HUNTER COLLEGE OF THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Department of Film and Media Studies

Intro To Animation (2D animation), MEDP 260.00

Location: HN 1001B; Time: Wednesday 10:10 - 13:00
Instructor: Yael Kanarek, email me
Office hours: Skype appointment or f2f after class
Syllabus: http://tinyurl.com/2danim
Hours: 3; Credits: 3

Course Policies

Course Description and Objectives: This hands-on class is an introduction to animation using 2D digital tools. We will explore historical precursors to digital animation by studying the work of experimental and animated film as well contemporary art and animation. Class time will consist of in-class demos, screenings, discussions of readings, and software tutorials.

Students will be encouraged to create personal narratives, use unconventional or appropriated source imagery and sounds, and integrate non-digital creative skills into their projects such as drawing and collage, music, sculpture, fiction and poetry, etc. Animation in general is a highly technical field, the objective of this class is to explore your personal creativity and arrive at your own style.

Topics covered will include producing a flip-book, stop motion animation, story boarding, narrative construction, character development, vector illustration and animation, photo manipulation, sound and video production and DVD authoring.

Students will be required to complete 4 assignments over the course of the semester that demonstrate the skills necessary to create digitally animated artwork. Because video making, like filmmaking, often requires working in teams, students will be encouraged to work in pairs for their final projects.

Projects:
Weekly Blog Entries on Animation
Phase 1: Flip Book Animation
Create a minimum of a 30-frame flipbook that presents a TRANSFORMATION either real or imagined, physical or mental
Phase 2: Illustrated Environment
Using Flash create a detailed environment, interior or exterior (this may be an environment used in an animation later in the semester.
Phase 3: Introducing characters into your environment - rotoscoping.
Phase 4: Bringing it all together: Character animation,
Bring inanimate things to life with motion and odd narrative twists.

Exercises:
Throughout the semester brief exercises will be executed by following in class demonstrations, online tutorials and assigned readings. These exercises will be essential for learning software and successfully completing longer projects. Exercises include photography, rotoscoping, kinetic typography...

Grading:
Criteria for the grading of each project will be evaluated by three components equally: Creativity and Originality, Technical Breadth, Professional Presentation (is a sense of ambition and time portrayed in the final product).
Breakdown of Semester Grade:
• A grade will be determined twice during the semester. The grade is based on performance according to the components above. This class rewards excellence. Completing all the work equals B+. A's are given for exeptional effort.
• All late assignments and projects will loose a full grade.

Attendance: Attendance to all classes is required and attendance is taken at each class. More than Three (3) unexcused absences will result in an "F" grade for the class. Class begins on time, so you must be punctual. Two late arrivals equal one absence. Outside assignments (projects) are due at the beginning of class when roll is taken.

Blog: Each week please write a brief, single paragraph reflection on one of the animations assigned for the week. This is an exercise to consider how narrative may be constructed in animation and different tactics employed. Consider how a story is told through a form of animation. Is it effective? Why or why not?

Homework: Homework and project assignments are mandatory and timely submission is expected. One grade point will be deducted for each late submission of homework. Students are expected to work several hours outside of class sessions each week. Students will not be able to finish assignments during class. There are several labs available at Hunter to complete homework assignments. The schedule for this lab (HN432) will be posted outside the entrance.

Makeup: Student's grades will depend on the timely completion of all project assignments and final project. If a student has any emergencies or difficulties in completing an assignment, they should contact the instructor as early as possible, preferably in advance of the due date. It is a student's responsibility to makeup any class work missed. Late submissions without prior approval will not be accepted.

Participation: Evaluation will be based on each student's willingness to engage in the exploration of intellectual challenges, demonstrated development of sensitivity and skills relating to peer evaluation, and evidence of growth in terms of working with and for fellow students. Please view the class as an open atmosphere, where back-and-forth communication is the norm. Students are free to speak up when they need clarification or wish to make observations. Always let the Instructor know if you are having difficulties with any of the material presented in class. You will get direct help and/or be referred to appropriate resources.

Originality of Work: All work for this course must be completed by the student enrolled. All work submitted for this class must be created for this class alone. Noncompliance with this expectation will result in a failing grade. Plagiarism is a very serious academic offense that will result in penalties ranging from reduction of class grade to failure in the course. Plagiarism occurs when the ideas, images, and words, published or unpublished, of others are presented as one's own without citing the original source. Plagiarism also occurs when the papers, research, or creative works of another person are presented as one's own work.

Note: Electronic course files will be distributed throughout the semester providing a variety of key materials, including additional reading, assignments, references, sample files, source files for tutorials, etc. Students should make sure that they review all of the materials distributed each session. The Instructor may not discuss or cover each item in class, but the student is responsible for the content of the materials. Download and upload instructions will be provided at the beginning of the course. Students will be assigned server space for maintaining their class materials. For work off-site, the student must use the CD media, USB disk or external hard drive for transporting their files from computer to computer.

Required Materials: 2-4 blank CDs, USB flash drive or external hard drive, 2 blank DVDs. BACK UP ALL YOUR WORK!

Required:
Adobe Flash CS5 Classroom in a Book
Foundation Flash Cartoon Animation by Tim Jones, Barry J Kelly, Allan S. Rosson, David Wolfe
Handout and on line reading, various sources

Recommended:
The Media Student's Book by Gill Branston, Roy Stafford
Library: Borough of Manhattan CC; Collection: Stacks; Location: P90 .B6764 2003
Animation from Pencils to Pixels: Classical Techniques for the Digital Animator by Tony White
The Animator's Survival Kit (Paperback) by Richard Williams
The Animator's Workbook: Step-By-Step Techniques of Drawn Animation (Paperback) Tony White
The Animator's Guide to 2D Computer Animation (Focal Press Visual Effects and Animation) (Visual Effects and Animation Series) (Paperback) by Griffin

Downloads: Electronic course files will be distributed each session providing a variety of key materials, including additional reading, assignments, references, sample files, source files for tutorials, etc. (primarily in Acrobat .PDF format). Students should make sure that they review all of the materials distributed each session. The Instructor may not discuss or cover each item in class, but the student is responsible for the materials. Download and upload instructions will be provided at the beginning of the course. Students will be assigned server space for maintaining their class materials. For work off-site, the student must use the CD media (or USB disk) for transporting their files from computer to computer.

Disabilities: If you have a disability that will affect your coursework, please notify the instructor within the first two weeks of class to ensure suitable arrangements and a comfortable working environment. Contact The Office for Students with Disabilities, Hunter East 1119; Phone (212) 772-4882 or 4891, TTY: (212) 650-3230.

Emergency/Crisis Info: This is a list of numbers, which you can use if there is an emergency or crisis situation on the Hunter campus or if you need assistance at other times.
Security -B125 West - 772 – 4444;
Medical Office - Room 307 North - 772 – 4800 (During business hours) Office of Student Services - 1119 East - 772 – 4882 4891 (crisis counseling available), The Women's Center - 801 East - 772 – 4931.

Reading/Writing Center: Hunter's Reading/Writing center is where students receive tutoring in reading and writing skills, critical reading, and the writing process. Students can apply for a weekly appointment with a tutor and/or use drop-in services during scheduled hours. Students may also attend workshops offered at the Center throughout the academic year. http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu/

Course Outline
The schedule and course outline is subject to change.

Week 01

• Introduction to the course
• A brief history of animation and viewing various techniques
• Vector Art: landscapes, Illustrated Environments by Artists & Designers
• Introduction to Flash.

Project 1: Flip Book Animation, due next week - Week 2
Create a minimum of a 30-frame flipbook that presents a transformation - real or imagined, physical or mental

Assignments for Next Week:
Set up a blog and email me the link
Animation Without Film - Download, read and make a flip book
Wikipedia's entry for History of animation - read

View and select one of the last three animations to review in your blog (follow the guideline in teh blog description above):
Keith Haring, Flip Books
Emile Cohl, Fantasmagorie, 1908
Winsor McCay, Gertie the Dinosaur, 1914
Lotte Reiniger, Hansel and Gretel

Adobe Flash CS5 Classroom in a Book, Chapters 1, 2 (follow the excersices)
Watch the instructional Viewing at Adobe TV (CS4):
Getting Started: 01 Understanding Flash, 00:01:17
Getting Started: 02 Understanding Flash file types, 00:01:55
Getting Started: 03 Exploring the Flash interface, 00:01:49
Getting Started: 04 Setting up workspaces, 00:02:14
Getting Started: 05 Using the drawing tools, 00:01:55
Getting Started: 06 Object and merge drawing, 00:02:09

Take a photo of an environment from your life and upload it to your blog. This photo will become the foundation for the next excercise. Make sure you like it becaues you'll be working with it for a while.

Week 02: Illustrated Environment
• Flipbooks are due - reviewed by class
• Nando Costa
• Spacious Thoughts
• More on drawing with Flash - start drawing the environment
• Tracing bitmaps

Assignments:
1. Read and follow excersizes: Adobe Flash CS5 Classroom in a Book, Chapter 3
2. Environmnet - YOUR WORLD - instructions:

1- Resize environment (outdoors, indoor, closet space, urban landscape, etc.) of your choice to 800x600. (Doesn't have to be the same image used in class).
2- Create Flash doc with same dimension and import image to stage
3- Trace the bitmap and start taking it apart. Convert the images to symbols
4- Organize the symbols in the library and on layers of the timeline.
5- Name symbols and layers
5- Bring in objects (from other objects or from same photo)
6- Trace the bitmap, illustrate them and populate the environment
7- Publish it as an image (png/jpeg), upload it to blog. Bring Flash doc for next class
8- Should tell some form of a story
9- Upload to blog by Tuesday 8pm

3. Review one of the historical animations below on your blog.

Viewing:
Hans Richter, Rhytmus 21 (1921)
Norman McLaren, Dots (1940)
John Whitney with Larry Cuba, Arabesque (1975)
Larry Cuba on creating Star Wars animation (1977)
Robert Hodgin, Weird Fishes: Arpeggi

Week 03: Moods and movement

• Review of illustrated environments.
• Discussion of the assigned viewing.
• Julian Opie, Jennifer Steinkamp, Chris Doyle, Invention of Love, Happy Tree Friends Ep. 13
• Define the mood for your animation and start writing the script for your first 1-minute animation.

Assignments:
1. Study Chapters 4 and 5.
2. Create a 1-minute silent animated story from your environment. Intergrate the techniques your learned in the book: Motion, tweening and kinematics.
3. Find an animation online that you like and post it on your blog stating why you found it compelling.

Week 04: 12 Basic Principles of Animation

• Review of the animated environments.
• Optimizing your animations for playback on the Internet
• "12 Basic Principles of Animation"

Assignments:
1. Read and do Chapter 1: The Project Plan (Flash Cartoon Animation)
2. Read and do Chapter 10 (classroom): Publishing Flash Documents.
3. Optimize your animation and fine-tune your animation according to the 12 basic principles.
4. View all the animations below. Review on in particular but mention the others as well. Read about the filmmakers. Context is very important.

Viewing:
Y0UNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES
Max Fleischer, Out of the Inkwell
Harry Smith, "Early Abstractions" (1946-57), Pt. 4
Norman McLaren, "Neighbours" (1952)
Stan Vanderbeek, "Science Friction" (1959)

Week 05: Wednesday, Sept 16 - No Class

Assignments:
1. Read and follow Chapter 7: Using Text
2. Read and follow Chapter 8: Working with Sound and Video
3. Add sound to your animatio: pre-recorded and record yourself (try voices and sound effects)
4. Create inspiring opening titles to set the anticipation of the viewers.

Week 06: Kinetic Typography
• Review of 1-minute final animations
• Typography: Brief History and Terminology
• Stephen Fry Kinetic Typography - Language
• DAKOTA, Heavy Industries
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Students' works: Daniel Salgado, Lorraine Chan
• Using masks

Assignments:
1. Select 20-30 seconds of dialog from a movie or spoken word that you love. Pay attention to timing: rhythm, rhythm, rhythm.
2. Storyboard it following the instructions on Friends of Ed book! Bring the storyboards into
2. Animate it with text only (color, shape, size) to bring out the narrative, texture and atmosphere.
3. Research and write in your blog about the Quay Brothers in preparation for the visit.

Week 08, October 17: The Quay Brothers at MoMA

• Class visit to MoMA to see the Quay Brothers exhibition. Meeting by the information desk inside the musuem.

Assignments:
1. Write a review of the exhibition. Focus on the stop-motion animation work.
2. View the animations below and write briefly on each one of them.
3. Inspired by the Quay Brothers, create a 30-frames stop motion animation. Take photographs with a digital camera - modify colors and tone to create a mood, import to flash, Choose your frame rate for best performance, set each photo on a keyframe, export as a quicktime and upload to the internet.
4. Email me your grade and a one-paragraph explanation for your choice. Discuss your performance in class, the quality of your homework, what your learned and areas you need to improve and further develop.

Viewing:
Jan Svankmajer
tma/svetlo/tma (Darkness/Light/Darkness)
Dimensions of Dialogue Part 2
Food Pt:1 (1992)
Food Pt:2 (1992)
Norman McLaren, sound work
David Maroto Patchwork Man
Lawrence Jordan

Week 08, Oct 24: Rotoscoping
• In-class review of kinetic typography animation.
• In-class review of stop-motion animation.
• "Waltz with Bashir" movie

Assignments:
1. Write a review of Waltz with Bashir. What animation techniques are used? How does the animation support the development of the story? Research the making of the film. How did they do it? What guided their choices?
2. Film 2-3 seconds of a talking head. Open the movie file in Photoshop. Go to File>export>render video and export as an image sequence (minimum 30 frames). Import the images into Flash frame by frame. This will be the template for the rotoscoping animation. Bring the file to class.

Simple Rotoscoping examples:
Sam Molleur, Drawn with Lines
Ben Arthur, Once upon a time in the woods
Lenka, "Heart Skips a Beat"

Reading:
Frame Rates
Timelines and Keyframes

Week 10: Rotoscoping

• Individual meetings with all students.
• Students work on rotoscoping animation.

Assignments:
1. Watch the movie Waking Life (Blockbuster streams it) and review it - especially focus on how the animation techniques enhances the story.
2. Complete your rotoscoping talking head movie and include opening and closing titles. Upload to blog and drop me a note when it's up.
3. Write a plot and storyboard your final animated movie (3-5 minutes). Plan to incorporate the techniques you learned in class, sound, spoken word and opening and closing titles.

Sandy Storm Makeup class: Movie and dinner on Sunday, November 11.
We're going to see a Wreck-It Ralph at AMC Loews, 312 West 34th Street at 6:45pm, followed by dinner and discussion of the movie at the Greek restaurant Uncle Nick's at 382 8th Avenue (Reservation made). Since this is class, I have to take attendence :).

Week 11: Storyboards and Animatics

• Review rotoscoping animations
• Discuss the movie Waking Life.
• Animatics
• Notes on Character Design

Reading:
The Natural Path
Adobe Design Character pt.1
Adobe Design Character pt.2

Assignment:
Complete your animatics including sound and upload it to your blog.

When you plan your characters: Fully sketched character, hand drawn or computer generated - you may compose the character in Flash. Think ahead, and compose the various parts that will animate into their own layer that may be transformed into a symbol such as: Eyeballs; Eyes; Eyebrows; Mouth; Nose; Upper Arm; Fore Arm; Hands; Body; Legs; Feet... Use yourself as a model, study your movements in front of a mirror - consider all your joints and parts of the body that reflect your character. Consider the various parts of your body that you control independently of other sections of your body. Study your face - your eyes, mouth, eyebrows, consider how emotions are represented. Great character animators are great observers who draw from human nature.

By establishing these various parts of the body you will be able to create more detailed animation. The features listed above are specific to anthropomorphic characters, the shapes that you establish as individual symbols may vary according to the type of character that you are creating. Everyone should be as expressive, creative and detailed as possible.

Week 12

• Review of animatics.

Assignment:
1. Start animating your final movie: 1028x768, 24f/s, 3-5 minutes.
2. Upload work-in-progress on November 28 and email me.
3. Review the movies below.

If you need to draw walking sequences:
• A detailed breakdown tutorial - Walk Cycle by Angry Animator

Viewing:
SUROGAT, 1961 Oscar - Best Animation

Week 13, November 28 (I'm out of town):
1. Upload for final-in-progress and email me.
2. View and review the film Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi. Compare the movie with the graphic novel.

Week 14, December 5: Review of final projects.

• Bringing Flash assets into AfterEffects

Assignement:
1. Bring your movies to near completion. Titles, animation and sound.
2. Render it in AfterEffects, following the instructions above.

Week 15, December 12: Review and feedback for final movies.
Anthony's vcam

Assignment:
1. Complete the movie
2. Submit evaluations
3. Send me an email with your grades and an explanation for the grade.

Week 16, December 19 (finals): Screening of final movies. Same time and place.