THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

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 1B Principles (DESI08077)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course will serve as a basic primer in key animation principles, production methods and techniques. Following on from Animation 1A Introduction, the course further builds and expands fundamental technical and conceptual knowledge and understanding that is vital for sustained practice as an animator.
Course description This course will cover:

An exploration of concepts around future technologies and methods of animation production and consumption using the human figure and character as central point.
Technical workshops that introduce the concepts of looped and layered animation and composition
Introduction to notions of sustainable production, and re-use of assets
Applying soundtracks to visuals.
Introduction to methods and processes of implied animation

This course will comprise multiple projects, usually four, but not exclusively. Students will receive verbal feedback during each project.

Illustrative examples of possible projects include (but are not limited to): walk cycles, syncopation, repetitive animation, cycles, loops, recombination of images, and movement. The emphasis will be on long-form film, working with scenes and shots as separate constituent parts of a visual narrative.

Development of these projects, and evaluation of production method and of personal performance, will be documented through the introduction of online journals, supplemented with the provision of clearly cited reference sources both textual and visual.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements If this course is Core to your programme, you will automatically be enrolled. For all other students, including Design students, the course is open on a first come, first served basis until the course is full. This course may have limited availability for non-Design students. Please contact the Course Organiser if you wish to enrol. Students must have passed DESI08078 Animation 1A to be able to enrol in this course.

Students taking this course must have a basic grasp of frame by frame animation techniques which demonstrates an understanding of timing and spacing, for example animating a bouncing ball. Students would also need to demonstrate a basic understanding of the technical package Adobe Premiere Pro.
Additional Costs No additional costs to students beyond basic animation materials.

Students will be required to provide:
Drawing and painting materials (pens, pencils, crayons, charcoal, markers, paper, sketch pads for example.)
Sculpting materials (wire, modelling clay, balsa wood for example.)
Animation supplies (Peg bar, animation paper and cels for example.)
Mini sun A3 lightbox
The list above is an example, and is by no means exhaustive.
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  0
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 4, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 6, Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 20, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 165 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 100% Coursework, comprising:

1) A portfolio of film making and animation tests. This moving image work should consist of finished films, experiments and work in progress and should demonstrate iterative methods and evidence technical and aesthetic development. (LO1 and LO2).

TOTAL:
Duration of animation should be no less than 5 minutes and no more than 10 minutes

2) An online journal showing research that has led to the development of the films submitted in the portfolio mentioned above as well as documentation of method and progress. Physical work is perfectably acceptable but should be digitised for online presentation and submission. This should contain text to contextualise the work presented (LO2) and text for a reflective commentary upon why and how the research areas/topics were chosen, and any impact that research has had on the students' work/thinking (LO3)

TOTALS:
Documentation of method and progress (750 word minimum, 1,000 word maximum)
Reflective commentary upon research (750 word minimum, 1,000 word maximum)

Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes:

LO1 is evidenced for assessment in the portfolio of film work
LO2 is evidenced for assessment in both the portfolio of film AND the documentation of method and progress shown in the online journal
LO3 is evidenced for assessment in the reflective statement upon research documented in the online journal

Learning Outcomes are weighted as follows:
LO1 40%
LO2 40%
LO3 20%
Feedback Informal feedback and guidance will be given continually throughout the semester during timetabled classes as part of our teaching. This will come from animation staff, but also from your fellow students.
Formal feedback will be delivered twice, mid course at your formative assessment and at the end of the course in your summative assessment

Formative Assessment will take place mid semester.
This will be a small group presentation where your work to date will be presented to your staff and peers. In case of the absence of a physical venue this will take place online. Your online journal and work in progress can form the basis of this presentation, or you may want to build a purpose made presentation. Feedback will be given verbally at this point

Summative Assessment will take place at the end of the semester.
This is a formal submission of all course work, (Film Portfolio and Online Journal) via LEARN.
Feedback will be given in a written format along with grades against Learning Outcomes via LEARN and within 15 working days of your submission.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. DEVELOP: Demonstrate an ability to improve competence and efficiency with various animation techniques.
  2. EXTEND: Demonstrate creative ambition and imagination in producing animated film work in response to project briefs.
  3. COLLATE: Demonstrate the ability to collate and communicate relevant and diverse sources for research.
Reading List
Wells, P. The Fundamentals of Animation. AVA Publishing (2006)
Williams, R. The Animator's Survival Kit. Revised Edition. Faber & Faber (2009)
Van Sijll, J. Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know. Michael Wiese Productions (2005)
Rousseau, D. and B. Philips. Storyboarding Essentials, SCAD Creative Essentials. Watson Guptill (2013)
Muybridge, E. The Human Figure In Motion. Dover Publications (1955)
Heil, L. Animation Sketchbooks. Thames & Hudson (2013)
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Documentation, organisation, systematisation, reflection, analysis, evaluation, creativity
KeywordsAnimation,Film,Research,Collaboration,Teamwork,Processes,Efficiency,Re-use,sustainability
Contacts
Course organiserMrs Rachel Everitt
Tel: (0131 6)51 5964
Email: r.everitt@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Rhiordan Langan-Fortune
Tel: (0131 6)51 5926
Email: rhiordan.langanfortune@ed.ac.uk
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