Undergraduate Course: Introduction to Digital Animation (LLLA07262)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course will introduce students to the basic techniques and approaches to digital animation to develop creative ideas through the moving image. Students will learn the basic skills of 2D digital animation by establishing a working knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects using Mac computers. Through a range of hands-on exercises, such as Stop-frame and 'puppet tools', students will gain essential knowledge of using a storyboard, setting up an environment or composition and working with sound to make short animated sequences. |
| Course description |
1) Academic Description
The aim of this course is to develop students basic skills and knowledge of Adobe Photoshop and After Effects for creating short animation projects. Beginning with project-led tasks and exercises, exploring and employing various Adobe techniques, students will begin to develop their individual styles, before embarking on a self-directed project. It is expected that those students taking the course will be able to work on a Mac computer.
The chronological order of this course is structured around the stages of animation production, in order to guide students from the start to finish of a short animation project. The teaching of pre-production, production, and post-production concepts will be supported by in-class exercises. Students will be encouraged to create animation content in their own time through directed study projects supported through guided demonstrations and introduction to relevant techniques and software within the class, as well as supported by contextual references as and when appropriate. Studio exercises will take place in a computer lab equipped with Adobe Photoshop and After Effects.
2) Outline Content
Students will, throughout the duration of this class, gain competency in several animation areas. Supported through in-class exercises, these will include:
- Idea generation and story planning.
- Review of other animators and effective animation pieces from throughout history.
- Research and development of assets.
- Basics of animation, frames, timing, spacing, including camera movement and lighting.
- Animation planning by use of storyboards.
- Sound recording and voiceover.
- Animation techniques, animating assets, sequencing, puppet tool.
- Visual storytelling using editing and effective use of After Effects.
- Basic sound design using After Effects and Audition.
- Rendering and exporting animation clips.
- Group critiques and individual formative feedback.
3) Student Learning Experience
Students will be taught as a group, taking them through the various stages of creating a successful animation piece, although developing assets and animating scenes as directed study exercises will be encouraged. The class exercises will give students the opportunity to learn the basics of animation and develop an ability to use digital processes to form a short piece of work. One-on-one discussion of student projects and interests will support student learning, as well as class critiques on work created during the course which will be contextualised, showcasing animators works to inspire but also challenge the student viewpoints.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2020/21, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 12 |
| Course Start |
Lifelong Learning - Session 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
78 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment session will occur in either week 6 or 7 of the 10-week course. Each student will undertake a five to ten-minute verbal presentation of their practical work in progress, a class group critique follows which is supported and directed by the course tutor.
Each student will record and reflect on their presentation through their ongoing digital Learning Journal and tutor feedback will be summarised in written form through the Leaning Journal and back to the student focusing on specific strengths and what areas need to be addressed in order to meet the learning outcomes based on the formative assessment presentation.
Summative Assessment
This is usually two weeks after the last taught class, the course work will be summatively assessed, and students will receive a provisional grade and mark within 15 working days of the assessment.
The submission should comprise of:
Learning Journal:
A reflective Learning Journal should be kept at regular intervals throughout the course. Ideally, students will submit one or two paragraphs each week comprising of around 100-300 words, supported by visual references as and when required. The Learning Journal is then submitted electronically alongside the digital portfolio submission. The Learning Journal accounts for 20% of the indicative hours of the course and feeds into all three Learning Outcomes.
A digital portfolio of design work and animations, this should include:
- A digital sketchbook(s) of design investigations, preparatory and developmental studies, visual research and evidence of contextual awareness. (LO.1)
- A body of digitally developed ideas and studies, appropriate to the directed study time available within the course parameters. These should be presented as cloud-based files or on an external device. (LO.2)
- A digital presentation of resolved works that have been derived from the various directed and self-directed project. (LO.3)
This should demonstrate a student's engagement with the courses and accounts for 80% of the indicative hours of the course and feeds into all three Learning Outcomes.
Both the Digital Journal and Digital Portfolio should be presented in a clear and professional manner appropriate to the discipline. The submission should include work undertaken within the class as well as directed and independent study outwith the class.
The combined Digital Journal and Portfolio submission will be assessed against the three Learning Outcomes. Those Learning Outcomes are equally weighted (33.3%) and students will be given a percentage grade for each and an average calculated. To pass, a student needs to attain 40% when all three learning outcomes are averaged. |
| Feedback |
Feedback will comprise three components,
1. Informal on-going peer and tutor feedback in class.
2. Formative Assessment - tutor feedback through the reflective Learning Journal and group crits.
3. Summative assessment of a reflective Learning Journal and a portfolio of work.
Formal Formative Assessment: This will comprise of a short-written summary of action points of areas requiring addressing to meet the learning outcomes, but no indicative grades will be given.
Summative Assessments: On completion of the assessment, each student will receive a percentage mark for each learning outcome, along with written feedback explaining the percentage marks and outlining areas for development. |
| No Exam Information |
|
| Academic year 2020/21, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Lifelong Learning - Session 3 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 30,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
68 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment session will occur in either week 6 or 7 of the 10-week course. Each student will undertake a five to ten-minute verbal presentation of their practical work in progress, a class group critique follows which is supported and directed by the course tutor.
Each student will record and reflect on their presentation through their ongoing digital Learning Journal and tutor feedback will be summarised in written form through the Leaning Journal and back to the student focusing on specific strengths and what areas need to be addressed in order to meet the learning outcomes based on the formative assessment presentation.
Summative Assessment
This is usually two weeks after the last taught class, the course work will be summatively assessed, and students will receive a provisional grade and mark within 15 working days of the assessment.
The submission should comprise of:
Learning Journal:
A reflective Learning Journal should be kept at regular intervals throughout the course. Ideally, students will submit one or two paragraphs each week comprising of around 100-300 words, supported by visual references as and when required. The Learning Journal is then submitted electronically alongside the digital portfolio submission. The Learning Journal accounts for 20% of the indicative hours of the course and feeds into all three Learning Outcomes.
A digital portfolio of design work and animations, this should include:
- A digital sketchbook(s) of design investigations, preparatory and developmental studies, visual research and evidence of contextual awareness. (LO.1)
- A body of digitally developed ideas and studies, appropriate to the directed study time available within the course parameters. These should be presented as cloud-based files or on an external device. (LO.2)
- A digital presentation of resolved works that have been derived from the various directed and self-directed project. (LO.3)
This should demonstrate a student's engagement with the courses and accounts for 80% of the indicative hours of the course and feeds into all three Learning Outcomes.
Both the Digital Journal and Digital Portfolio should be presented in a clear and professional manner appropriate to the discipline. The submission should include work undertaken within the class as well as directed and independent study outwith the class.
The combined Digital Journal and Portfolio submission will be assessed against the three Learning Outcomes. Those Learning Outcomes are equally weighted (33.3%) and students will be given a percentage grade for each and an average calculated. To pass, a student needs to attain 40% when all three learning outcomes are averaged. |
| Feedback |
Feedback will comprise three components,
1. Informal on-going peer and tutor feedback in class.
2. Formative Assessment - tutor feedback through the reflective Learning Journal and group crits.
3. Summative assessment of a reflective Learning Journal and a portfolio of work.
Formal Formative Assessment: This will comprise of a short-written summary of action points of areas requiring addressing to meet the learning outcomes, but no indicative grades will be given.
Summative Assessments: On completion of the assessment, each student will receive a percentage mark for each learning outcome, along with written feedback explaining the percentage marks and outlining areas for development. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate a contextual awareness and critical thinking for a range of animation approaches to support the planning of a project.
- Demonstrate an applied knowledge for using a range of Adobe Photoshop and After Effect Skills, using sound appropriately to complement the work.
- Show appropriate judgement to create, edit and produce a short, 1-3 minute animation sequence.
|
Reading List
Recommended
Adobe Creative Team, 2012 Adobe After Effects CS6 Classroom in a Book Adobe.
Adobe Creative Team, 2012 Adobe Photoshop CS6 Classroom in a Book Adobe.
ROBINSON, C. (2010). Animators unearthed: A guide to the best of contemporary animation New York: Continuum.
SELBY, A. (2009). Animation in process. London: Laurence King.
WELLS, P., 1998, Understanding Animation Routledge. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Ability to make basic use of Photoshop and After Effects
- Ability to make short digital animations
- Ability to undertake research and reflective practice and apply these in the context of animation within visual culture
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| Keywords | Animation,Digital,Design,After Effects,Photoshop,audiovisual media,project based |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Oliver Reed
Tel:
Email: Oliver.Reed@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Kameliya Skerleva
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: Kameliya.Skerleva@ed.ac.uk |
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