THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : Design

Undergraduate Course: Animation 3B: Experimental Animation (DESI10096)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course is designed to encourage animation students to think beyond the norms of commercial animation whether for consumption via cinema, TV or internet, or indeed to consider whether it appears on a screen at all. It requires thinking structurally and systematically about animated film and looking beyond established forms of narrative and characterisation, and encourages rigour in documentation and analysis of experiments.
Course description This is an advanced animation course that requires students to establish ways of working with animated film that enable them to develop a portfolio of animation tests. Working with methods and materials that are by now familiar to them, students will use these to develop a systematic range of experiments with content and structure.

The course will cover:

Developing a plan for experimentation
How to work iteratively
Documentation of inquiry
Conventions in film structure and cinematic grammar
Off screen animation
Site specific animation
Slow animation
Subliminal animation
Workshops in procedural and automatic generation of narrative
Non-linear animation, loops, boils and cycles

This course will comprise one project, with three distinct components, where students will be required to develop and present a plan for a series of animation experiments, carry out those experiments, document the individual experiments, and amalgamate those results into a film which communicates their inquiry to a larger audience.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements This course is only available to students on a Degree Programme in the School of Design
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesOnly available to visiting students in the Design School
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2020/21, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  0
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 5, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 15, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 20, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1, Formative Assessment Hours 1, Summative Assessment Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 153 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 100% Coursework, comprising:

33.3% Research plan. (1200 - 1500 words)

33.3% Animation experiments carried out, and their documentation. (4 animation experiments (film tests) and 800-1000 words documentation)

33.3% Final film demonstrating process and findings of experimentation. (2 - 3 minutes' duration)

Formative assessment at midpoint of semester, summative assessment at end of semester.

Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes:

LO1 only is used to assess the Research Plan
LO2 only is used to assess the Animation Experiments
LO3 only is used to assess the Final film

All Learning Outcomes weighted equally.
Feedback 1. Group presentations and crits for verbal feedback from peers and staff at the midpoint of experiments;

2. Documentation of individual feedback and indicative grades via VLE for formative assessment at the midpoint of course;

3. Documentation of individual feedback and final grades via VLE for summative assessment at the end of course;

4. Self-evaluation is also carried out by student at formative and summative submission points and hosted on VLE
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. PLAN: Demonstrate the ability to develop a planned, systematic approach to animation research.
  2. DOCUMENT: Demonstrate the ability to record and analyse evidence of planned experimentation.
  3. INFORM: Demonstrate the ability to communicate the results of research through animated film. 5. ASSESSMENT AND EXAMINATION INFORMATION
Reading List
Rees, A. L. A History of Experimental Film and Video Palgrave Macmilan (2011)

Mercado, G. The Filmmaker's Eye: Learning (and Breaking) the Rules of Cinematic Composition Focal Press (2017)

Bowen, C. & Thompson, R. Grammar of the Shot Focal Press (2013)

Dobson, T. The Film Work of Norman McLaren John Libbey Publishing (2007)
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Project planning, research structuring, communication of complex ideas and processes, systematic
Keywordsanimation,experimental,documentation of inquiry,research planning
Contacts
Course organiserMr Jared Taylor
Tel: (0131 6)51 5964
Email: jared.taylor@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Georgia Dodsworth
Tel: (0131 6)51 5712
Email: georgia.dodsworth@ed.ac.uk
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