This is the schedule for the Fall 2024 semester.
Meeting dates are on Thursday unless otherwise indicated. Topics and assignments are subject to change.
Week 1 ~ 8/29
- Overview of course and class site
- What is animation: Different approaches, basic principles, early history
- Assignment: Animated GIF
Week 2 ~ 9/5
- 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 3 ~ 9/12
- Tween assignment
- 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)
Week 4 ~ 9/19
- Bouncing ball #2 assignment due
- Key concepts: review straight-ahead, loops
- Assignment: looping effect
Week 5 ~ 9/26
- Looping effect assignment due
- Assignment: flour sack
Week 6 ~ 10/10
- Flour sack assignment due
- Character design for animation
- Final project – step 1: character design
Week 7 ~ 10/17
- Character design due
- Storyboarding
- 12 principles applied: staging
- Final project – step 2: storyboard walk cycle
Week 8 ~ 10/24
- Storyboard due
- Walk cycles
- Final project – step 3: walk cycle (rough)
Week 9 ~ 10/31
- Rough walk cycle due
- 12 principles applied: follow through & overlapping action
- Final project – step 3: walk cycle (revised)
Week 10 ~ 11/7
- Revised walk cycle due
- Introduction to After Effects
- Final project – step 4: creating a background
Week 11 ~ 11/14
- Background due
- Camera in After Effects
- Importing an Animate project into After Effects
- Saving, moving and submitting your After Effects project
- Final project – step 5: adding a background and applying After Effects’ camera to the walk cycle
Week 12 ~ 11/21
- Background + camera -enhanced walk cycle due
- Effects in After Effects
- Final project – step 6: Adding effects to the walk cycle
Week 13 ~ 12/5
- Effects-enhanced walk cycle due
- Animating text in After Effects
- Nesting compositions in After Effects
- Final project – step 7: Creating animated title and credits for the walk cycle
Week 14 ~ 12/12
- Sound and animation
- Adding sound in After Effects
- Final project – step 8: Adding sound to the walk cycle
Weeks 15 ~ 12/19
- Final project presentations