Create a 30 seconds to 1 minute long animation combining Animate and After Effects.Use each software’s strengths (i.e: use Animate for character animation, creating the background, camera movements, nested symbols, loops; use After Effects for animating text and adding effects such as smoke, particles etc.)
You will likely start with Animate and then import the assets you created there in After Effects (similarly to the process outlined in the “Combining Animate and After Effects” tutorial)
Subject-wise you have two choices:
- Elaborate on your Animate project. Make the piece longer (i.e: add a scene you originally had in your storyboard and didn’t have time to animate) and enhance the piece with After Effects’ tools (i.e: smoke, particles, watercolor effect, typography etc.)
OR
- Elaborate on your After Effects project. Illustrate the quote through characters/animated objects created in Animate and combine these new elements with the animated typography you previously created.
Whichever topic you choose, the animation must also include sound(sound effects and/or music). Make sure you only use Creative Commons or Public Domain sound files and that you credit their author in your statement/credits/vimeo description. As in previous projects, Freesound.org, Internet Archive: Audio Archive, and Creative Commons tracks on SoundCloud are good resources for CC licensed audio.
Make sure you use a variety of shots(close-ups, long shots etc.) and pay attention to staging (what is the focus of the frame) to keep the viewer engaged.
Make sure your animation is well paced– neither too fast nor too slow. Apply the 12 principles of animationto make the motion believable and dynamic.
The grading rubric for the entire project can be found here.
Step 1 – Storyboard (due on week 13)
Create a storyboard for your animation. Use this template. Include everything that’ll be in your final piece – even the parts previously created in the Animate or After Effects project. Make sure you include all the information needed to clearly outline your plan:
- In the panel: Character, important background elements, typography, movement within the frame, camera movement, colors.
- Under the panels: Sound effects and /or music, description (clarify anything that may not be obvious from what you drew in the panel)
Make sure you use a variety of shots (close-ups, long shots etc.) and pay attention to staging (what is the focus of the frame) to keep the viewer engaged.
The length of your storyboard may vary depending on the pacing, type of action etc. Since your short film should be between 30seconds and 1min long, you’ll probably need at least 7 panels. If you have more than 12, you might be overly ambitious for the time you have to complete this project.
Deliverables (on Blackboard) (due on week 15):
- Completed animation in Quicktime format (.mov)
- Finished .aep file in CC14 version (finished .fla file is optional – only if there’s something you weren’t able to complete in After Effects)
- All the Swf/audio/video files you imported into After Effects
- Any Photoshop/Illustartor files used in After Effects (if applicable)
- A short statement (use this template)
Each student must come to class and presenthis/her work. Points will be deducted for failure to do so.
