This document provides an introduction to an animation class at Roach Middle School. It discusses what animation is, the history of animation, and the storytelling aspects of creating animated films. The class will teach students how to create characters, show movement and emotions through actions, storyboard, and learn animation software and techniques to bring their stories and characters to life. Students will also create clay models of their characters to help envision them in 3D before drawing them on the computer.

1. Welcome To Animation Roach Middle School 2006-2007

2. WHAT IS ANIMATION? Telling a story through motion, or giving the impression that the characters are moving Motion can be on paper, or on computers Is it different from cartoons? Animation is all about bringing cartoon characters to life through motion

3. THE HISTORY OF ANIMATION Cartoon Strips Zoetropes Flip Books Computer Animation Who invented animation? How did it happen? Video Rotoscopes

4. Oh, yes, we still have to write stories!!!! STORYTELLING 101 Comedy Horror Action Science Fiction We have to have a story for our character Animation technique is the most important storytelling aspect of computer graphics So, we’ll be learning animation technique!

5. It’s all about creating a Character and telling their story Yes, you are going to learn how to draw! It’s going to be simple drawings, yet better than stick figures. CREATING YOUR OWN CHARACTER

6. They will each have their own personality Posture Shape Clothing PERSONALITY

7. What does their face tell you about their personality? Hero? Villian? Brave? Cowardly? Grumpy? Friendly?

8. What do their actions mean? How does someone stand if they are nervous? If you are sad, do you walk down the street the same way you do if you are happy? Can animated movies tell you how the characters feel without telling you verbally? ACTIONS AND MOVEMENTS What do cartoonists do to show movement when their pictures don’t move? We will learn to tell stories with simple techniques!

9. STORYBOARDING Rough sketches More than stick figures, but you still don’t have to be an artist You will have to start thinking like an animator! Blocking the camera shots…what’s visible and for how long Which character receives the most camera time? When are close-ups used ? Which scenes show perspective? Where do the camera angles change?

10. BACKGROUNDS We will be studying backgrounds, and why they are so important to animation What does our background say about our animation?

11. VOCABULARY Animation has it’s own special “language” The software Animation:Master also has it’s own computer shortcuts to make animation simpler and easier We will be spending a lot of time on vocabulary and computer shortcuts so you can become an animation expert!

12. Is this beginning to sound like a Video Production Class? It has a lot of the same terminology like: Using multiple cameras Camera angles Dolly Pan Shot Types POV Rendering 3D Animation Sound Lighting Techniques

13. Pre-production Character design Script writing Storyboarding Dialog recording – dialog is recorded first, so the animator can match the voice to the lips What is the story all about? What will it look like when it’s done? What does the character look like? What will the character act out? Will there be interaction with other characters? Is the skeleton capable of the animation you have planned? ? ? ? ?

14. Post-production Production Animating Lighting Rendering Re-combining the dialog track Credits Adding sound effects Adding music

15. PLASTICINE FIGURES AND FACES For an at-home assignment, you will be creating your own character out of plasticine, or modeling clay, during the Thanksgiving holidays By making your own character with plasticine, you will be able to then create it on the computer by looking at it in 3D before you begin “drawing” it in the computer

16. Created by: Stacy Walker, Roach Middle School, Frisco, Texas 2006© Material used from the following sources: Martin Hash’s “The Art of Animation:Master” www.hash.com 2005 Arts and Crafts Skills, “Cartoons and Animation” Childrens Press, 1998 ISBN 0-516-21194-3 www.apple.com/trailers www.blockbuster.com www.pixar.com www.disney.com