VIZA 617 - Advanced Animation

Fall 2006

MW 3:00 - 5:30pm, Architecture C400, 4 credits
Last Update - 10/10/06

Instructor: Frederic I. Parke

ARCA134, phone: 5-6596, email: parke@viz.tamu.edu
Office hours: MTWR 2:00-3:00 or by appointment

Course Schedule
Lecture Topics
Grading

Individual Critique Times

Assignments (for a one semester project)
Assignments (for first semester of a two semester project)

Student Project Pages
Student Research Projects

Lecture Notes

Reference Material
Documentation and Notes

Course Description

Development of three dimensional computer animation emphasizing storytelling, story development, character design, the animation production process, production efficiencies, and progressive refinement as well as modeling, animation techniques, lighting and color design, sound synchronization, expressive characters, speech animation and animation for games. May be taken two times for credit. Development of a short, high quality animated piece is an integral part of the course. Minimum requirements for the animation piece include:

a) at least two interacting 'characters'
b) at least one expressive 'face'
c) at least one articulated character
d) target length: 30-45 seconds for 1 semester; 60-90 seconds for 2 semesters
NOTE: It is expected that animations completed in this course will be submitted by the student to appropriate animation festivals and competitions.

Introduction

This course assumes a good basic understanding of computer animation production and film making. Students will develop an animation project which will make use of the basic principles of character animation. Final animations are expected to be short but of very high quality. The animation is completed only when it is on video tape or equivalent digital media with an integrated, synchronized sound track and titles. Students who wish to work on a two semester portfolio animation are expected to have completed approximately one half of the production process by the end of the first semester.

Students are required to develop and maintain a set of web pages documenting the development of their animation project.

The course will be conducted with a high degree of student participation. Class meetings will nominally be for two and one half hours twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00pm to 5:30pm. These meetings will be devoted to lectures on selected animation topics, guest lectures, individual student presentations on selected animation related topics, group discussions, group review of works in progress, and for viewing and analysis of selected films and animations. Additional time will be scheduled with the instructor on a regular basis for in depth one-on-one critiques of the animation project.

Required Reading

Cantor J. and P. Valencia, 3D Short Film Production, Thomson Course Technology, Boston, 2004
Culhane, Shamus, Animation from script to screen, St. Martin Press, New York, 1988.
Katz, Steven D., Film Directing: Shot by shot, Michael Wiese Productions, Studio City, CA, 1991.
William, Richard, The animator's survival kit, Faber & Faber, London, 2001.

Strongly Suggested Reading

Arijon, Daniel, Grammar of the film language, Silman-James Press, Los Angeles, 1991.
Blair, Preston, Cartoon animation, Walter Foster Publishing, Laguna Hills, CA, 1994.
Maestri, George, Digital character animation 3, New Riders Publishing, Indianapolis, 2006.
Murch, Walter, In the blink of an eye, Silman-James Press, Los Angeles, 1995
Thomas, Frank and O. Johnson, The illusion of life, Hyperion, New York, 1981.

Prerequisite

VIZA 615 and approval of the instructor.

Grading

Grading will consider quality, timely progress, and documentation of the animation project, quality of student presentation, and overall class participation. Each student starts the course with a B. This grade goes up or down based on performance.

Animation Project: 80%
Class Presentation: 10%
Class Participation: 10%

Animation project grading will be based on the production process used, project documentation, and quality of the intermediate and final animation produced. This includes quality of the story, characterizations, models, motion (

emphasis will be on effective motion or animation

), lighting, color design, soundtrack, synchronization, compositing

and

conformance to production schedules and deadlines

. Periodic in-class reviews, critiques and discussion will be used to gauge student comprehension of the material presented. Each student is required to make a well researched class presentation on a relevant animation topic agreed upon with the instructor. The overall class participation grade will be the instructor's qualitative judgment of the student's participation, and will include such factors as attendance, preparation, and informed participation in discussion.

Aggie Honor Code

"An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do"

A new office and procedures to promote academic integrity and deal with academic dishonesty are now in place.

For additional information see http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/

Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Office of Support Services for Students with Disabilities in Room 126 of the Student Services Building. The phone number is 845-1637.