Course description:
This course will polish your basic understanding of animation and help you excel in your studies. In this course, we will cover some fundamental animation principles and target your weaknesses by using your current knowledge and areas of strength. By the end of this course, students will have four strong pieces for an internship-ready demo reel.
Audience: College students who are looking for internships or feel behind in their academic year compared to their peers.
Course Start March
Class Structure:
- Settle in (15 min)
- Live critic of each person’s work (30 min)
- Intro lesson (45 min)
- Question time (15 min)
- Break/ Homework Critic (15 min)
- Class time (1 hour)
Unit 1: Strengthen weaknesses (1/2 Class)
Description:
In this class, we will identify the area of animation where the student is struggling the most, and address it by going through relevant lessons and short exercises. The class will be personalized to each student, so the length may be either one or two classes long.
Homework:
Students will design a character and write a description of the character’s personality for the walk cycle.
Unit 2: Character Walk Cycle (2 Classes)
Description:
Students will design a character with a strong personality and reflect that personality in a walk cycle.
Homework:
Students will work on the assignment and get as much done as possible for the next class. Creating a layout for the animation is optional.
Homework from the last class:
Students will prepare their idea, audio, and storyboard for the next class.
Unit 3: Character Acting + Lip-sync (Half Body) (4 classes)
Description:
Students will learn how to animate mouth movements that reflect the character’s emotions. In addition, students will analyze the basics of acting and how small gestures can change the overall emotion of the character. Students will also learn how to use body language, eye direction, expressions, and lip sync to depict acting.
Homework:
Students will work on the assignment and complete as much as possible for the next class. Creating a layout for the animation is optional.
Homework from the last class:
Students will storyboard and create a character design for the next project.
Unit 4: Character Engaging with Object (4 classes)
Description:
Students will learn how characters interact with objects. They will storyboard their ideas and create animation accordingly. In this exercise, students will also incorporate staging and the use of weight in objects.
Homework:
Students will work on the assignment and complete as much as possible for the next class. Creating a layout for the animation is optional.
Homework from the last class:
Students will prepare their ideas, characters, and storyboards for the next class.
Unit 5: Character Action Scene (4 Classes)
Description:
Students will use their knowledge of storytelling to create a dynamic scene of a character performing an action. They will use different camera angles to enhance the storytelling.
Homework:
Students will work on the assignment and complete as much as possible for the next class. Creating a layout for the animation is optional.
Homework from the last class:
Students will prepare their portfolios and prepare for job interviews.
Unit 6: Portfolio + Interview Prep (1 Class)
Description:
Students will have a class on portfolio and interview advice, as well as a regular class.
