Course Name (short): Animation Principles 1
School: Animation Arts and Design
Program(s): Bachelor of Animation
Program Coordinator(s): Mark Mayerson
Course Leader or Contact: Michel Hannan
Originator: Paulette Geffros
Designate: Paulette Geffros
Version: 17.0
Status: Approved - Under Rev (AREV)

Calendar Description
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the principles of animation and elementary character design.

Typical Instructional Format

Courses may be offered in other formats.

Section I Notes: Course Contributors: Michel Hannan, David Quesnelle, Charlie Bonifacio, Mark Mayerson

Detailed Description
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to the principles of animation and elementary character design. Dimensional forms are used in the construction of solid, well drawn characters. Emphasis is placed on basic design principles, learning to use and manipulate 3D geometric shapes, and integrating knowledge of human anatomy. The animator`s vocabulary of motion is developed through interactive lecture, discussion, demonstration and studio exercises in motion principles.

Program Context

 Critical Performance
By the end of this course, students will have demonstrated the ability
to integrate knowledge of elementary character design and application
of animation principles in caricatured motion analysis exercises.

Learning Outcomes
To achieve the Critical Performance, students will have demonstrated
the ability to:

1.  Incorporate balance and weight in character design.

2.  Draw accurate in-betweens in the animation process between key 
    poses.

3.  Draw basic dimensional forms from a variety of views.

4.  Design anthropomorphic objects and animals.

5.  Design appealing and believable characters that function for 
    movement.

6.  Produce a convincing illusion of motion in time and space in
    sequential drawings.

7.  Incorporate the appropriate equipment and software for animation
    motion with an elementary use of sound.

8.  Animate drawings that incorporate dimensional structure.

9.  Construct a model sheet that uses consistent design and proportion

10.  Create drawings that utilize a line of action within the
     character poses in order to express emotion.

11.  Conduct research on the work of a specific artist, identifying
     his/her style, influence and historical context.

Students demonstrate their learning in the following ways:
Evaluation
Animation 
Project #1 Bouncing Ball 		15%
Project #2 Sea Weed & Book Page 	15%
Project #3 In-betweening 		15%
Project #4 Ball and Tail 		15%
                                        
Character Design
Project #1 Character Rotation          10%
Project #2 Character Posing            10%
Project #3 Expression Changes          15%
Project #4 Student Artist Profile       5%
Total                                  100%			
	
NOTE: The final grade is the average of the ANIMATION and CHARACTER 
DESIGN portions of the course. Students must achieve 50% or better in 
each area in order to pass the course. 

Late Policy for all courses in the program:

All assignments are due within the first 15 minutes after the start 
of class on the due date. Late projects, submitted after the first 15 
minutes of the start of class will receive a 20% grade reduction. 
Late projects submitted the following week will receive a 30% grade 
reduction. There will be no submission of work after the last day of 
semester unless arrangements have been made and documented by the 
professor.

Work that is more than one week late will not be graded unless a 
prior arrangement has been made with the professor; the arrangement 
must be documented on email or a memo, with the new due date 
identified. There will be no resubmission of work unless, under 
exceptional circumstances, this has been agreed to or suggested by 
the professor.  Again, a hard copy of the agreement is necessary.

If there is a valid reason for the late project, the student must 
email the professor at least 3 days before the due date.  If the 
reason is deemed to be valid, there will be no late penalty.  A new 
due date with be set by the instructor.

The basic late policy as laid out above will be followed, except in 
the instance that an instructor requires a variation in policy. That 
variation will be provided to the student in writing as part of the 
actual assignment, which will be handed out by the instructor.

N/A

Animation: Michel Hannan and Blair Kitchen
Character Design: Enzo Avolio

Week 1
Introduction the Course and expectations. A visual tour of the past 
years student's assignments to get an overview of the semester and 
projects. Delivery of BAA handbooks and forms to be signed.

Animation Lab
Assign Bouncing Ball project #1 Due week 5: Overview of Animation 
terminology and processes.  Students will be starting the first 
component of the bouncing ball assignment.

Character Lab
Assign Character rotation project #1 Due week 4:  Introduction to 
Character design, caricatures of students.

Week 2 
Extension and Application of Animation concepts and Principles 
Introduce the new animation assignment "Bouncing Ball" with a visual 
rubric of what is expected from the students by show past student 
examples

Animation Lab
Basic Principals of Animation (timing, staging, arc of motion, mass 
and weight, center of mass, path of action, squash and stretch) Lab 
will also include an in class demo of bowling ball bounce from the 
bouncing ball assignment.
   
Character Lab
Basic shapes and structure lines used in character design, Lab will 
also include an in class demo and also an in class drawing 
exercise.   

Week 3
Extension and Application of Animation concepts and Principles and 
then a compare and contrast of character design of two animated 
eature films "Bugs Life" and "Antz?.  The students will get to 
analyze the films by character design and form following function 
with in class worksheet.

Animation Lab
Extension of basic Principals of Animation (timing, staging, arc of 
motion, mass and weight, center of mass, path of action, squash and 
stretch) Lab will also include an in class demo of the balloon bounce 
from the bouncing ball assignment. 
  
Character Lab
Proportion, Balance Weight and Silhouette: Lab will also include an 
in class demo and also an in class drawing exercise.

Week 4
Discovery the artist animator Chuck Jones with his informative 
extremes and in-betweens documentary.

Animation Lab
Extension of basic Principals of Animation (timing, staging, arc of 
motion, mass and weight, center of mass, path of action, squash and 
stretch) Lab will also include an in class demo of the Pendulum swing 
from the bouncing ball assignment.  
 
Character Lab
DUE Character rotation project #1:  Construction of character through 
the structure of forms that build a character proportions. Lab will 
also include an in class demo and also an in class drawing exercise.

Week 5
Introduce the new animation Project #2 - Seaweed and Book Page turn 
with a visual rubric of what is expected from the students by show 
past student examples.

Animation Lab
DUE Project #1 - Bouncing Ball : Arcs of motion, hook-up and in-
between, wave principal, S and C curve, follow through and overlap 
Action.

Character Lab
Assign Character Posing Project #2 Due week 8:   Line of action, 
Posing and Gesture, blocking performance through thumbnails.  Lab 
will also include an in class demo and also an in class drawing 
exercise. (Project #2 Character Posing assigned which is due week 8).

Week 6
Screen Project #1 - Bouncing Ball animations. All required components 
of the exposure sheet and scene package are discussed and explained.  
Discover what the exposure sheet is used for and how to read it with 
an in class demo and worksheet students can follow along.

Animation Lab
Assign Sea Weed & Book Page - Project #2 Due week 8:   Repeat cycle 
animation, Animation exposure sheet (aka Dope Sheet) components of 
the scene package, delayed action, anticipation in Performance 
recovery and balance.

Character Lab
Character Construction with a critique of posing from professional 
examples and pas student work Lab will also include an in class demo 
and also an in class drawing exercise.

Week 7
Analyzing the effectiveness of S & C curve, follow through, pose to 
pose animation by showing clips from animated films.

Animation Lab
Rough in-betweening animation, Balance key frames (pose to pose) and 
straight ahead animation.  Work in class on the seaweed and book page 
turn assignment.

Character Lab
Recovery of balance through the Posing of character with force of 
gravity. Critique the second assignment in an individual one on one 
meeting during the class.  Lab will also include an in class demo and 
also an in class drawing exercise. 

Week 8
View student character design examples from Project #1 with a short 
critique of what make a design successful.  Discuss the history of 
the model sheet and what main purpose for in the industry is.  A 
presentation a Professional character designer and their artwork.

Animation Lab
Extension and application of animation concepts and principles 
Project #2 - Seaweed and Book Page DUE

Character Lab
Arc of movement and follow through in relation to poses and the how 
they relate to in-betweening. Lab will also include an in class demo 
and also an in class drawing exercise. Project #2 - Character Posing 
DUE. 

Week 9
Examine the art of in-betweening.

Animation Lab
Assign Project #3 - In-between. Due week 11: An in class demo of how 
to approach the in-between and following ht arcs and spacing of a 
good in-between.

Character Lab
Assign Project #3 - Expression Changes - Due week 12:  An overview of 
structure, balance weight and squash and stretch.  Screen a short 
film the "Dot and the Line" by Chuck Jones. Lab will also include an 
in class demo and also an in class drawing exercise. 

Week 10
Lecture
Cartoons art war and the power tool of media for the purpose of 
propaganda.

Animation Lab
Continue to work in class of the in-between box fold assignment.

Character Lab
Demo of artist's profile.  Character construction of the eye 
structure within a socket, eye direction and eye brows with 
expression.  Lab will also include an in class demo and also an in 
class drawing exercise. Students decided which artist they will be 
researching. 

Week 11
Introduce Project #4 - Ball and Tail with a visual rubric of what is 
expected from the students by show past student examples.

Animation Lab
DUE Projecdt #3 - In-betweening

Character Lab
Critique and analyze professional developed character with a range of 
their expressions. The basics in developing a character design to 
achieve believable emotions. Lab will also include an in class demo 
and also an in class drawing exercise. 

Week 12
A short screening of the in-betweening assignment. Art of Clean 
up in animation and character design.

Animation Lab
Assign Project #4 - Ball and Tail DUE week 14
An in class demo of how to approach the ball and tail assignment, 
reviewing squash and stretch, follow through, S & C curve, 
anticipation and performance

Character Lab
Project #3 - Expressions Changes DUE at the start of the class to be 
a part of an in class critique's of character designs. Lab will also 
include an in class demo and also an in class drawing exercise. 

Week 13
Review the principals and animation terminology for the test.

Animation Lab
Work in class with one on one critique of the ball and tail animation.

Character Lab
DUE Presentations of the Student Artist Profile research 

Week 14
TEST of Animation and Character Design theories.

Animation Lab
Project #4 all and Tail DUE

Character Lab
Continued - Presentations of the Student Artist Profile research