Homework for Monday, March 4th

Develop the animatic of your chosen story! Bring the completed animatic to class. Be sure to start by implementing the drawings you have already created before adding new ones. Remember to flesh out the actions of your story!

If you want to go ahead, take care of parts of your animatic in this order.

• Integrate your thumbnails.
• Time your animatic in a rough sense with thumbnails only.
• Start adding drawings to flesh out the action within.
• Time your animatic again. Each time you do, you will improve the flow and pacing of your story.
• Extra note: Keep your animatic within the 30 second time frame.
• At this stage, you will probably see some stuff you can take out. Be willing to remove elements of your story that don't work as well.
• Once you like the art, start adding camera angles.
• remember to draw arrows on panels to indicate important movements from one panel to another!
• Once done, make a 960x540 movie and bring your thumbnails from sticky notes and index cards, your storyboard pro project files and your animatic to class!

TIP: Look for finished storyboards online to get a good idea of what makes a "quality" animatic sequence!

Example below: Spongebob Squarepants

Example Below:  Batman The Animated Series



Example Below: Avatar: Legend of Korra - Pro Bending Competition




This is a good example of how you can integrate 3D models, photographs, and other elements into your animatic!  Using outside sources can speed up the process of producing something clear and easy to understand for audiences!



Example: Gravity Falls





Example: Adventure Time

Motivational Comic: "Be friends with Failure," and "Fun Gets Done"

https://doodlealley.com/2013/10/28/fun-gets-done/

https://doodlealley.com/2012/10/10/be-friends-with-failure/

For Wednesday: Continue taking notes on your story ideas! Continue making changes and updating your stories based on the exercise we used in the previous post! On Wednesday, we will start class choosing one of our stories to adapt for our films.  We will also talk advanced scheduling, and build some calendars to target each part of our film in a reasonable, manageable, creatively fulfilling way!

In short: LIFE SKILLS, YO!

Make notes of the following:

• Strengths of the film.
• Weakness of the film.
• Strategies you have to complete the film in a month!
• Strengths of your artistry with respects to the film.
• Weaknesses you want to work on.

Questions you have to develop your weaknesses while building on your strengths?

Notes of Story Development and editing

STORYTELLING NOTES:

• Name
• Date
• Tentative Titles of your Three Stories
• Brief synopsis of the stories themselves:
• Who is the story about?
• What is the problem/challenge the character faces?
• How does it end? (if you are still not sure about your stories, starting at the ending and working backwards is a great idea!
• Who, from class, did you talk with about your stories? (At least 2 people)
• What feedback did you receive?
• What was the strongest and most successful part of each story?
• What was the weakest?
• What solutions were offered?
• What changes did you make to your stories? What new material have you brought to class?

If you were absent, add the following notes to your sketchbook, and complete the exercise below!  It should take about an hour to an hour and a half. Once finished, use this method to improve all of your stories!

------------------------------------------

CONSIDERATIONS: "How to write a better animated story!"
Before you edit your story, you should consider these five things:

• 1.  Feasibility: Can it be done?  Number of characters, environments, etc.
• New Term: "Character seconds:"  The number of actual seconds of animation you produce in a film, per character.
• If you are animating a 30 second story, and there are 2 characters on screen the whole time, you are actually creating 60 seconds of animation! (30 seconds per character!)
• 2. Great Examples of Character Animation!
• Your portfolio will need samples of characters acting on screen, with clearly defined movement.  It serves as the foundation of any good, competitive animation portfolio!
• The thing we remember most about our animated 
• 3. Is it Interesting? Why?
• What makes the story interesting to you?  To other people? If your story has some element that generates intrigue, or curiosity in the audience, you're on your way to making an interesting film!
• 4. Does the story have a clearly defined ending?
• Amazing films have been completely destroyed by a muddy ending. You should resolve your conflicts, resolve the problem, and let us know what happens in the end!
• 5. Be able to answer these three questions about your story:
• Who is it about?
• What is the problem the character faces?
• How does it end?
• Does the character succeed? Fail?
• If you are not sure about what to do with your film, starting with the ending and working backwards is a great place to start!
• 6. REMEMBER: Great writing is constructed.
• Great stories are built over time! KEEP WHAT WORKS and GET RID OF THE REST!
• As an animator, the best advice I can give you is to "be willing to throw away a drawing at any time!" Making new drawings and improving incrementally is part of the process!
• 7. As a final note: If you are ever not sure about a storytelling decision, pick something, anything, and just go with it.  You will learn more by trying out a strange idea than you would waiting for the perfect idea to come.

------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------------

 Workshop:  STORY EDITING FOR ANIMATION:

--------------------------------------------------

In your story: 

Find a portion of the story you know works well.

• write down: Why does ________ work? / Why do “I” like _______?
• mark them with a star!

Next, write down this question (or a question like it): What qualities do I have in panel/sequence “______” that is missing in my other panels?

• can refer to anything
• story devices, cinematography, art, characterization, audience reaction, anything.

In about 4 minutes: make a list of every change you would make to your story to make every panel share the same level of quality.
Select the two brainstormed ideas you think will be most successful.

• underline them, highlight them, put a star next to them, try anything.

Using two index cards, (or a number of them for future projects), make a change to two sections of your story to improve the whole film.

• use the two brainstormed ideas you underlined in your notes!
• use one card for each idea!
• make two changes to your film, and then review the whole story!
• Draw a new panel for that shot. Replace the old one. Don’t worry if the film is not 100% better. We’re looking for INCREMENTAL growth! Great works of art and cinema are built over time, not all at once!

Take 15-25 minutes to improve your stories!

• This should help you better flesh out your stories, and start to develop a sense of which ones you really like, and which ones you want to change.

Next: Split into two groups of 2! (if you were absent, contact a classmate by facebook, email, or some other method!)

• Person A: Give a brief synopsis of the story. Pitch! Be active in your speech and acting!
• Mention the biggest problem you currently face with the story (what is working the least?) Ask Person B about possible solutions!
• Person B: Offer solutions first. Then, make note of anything that is currently working well in each story, and any other constructive comments you may have.
• Switch!

Next step: Take 3-4 minutes to brainstorm some ideas you have about “DEVELOPING THE VISUALS” of your film?

• Designs you would like to try?
• Shot choices you are unsure about.
• Drawing skills you would like to develop.
• Drawing skills you would like to refine.
• Things about the design you think are missing from your film!

Share ideas with each other about strategies to apply to your stories!

• Include any websites or references, other films or sequences to look at, etc.

After everyone has shared visuals, share any other thoughts you have about your film ideas and your stories!

• The point of this class is to develop a process to direct yourself and figure out solutions to your own problems.  The biggest hang-up any film-maker has during the movie-making process is making decisions! The better you can make decisions, the easier it is to improve as an artist, animator, and film-maker! =D

--------------------------------------------------

Once you have completed this, you may begin to see why this exercise is important.  It trains you to be self-sufficient in developing your specific ideas, while keeping you focused on the big picture of each story!  It helps you articulate your challenges and successes! It also helps you stay open-minded about making new decisions.  

We are always more confident about helping others than we are with helping ourselves.  By the end of the semester, I hope each of you can gain some extra confidence in your animating and art-making abilities! =D

If you are uncertain about the length of your story, scan your drawings, import them into storyboard pro, and take 30 minutes to make a short animatic of your 12 panels!

If you have any questions about this exercise, please let me know!

MIDTERMS CHECKLIST

Midterms Checklist:

On Wednesday, February 27th, please make sure you have the following items turned into the server. For each project, you should turn in two folders: (1) Your toonboom harmony and storyboard folders so I can check the art itself and (2) renders, photographs, or scanned in images of any other content you have created.

Proper naming conventions for your renders are also listed.

Project 1: Your lip-sync project

• [project files, rendered video of the end result, and any references, character design and environment designs you have created.]
• Animatic/storyboards [lastname_lipsync1]
• Final video: [lastname_lipsync2]

Project 2: Your special effects project.

• [project files, rendered video of the end result, and any references, character design and environment designs you have created.]
• Final video [lastname_fx1]

Project 3: Current progress on your first short animated film! Include the following:

• scans of your thumbnails (ideas you have created on index cards or sticky notes)
• any design materials you create this week, and any edits you have made thus far!
• As we are continuing working on these projects, I am only looking for the progress we have made thus far!

Homework for Monday, February 25th, 2019

Great work this week!  For your weekend assignment, you are to create and bring to class THREE(3) STORY IDEAS for your solo film!

• Each idea should be developed using the in-class exercise we have done in class. Remember, that when you get to the final step listed below, you should keep developing panels in increments of 3 until you have 10-12 panels for your story.
• YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO OVER 12 PANELS!  This is to keep your stories within the 30 second time frame.
• RUNTIME FOR FINAL FILM: 30 Seconds
• Subject: Any of your choosing!
• If you were absent from our in-class exercise, you will need to show proof of completion of these three sets of story ideas in class on monday!
• In addition, start designing any elements for each of your stories that you deem important! Draw sketches of important items, characters, props, environments, and anything else. In this early stage, the more you do, the better off you will be!

On MONDAY, I will post your project submission method for midterms. Make sure you have rendered files of each assignment you have completed so far!

Class Start Time @ 9:20 Today!

Hello Everyone!

Due to unforseen events, our class's start time will occur at 9:20 today.  As soon as I arrive, we will get started on our in-class exercise.

See you then!
~Shaw

Homework for Wednesday, Feb 20th:

Come to class with the following:

• Index cards! *3x5 or 4x6 is fine. Just make sure you have at least one blank side to draw on. We will be recreating our storytelling exercise today!
• Pencils, pens for inking, some type of additional media for coloring on index cards.
• A pack of thumbtacks for yourself!  A small pack of 30 is fine.
• Three ideas for films you would like to create! (Draw some rough sketches to speed up your workflow in class on wednesday! If you want to do our exercise for each story, feel free! We will continue developing tomorrow!)
• Your lightpad for seeing through your art!

Watch the following video This video provides some additional notes on storytelling methods!

Speaker: Kent Osborne
Talk: Bringing Adventure Time to Life
(providing insight to Cartoon Network's storyboarding and writing development practices.)

NOTES FROM CLASS ARE WRITTEN BELOW, INCLUDING STEPS TO REPLICATE OUR CLASS EXERCISE!

SHORT-FORMAT ANIMATED FILM PRODUCTION

• Animated short: Usually 7 minutes or less.
• Most for students: 1-3 minutes.
• Question: What do you create? And who are you creating it for?
• There IS an audience out there for the kind of content “I” want to create. I just have to bring it to them.
• VISIBILITY! (ideas, intent, and artistry!)
• Ask yourself: What is the purpose of my art (animated film) for…
• My portfolio and professional stuff
• The art itself
• For “me”?

STORY DEVELOPMENT!

• “script-based” story development and “storyboard-based”.
• both methods can have “story structure” applied to them.
• Story structure: The framework behind your story. Story Structure is designed to help make your story more interesting!
• Examples:
• Three Act Structure: “Television format, the most commonly used form of storytelling on TV.” (beginning, the middle, and the end).
• Nine-Act Structure:  Three Big Acts of a Movie, composed of little tiny “three acts”
• FIVE ACT STRUCTURE: Commonly used in plays. Focuses on introducing the world, characters, problems, challenges, and solutions in that order.
• TWO ACT STRUCTURE: Commonly used for time skips, or setting the stage of important events in ACT 1, and presenting the fallout of those events in ACT 2.
• SHORT FILMS: You want to get their attention in the FIRST, THREE SECONDS.

WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR STORY?

 THE ENDING!

• Why? The ending, resolves the story, and leaves the lasting impression on your audience! If you know what your ending should be, you can BUILD BACKWARDS from it to the beginning of your story!

NOTE: USING THREE ACT STRUCTURE TO MAKE LONGER FORMAT CONTENT

• Strategies:
• Sweeping Narratives:  Short stories that build to an epic conclusion
• Isolated Events:  Episodes that can be watched in any order that covers that character’s life in moments

IN CLASS STORYTELLING EXERCISE: ( Get 12 sticky notes in front of you, and then answer these 4 questions in your notes)

• who is your character?
• what does your character want right now?
• Does your character get it? Yes or no?
• How do they react?

Then! Using your sticky notes (thus forth called panels), create the following! (time limits are in parenthesis)

• Panel 1: Draw your character! (2 minutes)
• On the back of panel 1: Draw what your character wants! Starting with a desire keeps your story character focused and makes it easier to construct your narrative!
• Panel 2: Draw the ending to your story! (2 minutes!)
• As a reminder, the story does not have to focus on the need. it just needs to wrap up using the elements you have established!
• Panel 3: Draw the beginning to your story! (2 minutes!)
• Figure out a way to set up the final events that take place. If we end “here,” where do we begin?
• Panel 4:  Draw an event that takes place in-between the beginning and end of your story! (3 minutes!)
• Do you draw an interesting struggle that takes place? Do you draw a scene that becomes the climax of your story? Or something that leads us into the events that takes place?
• Panel 5 and 6: At the same time, draw two events that flesh out your story, between the beginning and ending. (4 minutes, divided up as you choose between two panels)
• What is currently missing from the story to have it flow better?  Do you want to add any interesting plot twists? Or have some additional event that raises the stakes of the situations?
• Panel 7:  Add a final panel. This panel can go anywhere. (3 minutes)
• This panel can be used to give more motive to the beginning of the story, or the ending, or flesh out some events within. You can also erase and change some of the events you have already drawn.
• Once done, take panels 2-7, lay them out in order, and look at the events!  See if the story is coherent and flows well, and show it to others!  Make notes on ideas that would make the story easier.

Notes from Class and FX Animation Project Notes!

Practical Animation Advice for THE FX PROJECT:

• Question: How do you make the most of the time you have?
• YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT TO DO GREAT IDEAS!
• You just have to make the idea MANAGEABLE within the time frame.
• EFFECTS ANIMATION: the overall IMPACT of that effect.
• how it looks, how it moves, how realistic or stylized it is
• YOU CHOOSE these elements!

PROJECT:

• Research a cool effect you would like to do. When we speak of effects: We are speaking about ELEMENTS and FORCES:
• fire
• smoke
• water
• plasma (lightning)
• flashes of light
• impact frames
• motion blur (any other speed frames)
• cloth
• and many more!
• Find a video or videos online of the effect you would like to do.
• if you find multiple ones, make sure at least half of your research comes from real-world examples (IRL)
• Figure out a short SIX SECOND(6) sequence to animate (storyboard and animate) that demonstrates applied use of this element and effect
• PREPRODUCTION: STARTS TODAY.
• it is okay to think about what colors you want your EFFECT to be, but DO NOT do anything else with color before class next monday.
• PRODUCTION STARTS THIS WEDNESDAY AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS AND ENDS NEXT WEDNESDAY AT THE END OF CLASS.

IMPORTANT CONCEPTS FOR FX ANIMATION:

• emitters - the origin of that effect or element. Where does it come from? What energy is used to make it move?
• direction - where is that effect going?
• gravity - how gravitational force effects the way that element moves.
• decay - how the element disappears over time. Does it evaporate? turn into another element? etc.
• impact - how much force the element creates when it comes in contact with another body.
• stickiness - how much the element attaches to another object.
• body - The entity that is the object itself. Each element effect, and the objects it come in contact with are bodies. What’s important to remember is that each body has different classifications attached to it! You want to pay attention to which body is the GREATER FORCE and which body is the REACTIVE FORCE.

Great Posts to Study for This Week!

This week's topics: The Animation Production Pipeline and FX Animation!

Animation Production Pipeline:

Preproduction

• Story Outline or Script
• Thumbnails
• Character and Environment Designs
• When story is approved: Figuring out your production budget. (Time and resources needed to create it)
• Storyboards
• Animatics
• Layout
• Sheet Timing
• Scratch Tracks (Sound effects and Voice Work can be done early to get a better feel for the content)
• Hero Shots (Single images showing how the final version of the film should look.
• Scheduling: Figuring out a date to complete your film and the small milestones needed within.

Production

• Key Animation
• Breakdown Frames Creation
• Inbetween Animation
• Cleanup (Lineart)
• Color Art and Painting
• Painting Backgrounds
• FX animation
• Title or Credit Animation (if you are designing the beginning and end cards of your film)
• (Business note: You would probably wa

Post Production

• Audio (Sound Effects and Voice Work if not done already
• Editing (Taking your animated shots and putting them together in a program like premiere)
• Special FX: any additional effects that needs to be added to your content.
• Title Sequence and Credits Sequence Animation and Compositing
• Mastering (Balancing audio levels)
• Producing a final cut ( Editing everything together into a final mix for people to see.)
• Distribution (exporting your content to all file formats and distributing it via dvds blu ray discs, the web, etc.

LINKS:

Thumbnails to Animatics:  A great document about managing an animation production!
http://floobynooby.blogspot.com/2016/11/thumbnails-to-animatics.html

A blogger site with great examples of FX animation: FlashFX.blogspot.com

The Slow Mo Guys: A Compendium of everyday (and not so everyday) activities filmed in slow motion:  https://www.youtube.com/user/theslowmoguys


Goals for this week:
1. By wednesday: Produce a complete FX animation shot. (6 seconds)
2. Start figuring out what you want to do for a 30-second short film.