Wednesday 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Thursday 1:00pm-2:00pm
Individual animation projects: Students individually design and produce two (2) animated shorts/vignettes using 2D and/or 3D animation tools. Animation project #1 occupies the first half of the semester; Animation project #2 occupies the second half. It is expected that students will learn new techniques and/or deepen their existing software knowledge. Mixed media projects are encouraged.
Research & Readings: Students will periodically be asked to research specific topics, animations, or readings and to comment on them in their blog. In all cases, students should come to class prepared to show and discuss the results of their research or reading. Each student will also individually prepare a research presentation to the class on a topic of their own choosing.
In-class exercises: Students also work periodically, both individually and as a group, on story-development and design exercises. The ideas, stories, scenes, and designs developed here will not be produced as final animations.
Blogs: Students will maintain a blog and update this blog with new materials every week. Materials posted may include storyboards, animatics,
concept art, motion tests, test renders, responses to research, and other thoughts. Blogs must have a unique link such that only material for this course is on this blog. Blogs are to be accessible to all students in the class, and are expected to be well designed,
clearly structured and allow a reader -- instructors and classmates --
to follow a project's progress.
Syllabus overview
Continuing students: view & discuss any work done over winter break
New students: view & discuss
prior work
Intro to Storyboard Pro software
mini-storyboarding exercise
Intro to Cognitivism
Homework:
Readings:
* selection from Heidegger Reframed
* selection from Goodman's Aesthetics
First thoughts and sketches for animation project #1
Review of project plans
Discussion of readings
more on Storyboard Pro software
Homework:
research at least 2 of topics in Research Topics
Felix in Exile, by William Kentridge
Work on animation project
Review animation progress
Discuss results of research
Story development exercise
Studio time... individual meetings
Homework:
Work on projects for mid-point assessment
Mid-point Assessment of Project #1
Group critque
Feedback from instructor
Story development exercise
Studio time... individual meetings
Homework:
William Kentridge: How We Make Sense of the World
Student research presentation
Studio time... individual meetings
Homework:
Fallen Art, by Tomek Baginski
Student research presentation
Studio time... individual meetings
Mid-Term: Animation project #1 due
All final materials handed in. Final critique of projects.
Intro to topic #2: Beauty
Homework:
Readings: (to be announced)
First thoughts and sketches for animation project #2
Review of project plans
Discussion of readings
Student research presentation
Studio time... individual meetings
Homework:
research at least 2 of Beauty topics in Research Topics
work on animation project
Student research presentation
Studio time... individual meetings
Homework:
Surface Trailer, by C. Sisman & D. Kader
Flux, by C. Sisman
Student research presentation
Studio time... individual meetings
Mid-point Assessment of Project #2
Group critque
Feedback from instructor
Studio time... individual meetings
Student research presentation
Studio time... individual meetings
Homework:
Parada, by Jerzy Kucia
Student research presentation
Studio time... individual meetings
Student research presentation
Studio time... individual meetings
Upload your file to Vimeo and
send me the link prior to next week's class.
Last session: Animation project #2 due
All final materials handed in. Final critique of projects.
There will be regular assigned readings. Students are expected to read texts closely, to comment on them in their blogs, and to come to class prepared to share their thoughts and actively participate in discussions.
In addition to the required assigned readings, there are several other texts and sources that can be very useful.
There are many suggested readings and topics on my Critical Paradigms page.
Also, Animation: Genre and Authorship, by Paul Wells, Wallflower Press, 2003, ISBN: 1903364205
Grading will be based on the originality, visual sophistication, conceptual depth, technical skill, and timely completion of projects. The meaning of grades is as follows:
A = Extremely good work
A- = Very good work
B+ = Good work, better than average
B = Satisfactory work, but not outstanding
B- OK, short of satisfactory
C+ = Slightly better than minimally passing, not acceptable quality
C = Minimally passing, not acceptable quality
Grades below C are considered non-passing at the graduate level
The weighting of grades is as follows:
Individual Project 1 = 35%
Individual Project 2: = 40%
Research Presentation
= 5%
Active participation in the classes, blogs, exercises and discussions = 20%
All assignments must
be handed in on the due date. If you have not finished your work or as
much as you had intended, you should hand in whatever you have finished
up to that point. Your work will be graded based on whatever portion you
have handed in as of the due date.
Please note that technical problems, lab problems, or being “really busy” do not constitute an excuse for unfinished work. Such issues are part of life and life with computers, and you should assume they will occur. It is your responsibility to schedule your time and your work to allow for this sort of problem and still get your work done well and on time.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Pratt Institute considers Academic Integrity highly important.
Instances of cheating, plagiarism, and wrongful use of intellectual
property will not be tolerated.
- Faculty members will report each incident to the registrar for inclusion in studentsí files.
- More than one report to the registrar during a studentís program of study at Pratt will result in a hearing before the Academic Integrity Board, at which time appropriate sanctions will be decided. These may include dismissal from the Institute.
- The nature and severity of the infraction will be determined by faculty members who can: ask students to repeat an assignment, fail students on the assignment, fail students in the course and/or refer the incident to the Academic Integrity Board.
For more details about these procedures please see the Pratt Student Handbook, the Pratt Bulletins, and the pamphlet entitled Judicial Procedures at Pratt.
CHEATING
If students use dishonest methods to fulfill course requirements, they are cheating. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:
- Obtaining or offering copies of exams or information about the content of exams in advance.
- Bringing notes in any form to a closed book exam.
- Looking at another studentís paper during an exam.
- Receiving or communicating any information from or to another student during an exam.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is a bit more complicated, but the rules of documentation and citation are very specific and are tailored to different academic disciplines. Types of plagiarism include:
- Including any material from any source other than you in a paper or project without proper attribution. This includes material from the Internet, books, papers, or projects by other students, and from any other source.
- Using your own work to fulfill requirements for more than one course
- The extensive use of the ideas of others in your work without proper attribution.
- Turning in work done by another person or a fellow student as oneís own.
Please remember that all work must be the studentís own. If it is not, the source should be cited and documented appropriately.
If there are aspects of this statement that are not understood, ask faculty members for help.