- Review and critique storyboards
- Discuss project 2
- Speedboarding workshop
- Layered Photoshop to AfterEffects workflow - breaking up elements for animation
- Prevising FX in Maya
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Week 2 Agenda
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Project breakdown
Project 1 - STORYBOARDS - simple sequence without words - 20-30 boards - due week 2 - 10%
- Create a simple story sequence using no words or dialogue.
- The story can be about anything, and does not have to involve people.
- The story should be extremely simple, but should still have a sense of beginning, middle and end.
- The story should involve at least one visual effect element.
- Storyboards should be submitted in a digital format.
- Pick a 1 minute scene from a film or script to storyboard. The sequence should have at least 20 cuts/shots.
- You must use the same location, characters, dialogue and actions from the script/film.
- You may use existing camera angles from the film in no more than 50% of your project; the rest you should re-imagine!
- Create boards for the most important shots in a layered fashion, so they can be broken apart and animated in AfterFX
- Animate your boards, layer in the sound from the clip, and render out an animatic with the following:
- 1280 x 720 resolution (HD 720)
- .H264 compression.
- Pick one of the two scenarios listed below.
- Plan out the sequence, writing out a beat sheet and shot list
- Storyboard the sequence, and then make an animatic with sound effects!
- 1280 x 720 resolution (HD 720)
- .H264 compression.
- The story should involve at least one visual effect element.
Action
- Setting: city park.
- A man cycles trough a park at a leisurely pace
- An out of control rollerblader enters the park across from the cyclist.
- The cyclist passes a couple walking their dog.
- The dog barks at the cyclist, causing him to flinch and throwing him off course, directly into...
- The path of the oncoming rollerblader, heading towards the cyclistat full speed!...
- How does it end? Resolve the situation - do they collide? Does the dog save the day?
Drama
- Setting: fancy restaraunt
- A sits alone at a table/bar looking at his watch, annoyed.
- B walks in to the frame.
- A expresses his/her unhappiness at Bs lateness (points to watch).
- B quietly stews; A mutters one last comment.
- B erupts angrily at A; A shrinks back in fright.
- How does it end? Resolve the situation - do things settle down, or does someone get hit with a wine bottle?
The final project for this class is the creation of an original story animatic. Your story can be about anything...drama, comedy, science fiction, suspense, etc. It can be a self-contained story, or part of a larger narrative. We will use Maya to create a 3D animatic to tell the story.
- The completed final project is due on the final day of class.
- Story reels must have sound, music and dialogue (if needed)
- Story reels should be a maximum of 1:00 long.
- The story should involve at least one visual effect element.
- 1280 x 720 resolution (HD 720)
- .H264 compression.
Week 1 agenda
- Introductions
- Who are you, major, what inspires you visually, favorite films
- review current syllabus, discuss proposed changes
- visual storytelling class - show cca animatics
- overview of basic cinematography terms and conventions
- rule of thirds
- 180 degree
- discussion of space in film
- storyboarding basics
- speedboarding exercise
- discuss first assignment
- Watch clips from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
Visual element 1: Space
SPACE
- Deep
- offers illusion of 3d depth on a 2d screen
- no real depth in screen space, illusion is conveyed through depth cues
- perspective - 1, 2, and 3 point (draw buildings)
- perspective creates VANISHING POINTS and LONGITUDINAL PLANES
- Audience's eye will be usually drawn to and on-screen vanishing point (
- draw railroad tracks)
- draw two vanishing planes, with actor on outside, then actor on inside, at VP. Compare the two.
- size difference
- separating objects/actors into FG, MG and BG helps create depth
- movement
- moving parallel to the picture plane:
- objects further away will appear to move slower across screen
- objects closer will appear to move faster
- draw track runners to demonstrate
- moving perpendicular to picture plane
- objects appear to move faster the closer they are to the camera
- camera movement
- dolly in/out = moving camera closer or farther from the subject
- draw scene with FG actor and two BG actors, then dolly in
- FG actor will get larger faster
- tracking shot - camera dollies left/right
- with one FG and three BG actors, FG actor appears to move faster horizontally in screen space.
- crane shot - camera is moved vertically up or down.
- same FG/BG actor combo - FG actor will drop out of frame faster than BG guys
- Textural diffusion
- objects that are closer to the camera will have more visible texture
- Arial diffusion
- fog
- must have objects affected and unaffected in both the same shot in order to be an effective depth cue
- Tonal separation
- light objects generally appear closer, dark objects generally recede
- can also be reverse, depending on lighting and arial diffusion
- Color seperation
- warm colors generally appear to be closer
- cool colors generally appear to be further away
- Up/Down position
- objects lower in the frame appear to be closer than objects higher in the frame (maybe because they appear more accessible?)
- Overlap
- overlapping objects in the frame create depth
- Focus
- blur vs sharp
- Flat
- emphasizes the 2d aspects of the screen space
- flat cues:
- frontal planes and NO LONGITUDINAL PLANES
- size consistency
- movement
- movement parallel to picture plane = good
- camera movement - pans, tilts and zooms
- help emphasize flat space because the relative distance between/size of objects does not change in the shot.
- textural affinity
- same amount of textural detail
- reduced tonal seperation
- reduced color separation (affinity of color)
- reduced overlapping shapes
- inverted depth cues
- inverting or reversing depth cues can help flatten deep space
- tone: placing brighter obis in the BG and darker ones in the FG
- color: warm BG, cool FG
- textural diffusion: make BG obis have more texture and FG ones have less
- size difference: place larger objs farther away, and small ones closer.
- Limited
- combo of deep and flat space cues
- Ambiguous
- occurs when viewer is unable to understand the actual size/spatial relationships between objects in the frame
- lack of movement -
- objects of unknown size or shape
- tonal and textural camouflage
- mirrors and reflections
- disorienting camera angles
- DEEP SPACE
- dramatic
- exciting
- edgy
- can be used to release tension
- FLAT SPACE
- calming
- comedic
- disarming
- can be used to build tension/claustrophobia and awkwardness
- wes anderson!
- LIMITED
- combo of both
- AMBIGOUS
- mysterious
- disorienting
- chaotic
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
class syllabus
The
Art Institute of California
Course
Syllabus
Course
Number:
EM4402
Course
Title:
Motion & Shot Design
Class
Meetings:
Session/Year:
Instructor
Name:
Email
Address:
Instructor
Availability
Outside
of
Class:
Please
feel free to contact me if an individual appointment time needs to be
arranged. Also, always feel free to contact me at my above mentioned
email with any questions you may have as you work on your projects
throughout the week.
Motion & Shot Design
Course
Description:
This
course explores the unique aesthetics of synthetic moving images. A
more refined review of 2-D design and color will be combined with an
in depth study of perceptual psychology to inform the technical and
creative decision making and problem solving process. Coherence,
aesthetics, and semantics will be discussed both in the abstract and
in the context of the student's work process with the aim of
developing a more sophisticated motion graphics and visual effects
style. Historical, current, and future trends will also be covered.
Course
Length: 11
Weeks
Contact
Hours: 44 Hours
Lecture:
2 Hours per week
Lab:
2 Hours per week
Credit
Values:
3 Credits
Course
Competencies:
Upon
successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
- Define technical and aesthetic terms and jargon as they relate to art direction for visual effects and motion graphics
- Explain historical and current trends in the aesthetics of moving images
- Demonstrate the ability to make informed creative decisions and explain how those decisions will affect the viewer
- Show a clear progression in personal style
- Adapt historical and current styles from other media and apply them to the creation of the moving image.
- Understand and appreciate digital animation in the continuum of traditional animation and time-based media concepts and practices.
- Demonstrate an understanding of basic techniques of character and narrative development as applied to digital animation.
- Demonstrate skills in preparation of digital animation for a variety of output formats.
- Create storyboards that effectively document narrative and/or concept development.
- Apply visual and time-based design principles to the creation of digital animation.
Course
Prerequisite(s):
MA4405 Intermediate Motion Graphics
Required
Text(s): None
Materials
and
Supplies:
Various art supplies
Estimated
Homework
Hours:
8 Hours per Week
Technology
Needed:
Access to video cameras, still cameras, scanners, capture systems &
to computers.
Assessment
Criteria & Methods of Evaluation:
Assignments
and Exercises 70%
Final
Project/Examination 30%
100%
All
assignments must have clear criteria and objectives to meet. All
students shall be treated equitably. It will be that student’s
right to know his/her grade at any reasonable point that information
is requested by that student. The criteria for determining a
student’s grade shall be as follows (on a percentage of total
points basis):
A 100-93
A- 92-90
B+ 89-87
B 86-83
B- 82-80
C+ 79-77
C 76-73
C- 72-70
D+ 69-67
D 66-60
F 60
or below
Classroom
Policies:
- Class time will be spent in a productive manner.
- All work must be received by the set deadlines.
- On-time projects may be redone with instructor approval.
- No food allowed in computer labs at any time. Drinks in recloseable bottles allowed in classroom.
- If student elects to eat/drink outside class or lab door, missed time is recorded as absent.
- Attendance is taken on a regular basis. Tardiness or absence is recorded in 15-minute increments.
- Break times are scheduled by the instructor at appropriate intervals.
- No private software is to be brought to lab or loaded onto school computers.
- No software games are allowed in lab (unless in course curriculum).
- Headphones are required if listening to music in computer labs. No headphones are allowed during lecture.
- To receive special accommodations for a documented disability, the student must present their letter of accommodation to the instructor by the end of the first day of class. This letter should be obtained each quarter from the Student Affairs department. Any resulting class performance problems that may arise for those who do not identify their needs will not receive any special grading considerations.
- ID Badges must be visible at all times on campus.
Students
with Disabilities:
The
Art Institute of California is committed to providing qualified
students with a disability an equal opportunity to access the
benefits, rights and privileges of school services, programs and
activities. The Art Institute of California provides reasonable
accommodations to students with documented disabilities.
Accommodation
requests should be submitted as far in advance as possible. It is
the responsibility of the student to contact the Student Services
Department to initiate this process. The Student Services Department
will assist qualified students with disabilities in acquiring
reasonable and appropriate accommodations.
Attendance
Policy:
Successful
completion of a course is dependent upon regular attendance in the
classroom. Critical information is delivered through lecture,
critique and student interaction. Missing more than 20% of the course
hours (or 2 weeks) is fundamentally prohibitive to student success.
It
is strongly recommended that any student who – for ANY reason –
misses more than 2 weeks worth of instructional hours meet with their
instructor for an evaluation. The instructor reserves the right to
determine the feasibility of the student potential for avoiding a
failing grade and successfully demonstrating all of the gradable
course competencies within the class time remaining. If the
instructor determines that the student still retains the potential to
demonstrate all of the gradable course competencies then the student
will be granted the option of attempting a passing grade. If an
evaluation meeting has not taken place before 30% or 3 weeks of
absence, the student can receive a failing grade for the course.
Student
Conduct Policy:
The
Art Institute of California expects its students and employees to
conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times. In
addition, the Art Institute has a strict policy which disallows
sexual harassment of either students or employees. All students or
employees are
encouraged to report any professional or sexual misconduct to the
Director of Student Services.
Academic
Dishonesty:
Students
are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty
while pursuing their studies at The Art Institute. Academic
dishonesty includes but is not limited to: plagiarism and cheating,
misuse of academic resources or facilities, and misuse of computer
software, data, equipment or networks.
Plagiarism
is the use (copying) of another person’s ideas, words, visual
images, or audio samples, presented in a manner that makes the work
appear to be the student’s original creation. All work that is not
the student’s original creation, or any idea or fact that is not
“common knowledge,” must be documented properly to avoid even
accidental infractions of the honor code.
Cheating
is to gain an unfair advantage on a grade by deception, fraud, or
breaking the rules set forth by the instructor of the class. Cheating
may include but is not limited to: copying the work of others; using
notes or other materials when unauthorized; communicating to others
during an exam; and any other unfair advantage as determined by the
instructor.
Commitment
to Excellence – Reading/Writing/Comprehension:
While
the principal goal of this course is the acquisition of knowledge in
the subject area, students should be aware that The Art Institute of
California – Orange County requires that research on a particular
topic, and clear and effective writing be an integral part of the
learning process.
Library
Assignment:
All
students will need to utilize the Library for research and reference
throughout the quarter. The Library is a valuable source for finding
design ideas that will be needed for this course, i.e.: inspiration
and design fundamentals for mid-term and final projects; locating
popular trends in design, illustration and photography; referencing
past award winning designs which may be used as a guide; identifying
benchmarks or referencing competent design works.
Student
Art Work:
All
student work, which has not already been returned during the quarter,
will be available for pickup no later than 5:00 pm, Monday of the
first week of break. Any work NOT picked up by that date and time
will be discarded unless other arrangements have been made. Students
must take responsibility for their art work.
Suggested
Weekly Outline:
|
Week
1: |
Lecture:
Syllabus and Expectations. What is Shot design? |
|
|
Lab:
View examples of recent award winning shots |
|
|
Homework:
Create a portfolio of the 5 shots you are most proud of. Bring
Project files and all associated materials. |
|
|
|
|
Week
2: |
Lecture:
Crit of student portfolios. What is Wrong and right? Why fix it? |
|
|
Lab:
Rework 1 shot based on class crit. |
|
|
Homework:
Finish lab work and rework another shot. |
|
|
|
|
Week
3: |
Lecture:
Crit of Reworked shots. Approaches to previs and story boarding. |
|
|
Lab:
Demonstration of previs and story boarding |
|
|
Homework:
Previse 5 MG or VFX shots |
|
|
|
|
Week
4: |
Lecture:
Crit of Previs. What is working? Discussion of presentation and
style |
|
|
Lab:
Rework Previs |
|
|
Homework:
Continue lab |
|
|
|
|
Week
5: |
Lecture:
Crit New previs choose the best of 5. |
|
|
Lab:
Start to carry out design |
|
|
Homework:
Finish design, this is the mid term project |
|
|
|
|
Week
6: |
Lecture:
Crit Mid Term Project |
|
|
Lab:
Exchange shots and rework previs or other students |
|
|
Homework:
Continue lab |
|
|
|
|
Week
7: |
Lecture:
Crit. Present reworking of other students work. What is it like do
show someone else idea? |
|
|
Lab:
Discussion and work in small groups |
|
|
Homework:
Rework midterm for grade change. |
|
|
|
|
Week
8: |
Lecture:
Crit of redos. German Expressionism now and then |
|
|
Lab:
Find examples of German Expressionism in a current work of media |
|
|
Homework:
Design a shot showing elements of German Expressionism |
|
|
|
|
Week
9: |
Lecture:
Crit of German Expressionism Designs. Screen additional examples. |
|
|
Lab:
Continue work on German Expressionism Designs |
|
|
Homework:
Finish designs |
|
|
|
|
Week
10: |
Lecture:
Crit of Designs. Discussion of finals. Screening of other
historical styles |
|
|
Lab:
Decide on finals and start working |
|
|
Homework:
Finish finals |
|
|
|
|
Week
11: |
Lecture:
Crit Final |
|
|
Lab:
Last minute changes based on Crit. |
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