Animation
The word in itself tells the audience that it's putting something into motion. When we're animating an object, we're making it more exciting because the audience can see the subject perform a task. To understand this concept more, this class will begin with a Stop Motion Video exercise.
Part I: Stop Motion Animation
The video on the right was created by Stephen B., as an assignment for the previous year's Animation 12 class.
Assignment:
Step 1: Record down an idea for a 15-20second animation Sign out a DSLR camera and possibly a tripod from the media storage room. Step 2: Create the starting scene of your idea with materials you choose. It can be as simple as a whiteboard marker and a whiteboard to the lego bits created in the example to your right. Step 3: Take photos of the scene and the subject you want to move. Re-position the object every time you take a photo so that it takes a couple of shots for an arm to move from a resting position to a wave for example. Keep animating the subject until your idea/story is complete. Step 4: Take the photos and slot them into Adobe Flash as "frames" for your animation. Since you're making frames, it is required that all the frames are the same size. It will take you some time to make sure all the photos you take are the same dimensions. Watch the video below for a quick tutorial on the basic features of Adobe Flash. |
"I made a stop-motion of a smiley face starting to form then crumble away. The photos took one day of shooting them then it took two days to crop the photo so I can place them in flash. It took two days of placing them in flash. I like doing this project for the outcome of the video but making it was long and flash would freeze at times. Also cropping the photo was difficult since I wasn't sure how to keep it the same size. I should have left some marker on where to crop before taking the photos."
--Emily W. |
Skills Mastery List:
--Photos focus on the subject(s) that's doing the animation /1
--Animation completes a simple task that shows
movement in the final product /1
--Video does not have big chunky gaps between frames of movement /1
--Animation is neatly compiled in the order from
start to finish within Adobe Flash /1
--Stop Motion Video plays properly once the
final video is compiled and exported /1
--Photos focus on the subject(s) that's doing the animation /1
--Animation completes a simple task that shows
movement in the final product /1
--Video does not have big chunky gaps between frames of movement /1
--Animation is neatly compiled in the order from
start to finish within Adobe Flash /1
--Stop Motion Video plays properly once the
final video is compiled and exported /1
POST YOUR FINAL PRODUCT ON YOUR PORTFOLIO UNDER THE WEBPAGE "ANIMATION".
(Must be captioned to explain what the video is about.)
(Must be captioned to explain what the video is about.)
Part II: Onion Skin
Next, you will use Flash, to create a basic frame-by-frame animation. Watch the video below, and create your own animation, using the onion skin overlay.
Tutorial |
Sample Student Work |
Skills Mastery List:
Uses the onion-skin feature tool in Adobe Flash for a smoother animation /1
Animation runs for 5 seconds --good quality animation.
OR Animation runs for 20 seconds--lesser quality animation (e.g. stickman) /1
Does the animation contain a story? Does it have a beginning and an end? /2
Animation has sufficient frames per second for a smooth transition /1
POST YOUR FINAL PRODUCT ON YOUR PORTFOLIO UNDER THE WEBPAGE "ANIMATION".
(Must be captioned to explain what the video is about.)
Uses the onion-skin feature tool in Adobe Flash for a smoother animation /1
Animation runs for 5 seconds --good quality animation.
OR Animation runs for 20 seconds--lesser quality animation (e.g. stickman) /1
Does the animation contain a story? Does it have a beginning and an end? /2
Animation has sufficient frames per second for a smooth transition /1
POST YOUR FINAL PRODUCT ON YOUR PORTFOLIO UNDER THE WEBPAGE "ANIMATION".
(Must be captioned to explain what the video is about.)
Part III: Tweens
Next, you will learn how to use Motion Tween and Shape Tween, and create a basic animation, using these tools. Watch the following videos and follow along to create another basic animation showing the skills you have now learned.
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For advanced animation, check out the Hulk animation below.
Create a higher quality animation,(like the one above,) that uses all Tween actions. Criteria and length will be decided/discussed as a class.
Skills Mastery List: