Pick a process!

For the next week of school you will pick an area of focus and try your hand at learning something new (or getting better at something if you kind of already know something about it). This is a short week of learning. The purpose is to get enough of an overview of the process that you could select this process/software to apply to a final end of the year project if desired. There are two animation concepts you can choose from:

1. Rotoscoping with Photoshop or Flash
2. 3D modeling with Blender

You will have one week to check it out, investigate and make a short, small assignment.

Rotoscoping

Assignment: Please watch the rotoscoped videos below. Then watch the movie linked to Good Explanation of the Process (below). As evidence of your learning, you will create a simple 10 second rotoscope test using video capture with Photo Booth on the Mac, and Photoshop or Flash. You will record your face or body using PhotoBooth on the Mac (no audio), and combine it with little drawings and other graphical elements painted in photoshop or created as symbol art in Flash. Remember you can also apply filters to your video in Photoshop. This will simply be a test, not necessarily a work of art. You will then be asked to consider some questions about rotoscoping.

Rotoscoped sample videos:
A-Ha (the Grandaddy of them all, winning numerous MTV awards)
Ladyhawke
Linkin Park
Kanye West
The Paper Chase 
Doppelganger
Skateboarder

Good explanation of the process

You will demonstrate at the end of the week your progress over 10 seconds, 12 fps, 120 frames. I will want to see a Photoshop file or Flash file with a video layer, and other layers that combine drawings etc. NO AUDIO! (at least for now)

1. Video file (this will be the project format)
2. In a layer you will import your video
3. In a layer on top of video you will have a draw layer for your drawings. 
4. You may also want a duplicate of the video layer in case you want to try filtering frames of your video with filters.

Steps in photoshop (will be better for drawing and filters)

1. New File-Video File, NTSC 720x470
2. New Video Layer-import video clip
3. Make a new blank video layer on top for drawings
4. Duplicate the video layer if you want to try some filters on your video

 Steps in Flash (will be better for timeline tweened animation)

1. Import a video file into the timeline-it must be flv compatible, so you may need to convert to flv, or a format compatible with Flash.
2. Make a new blank layer on top for drawings
3. Make new layers as necessary for symbols and graphics
   

 ----------------OR-------------------


Blender 3D

Assignment: Please complete the tutorials below. You will turn in one model as listed below (glass model from second tutorial-see below), and answer a short easy quiz that matches up terms and concepts with menus within blender.

Blender Cookie Tutorials-
There are 6 mini tutorial movies in this linked page. You should watch movies 2-6.

Getting Started with Blender(getting started with Blender with Alex Cordebard)
Assuming you have completed movies 2-6 above, you will watch the linked tutorial above and follow along. You will create the glass at the end of the video and turn it in as a rendered png file. You should be able to discuss terms and concepts including 1-10 below, and do a match up quiz at the end:

1. Object Mode vs. Edit Mode
2. Vertex, Face, Edge
3. Extrude
4. Modifiers, Subdivide
5. Loop Cuts, Edge Loops
6. Mesh
7. Duplicate, Mirror, Scale, Rotate
8. x, y, z axis
9. Solid, wireframe
10. Flat, Smooth Shading, Lighting

Please complete this short second semester survey-thanks

2D to 3D

Write a response to the following questions:

1. Of the movies you watched right before the break in class, which was your favorite? Why?
2. Do you think Snow White still holds up today?
3. Do you think Monster in Paris seemed like other 3D movies you have seen recently from a story  and visual perspective? Explain your yes or no answer. 

PSA Examples

Please look at the following PSAs:

1. Drunk Driving
2. Drunk Driving-Legos
3. Drunk Driving
4. Texting
5. Texting
6. Texting
7. Bullying
8. Bullying
9. Pollution
10. Gaming
11. Bullying

Cool Movie about Bullying

Essential Group Questions:

1. Which of these are the best at persuasion? Why?

2. Which of these do you think would be most effective at getting audience members to respond to the 'call to action'?

3. Which of these makes the best use of statistics?

4. Do statistics add to a PSA, or do they take away from the PSA? Are they useful for persuasion and accomplishing the desired goal of getting someone to respond to the 'call to action'?

5. What is the call to action in each commercial? Is it specific or is it up to the audience to decide what to do?

6. Which has the best story? Is this one also the most persuasive?

7. Which has the best art? Is this one also the most persuasive?

8. Which appeals to the broadest audience? Is this one also the most persuasive?
9. Which one uses audio most effectively?  Why?

What can you learn from these PSAs that you can apply to your PSA?

Character Emotion-Snow White

Character Emotion

Watch Snow White

Essential Questions:

1. As you watch, list the characters as they unfold in the movie. Describe some emotions you see, how are those emotions shown (bodily gesture, music, dialog, interactions, lighting/style and design). 
2. Pay attention to the characters and their lines of action. As we stop the movie, you will draw the lines of action seen on the screen in a particular character. (Use your sketch book).

Storyboards and Scripts

Please read this pdf file about storyboards, and then answer the following questions:

1. What is meant by capturing the aesthetics of your animation?
2. The article suggests that you show a single frame of storyboard for the key moments in your animation. In your animation, what are the key moments?
3. What are the emotions you will show in your piece? How can you make sure to capture those in your storyboard, to make sure your animation conveys the intended emotions?
4. Your storyboard should show all scenes of your animation. Within scenes, what should a storyboard show?
5. What is duration? How can you include notes about duration in your storyboard?
6. The article suggests that for each scene you include 1 frame that does or describes what?

Please read this article about different kinds of storyboard and answer:

1. List the 4 different storyboard formats in this article and their use or benefit.
2. Which storyboard type is the best for your PSA project?

Collaborative vs. Individual

Working collaboratively in groups is often included as an important 21st century skill. Collaboration has many advantages including distribution of work, use of diverse skills to achieve optimal output, shared ideas and problem solving.

Optimal collaborative output happens when a team understands the single goal, shares in the commitment, and desires to advance the project together. The most effective teams share some common traits. Among those are:

1. Team members with diverse skills each contributing in a meaningful way at similar professional levels. For example, an animation team could have writers, sketch artists, character designers, audio engineers, animators with advanced drawing skills, animators with excellent software skills. and others. Even though these are different jobs, the skills in the individual areas may be at a high level. When a team member lacks a skill required of the project, the group suffers. Often group members shun the other team member, or feel they are not working, when in fact, maybe the real problem is a lack of the necessary training or experience. 
2. Often effective teams are comprised of at least 2 people who have worked together effectively in the past. The strength of the two often push the project forward and provide the organization necessary for optimal output.
3. Team members take responsibility and also dig deeply into their area and achieve a state of flow in their work.

In your group, answer the following questions and be prepared to share out responses:

What do you do when you have a team member who either lacks skills, lacks commitment, lacks focus or cannot achieve the desired 'flow' necessary for completion?

What do you do if you are that person, how can you move your skills forward? What if you are not interested in the project, what can you do? Are you powerless?

What do you do if you feel your team is underestimating or usurping your responsibility?

Identify the skills in the individuals in your group. List those skills. How can these skills be used in your PSA?

Think of a group project in which you were a group member that was successful in all ways, successful both in terms of the group and the project outcome. What were the qualities that allowed for the successful collaborative effort?