IDS 252: Topics for the Week of November 12, 2007

• Next Semester!!: Please consider signing up for IDS-352 Advanced Computer Animation Production
  We will start on day 1 developing a 3-4 minute story. More advanced modeling and rendering techniques will be introduced including dynamics, rigging (skeletons), mel scripting, special effects, and global illumination. There will also be more discussion of animation principles, acting, and directing. I am hoping for a field trip up to the animation company Laika in Portland.

  This course is part of the new minor being offered in Arts, Technology, and Multimedia

• Reminder - Status reports are due Thursdays at midnight. Everyone must do one individually. I did not get one from everyone last week. They are important because they keep your team mates informed of what you are doing. At the end of the semester, they also provide a record of your individual contribution to the project and are particularly important when it is unclear exactly what you did. If you do not submit a status report, you risk not being given credit for work that you did.

• Continue work on Lab 8: Final Project (See timeline)

• Monday Nov 12:

  • Review revisions on animatics and modeling.
  • Look at professional shorts.
  • Meet with your groups.

• Homework due on Wed, Nov 14:

  • The prop, character and scene modeling should be mostly done by Wed. The scene and characters should be imported into the animatic/animation.
  • Work on animation.

• In class on Wed, Nov 14:

  • Review prop, character and scene modeling.
  • Review progress made on animation.
  • Meet with your groups.

• Homework due on Mon, Nov 19

  • You should be working very hard on the animation! Make sure everyone in the group has something to do.
  • The final animation is due Wed Nov 22 (the day before the Thanksgiving break). There must be at least one representative from each group.

• Concepts to Remember:

  • film and camera techniques:
    • Yale Film Studies. Follow links to Cinematography - Framing, Scale, Movement
    • Using the Camera to Tell the Story
  • Review excerpts from "Acting for Animators" by Ed Hooks
  • Principles of Animation
    • Garfield Cartoon
    • Principles of Animation.
    • John Lasseter's orginal article with Luxo Jr as example.
  • Three-point lighting
    • Examples.
    • Cinematography: Part 2: Mise-en-scene: Section 2 - Lighting
    • Pixel Cinematography