Assignment 7: Head Turn

Due Class 14

Animate a head turn that includes the head and shoulders.  The character can be one that exists (such as a Disney character or one from an animated series), or it can be an original characters.  They can be human or an animal, toony or realistic.  The animation can be rough, but it should be clean enough to make out the character clearly.

The head turn may include a Take, but it doesn't have to.

The character's expression and the Acting reason for them to turn their head is up to you.

Your character's starting and ending position is up to you, but the head turn should be dramatic enough to be clear.

When grading, I will be looking for:

• Is the character on model?
• Volume control
• Use of Arcs - the character's head shouldn't just rotate in place.  Usually there's an upward or downward swing to it.
• Timing/Spacing, Ease In/Ease Out - is the head turn too even?  Swimmy?  Too fast or with awkward pacing?
• Overlapping Action/Followthrough - is there appropriate drag on any elements that hang or stick out from the character, such as hair, long ears, whiskers, antennae, popped collar, long jowls, etc.?

Examples

Assignment 6: Pantomime

Due Class 11

Create a pantomime animation of a flour sack character that emphasizes an emotion.  It can be shock, anger, excitement, sadness, disappointment or any other emotion, but whatever you choose has to be clear in the animation.  What causes the flour sack to feel this way, how the story begins or ends is up to you.

I would recommend having something on screen to help give visual cues as to why the flour sack feels the way it does.  This could be a static background, or foreground elements.  The elements can move, but they don't have to.

Examples of Flour Sack Animations

Assignment 3: Overlapping Action Exercise

Due Class 8

Using what we're learning with the pendulum and the flag, create a moving object that has something hanging from it.  The moving object is the driving force, and the hanging object is reacting.  The hanging object could be above or below the driving force.

Examples:

• An arm waving a flag.
• A basic floating rectangle with a pendulum attached.
• Green Goblin's hanglider with Spider-Man hanging from it.  
• Someone riding a mechanical bull.

The purpose of this assignment is to help foster an understanding of overlapping action and drag.  The main action could come to a stop on screen, fly off screen, hit something, etc.  It doesn't matter how the action begins or ends, so long as there is some kind of beginning and some kind of ending.  The action should not just come to a sudden stop.  Any changes in speed and trajectory of the main object should influence the attached object.

I recommend keeping it simple so the focus can stay on animating.

What I will be looking for when grading:

• Volume control
• Are there two elements?  Which element is the lead and which is the follower?
• Is there overlapping action and drag?
• Are there any technical problems, such as elements appearing or disappearing?  Does the animation have a beginning and ending?  Does the video last far longer than the animation itself?

Assignment 5: Gesture Drawings

Due Class 9

Create a sheet of gesture drawings for a flour sack character, which you will be animating for in the next assignment. 

The sheet should have at least 5 drawings, showing different poses and emotions.  Try to avoid drawing the character from the same angle and in relatively similar poses - see if you can change it up!  Jumping, sitting, running, laying, twisting, handstands, rolling, try to see if you can get the most out of your flour sack's body shape.

You can choose the details on what the flour sack looks like, but the 5 poses should look like they belong to the same 'character'.

The drawings do not have to be inked or in color, but should be clean enough to clearly read what the character is doing.  The drawings can be done on paper or digitally, but will need to be turned in digitally.  For those who drew traditionally, you can scan the images onto the computer using the scanner, or take a clear picture of them with your phone to submit through the server.

Student Examples:

Assignment 2: Bouncing Ball

Due Class 4

Create a short animation of a bouncing ball with at least one obstacle that will change the speed and trajectory of the ball.  Keep in mind gravity, weight and using squash and stretch to create exaggeration.  No set length, as long as it’s long enough to encompass the bouncing ball at 24 frames per second.

Keep in mind gravity's effect on an object - how it will cause the ball to slow down as it nears the top of the arc, and then speed up as it descends.  Also, we don't want to just replicate reality, but exaggerate it.  Really try and show that impact of the ball striking the ground.

What I will be thinking about when grading:
     Clarity:  Can we tell what's going on?
     Animation: Ease:  Does it slow down as it nears the top of the arc and speed up before impact?  Squash and Stretch:  Does the ball appear to change shape to help emphasize speed?  Arcs:  When the ball reaches the top of its bounce and comes back down it should move in an arc unless it's hitting something (like a ceiling).  Can we see gravity's effect on the ball?  Is the animation exaggerated to emphasize impact?
     Technical:  Does the ball move out of alignment at any point? Are there artifacts, or layers that disappear prematurely or last too long?

Don't forget to leave an artist statement on your blog, talking about your creative and technical process.


Student Examples:

 

Assignment 1: Blog

Create a blog for this class.  Blogger is recommended, but Tumblr or any other blog that allows video and image uploads are allowed.  Throughout the semester you will be uploading your assignments and projects, along with an artist statement.  The blog will be your artistic journal for the rest of the semester, and will be graded at the end.

Some videos may be too large to fit.  When that happens, you may create a Vimeo or YouTube account and simply link it to the blog.

Here are instructions on how to use Blogger:

1. Go to www.blogger.com

2. Create a New Account.

a. If you already have an account on there, then skip this step.

b. Blogger will provide instructions on how to make a new account.

3. Once your account is created, start a new blog. Give it any kind of fun title so long as it’s something that’s still obviously yours.

4. Make one post, saying who you are, your experience with animation (even and what you expect to learn from this class. You’re welcome to just write it normally, or if you want to add silly answers or take a fun approach to it (treat it like an interview, talk in third person, etc.) you’re welcome to. 

5. You are welcome to use templates, or change the colors/layout of your blog to anything so long as it’s readable and I can see the posts.  

6. Submit the link to your blog to me.