Your Projects So Far…. Reflections January 13, 2010
Posted by wagongrrl in General.142 comments
We are well underway with the Stop-Motion project. Take some time to reflect upon your project so far; your topic, putting your ideas down on paper, plot development, character development, set building, and for those who have started, using the laptop and camera and iStopMotion.
I would like you to take some time to write a comment answering the following questions:
- What has been the most difficult part of this project so far for your group?
- What one accomplishment are you most pleased with so far?
- What tip or advice would you share with other groups who may be having difficulty with putting their ideas “into motion”?
You can comment on this the same way you do with the blogs you use in your other classes. Once I approve the comments they will appear on the blog for everyone else to see.
thanks!!!!!
Stop-Motion Animation Project January 4, 2010
Posted by wagongrrl in General.2 comments
All classes have started the stop-motion project. Each group should have decided upon their topic/idea and started planning the set, cast, and script. If you need extra handouts they are in the file crate at the front of the computer lab.
I will post links to stop-motion animations so each team can be inspired by, or get ideas for, their own projects. Stay tuned.
This week all groups must:
- Bring in your building materials!!! You cannot build your set out of nothing.
- Backdrops and Backgrounds. What is the background to your set? What material will you be using? Examples of materials for the backdrop are: paper, cardboard, cloth, drawings, cutout shapes, painting
- Develop your storyline and your characters. You need to have something to “film” and you must have a story to tell.
Animated Gifs Showcase December 4, 2009
Posted by wagongrrl in Animation, Assignments.Tags: Animation, student work
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As student’s hand in their animations I will be posting them in the student work section of The Computer School website.
Here are the animations that have been handed in so far:
The 12 Principles of Animation December 1, 2009
Posted by wagongrrl in Animation, Reference.Tags: Animation, Reference
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Squash and stretch
Achieving the illusion of weight and flexibility with characters or objects. This bouncing ball example demonstrates this principal.
Student Examples: trampoline by Abigail
Anticipation
This movement prepares the audience for an action the character is about to perform, such as, starting to run, jump or change expression. Anticipations are short actions performed right before main ones, like crouching a little before jumping or swinging your leg back before kicking a ball.
Staging
Background design should not hide the animation or competing with it. Background and animation should work together as a unit in a scene. The use of long, medium, or close up shots and camera angles also helps in telling the story.
Straight ahead action and pose to pose
There have traditionally been 2 approached to creating action in animation. This is a more complex and complicated concept, take a look at this web site for some animated examples of creating animated action.
Straight Ahead: This style of animation to create flowing movement and high action. This can be shown by drawing a pose then laying down another sheet of paper over the first and directly drawing the next pose completely from scratch. This can cause some warping in the look of the character but will also create a fluid motion.
Pose to Pose: This works best when you create exaggerated drawings. If one character is about to punch another character, the first illustration should have the character winding far back. You can then draw the final pose with the fist extended all the way out, the body bent over and the person hit flying backwards.
Follow through and overlapping action
Nothing stops all at once. This is follow through. When characters come to a stop or start moving or even change direction, not all their body parts and appendages do it at the same time.
Slow in and slow out
The more frames a given action takes, the slower it is — and vice-versa: the less frames, the faster it seems to happen onscreen.
Arcs
All actions, with few exceptions (such as the animation of a mechanical device), follow an arc or slightly circular path.
Secondary action
Click on the horse below to see the tail and mane “action” or movement which is second to the main action – the horse legs moving (running).
Timing
Timing is everything in animation. The more drawings between poses slows and smooths the action. Fewer drawings make the action faster and crisper. A variety of slow and fast timing within a scene adds texture and interest to the movement.
Exaggeration
To emphasize by overstating a feature or characteristic of an object or person.
Solid drawing
Great animators have excellent drawing skills. Like most things in life, practice is the best way to become better at something. Take a look a this website for some tips on drawing cartoon characters. The basic principles of drawing form, weight, volume solidity and the illusion of three dimension apply to animation as it does to academic drawing.
Appeal
Animated characters must appeal to the audience. An animated character has appeal. Appealing animation does not mean just being cute and cuddly. All characters have to have appeal whether they are heroic, villainous, comic or cute. Like all forms of story telling, the feature has to appeal to the mind as well as to the eye.
Flip Books November 20, 2009
Posted by wagongrrl in Animation.Tags: Animation, Assignments
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Fantastic Flip Book making going on in the classes. Flip books first made an appearance in the mid 1800’s. Take a look at some of the links below that talk about and show examples of old flipbooks. There are also several links to online (digital) flipbook makers that you should try your animation skills and save some of your best work so you can bring it into class and show your classmates. Also remember to check the links page on this blog for other flip book animation activities.
