Undergraduate Course: Animation 2A: Character (DESI08098)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will serve as a primer in key animation principles, production methods and techniques. The course provides fundamental technical and conceptual knowledge and understanding that is vital for sustained practice as an animator. |
| Course description |
The course will cover:
1) Historical and contemporary precedents in material-based and virtualised animation methods;
2) Technical workshops in 2D and 3D physical and digital animation techniques;
3) Comparative analysis and practical synthesis and hybridisation of different production methods;
4) Analysis of movement and performance;
5) Training in relevant compositing, sound recording and editing techniques;
6) Production scheduling and management.
This course will comprise multiple projects, usually, but not exclusively, three, students will receive verbal feedback during each project, but they will receive written feedback upon a portfolio submission of all available projects in a formative assessment that takes place in the middle of the semester, and a final portfolio submission for summative assessment at the end of the semester.
Illustrative examples of possible projects include (but are not limited to): the study of a set of animation principles and their application through mirrored physical and digital workflows. This could consist of an exploration of the basic animation requirement for a simulation of human movement, a walk cycle. The creation of a convincing walk through the use of physical puppets, their attendant armatures, and the use of an actual camera, and its development through a disembodied mirror of this method, through the use of CGI models and their associated rigs, using virtualised cameras.
Development of projects, and evaluation of production method and personal performance with them, will be documented via a continuous online design journal.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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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, please contact the Course Organiser if you wish to enrol. |
| 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.)
The list above is an example, and is by no means exhaustive. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 18 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
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 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
100% Coursework, comprising:
40% Filmmaking and animation - Completed and WIP Films
40% Development work and research - Sketchpads, drawings, storyboards, animatics, and online design journal
20% Reflection - Online design journal and self evaluation
Relationship between Assessment and Learning Outcomes:
LO1 Films and projects
LO2 Journal
LO3 Films, projects and Journal |
| Feedback |
1. Group presentations and crits for verbal feedback from peers and staff at the midpoint of projects;
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;
5. Individual tutorials for discussion of feedback after formative and summative assessment, particularly if there is any major difference between student and staff evaluations. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate the competent use of a range of physical and digital production methods appropriate to animation.
- Demonstrate a considered exploration of the relative merits of different physical and digital animation production methods.
- Demonstrate an ability to independently manage time and resources across multiple film projects and their associated production methods.
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Reading List
Purves, B. Basics Animation 04 Stop Motion, AVA Publishing (2010)
Pikkov, U. Animasophy, Estonian Academy of Arts (2010)
Palamar, T. Mastering Maya 2016, Autodesk Official Press (2015)
Adobe Creative Team, Adobe After Effects CC Classroom In A Book (2013) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Organisation, evaluation, problem solving, self-reflection, critical thinking, collaboration, practical camera, lighting, sound recording and non-linear editing skills, creative understanding of cinematic grammar and production technologies. |
| Keywords | Animation,Film,Research,Collaboration,Teamwork,production technique |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Alan Mason
Tel: 0131 221 6135
Email: alan.mason@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Rhiordan Langan-Fortune
Tel: (0131 6)51 5926
Email: rhiordan.langanfortune@ed.ac.uk |
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