104221 - 2D DRAWING AND ANIMATION

Subject type: Basic

Coordinator: Rafael Suarez Gómez

Trimester: Second term

Credits: 6

The materials can be provided both in Catalan, Spanish and English.

Throughout this module you will learn the basic tools to make an animated short film. The classes combine theoretical concepts with a series of practicals that will start with the creation of a short film script and presentation in format pitching competitive 

The winning project will be filmed following one or more animation techniques. For this, they will learn various animation techniques such as rotoscoping,stop-motion or frame-by-frame animation; the cut-out animation and pixelation, as well as the technique of lipsync.

Knowledge: 

• Conceptualize various development processes to plan and develop narratives;
• Determine the importance of the visual elements pertaining to the scene and the production design in conjunction with the story; 
• Learn animation techniques and apply them in a short film shoot.

Abilities: 

• Develop a short script and supporting material, including planning, in accordance with industry standard format; 
• Plan production for an animated short film.
• Present using the technique of pitching a script with supporting material, including a logline, synopsis and treatment. 
• Work in a team just like you work in the renowned animation production companies that we have seen during the sessions.
• Create a short film in stopmotion or frame-by-frame animation; the cut-out animation and pixelation, as well as the technique of lipsync.

40 hours in person in the classroom dedicated to: 
- Lectures based on the teacher's explanation.
- Sessions of individual or group work for the follow-up of the practices of asignatura.
- Guided tutorials on the content and advances of the practices of asignatura.

20h face-to-face dedicated to: 
- Practices carried out in computer rooms to deepen in the concepts explained in the theoretical classes and seminars by means of his application to real cases. 

81h non-contact hours in the classroom dedicated to autonomous learning: 
- Do individual or group work. 

9h non-contact hours in the classroom dedicated to guided learning: 
- Non-contact tutorials for which the student will have telematic resources such as e-mail and the resources of the Tecnocampus intranet.

All theoretical concepts will be presented in theory classes (large groups). The exposition of these contents will be carried out during the first part of the theoretical sessions, being the second part dedicated to the individual or group work of class around the practices or to exercises proposed by the professor.

The most practical concepts will be worked on in the laboratory (small groups). The scheduled sessions will focus on the methods and tools needed to be able to solve these activities, although it is expected that the student will complete them autonomous in terms of the development of knowledge and technical resources necessary to achieve the objectives of the practices. The teacher will facilitate access to content and resources for autonomous learning.

Within the hours of independent learning are considered the hours that the student devotes to reading the notes of the corresponding theoretical class, the completion of exercises and recommended work outside the classroom, the study of manuals necessary to be able to do the practices, writing of the reports and memories of the practices and assignments, as well as any other type of exercise proposed in the context of the subject.
For each content, the bibliography (basic and complementary), web references (graphic materials, image banks, typography, etc.) will be extended as well as the student will be provided with articles and information / guides at consult regularly. 

0. INTRODUCTION

1. STORYTELLING | The art of storytelling

2. SCRIPT WRITING TECHNIQUES

2.1 Write a memory

2.2 What would happen if...?

3. CHARACTER DESIGN

3.1 Internal characteristics 

3.2 External characteristics 

3.3 Desires vs needs and obstacles

3.4 Character arc

4. CREATE A CHARACTER

4.1 How to draw a character?

4.2 Turn around

4.3 Sheet of expressions

ACTIVITY 01. SHORT FILM IN ROTOSCOPY

We will create a short film using this 2D animation technique.

5. STRUCTURE: THE SUBJECT

5.1 Structure of the story

5.2 Theme and moral of the story

5.3 The acts and the plot points

6. VISUAL LANGUAGE

6.1 Composition

6.2 Visual grammar

7. STORYBOARD

7.1 Storyboard vs shooting board

8. PITCHING

9. HISTORY OF ANIMATION

10. ANIMATION TECHNIQUES

11. WORK AS A TEAM | WORKFLOW | PRE-PRODUCTION

ACTIVITY 02. SHORT FILM IN STOP-MOTION

Working in roles we will shoot a short film using the stopmotion technique.

12. CREDIT TITLES AND POST-PRODUCTION

13. DISTRIBUTION

10. PREMIERE 🏆

1. Animation short film script

• Format: Practical/Written 
• Delivery format: Digital via virtual classroom
• Modality: Individual or by teams (maximum 3 people).
• Optional Training Delivery. Weight: 0% 
• Delivery code: GMA104221.f0

General view 

This training practice aims to plan and create a literary script for an animated short film of approximately 2 minutes in length (3 minutes including credits). The writing should follow the industry standard format. The student must be able to assess their ability to write for a visual medium, taking into account character development, conflict, etc. in a coherent and convincing narrative. 

During classes, the student will be encouraged to develop a script with a topic and style of their choice guided by the teacher. The student will receive feedback on this concept in order to signal approval for further development of the script. Brainstorming techniques and writing proposals will be worked on. It will be highly valued: the subject (morality); the initial premise used (what if?) and the character work.

The story must fit the format of an animated short film. It should also be taken into account that the script can be selected to be put into production. Finally, you must ensure that your story can be communicated visually through a filmmaker's treatment and that dialogue is used carefully to enhance characters, conflict and plot. 

Requirements 

• Format adjusted to industry standard and guidelines; 
• The structure is correct along the lines of a short film;  
• Interesting story with conflicts and characters; 
• Written correctly, ensuring grammar and spelling. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………. 

2. Presentation of competitive Pitch.

• Format: Practical/Written/Oral Work
• Delivery format: Oral 
• Modality: Individual or by teams (maximum 3 people).
• Summative delivery. Relative weight: 20% 
• Delivery code: GMA104221.1

General view 

Oral presentation of a Pitch. The Pitch is a structured form of speech with a specific objective, to sell your idea or project. Verbally communicating your ideas is an essential process in attracting investors and potential producers. With this summative assessment, the student will have to make a 3-minute pitch presentation in front of "a jury". It will be chosen among all the projects presented which one is the best for the realization; therefore Pitch has a competitive nature. 

Thinking about how you will communicate your ideas is key, in addition to having prepared material such as "PowerPoint or Keynote" for the presentation with the points to be developed; so a specific Pitch creation workshop has been created. The student is expected to communicate the story, as well as present the short film script that he has completed, presentation of characters with a turn around of this, a treatment of realization and extra value will be given to those who work on the storyboard.

Requirements 

• Present the pitch of your short film project with a competitive nature.
• Individual or group work (maximum 3 people);
• The history; 
• The script and logline;
• Presentation of characters; 
• Your planning for the visual style; 
• The requirements to pass a script to a film. 
• Correctly written presentation, check grammar and spelling. 
• In a Pitch it is very important to capture attention in your presentation, so it is vital that you captivate your audience as soon as possible, so everything you say must attract the attention of the public.

To prepare your pitch you must do the following: 

1. pitch 

To help the concentration of your audience. The points you must fulfill: 

a. Introduction: It is essential to start by introducing yourself: your name and role in the project. 

b. Type of project: The type of project: duration, genre, format. 

c. The idea. ​Introduce the main idea of ​​your story: the initial premise used (what if?) and the theme (morality). Explain here the link between you and the project: if it is a true story or an urban legend, if you read it in a magazine, etc.

d. Content: Logline. In one sentence you have to place the listener in your story, clarify the dramatic conflict and discover your protagonist. 

e. Summary of your story.​ Remember to be brief on this point. You must exhibit: 

• brief presentation of your protagonist (internal and external characteristics: turn around),
• opportunity to narrate the plot and its immediate consequences,
• conflict that hinders the achievement of these goals and the outcome of the story. 

f. Production and Treatment Plan: ​Remember to be brief on this point. You must exhibit: 

• presentation of production plan and realization treatment. 

g. conclusion We come to the culmination of your pitch. Think about what your audience is looking for in you. If you get a suitable response your pitch will be a success

• What is original about your idea? 
• Why should they choose your story and not another?

h. questions At the end of your presentation, the turn for questions opens. Continuing with your natural and direct tone, answer what you are asked, always briefly. 

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………. 

3. Short film in rotoscopy.

• Format: Practical.
• Delivery format: Digital via virtual classroom.
• Modality: Individual.
• Summative delivery. Relative weight: 30% 
• Delivery code: GMA104221.2

General view 

This exercise is eminently practical, it is designed to introduce students to the world of Rotoscopy. An animation will be created during the course using the Rotoscopy technique, which is based on tracing directly over the previously filmed reference. 

Requirements 

Each student will be given a package of frames that they will have to trace, frame by frame, thus achieving a rotoscopic animation. 

Recommended materials:

• 1) Sheets of onion paper for tracing.
• 2) Materials for painting: Watercolors, colored pencils, colored markers, gouache, ...
• 3) Graphite pencils and erasers.
• 4) Computer with Photoshop; o Tablet with ProCreate (optical pen recommended.)
• 5) and... a lot of desire to draw.

Learning objectives 

• Discover frame-by-frame animation;
• Develop planning, teamwork and organizational skills. 
• Evaluation criteria

The quality of the delivery and its technical execution will be assessed.

It is requested that the technique be justified by a concept, which the student will have to defend.

Delivery: .zip folder with the same nomenclature delivered. Format of each frame: jpg or png at 1920 x 1080 pixels. Remember not to leave black bars in your frame. The creativity and originality of the animation will be valued. Use the technique that best suits your fragment.

Have a great time, enjoy the process.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………. 

4. Short animated film | Stopmotion

• Format: Practical.
• Delivery format: Digital via virtual classroom.
• Mode: Group.
• Summative delivery. Relative weight: 50% 
• Delivery code: GMA104221.3

General view 

This exercise is eminently practical, it is designed to bring students closer to the world of traditional animation. 

Requirements 

During this module, an animated short film will be shot, this short film will be the winner after the oral defenses (pitch). The technique used for its realization will be stopmotion, which is an animation technique that consists of pretending the movement of static objects by capturing photographs. It is a technique that is neither drawn nor painted, it is the capture of images of reality. From this foundation, a short film of 2 to 3 minutes duration with credits included will be developed. 

For this, we will work as a team, like a real production company. Each student will have a role and specific tasks within the production; and will be evaluated according to the individual performance of each student.

Evaluation by role:

• 1) Address: delivery of the Shooting board. And the direction of the short film will be assessed.
• 2) DOP and camera: they must give me the camera and light tests and the conclusions drawn. And the cinematography of the short film will be assessed.
• 3) Production: Breakdown or technical script + budget. Production and production closure will be assessed, according to the template given in class. Delivery at the end of filming. 
• 4) Address Assistants: Filming Plan + summons with callsheet. And time management during the filming of the short film will be assessed.
• 5) Sound: Lip Sync exposure sheet, with detailed mouths. And lip sync correction, sound direction and mastering, that is, the editing of the final sound of the short film, will be assessed.
• 6) Editing must send me the 2-minute montage of the shooting draft that will be used as a basis for the animation. And the final edition of the short film will be evaluated.
• 7) Animation: animation will be assessed.
• 8) Characters and Art Direction will be assessed on the work done and finished.

Learning objectives 

The main objective is the learning of traditional animation techniques such as stopmotion and cut-out animation. The lipsync technique will also be worked on. The secondary objective of group work is the very valuable learning about the acceptance of other people's ideas, the pact and coexistence in the team. A good production is required to work in a team to achieve the goal of finishing the short film in the stipulated time.

Evaluation criteria

The quality of the delivery and its technical execution will be assessed.

The short film is required to show one or two characters and one or two sets. 

It must be shot using the traditional animation techniques studied in class: stopmotion or cutout animation and the lipsync technique must be included. 

Copyrighted materials will not be accepted; for example: music with rights, or animation of dolls with rights. Original work must be submitted.

The individual performance of each student will be evaluated according to their role in the production.

Include the opening poster and credits at the end with the name of the authors of the work. 

Video and audio integration. Remember you must use copyrighted music. 

Exporting the final video.

How to deliver deliveries in video format?

The practice will be carried out by producers (those already trained for the practical classes).

Video delivery of maximum 3 minutes (credits included) and maximum weight of 200 MB.

The short film will be exported to video in an Apple Pro Livestock HQ or H.264 format and 1920x1080 resolution. It will be assembled into a single final video (using video editing software such as Adobe Premiere or similar, to incorporate the videos and audios, and export the video).

The practice will be delivered through the subject's virtual classroom, in the task that will be created for this activity. Each team will indicate, in the delivery task, the download URL of the files (for example: Google Drive, Dropbox or similar. It will not be allowed to use file services with an expiration date of the download link, such as WeTransfer)

Document nomenclature:

GMA104221.3_XYZ_Video.zip

First the delivery code and then the production company number of the practical classes.

That is, where you put XYZ is the Laboratory group number.

The subject is evaluated based on the continuous evaluation of the learning practices. 
The correct follow-up and passing of each of the subject practices leads to the total evaluation.

Exceptionally for those students who obtain a final grade between 4 and 4,9, it is possible to carry out a content exam to pass the subject without needing to go to a second call. For cases that suspend the continuous evaluation of the practices with a grade lower than 4, it will be necessary to recover the subject in the second call. 

Rules for carrying out practical activities.
For each activity, you will be informed of the regulations to be followed, and of the particular conditions that govern them. Internships are mandatory. Punctuality and rigor in the delivery of the different activities will be valued as follows: 
-Products other than the required ones will not be accepted
-Expired works will not be accepted
-Work not delivered by the campus of the subject will not be accepted. 
Any of these three incidents will automatically affect the grade (not assessed, ie accounting 0 with respect to the final grade of the sum of the different activities). If any of the internship or follow-up activities are not performed, it will be considered unevaluated. 
Given the content of the subject, creativity will be valued based on an understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects specified in the work methodology, the correct organization of the information, the preparatory sketches, the search for innovative solutions, cleanliness and graphic clarity in the result of the activities and of the different works of follow-up, as well as, in the same partial. 

Exam description.
The exam corresponds to a test of technical aptitudes through the realization of an exercise relative to the use of the softwares and contents seen in the asignatura. The development of the proposed practice must take place during the time of the exam session, proposed during the week established for this purpose by the coordination of the Tecnocampus. The student will have 2 hours to complete the exam.
This question applies to the exam in its version of first call and recovery. 
Evaluation activity in recovery period.

The recovery of the subject in the corresponding call is based on the realization of the examination described above, as well as on the delivery of all the practices suspended or not delivered during the development of the subject.

White, Tony (1988). The Animator's Workbook. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications.

2D animation tool user manual

http://docs.toonboom.com/help/harmony-12/advanced/Content/book/index.html

Halas, John; Whitaker, Harold; Sito, Tom (2009). Timing for animation. Focal Press

Johnston, O .; Thomas, F. (1984). Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life. New York: Abbeville Press.

Williams, Richard (2012). The Animator's Survival Kit: a manual of methods, principles and formulas for classical, computer, games, stop motion and internet animators. 2nd ed. London: Faber and Faber.

Mattesi, Mike (2006). Force: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators (Force Drawing Series). 2ª Editing. Focal Press.

Cavalier, S. (2011). The World History of Animation. Los Angeles: University of California Press

Bancroft, Tom (2012). Character Mentor Focal Press

Muybridge, Eadweard (2000). Human figure in motion. New York: Dover Publications.

Muybridge, Eadweard (2000). Animals in motion. New York: Dover Publications.