Schedule

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