Thursday, February 12, 2009

Animation Class - Day 1 (assignments)

Respond to the following 2 questions (1 in class / 1 out of class assignment):
Note: Create a 'username' at the front of your reply (eg. AnimAL: I think the future of animation...)

Step 1:  Sign in to your Gmail account (click here to create a Gmail account) and then come back to this page (bookmark it if you can)
 - this will allow for 'comments' to be posted and shared in our next class.


Step 2: Click on the 'respond to this posting' box at the end of this posting and answer the following questions:


Question 1: (In class)
"What do you know about animation, hardware and software (already) AND/OR what are your expectations for this class?"

Question 2: (Out of class/assignment - research)
"What is the direction that YOU see animation going in the future?"  Reflect on current trends if you can't 'predict' the future of animation.  Provide links (copy and paste) if possible.

I am adding the following items to your research potential. Click on the hyperlinks

(as I referenced them in class):



 

Adobe Flash 10 (CS4 Professional) User Guide – not a tutorial:


http://help.adobe.com/en_US/Flash/10.0_UsingFlash/ 


 

Using 'motion tweens' in Flash: http://tv.adobe.com/#vi+f1590v1014

 

Animating a character (drawing) in Flash / started in class (trt:1 hour):


https://admin.adobe.acrobat.com/_a295153/p46515568/

 

Still frame artist / 3-D illustrator / Matte Background Artist (adds depth to your work):

http://www.jjassodigitalworks.com/mattepainting.html  

 

**Remember to bring a B&W drawing (in your sketchbook) to class. If you want to (or can) Xerox it for a color 'comp'. We'll use Photoshop when everybody has done this assignment (and we have a scanner).


8 comments:

  1. AnimAL: I think the future of animation is AWESOME...I see a number of TV commercials that are using animation MORE and MORE. I've linked to a YouTube (posting link here) and think this is a great example that I'd like to share.

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  2. Animation is something I'm not too familiar with. I really like illustration so I took this class to learn a little bit more about animation. I know very little about computer hardware and software. I have some knowledge on how to use photoshop but not much. I am really interested in learning how to use AfterEFX and expanding my knowledge with Photoshop.

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  3. I think the future of animation is moving in the direction of being more available to everyone. It used to be animation was just done by places like Disney. Now you can do animation from home by watching tutorials and having the right hardware and software. YouTube has many "homeade" animation examples.
    Here's one:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ntob79RHeE&NR=1

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great suggestions for a link, Kara. For everyone else, if you haven't seen the 'stick man' series of animations, you should 'copy and paste' this link provided into your browser. Open a 'new' window so that you can go back to this posting and provide your own comments.

    I saw the '1st' version a few years ago, but was certainly glad to see that this animator is still at it. The compositions were created in a number of softwares - using Flash as a 'theme'. This was A LOT of work, as I'm sure you are either aware, or will soon come to discover (and appreciate).

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  5. I have been noticing animation in our current culture a lot. Many commercials have started using animation instead of using actors or they use animation in addition to using actors. Animation is now easier because you do not have to hand draw every single frame, while you still have to create each frame, you can copy and paste stuff. I am really excited to see where animation goes in the future because its only going to get better. But, I still think the homemade quality of cut out animation has a certain uniqueness to it than cannot be created with computers.

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  6. Thanks, Kim - I appreciate that you are 'noticing' animation as being more prevalent in 'our current culture'. Being aware of the potentials (as they exist) requires our developing an understanding of basic vocabulary in regard to animation. Copy and paste are 'huge' in regard to using computers - almost as important as using the 'shift' key.
    The uniqueness of 'cut out animation' reflects the 'style' of the animator (whom I better term an 'artist').
    I would encourage a balance in the context - or the way things look (the style, animation approach whether 'stop motion' or 'computer animation').
    Additionally, taking your art to another level as these artists are doing - I term the 'cyclical process' for art and would encourage your reading the following 'blog' I've posted via your Gmail account.
    (copy and paste the following into your browser:) http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dfz4qdn2_6cgphhxct&hl=en

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  7. I think the future of animation is more 3D animation, mostly because 3D animation is getting more popular with movies and commercials. I think 3D animation will also become more and more simplistic in the future that almost anyone could do it. I myself, have played with 2D animation programs like Scratch. I also have experience in stop motion animation with LEGOs. Try this link for one of my videos: http://www.youtube.com

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  8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-hDtdEaCeM

    Oops - try this link.

    ReplyDelete