ANI 260 1301 Intro 2D Animation Fall 2021
Intro to 2D Animation
ANI 260 1301 Intro 2D Animation Fall 2021

Syllabus

This syllabus is available on Blackboard as a word doc and a PDF. It is available here on OpenLab as a PDF.

TITLE OF COURSE:Introduction to 2D Animation

COURSE NUMBER & SECTION: ANI 260-1301, Fall 2021

SCHEDULE: Thursdays, 1PM-4:40PM,

This is an in person course taught in Fiterman room 1007.

PROFESSOR: Jody Culkin | email: jculkin@bmcc.cuny.edu | Office hours: Tuesday 11AM – 1:00PM  and Thursday 11:00AM – 12:00PM(or by appointment) Office hours will be held on Zoom. I will post links on Blackboard or email me  

CREDITS: 3| CLASS HRS: 2| LAB HRS/WEEK: 2

BASIC SKILLS: ENG 088 or ESL 062, ACR 094 | PRE-REQUISITE: MMP 100| CO-REQUISITE: MAT 051

DESCRIPTION: Students will learn to design and create motion graphics for multimedia, building projects appropriate both for Internet applications and for film and video. Students will learn how to use Animate, a vector-based animation program, and After Effects, an animation and visual effects compositing program to create narratives through the use of storyboards.

COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Description Measurement
1. Understand and apply the 12 principles of animation Studies
2. Create frame-by-frame animation in a digital environment Studies
3. Design a character for animation Final project
4. Understand how to create and develop a narrative with storyboarding Final project
5. Create and apply effects to compositions in After Effects Final project
6. Export animation to the correct format and share it on the web Final project

GENERAL EDUCATION LEARNING OUTCOMES

Description Measurement
Communication Skills – Students will write, read, listen and speak critically and effectively. Student behaviors include being able to: Express ideas clearly in written form; Employ critical reading skills to analyze written material; Exhibit active listening skills; Give an effective oral presentation. Final project
Information & Technology Literacy – Students will collect, evaluate and interpret information and effectively use information technologies. Student behaviors include being able to: Conduct research using appropriate research strategies; Make effective use of technology. All projects

REQUIRED TEXT: There is no required textbook for this course. Slides, web resources and tutorials are available for free on this site

OTHER RESOURCES: Portable media for storing projects, such as a flash drive will be necessary. Students are advised to set up a cloud storage accounts such as Dropbox or Google Drive. Sketchbooks are recommended for taking notes and brainstorming ideas.

USE OF TECHNOLOGY: We will be working with Adobe Animate and Adobe After Effects. Other software, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, may be used to create graphical content.

Students will use Blackboard to post their assignment. Faculty will upload grades and comments there too, along with any other course material they see fit.

Students will use OpenLab to post work in progress. Each student should create an OpenLab profile at the beginning of the semester and join the course page. Please followthese instructions.

SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION: This section of MMP260 is part of BMCC’s Supplemental Instruction Program. Jneyde Williams  will be your SI leader this semester. She will attend all our sessions, provide assistance during class.

TUTORING: Take advantage of BMCC’s one-on-one tutoring services (free!). Go to the Learning Resource Center Reception Desk in S-510 (199 Chambers Street), or call (212) 220-1383 for more information

GRADING: Grading is based on successful completion of all projects, class participation and attendance. Students are expected to attend every class, to partake in the in-class tutorial, in-class workshops and crit sessions. Failure to do so will affect the “teacher evaluation and class performance” grade. Projects must be handed in on time. Points will be deducted for work that is handed in late.

  • Teacher evaluation and class performance: 10%
  • Studies: 35%
  • Final project: 55%

WEEKLY BREAKDOWN (Subject to change)

Week One (Thu 8/26)

  • Overview of course, class site, and OpenLab
  • Introductions
  • What is animation: different approaches, 12 principles, early history, 2D animation today
  • Assignment: flipbook

Week Two (Thu 9/2)

  • Flipbook assignment due
  • Introduction to Adobe Animate: interface, frame-by-frame vs. tweening, paint vs. symbols, file format, exporting.
  • Key concepts: frames, FPS, working on 1s and 2s
  • 12 principles applied: squash & stretch, slow-in & slow-out
  • Assignment: bouncing ball #1 (up and down)

Week Three (Thu 9/9)

  • Bouncing ball #1 assignment due
  • Key concept: straight ahead vs. pose to pose, in-betweens and breakdowns, timing charts
  • 12 principles applied: arcs, timing
  • Assignment: bouncing ball #2 (arc)

No Class 9/16

Week Four (Thu 9/23)

  • Bouncing ball #2 assignment due
  • Key concepts: review straight-ahead, loops
  • Assignment: looping effect

Week Five (Thu 9/30)

  • Looping effect assignment due
  • Character design for animation
  • Final project – step 1: character design

Week Six (Thu 10/7)

  • Character design assignment due (sketches, bio and turnaround)
  • Walk cycles
  • Final project – step 2: walk cycle (rough)

Week Seven (Thu 10/14)

  • Rough walk cycle due
  • Revising the walk cycle
  • 12 principles applied: follow through & overlapping action
  • Final project – step 3: walk cycle (revised)

Week Eight (Thu 10/21)

  • Revised walk cycle due
  • Storyboarding
  • 12 principles applied: staging
  • Storytelling
  • Final project – step 4: storyboard

Week Nine (Thu 10/28)

  • Storyboard due
  • Introduction to After Effects
  • Importing an Animate project into After Effects
  • Final project – step 5: creating a background

Week Ten (Thu 11/4)

  • Background due
  • Camera in After Effects
  • Saving, moving and submitting your After Effects project
  • Final project – step 6: adding a background and applying After Effects’ camera to the walk cycle

Week Eleven (Thu 11/11)

  • Background + camera -enhanced walk cycle due
  • Effects in After Effects
  • Final project – step 7: adding an effect to your project

Week Twelve (Thu 11/18)

  • Effects enhanced project due
  • Animating text in After Effects
  • Nesting compositions in After Effects
  • Final project – step 8: Creating animated title and credits for the final project

Week Thirteen (Thu 12/2)

  • Project with titles and credits due
  • Sound and animation
  • Adding sound in After Effects
  • Final project – step 8: Adding sound to the walk cycle

Week Fourteen (12/9)

  • Final project workshop

Week Fifteen (12/16)

  • Final project presentations

Class Participation

Participation in the academic activity of each course is a significant component of the learning process and plays a major role in determining overall student academic achievement. Academic activities may include, but are not limited to, attending class, submitting assignments, engaging in in-class or online activities, taking exams, and/or participating in group work. Each instructor has the right to establish their own class participation policy, and it is each student’s responsibility to be familiar with and follow the participation policies for each course.

 

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Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s ideas, words or artistic, scientific, or technical work as one’s own creation. Using the idea or work of another is permissible only when the original author is identified. Paraphrasing and summarizing, as well as direct quotations, require citations to the original source. Plagiarism may be intentional or unintentional. Lack of dishonest intent does not necessarily absolve a student of responsibility for plagiarism. Students who are unsure how and when to provide documentation are advised to consult with their instructors. The library has guides designed to help students to appropriately identify a cited work. The full policy can be found on BMCC’s Web site, www.bmcc.cuny.edu. For further information on integrity and behavior, please consult the college bulletin (also available online).

 

BMCC Mask Mandate Policy for In-Person Classes

CUNY has put in place a temporary mask mandate policy that requires the wearing of masks indoors in all campus buildings. See: https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/university-updates/clarity-new-mask/

 

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