ANI 101 Animation for Non-Majors

Summary

Instructor

Suruchi Pahwa

Phone: NA

E-mail: spahwa@cdm.depaul.edu

Office Hours: Tuesdays - 6:00 - 7:30pm - Online on TEAMS

II. Course Description and Expectations



Animation is an art form that predates cinema itself. It provides a unique form of expression that can incorporate an almost unlimited variety of disciplines: drawing, photography, sculpture, music, poetry, narrative, game design, math, dance, etc. Animation has always had an attraction for college-age students, and this interest is stronger today than ever before.



Films, critical texts, research, lecture and discussion will be utilized to study the theory and practice of creating sequential images in motion. Through experimentation and the study of historical examples from a variety of countries and cultures, the course examines the expressive strategies potentially usable in the creation of manipulated moving image art forms: image and object construction, performance through inanimate objects, composition, narrative, sound, and timing. Students will engage in written analysis and critiques that will develop their visualization and cinema literacy skills and build their analytical/critical vocabulary. Material, expressive and stylistic experimentation are encouraged through projects that allow students to put theory into practice.



ANI 101 is included in the Liberal Studies program as a course with credit in the Arts and Literature Domain. Courses in the Arts and Literature Domain ask students to extend their knowledge and experience of the arts by developing their critical and reflective abilities. In these courses, students interpret and analyze particular creative works, investigate the relations of form and meaning, and through critical and/or creative activity to come to experience art with greater openness, insight, and enjoyment. These courses focus on works of literature, art, theatre, or music as such, though the process of analysis may also include social and cultural issues. Students who take course in this domain choose three courses from such choices as literature, the visual arts, media arts, music, and theater. No more than two courses can be chosen from one department or program.



By the end of the course, students should be able to analyze animated cinema in terms of formal structure, thematic elements, plot, composition, performance, genre, sound, and visual style, and communicate this analysis in writing. Students should also be able to utilize these concepts in their own work and will be evaluated on their creativity and diligence in applying the course tools to produce cogent and polished shorts. Our goals are to go beyond simply achieving technical proficiency, as we will also focus on learning principles of good digital filmmaking in preparation for both artistic and commercial endeavors.



Learning Outcomes

Explain, in well-written prose, what a work of art is about and/or how it was produced
Articulate and explain the ?content? of that work and/or its methodology of production.
Comment on the relationship between form and content in a work.
How does the 14-line sonnet both enable and inhibit its practitioner, for example?
What are the generic expectations of a particular form?
How does an artist complicate, enrich, or subvert such expectations?
Assess the formal aspects of their subject and put those qualities into words, using, when appropriate, specialized vocabulary employed in class and readings.
Contextualize a work of art.
Do so with respect to other works of art in terms of defining its place within a broader style or genre.
Contextualize a work of art in terms of contemporaneous aesthetic, social, or political concerns, discussing how these might shape the work?s reception and how that reception might differ amongst various peoples and historical periods.

Texts

Grading

Week 1: Four Attributes for Filmic Analysis:

1)Aesthetic ? How does it look and move?

Two conflicting yet synergistic aesthetics to consider:

a) Commercial ? sleek, sexy, higher budgets, work of many hands, technically complex, derivative, safe, easily accessible ? sells products/?sells out?, makes trendy

b) Avant-garde/ Fine/High Art ? breaking new ground/cutting edge, innovative, independent, gritty, inaccessible, low budget, technically limited, sells ideas, starts trends, feeds the commercial

2) Technical ? How was it made? Discuss examples of each type.

Types of animation: 2D ? hand drawn frame-by-frame, smudge, cut-out,

2.5D , 3D ? traditional stop motion, CGI, etc.

3) Sound ? 51% of the success of your film, not limited by aspect ratio, can bridge action, can define timing, provides greater punch

Two types to consider: diegetic ? sound in frame ? dialogue, foley

non-diegetic ? sound outside of the frame -- score, narrator, etc.

*4) Social ? time to get weighty, personal, specific, controversial, should resonate with humanity ? discuss historical background, racism, sexism, religion, politics, etc.

*this is were the ?A? student distinguishes him/herself -- the stuff by which Oscars are won. Great animation brings general education and the diverse interests of the artist into itself.



Films: (2D hand drawn work, classic and contemporary) -- discuss attributes of analysis

Warner Bros, Chuck Jones ? ?Long-Haired Hare??the battle between high and folk/pop art, Adult Swim -- ?Venture Bros ? Brisbee Land? (15 min clip) ? post-modern parody,

Windsor McKay -- ?Gertie the Dinosaur? ? vaudeville tradition, Fleischer?s Studio ? ?Bimbo?s Initiation? ? creepy pre-censorship/code, conformity, Don Herzfeldt ? ?Ah, La Amour!? ? the femme fatale, and ?Lily and Jim??male and female psyches from an animator who doesn?t really draw



Weekly Technical Assignments and Discussion: HAND DRAWN



Using photoshop with document settings at 12 fps, make a 30-drawing digital flipbook, varying brush type and thickness. Make your movements as fluid as possible, and export to a quicktime movie, compressed using H.264.

Week 2: Films: (ROTOSCOPING, classic and contemporary)

Fleischer?s Studio ? ?Minnie the Moocher? ? they invented the technique, Disney ? ?Snow White and the Seven Dwarves? ?uninteresting prince vs. amazing dwarves, Richard Linklater ? ?Waking Life? clips and ?Scanner Darkly? intro ? Why animation and not just live action? Fluid but often lacks exaggeration.



Weekly Technical Assignment: ROTOSCOPING

Keepvid.com (or some other url ripping device). Download a video clip from online, bring it into Photoshop, adjust the frame rate, and roto over it using video layers. Render out a quicktime in Photoshop. Review and critique digital flipbooks on instructor share and allow for lab time to work on rotoscoping. Week 3: Films: (SMUDGE TECHNIQUES, classic and contemporary)



In Class Exercise and Discussion 1 -- Ryan Larkin?s ?Syrinx? and William Kentridge?s ?Felix in Exile? -- Love that Never Meets Fruition, background in Greek history, Debussy, Apartheid, ?white guilt?, metaphorical work vs. traditional Hollywood plot arc: intro, conflict, resolution









ANI101 Animation for Non-majors





I. Instructor



Suruchi Pahwa

Phone: NA

E-mail: spahwa@cdm.depaul.edu

Office Hours: Mondays : 9:00 - 10:10 and Wednesday - 1:20 - 1 :40. My office is located on the 5th floor - Room 522 by the freight elevators. You will need to call me using the house phones located in the hallway.



II. Course Description and Expectations



Animation is an art form that predates cinema itself. It provides a unique form of expression that can incorporate an almost unlimited variety of disciplines: drawing, photography, sculpture, music, poetry, narrative, game design, math, dance, etc. Animation has always had an attraction for college-age students, and this interest is stronger today than ever before.



Films, critical texts, research, lecture and discussion will be utilized to study the theory and practice of creating sequential images in motion. Through experimentation and the study of historical examples from a variety of countries and cultures, the course examines the expressive strategies potentially usable in the creation of manipulated moving image art forms: image and object construction, performance through inanimate objects, composition, narrative, sound, and timing. Students will engage in written analysis and critiques that will develop their visualization and cinema literacy skills and build their analytical/critical vocabulary. Material, expressive and stylistic experimentation are encouraged through projects that allow students to put theory into practice.



ANI 101 is included in the Liberal Studies program as a course with credit in the Arts and Literature Domain. Courses in the Arts and Literature Domain ask students to extend their knowledge and experience of the arts by developing their critical and reflective abilities. In these courses, students interpret and analyze particular creative works, investigate the relations of form and meaning, and through critical and/or creative activity to come to experience art with greater openness, insight, and enjoyment. These courses focus on works of literature, art, theatre, or music as such, though the process of analysis may also include social and cultural issues. Students who take course in this domain choose three courses from such choices as literature, the visual arts, media arts, music, and theater. No more than two courses can be chosen from one department or program.



By the end of the course, students should be able to analyze animated cinema in terms of formal structure, thematic elements, plot, composition, performance, genre, sound, and visual style, and communicate this analysis in writing. Students should also be able to utilize these concepts in their own work and will be evaluated on their creativity and diligence in applying the course tools to produce cogent and polished shorts. Our goals are to go beyond simply achieving technical proficiency, as we will also focus on learning principles of good digital filmmaking in preparation for both artistic and commercial endeavors.



Learning Outcomes

Explain, in well-written prose, what a work of art is about and/or how it was produced
Articulate and explain the ?content? of that work and/or its methodology of production.
Comment on the relationship between form and content in a work.
How does the 14-line sonnet both enable and inhibit its practitioner, for example?
What are the generic expectations of a particular form?
How does an artist complicate, enrich, or subvert such expectations?
Assess the formal aspects of their subject and put those qualities into words, using, when appropriate, specialized vocabulary employed in class and readings.
Contextualize a work of art.
Do so with respect to other works of art in terms of defining its place within a broader style or genre.
Contextualize a work of art in terms of contemporaneous aesthetic, social, or political concerns, discussing how these might shape the work?s reception and how that reception might differ amongst various peoples and historical periods.


III. Course Materials



Textbooks

Recommended: The Animation Bible by Maureen Furniss is a good overview text ? it covers a variety of methods and mediums.



Recommended: The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams?a must-read for the serious animation student.



Recommended: The World History of Animation by Stephen Cavalier



I strongly recommend that you purchase an external hard drive. Students are responsible for having their work available for viewing in class during weekly class critiques. You do not need to submit your work to me on any kind of disk or storage device as long as I can view it on D2L in class. Note: hardware problems are no excuse for late or missing work. The hard drives of the computers are notoriously unreliable, and constantly get erased! Make backup copies and save your work on media besides the school?s hard drives! Files can become corrupted.









IV. Academic Expectations



All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at: cdm.depaul.edu/enrollment.



Attendance: Students are expected to attend each class and to remain for the duration. Coming 15 minutes late or leaving 15 minutes early constitutes an absence for the student. The overall grade for participation drops one-third after any absence. Three absences for any reason, whether excused or not, may constitute failure for the course.



Class Discussion: Student participation in class discussions will be measured in two ways. First, students are highly encouraged to ask questions and offer comments relevant to the day?s topic. Participation allows the instructor to ?hear? the student?s voice when grading papers. Secondly, students will be called upon by the instructor to offer comments related to the reading assignments. Students must keep up with the reading to participate in class discussion.



Attitude: A professional and academic attitude is expected throughout this course. Measurable examples of non-academic or unprofessional attitude include but are not limited to: talking to others when the instructor is speaking, mocking another?s opinion, cell phones ringing, emailing, texting or using the internet whether on a phone or computer. If any issues arise a student may be asked to leave the classroom. The professor will work with the Dean of Students Office to navigate such student issues.



Civil Discourse: DePaul University is a community that thrives on open discourse that challenges students, both intellectually and personally, to be Socially Responsible Leaders. It is the expectation that all dialogue in this course is civil and respectful of the dignity of each student. Any instances of disrespect or hostility can jeopardize a student?s ability to be successful in the course. The professor will partner with the Dean of Students Office to assist in managing such issues.



Cell Phones/On Call: If you bring a cell phone to class, it must be off or set to a silent mode. Should you need to answer a call during class, students must leave the room in an undisruptive manner. Out of respect to fellow students and the professor, texting is never allowable in class. If you are required to be on call as part of your job, please advise me at the start of the course.





V. Assignments



1. Technical Exercises:



Each week students are expected to complete a technical exercise as explained in lecture and submit it under the assignment tab on col.cti.depaul.edu. Ideally these assignments could work toward one?s final project. Assignments will be graded according to aesthetic appeal, technical excellence, use of sound (when pertinent), and social importance.



2. Papers:

Papers will be assigned at random, may be given as in-class exercises, and will generally compare and contrast the below-mentioned criteria. The Liberal Studies program requires that you write up to seven pages of content?you will most likely be expected to write more.



3. The Final Project:



The final project for this class must demonstrate an understanding of the concepts discussed in the course. The guidelines are extremely flexible: you should show that you understand the techniques and software discussed, that you can incorporate principles of good animation, and that you have the creativity and dedication to produce a sophisticated piece. You needn?t produce a ?catalog? of every single concept we discussed in class. I am most concerned that you produce a thought-provoking and personal piece, one that you can really be proud of as an artist. The final result should be a piece that you would be proud to show at a film festival or to a future employer!



We will view and critique the final projects during Final Exam Week (Dates listed on D2L).

To receive credit for this course you have merely to complete the following tasks:



1) Drop off your rendered 720 x 480 QuickTime movie (properly compressed if its huge) on D2L on the above mentioned date. If I don?t receive the .mov file on the computer by the designated time, credit will not be given!

2) It must be at least one minute in duration (no cutting corners with lengthy credits)

3) It must have sound. Perhaps dialog or sound effects. I do not want cheesy music slapped onto your piece in simple music video format. I?m not kidding.

4) Your brilliance (and grade) will be evaluated considering the following criteria: Aesthetic, Technique, Sound, and most importantly Social Importance/Criticism



Grading Scale:



Assignments: 80% of grade (assignments and participation)

Final Project 20% of grade

Total 100%

A = 100-93 A- = 92-90

B+ = 89-88 B = 87-83 B- = 82-80

C+ = 79-78 C = 77-73 C- = 72-70

D+ = 69-68 D = 67-63 D- = 62-60 F = 59-0



Student must pass the Final exam to pass the class. Students are required to be present for the Final Critique for presentations.



Standards for Achievement:



Grade A: Student performs in an outstanding way. Student exhibits achievement and craftsmanship in all work. Design criteria is exceeded and student challenges him/herself in project design. Student exhibits commitment to expanding ideas, vocabulary and performance.



Grade B: Student performs beyond the requirement of the project. Student exhibits above average progress and craftsmanship. A design criterion is exceeded. Student exhibits above average interest in expanding idea, vocabulary, and performance.



Grade C: Criteria of assignment is met, and all requirements are fulfilled. Student shows average quality work and minimum time and effort on projects. Student shows moderate interest.



Grade D: Student performance is uneven and below average. Requirements for projects are only partially fulfilled. Minimal interest is shown and attendance, participation and involvement are inadequate.



Grade F: Student fails to meet minimum course requirements and shows no interest. Levels of participation and craftsmanship are extremely poor. Student?s attendance is inadequate.



Requesting an incomplete grade: An incomplete grade may only be assigned to a student if the student has experienced an extenuating circumstance near the end of the term, the student is in good standing in the class, and the request is made before



No late submission accepted.



Attendance: Missing 3 classes results in a grade lower and missing a 4th class is an automatic Fail.

Redo Policy: You will be allowed 2 Redos and 1 late submission. All these submission will have to be submitted by May 24th, Wednesday at the start of class.







VI. Class Schedule and Assignments



Week 1: Four Attributes for Filmic Analysis:

1)Aesthetic ? How does it look and move?

Two conflicting yet synergistic aesthetics to consider:

a) Commercial ? sleek, sexy, higher budgets, work of many hands, technically complex, derivative, safe, easily accessible ? sells products/?sells out?, makes trendy

b) Avant-garde/ Fine/High Art ? breaking new ground/cutting edge, innovative, independent, gritty, inaccessible, low budget, technically limited, sells ideas, starts trends, feeds the commercial

2) Technical ? How was it made? Discuss examples of each type.

Types of animation: 2D ? hand drawn frame-by-frame, smudge, cut-out,

2.5D , 3D ? traditional stop motion, CGI, etc.

3) Sound ? 51% of the success of your film, not limited by aspect ratio, can bridge action, can define timing, provides greater punch

Two types to consider: diegetic ? sound in frame ? dialogue, foley

non-diegetic ? sound outside of the frame -- score, narrator, etc.

*4) Social ? time to get weighty, personal, specific, controversial, should resonate with humanity ? discuss historical background, racism, sexism, religion, politics, etc.

*this is were the ?A? student distinguishes him/herself -- the stuff by which Oscars are won. Great animation brings general education and the diverse interests of the artist into itself.



Films: (2D hand drawn work, classic and contemporary) -- discuss attributes of analysis

Warner Bros, Chuck Jones ? ?Long-Haired Hare??the battle between high and folk/pop art, Adult Swim -- ?Venture Bros ? Brisbee Land? (15 min clip) ? post-modern parody,

Windsor McKay -- ?Gertie the Dinosaur? ? vaudeville tradition, Fleischer?s Studio ? ?Bimbo?s Initiation? ? creepy pre-censorship/code, conformity, Don Herzfeldt ? ?Ah, La Amour!? ? the femme fatale, and ?Lily and Jim??male and female psyches from an animator who doesn?t really draw



Weekly Technical Assignments and Discussion: HAND DRAWN



Using photoshop with document settings at 12 fps, make a 30-drawing digital flipbook, varying brush type and thickness. Make your movements as fluid as possible, and export to a quicktime movie, compressed using H.264.



Week 2: Films: (ROTOSCOPING, classic and contemporary)

Fleischer?s Studio ? ?Minnie the Moocher? ? they invented the technique, Disney ? ?Snow White and the Seven Dwarves? ?uninteresting prince vs. amazing dwarves, Richard Linklater ? ?Waking Life? clips and ?Scanner Darkly? intro ? Why animation and not just live action? Fluid but often lacks exaggeration.



Weekly Technical Assignment: ROTOSCOPING

Keepvid.com (or some other url ripping device). Download a video clip from online, bring it into Photoshop, adjust the frame rate, and roto over it using video layers. Render out a quicktime in Photoshop. Review and critique digital flipbooks on instructor share and allow for lab time to work on rotoscoping.



Week 3: Films: (SMUDGE TECHNIQUES, classic and contemporary)



In Class Exercise and Discussion 1 -- Ryan Larkin?s ?Syrinx? and William Kentridge?s ?Felix in Exile? -- Love that Never Meets Fruition, background in Greek history, Debussy, Apartheid, ?white guilt?, metaphorical work vs. traditional Hollywood plot arc: intro, conflict, resolution



Weekly Technical Assignments: SMUDGE

Create 30 digital drawings utilizing the smudge tool in Photoshop as demonstrated in class. Upload your assignment to COL using H.264 compression. You will be evaluated on fluidity, brush variation, and length (30 drawings at 12fps). Week 4: Films: (PARALLAX, classic and contemporary)

Disney ? ?The Old Mill,? ? Iwerks invention of the multi-plane camera, ?Bambi? intro ? slow methodical, for art?s sake, ?Tarzan? Son of Man clip ? fast-paced, Phil Collins music video, Yoshiaki Kawajiri ? ?Vampire Hunter D ?Bloodlust? clips part 1

In Class Exercise and Discussion 2 ? The Profane and the Sacrosanct ? compare and contrast the aesthetic, technical, sound, and social aspects of Disney?s ?Night on Bald Mt.? with that of Alexeieff and Parker?s

Weekly Technical Assignments and Discussion: PARALLAX

Using three or more drawn or photo-retouched layers, utilize transformations (position, rotation, scale, and opacity) in After Effects to convey a convincing sense of motion parallax as described in class.

Week 5: Films: (Principles of Animation, classic and contemporary)

Chuck Jones ? ?The Dover Boys? ? exquisite exaggeration and satire

Richard Williams ? ?Thief and the Cobbler??animated on ones, wild graphic look

Disney?s ? ?Pinnochio? musical clips ? mastery of the traditional animation principles ? romantic, dark, German-expressionist aesthetic, moral parable ? differs markedly from contemporary Disney individualist attitude,



Weekly Technical Assignments and Discussion: BOUNCING OBJECT (ball)

The following principles John Lasseter extracted from Disney should be emphasized:

Discuss Newton?s 3 Laws of Motion (F= ma) as well as formulas for Potential (PE = mgh) and Kinetic Energy (KE = 1/2mv^2) ? classic pendulum?s a good example

1. Squash and Stretch - defining the rigidity and mass of an object by distorting its shape during an action (have someone jump in class from a standing position)

2. Timing and Motion - spacing actions to define the weight and size of objects and the personality of characters

3. Anticipation - the preparation for an action

4. Staging - presenting an idea so that it is unmistakably clear

5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action - the termination of an action and establishment of its relationship to the next action (have someone with long hair head bang at a rock concert)

6. Straight Ahead Action and Pose-to-Pose Action - The two contrasting approaches to the creation of movement

7. Slow In and Out - spacing of the in-between frames to achieve subtlety of timing and movement (have someone throw a fake punch and have another react to that punch)

8. Arcs - the visual path of action for natural movement

9. Exaggeration - Accentuating the essence of an idea via the design and the action (show high speed punches on youtube.com)

10. Secondary Action - the action of an object resulting from another action

11. Appeal - creating a design or an action that the audience enjoys watching



Personality in character animation is the goal of all of the above.



Using the principles of animation we discussed in class, animate a bouncing object. Your goal is to exaggerate while appealing to principles of physics using anticipation, action, and follow-thru (squash and stretch, etc) using position, rotation, and scale transformations in after effects. Make the movement as interesting as possible while avoiding CG "floatiness." Week 6: Midterm Animatics, Story, and Status Negociation

Don Bluth ? ?Secret of NIMH? intro ? observational exercise: who, where, when, why, what? Great screen writing for setting up the whole film.

The Eight Questions
1. Who is the Main Character/Hero? Act I
2. What does he want? Act I
3. What?s standing in the way? Act I
At this point we now have a good character, we know where he is and what?s wrong with his life.

4. What?s the Catapult? Act I

The catapult is a collision of narrative forces which create an explosion that propels our character into Act II. He cannot stay put. The status quo is no longer possible.

5. How does he meet the challenge? Act II
6. Where?s the Twist? Act II
7. What is the Climactic Moment? Act II
8. How does it end? Act III



Basic script structure, directors terms: XCU, CU, MS, LS, fade-in/out

Types ? tragedy comedy, melodrama, and satire

Character studies ? motives, habitats

Dialogue

Narration

Voice Over

Montage

Flash Back

Exposition

Elements of a good Story:

Status: A good story is one which ingeniously displays and reverses the status between characters



Exercises: Try to get your status just a little above or below your partner?s. a)both lower status; 2)both raise status; 3) one raises, one lowers; 4) status is reversed during the scene. No action is really motiveless. Have a student leave class and come back in and act as if they?ve entered the wrong room.

Insult game: Have someone buy something. We want to see someone being insulted but they must be ornamentation to the scene not the scene itself.

Play out a scene where you explain to your father you have an STD.



You can be low in status but play high. The see-saw principle.

Jokes and comics work in this way: ?Oh, there?s are roach in the bathroom! ? We?ll then you?ll have to wait ?til he?s finished then!?



Mrs X: I had a nasty turn last week. I was standing the a queue waiting for my turn to go into the cinema when I felt ever so queer. Really, I thought I should faint or something>



[Mrs X is attempting to raise her status by having and interesting medical problem. Mrs Y immediately outdoes her.]



Mrs Y: You?re lucky to have been going to a cinema. If I thought I could go to a cinema I should think I had nothing to complain of at all.



[Now Mrs Z blocks Mrs Y]



Maximum status gaps:

Excuse me miss . . .

Next cashier please. I?m just going off duty.

Er . . .no, no . . . I?m not a customer.

If you?ll just join the queue over there, sir . . .

I?ve got a note. Here.

No, no . . . er . . . here, this one.

Hand over the money? This is a stick-up!

Not so loud.

Well, how much did you want?

All of it!

Don?t be absurd!

Yeah, well, just a few bucks then, to tide us over.

I shall have to refer this to Mr. Cabuncle.

$50 then!





Tragedy works because we feel pleasure moving up in status when a high-status person falls. People scan each other for status in the street and the lower one moves aside. Humans have a subconscious pecking order.



Dominance of gaze ? he who looks firmly and then away first is the more dominant, moves smoothly, sits back and spreads out ? confidence of space, head is still. A lot of humor packed into observation of master/servant relationships ? its interesting because the audience knows that if the servant steps out of line, there?ll be trouble.



Exercises: Say something nice, then nasty to the person next to you. Stare at each other ? double takes feel feebler. Add ?ers? and ?ums? to phrases make you sound weak. People have a preferred status; they like to be low (Don?t bite me, I?m not worth the trouble) or high (Don?t come near me, I bite.) Go to a coffee shop ? observe what people do when someone leaves or joins the group.

Master/servant -- 1) nice master, nasty servant; vice versa 2) both teams interrelate and quarrel; keep the servant on the hop and not challenging the master. The over- confession.



Spontaneity



Imagine yourself as a happy-go-lucky hippy type ? you?ll be a better divergent thinker.



Schools often encourage the unimaginative ? we?re taught not to reveal things about ourselves. To create something means going against one?s education. Adults are atrophied children. Imagination is as effortless as perception, unless we think it might be wrong, which is what our education encourages us to believe. Our imaginations go wild when we read ? we instantly paint mental pictures of things that aren?t there.



Spontaneous acts are often deemed unsatisfactory because society perceives them to be:

1) Psychotic ? we want to present ourselves as safe but we love to watch madness

2) Obscene -- don?t allow students to let inhibitory considerations stand in the way of voicing ideas that come to them spontaneously

3) Unoriginal ? don?t try to be original or clever; just tell the truth. An artist who is inspired is being obvious. He accepts his first thoughts.



a) we struggle against our imaginations, especially when we try to be imaginative;

b) we are not responsible for the content of our imaginations;

c) and we are not, as we are taught to think, our personalities, but that the imagination is our true self. (superego vs. id)



Yea and Naysayers. No?s are more common. Low-status players tend to accept, high-status players block. The improviser has to understand that his first skill lies in releasing his partner?s imagination. Blocking is a form of aggression ? bad improvisers block action. We want to see actors yield and say ?yes? to things on stage that we wouldn?t do in real life.





Exercises: Imagine a box. What?s in it? Name some objects ? whatever pops into your immediate consciousness. Say a word. What?s the opposite of starfish? Answer. Say it. Mime taking something off a shelf. What is it? Put your hand in an imaginary box. What do you take out? Takes something else out. What?s written on it? One student can be responsible for the content and development of the scene, the other assists.

It?s Tuesday -- No . . . it can?t be . . . it?s the day predicated for my death by the old gypsy woman! (it doesn?t matter how crummy the idea is, it?s the intensity of the reaction). Feed the goldfish! That?s all he ever thought about, that goldfish . . .

Yes, But . . . Is that your dog? Yes, but I?m think of selling him. Will you sell him to me? Yes, but he?s expensive. Is he healthy?

Verse ? spontaneous start speaking horrible verse: At last I?ve got you in my clutches: I?ll keep you here and take your crutches. Yell ?take the crutches!? Then one student falls over and says, ?Oh please sir Jasper, let me go! You must not treat a cripple so . . .? Don?t care what is said.



Narrative Skills



He used to tell artists that they are responsible for the effects of their work and must be ?committed? ? now he believes that content should be ignored. If you are honest and create spontaneously, you have to accept that your innermost self will be revealed. You have to accept what your imagination gives you. Once you ignore content it becomes possible to understand what a narrative is, because you can concentrate on structure. Content really is important but will come once students have a more truthful concept of what they are.



A dictionary describes a story as a sequence of events that have or supposedly have happened. Even small children know that?s an oversimplification because, they often say ?And is that the end?? Stories have a stopping place and utilize reincorporation or recapitulation.



Here?s a good night story made up by the author and a six-year-old:

What do you want a story about?

A little bird.

That?s right. And where did this little bird live?

With Mummy and Daddy bird.

Mummy and Daddy looked out of the nest one day and saw a man coming through the trees. What did he have in his hand?

An axe.

And he took the axe and started chopping down all the trees with a white mark on. So Daddy bird flew out of the nest, and do you know what he saw on the bark of his tree?

A white mark?

Which meant?

The man was going to cut down their tree.

So the birds all flew down to the river. Who did they meet?

Mr. Elephant.

Yes. And Mr. Elephant filled his trunk with water and washed the white mark away from the tree. And what did he do with the water left in his trunk?

He squirted it over the man.

That?s right. And he chased the man right out of the forest and the man never came back.

And is that the end of the story?

It is.



At the age of six she has a better understanding of storytelling than many university students. She links the man to the birds by giving him an axe. She links up the water left in the trunk with the woodcutter, whom she remembers we?d shelved. She isn?t concerned about content but any narrative will have some (about insecurity, one might suppose).

For most people to ?free associate,? one must create an environment free from punishment; they can?t be held responsible for the content of their imaginations. People hesitate because they don?t want to give themselves away. By pass the censor by writing while counting down from 100 aloud.

The best way to think up questions is to start a sentence without knowing how it?s going to end.

Don?t think of making up stories but rather interrupting routines ? keep the action on screen between actors ? don?t get diverted to action that has happened elsewhere or at another time, and don?t cancel the story.





Exercises: Make up a story. Suppose I think of one and you guess what it is? I?ve thought of one but I?ll only answer ?yes (when it ends in a vowel),? ?no (to any question ending in a consonant,? or ?maybe (for a question ending in ?y?).? This game shows that people who claim to be unimaginative can think up the most astounding stories, so long as they remained convinced that they weren?t responsible for them. When people say they can?t think up a story, it really means that they won?t ? it?s a refusal, not a lack of talent.

Get people into pairs, student A tells a story for 30 seconds, then B finishes it in 30 seconds.

Say a word; whatever comes into your head. The next person completes the sentence. Week 7: Films: War and Racism

WB ? ?Herr meets Hare? ? de-humanizing and demonizing the enemy through idiocy, racial slurring part of animation?s tradition ? think Betty Boop?s immigrant parents

WB ? ?Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips? ? stereo-typing of the East (mention Japanese Internment)

Disney ? ?Song of the South? clips ? shuffling ?Uncle Tom?/ Remus (content with lot as slave)

Bob Clampett ? ?Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarves? -- as technically accomplished as it is jabbing -- race/ war propaganda. Discuss racial stereotypes: Uncle Tom, the over-sexed mulatto, the mammy, the pimp ? the concept of Civil Rights in this country is really only 50 years old!

Disney ? ?Education for Death? ? frightening war propaganda itself, emotionally manipulative



Weekly Technical Assignments and Discussion: Intro to Cut Out Animation

Juri Norstein ? ?Hedge Hog in the Fog? and selections from Lotte Reineger?s ?Adventures of Prince Achmed? -- brilliant traditional use of the technique

Introduction to simple hierarchies in After Effects ? make a character jump and introduce students to sound recording and bringing sound clips into After Effects for synch, discuss layers of audio

Week 8: Films: African American Animation

Bill Cosby ? ?Fat Albert? Playing Hookey episode ? economic animation for TV, moral lessons

MLK speech ? is the black man free? Chris Rock stand-up comedy ? civil war between black folk ? Education is liberation

Aaron McGruder ?Boondocks:? The Itis and Return of the King episodes ? banned by BET, discuss character profiles, scathing perspective on contemporary culture



Weekly Technical Assignments: Cut-out Animation Continued

Anthony Lucas -- ?The Geographic Explorations of Jasper Morello? ? Romantic sensibility vs. Post-modern

Josh Raskin -- ?I Met the Walrus? ? hybrid of digital techniques we?ve explored with content every bit important today as it was in the 60s and 70s.

Show and discuss student examples: ?The Neighbor? and ?BAMTNP? ? avoid ?the fight scene? even though Feras did it well

Using After Effects and Photoshop, make a more complex cut-out character do a walk cycle remembering the 4 essential components:

a) arms move opposite to legs, shoulders opposite to hips (contrapposto)

b) rise and fall (think Jim Hensen?s muppets) -- lowest at points of contact

c) forward lean ? walking is controlled falling

d) toe lift ? human machine is efficient, foot shouldn?t raise too high

Puppet Tool.

Show Ryan Larkin?s ?Walking? ? non-narrative, contemplative, wide range of expression through a repeated mundane gesture

Disney?s ? ?Icabod and Mr. Toad? ? Ichabod?s hilarious cycle

Week 9: Films: Women in Animation

Richard William?s ?Who Framed Roger Rabbit? ? Jessica Rabbit?s intro contextualizes this lecture nicely ? the male fantasy contrasted by:

Caroline Leaf ? ?The Street? ? paint on glass, incredible insight into the human psyche

Nicole Van Goethem ? ?A Greek Tragedy? ? caryatids holding up a crumbling

patriarchal order

Joanna Quinn ? ?Girls Night Out? ? role reversal

Suzan Pitt?s ? ?Asparagus? ? if you dare

Is there a Feminine Aesthetic? (there?s a rejection of ?Boopism?) How do women represent themselves? (as subjects not objects) How do they represent men? (emotionally detached)



Weekly Technical Assignments: Introduction to 2.5D and Effects ? in Photoshop make objects orthographic, in After Effects create a camera, lights, set objects up in z-depth, go over basic color correction, blurs (to simulate rack focus), demonstrate ?weather? freebie effects like rain, snow, etc. Use this class to tie up any extraneous questions or loose ends.

Show Dylan Thomas -- ?Ultimate Comp Reel? and Eminem -- ?Mosh? video ? if things can be done in 2.5D they will be for cost effectiveness. Begin to talk about the future of the industry as they look to 3D

Discussion: Jan Svenkmejer ? ?Food? ? surrealist, anti-communist sentiment, Czech stop-motion animator for special effects, live action as animation: pixelation -- metaphor for dysfunctional government/society, Breakfast -- abuse each other, Lunch -- eat each other, Dinner ? eat self Week 10: Editing, Titles, and Credits

Yoshiaki Kawajiri ? ?Ninja Scroll? intro ? lighting quick editing results in an action ambiguity and narrative tension, secondary action ? ?visual herons? aren?t critical but are lyrical and punctuate action

Check out movie trailers for title animations ? less is more, make sure you can read words comfortably twice, choose a tasteful font, discuss serif and sans, sometimes creating your own hand-written font is best for a grittier aesthetic, use spell check and have some else proof read!

Show student work ?Ex-Patriots? followed by ?Kung Fu Panda? or ?Wall-E?s? ending credits ? keep credits short, avoid gratuitous self-promotion (ex] directed by Billy Bob, animated by Billy Bob, sound design Billy Bob, dedicated to my dog Butcher, etc.), provide your name, e-mail, your school?s name, a copyright symbol and year ? credits shouldn?t make up a third of your film unless you can justify them creatively.



Week 11: Final Critique! Students are to create a one-minute, 720 x 480 compressed Quicktime movie (under 50 MB), utilizing good animation principles with sound synch using any or all of the techniques discussed in the course. Students should be aware of this from day one and be encouraged to direct their weekly technical assignments toward this goal. No late projects accepted?no exceptions.









Changes to Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.

Online Course Evaluations

Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student?s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/. If you have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.

Academic Policies

All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at: cdm.depaul.edu/enrollment.



Students with Disabilities



Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at: csd@depaul.edu.

Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296

School policies:

Changes to Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.

Online Course Evaluations

Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.

All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.

Academic Policies

All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.

Students with Disabilities

Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296