ANIM37721
Exploring Charact. and Costume
 
  I: Administrative Information   II: Course Details   III: Topical Outline(s)  Printable Version   Public
 
Section I: Administrative Information
  Credit Value: 3.0
Credit Value Notes: N/A
Effective: Winter 2013
Prerequisites: (ANIM37370)
Corequisites: N/A
Equivalents:
N/A
Pre/Co/Equiv Notes: N/A

Course Name (short): Exploring Charact. & Costume
School:
Animation Arts and Design
Program(s): Bachelor of Animation
Program Coordinator(s): Mark Mayerson
Course Leader or Contact: Tim Mccormack
Originator: Paulette Geffros
Designate: Paulette Geffros
Version:
11.0
Status: Approved - Under Rev (AREV)

Calendar Description
This course is designed to provide students with opportunities to refine a personalized vision of figurative expression through character and costume. Emphasis is placed on creating a cogent and compelling sense of identity within the context of character.

Typical Instructional Format

Lecture
14.0
Studio Course
28.0
Total hours: 42.0

Courses may be offered in other formats.

Section I Notes: N/A

 
 
Section II: Course Details

Detailed Description
This course is designed to provide students with opportunities to refine a personalized vision of figurative expression through character and costume. Emphasis is placed on creating a cogent and compelling sense of identity within the context of character. Students explore various costumed persona in historical, cultural, ethnic and social milieux. Students work in a variety of mediums (e.g. water colours, acrylics, coloured chalks and mixed mediums). Students explore the artistry and poetry of their personal vision and approach with an ongoing review of anatomical principles. Topics include light and shadow as a design element; exploration of the use of colour as applied to figurative character; and the psychology, subtleties and qualities inherent in facial types and expressions/moods and the attendant analysis of the hands and hand position. Much of the above will be formatted through the use of longer poses.

Program Context

 
Bachelor of Animation Program Coordinator: Mark Mayerson
This course is part of the core component of the second year of the Bachelor of Applied Arts (Animation) Program. It is the sixth in a series of eight Life Drawing courses whose development reflects comprehensive and thoughtful scope, content analysis, and sequence in the delivery within the Life Drawing stream. In addition, it reflects continuity, integration and balance through the other streams at an intermediate level and reflects the complexity and logic of the design of the BAA Animation Program. It prepares students for the remaining courses within the stream and for building connections to storytelling, character, animation and performance to courses in other streams within the program.


Course Critical Performance and Learning Outcomes

 
 Critical Performance
By the end of this course, students will have demonstrated the 
ability to project believable character by introducing elements of 
personal expression and styles that reflect a more sophisticated 
understanding of the figurative drawing process.

Learning Outcomes
To achieve the critical performance, students will have demonstrated 
the ability to:

1.  Create a portrait, that reflects subtle elements of caricature, 
    that is respectful of the character.

2.  Complete portraits that incorporate the elements of skeletal 
    structure and musculature. 

3.  Generate drawings that build from concepts of drapery to 
    articulating the specific natures of costumes/clothing.

4.  Analyze the anatomical structure that lies beneath the clothing 
    and the related pose dynamic.

5.  Develop a believable character through the interpretation of 
    costume, pose, attitude and body language of the model. 

6.  Incorporate increasingly sophisticated aspects of light and
    shadow in costumed figures in order to reinforce elements of 
    theatricality.

7.  Create a greater sense of character through the use of 
    simplification/economy of expression, and the use of caricature 
    and perceived distortion.

8.  Effectively adapt figure drawings to a broad range of characters 
    in their perceived time and place.

9.  Develop the skills to create figure drawings that move from the 
    nude figure to the costumed figure.

10. Generate the specifics of character through in-depth portraiture 
    and sensitivity to facial expressions.

11. Create figure drawings that reflect a sensitivity to a specific 
    character and his/her story. 

12. Create drawings that reflect the character and anticipate the 
    behaviour and action of the character.

Evaluation Plan
Students demonstrate their learning in the following ways:

 
Life Drawing Work Book 5%
Portfolio #1 30%
Portfolio #2 40%
Character Assignment 15%
Field Trip 10%
Total 100%

Late Policy
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.
Provincial Context
The course meets the following Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities requirements:

 

Essential Employability Skills
Essential Employability Skills emphasized in the course:

  Communication X Critical Thinking & Problem Solving X Interpersonal
  Numeracy   Information Management X Personal

Notes: N/A

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
PLAR Contact: Tim Mccormack

Students may apply to receive credit by demonstrating achievement of the course learning outcomes through previous life and work experiences. This course is eligible for challenge through the following method(s):

Challenge Exam Portfolio Interview Other Not Eligible for PLAR
  X X    

Notes: Both are required

 
 
Section III: Topical Outline
Some details of this outline may change as a result of circumstances such as weather cancellations, College and student activities, and class timetabling.
Effective term: Winter 2013
Professor: Tim Mccormack
Textbook(s):
Textbook(s): N/A

Applicable student group(s): Students in the BAA Animation Program
Course Details:
Description:
It is absolutely necessary for animators to create believable
characters that elicit emotion from the audience. With this in mind,
life drawing stresses four areas in this semester - the portrait and
hands, the costumed character, specific technical components and an
initial sense of personal vision. The portrait is introduced through
an investigation and study of the head, the face and expression in the
face. Models take on specific expressions, which are held for 20
minutes, extruding subtle elements of caricature that inform animation
but are still respectful of the character through limited use. The
hands are regarded as an extension of the personality and their
placement and pose become integral to the development of character.

In this semester, students move from the nude to the clothed figure in
order to tell a broader story. Emphasis is placed once again on the
anatomical structure under the clothing rather than the clothes
themselves, but students must also now learn to draw the nuances of
the clothing that inform the action and the dynamic nature of the
figure. The clothing itself also must be carefully examined and
rendered as costume is reflective of character. The uniqueness or
shape of a skirt, a bustle or shoes is reflective of the culture of
the time and students must be able to translate the social and
historical context of a piece of clothing into their drawings. This
makes the process of life drawing considerably more complex, as
students begin to look at the person rather than the figure.

Technically, students address aspects of light and shadow in greater
depth than previous courses required. They investigate aspects of
weight through the use of light and shadow and continue to simplify
within a pose, thus emphasizing economy of expression and economy of
form. Because of the repetition in animation, if economy is not there,
the image will not behave on film - this principle translates to the
economy of the music used as well.

Finally, students begin to give serious consideration to their own
artistic vision. Style is secondary to the translation of story to
image as students create drawings that reflect the character and
anticipation of the action of that character. Choice of media is
progressively more based on each student's individual vision.  It is
up to each student in consultation with the instructor to find the
right medium (Conte, wash, pen and ink, digital) to express their
ideas. They begin to exhibit confidence and competence in their own
drawing abilities and become enmeshed in the characters they are
drawing. In doing so, their drawings take on a level of filmic
sophistication that moves them to a different plane of drawing and a
personal sense of vision.

WEEK 1
Man in a Suit
Introduction to Exploring Character and Costume
Expectations and Procedures
Overview of requirements for the course
Theatrical elements of shape
Character and context: Introduction to site sketching

WEEK 2
Toga
Relationship of gesture to costume (dynamics of major folds)
Relationship between costume, structural anatomy and lyrical poses
Line quality and specific fabric characteristics

WEEK 3
Witch
Character mood and psychology
Making the costumed figure act
Costume, light and shadow and design continuity
Design drawing in media with graphic possibilities
Character development assignment

WEEK 4
Wedding Dress
Costume: analysis of essential, theatrical elements of shape (e.g.
silhouette and profile)
Character, archetypes and art direction
Costume drawing and aesthetics

WEEK 5
Chef
Costume, character, performance and humour
Elements of caricature and distortion
Portrait - head, face, hands

WEEK 6
Geisha
Exoticism: Pattern design, texture and colour investigation
Theatrical staging and emphasis on art direction
Wednesday Feb 23rd Site sketching - Auto Show
Character development assignment due

WEEK 7
Cowboy
Open Studio
Story: Facial expression and body language
Portfolio #1 due
Auto show site sketching due

WEEK 8
Women's Office Outfit
Head, face and expression
Sustained portrait - style, genre and expression
Second location and genre pitch assignment

WEEK 9
Golfer
Elements of caricature and distortion
Relationship between costume, structural anatomy and dynamic poses

WEEK 10
Noir: Femme Fatale and Gumshoe
Working with double poses
Emphasizing story and filmic archetypes, clichés
Staging: using silhouettes and overlaps

Week 11
Cool Man
Further Media investigations
More site sketching: the model in context

WEEK 12
Beach Girl
Further narrative explorations
Second location drawings due

WEEK 13
Aladdin
Sustained Poses
Flights of fancy:  An emphasis on imagination over reportage
Life Drawing Book due

WEEK 14
Renaissance 
Review and critique


Academic Honesty
The principle of academic honesty requires that all work submitted for evaluation and course credit be the original, unassisted work of the student. Cheating or plagiarism including borrowing, copying, purchasing or collaborating on work, except for group projects arranged and approved by the faculty member, or otherwise submitting work that is not the student's own violates this principle and will not be tolerated. Instances of academic dishonesty, including assisting another student to cheat, will be penalized as detailed in the Student Handbook.

Students who have any questions regarding whether or not specific circumstances involve a breach of academic honesty are advised to discuss them with the faculty member prior to submitting the assignment in question.

Discrimination and Harassment
Sheridan is committed to provide a learning environment that respects the dignity, self esteem and fair treatment of every person engaged in the learning process. Behaviour which is inconsistent with this principle will not be tolerated. Details of Sheridan's policy on Harassment and Discrimination are available in the Student Handbook.
 
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