoying rapid success online and has claimed another world record for the largest animation set.

Sumo Science @ Vimeo
Sumo Science Website 


Tuesday 19 February 2013

ANIMATION SESSION 1 & 2: Stop Frame Animation Exercise

ANIMATION SESSION 1: Stop Frame Animation Practitioner 1 - Jan Svankmajer

BIO
One of the great Czech filmmakers, 
JAN SVANKMAJER was born in 1934 in Prague where he still lives. 

He trained at the Institute of Applied Arts from 1950 to 1954 and then at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts (Department of Puppetry). 

Svankmajer made his first film in 1964 and for over thirty years has made some of the most memorable and unique animated films ever made, gaining a reputation as one of the world's foremost animators, and influencing filmmakers from Tim Burton to The Brothers Quay.

Checkout the JAN SVANKMAJER website HERE



Darkness Light Darkness 1989



In 1987 Svankmajer completed his first feature film, ALICE, an adaptation of Alice in
Wonderland.



A Game with Stones extract 1965

Tuesday 4 December 2012

HUNTED SESSION 10: PLANNING THE FILMING


Have a group meeting and decide when you are going to film. Then fill out the equipment booking form and make a note on your group schedule. 


Friday 30 November 2012

Friday 23 November 2012

HUNTED SESSION 6: (1 HOUR) PRE-PRODUCTION / BBFC RESEARCH HOMEWORK

(POST OPEN EVENING 1 HOUR SESSION)

HUNTED PRE-PRODUCTION JOB LIST

Director
Script
Project planning
Proposal re-write


Camera
Storyboards

Editor
Shot lists
Experimental

Production Designer
Visual style
Locations
Costumes
Props
Credits sequence planning
Sound Design

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BBFC RESEARCH HOMEWORK:

In Word, research and answer the following questions. Please write in your own words – DO NOT COPY & PASTE. 
Don’t forget to add images where appropriate.


o   What is the BBFC?


o   What does the BBFC regulate?

o   Who funds/organises it?

o   What pays for film classification?

o   Why do you think it was set up?

o   What do the different classifications mean?

o   Try to find an example where the BBFC have rejected a film/game/text. Why was this?

o   Do we need a BBFC? How successful do you think the BBFC is?

Use as many websites as you want. These may be useful:


Wednesday 14 November 2012

HUNTED SESSION 3: PROPOSAL / 9 KEY FRAME GRID / ROLES GRID



TASK 1: PROPOSAL
WRITING THE 'HUNTED' VIDEO PRODUCTION TREATMENT / PROPOSAL

PART 1: In your groups, write a TREATMENT (Synopsis) for your 'HUNTED' END SEQUENCE.

A TREATMENT > SALES TOOL TO PROMOTE A FILM IDEA > SENT TO PRODUCERS

- Summarises the key events
- Conveys a clear sense of the proposed storyline
- A WHO, WHAT, WHEN & WHERE of the story
- Written in the present tense
- No dialogue
- Write the treatment in Word document
- Try to write about three paragraphs (one side of text)

PART 2: TARGET AUDIENCE
- What will be the target audience for your film?

PART 3: GENRE
Which genre of film will it belong to?
Which conventions of its genre will be apparent to the viewer?

PART 4: ROLES
Decide your group roles:

1. DIRECTOR: Script

2. CAMERA OPERATOR: Storyboard

3. EDITOR: Shot list / Experimental camerawork planning

4. PRODUCTION/TITLES DESIGNER: Production art / Sound design


PART 5: EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
What extra equipment do you need to book?

VIDEO CAMERA
TRIPOD
MAC LAPTOP

PHOTOSHOP
FINAL CUT
GARAGE BAND


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TASK 2: 9 KEY FRAME GRID
In your groups, create 9 KEY FRAMES for your HUNTED END SEQUENCE.

- Each KEY FRAME should be drawn on a POST-IT. 

- Stick the 9 POST-ITS on the A3 GRID SHEET.

- The key frames DO NOT have to be in a sequential order. 

- Divide the task of drawing out the key frames between all members of the group. i.e. do not have just one person do all the drawing!



















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TASK 3: KEY ROLES GRID