Syllabus

TITLE OF COURSE:Introduction to 2D Animation

COURSE NUMBER & SECTION: MMP260-1300, Fall 2020

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

This course will be taught online. There will be synchronous sessions starting at the scheduled class time, 1PM on Thursday, and there will also be asynchronous activities. I will be posting Zoom invites on Blackboard.

PROFESSOR: Jody Culkin | email: jculkin@bmcc.cuny.edu | Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 11AM – 12:30PM (or by appointment)

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. To login to Blackboard, go to https://cunyportal.cuny.edu/, login and click on the Blackboard menu item.

Students will use Open Lab to post work in progress. Each student should create an Open Lab profile at the beginning of the semester and join the course page. Please follow these 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: 50%
Final project: 40%

WEEKLY BREAKDOWN (Subject to change)

Week One (Thu 8/27)

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 9/3)

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 9/10)

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 Four (Thu 9/17)

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

Week Five (Thu 9/24)

Looping effect assignment due
Assignment: flour sack

Week Six (Thu 10/1)

Flour sack assignment due
Character design for animation
- - - Final project – step 1: character design

Week Seven (Thu 10/8)

Character design due
Storyboarding
12 principles applied: staging
Final project – step 2: storyboard walk cycle

Week Eight (Thu 10/15)

Storyboard due
Walk cycles
Final project – step 3: walk cycle (rough)

Week Nine (Thu 10/22)

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

Week Ten (Thu 10/29)

Revised walk cycle due
Introduction to After Effects
Final project – step 4: creating a background

Week Eleven (Thu 11/5)

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 Twelve (Thu 11/12)

Background + camera -enhanced walk cycle due
Effects in After Effects
Final project – step 6: Adding effects to the walk cycle

Week Thirteen (Thu 11/19)

Effects-enhanced walk cycle due
Animating text in After Effects
Nesting compositions in After Effects
Sound and animation
Adding sound in After Effects
Final project – step 7: Creating animated title and credits for the walk cycle
Final project – step 8: Adding sound to the walk cycle (extra credit)

NO CLASS THANKSGIVING BREAK 11/26

Week Fourteen (12/3)

Final project workshop

Reading Day: 12/10 and 12/11

Week Fifteen (12/17)

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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