VEA Bringing Learning to Life Program Support Notes Middle Senior Secondary Animation in Multimedia 29mins Teacher Notes by Mark Ridgeway, Dip Ed, BSc(Hons), BSc, Grad Dip (Computing), Grad Cert (ebusiness) Produced by VEA Pty Ltd Commissioning Editor Christine Henderson B.Sc. Ph.D. Dip.Ed. Executive Producer Mark McAuliffe Dip.Art (Film & TV) Dip.Ed. B.Ed. Ph.D. Suitable for: ICT Media Studies To order or inquire please contact VEA: Australia 111A, Mitchell Street, Bendigo, Victoria 3550 FREECALL: 1800 034 282 Phone: (03) 5442 2433 Facsimile: (03) 5441 1148 New Zealand PO BOX 4390, Shortland St., Auckland FREECALL: 0800 486 688 Facsimile: 0800 488 668 E-mail vea@vea.com.au Website www.vea.com.au WARNING The Copyright proprietor has licensed the motion picture contained on this video cassette for non-theatrical use only and prohibits any other use, copying, reproduction or performance in public, in whole or part. The penalties for unauthorised copying of this program include a $50,000 fine for individuals and a $250,000 fine for institutions. These notes can be freely copied for classroom use only.
For Teachers: Introduction Animation in Multimedia investigates the range of techniques and processes and used in the production of modern animations. The program also describes the roles and responsibilities of the various people involved in animation production and presents some of the many ways in which modern animation is used. The program is especially useful for senior Multimedia and Media classes. It can also be used for middle and junior classes when investigating specific animation techniques. The program makes extensive use of a wide variety of animation footage and interviews with leading industry representatives to illustrate the various aspects of animation production that are presented. Running time for the program is 29 minutes, but it is divided into a number of distinct parts, which can logically fit across a range of lessons. The parts include: Animation Techniques Preproduction Production and Post-Production Tasks and Responsibilities An Animated World Program Timeline 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:52 Chapter 1 Animation Techniques 00:07:36 Summary Animation Techniques 00:08:09 Chapter 2 Pre-Production 00:11:56 Summary Pre-Production 00:12:18 Chapter 3 Production & Post-Production 00:18:10 Summary Production & Post-Production 00:18:44 Chapter 4 Tasks & Responsibilities 00:21:45 Summary Tasks & Responsibilities 00:22:19 Chapter 5 An Animated World 00:26:22 Summary An Animated World 00:26:52 Conclusion 00:27:52 Credits 00:28:50 End Program Other Relevant Programs Available from VEA Making a Video The Language of Film and Television Global Fantasy II Behind the Camera Media Literacy Please visit our website for many more relevant programs www.vea.com.au VEA Bringing Learning to Life 2
Student Worksheet: While Viewing the Program Animation Techniques and Preproduction 1. Why is animation described as an illusion? 2. List three different approaches to animation identified in the program: 3. Describe cell based animation and identify the advantages offered by it: 4. What is stop-motion animation? 5. How many frames per second are generally required for smooth playback quality? 6. Describe the process of animating with key frames and tweens: 7. What is a potential danger of using computer generated tweens? 8. What is rotoscoping and how is it used? 3
9. Describe how 3D animation is generated: 10. Why is the preproduction process essential? 11. What is a storyboard and how is it used? 12. What is an animatic? 13. Why is character and story development essential? 14. What are model sheets and how are they used? 15. Why is identifying the audience important? Production & Post-Production, Tasks & Responsibilities, and an Animated World 16. Why are voice-overs often completed first? 17. Describe why backgrounds are important: 4
18. What is wire-framing and how is it used? 19. What is the rendering process? 20. Describe the editing process: 21. What is colour grading and why is it used? 22. What other effects are added in post-production? 23. At what stage is the sound track normally added? 24. List the elements of sound post-production: 25. Describe the process of synching dialogue to characters: 5
26. List and describe the common roles found on large projects: 27. List and describe three ways (apart from movies) in which animation is used in today s world: 28. Describe how animations are used in computer games. Identify the extra complexities involved: 29. Describe a benefit of using animation in commercials: 30. List and describe two technologies used in web based animation: 6
After Viewing the Program 1. Animation Techniques Assignment watch an animated film such as Spiderman that incorporates animation elements. Watch it frame by frame through some of the special effects scenes to identify the animation effects incorporated into the movie. 2. Animation Assignment Use a tool such as Flash or Gif Animator (or use Claymation with imovie etc) to create your own animations. 3. Animatic Assignment Create your own storyboard on paper and then scan the images into the computer. Animate the storyboard frames into an animatic using tools such as MovieMaker or Flash. 4. Excursion organise a school excursion, or a private visit, to an organization specializing in multimedia and animation such as the ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image). 5. Genre in Animation Investigate a particular genre or style of animation such as Claymation or Japanese Anime. 6. Rotoscoping Use tracing paper to create keyframe images from photographs (you could use a digital camera to generate a series of images of a particular movement), then scan the images into the computer and animate using a tool such as Flash. 7
Website References http://www.knowledgehound.com/topics/cartooning.htm provides a good source of relevant links. The Adobe web site http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/flashpro has a wealth of information and links for developing digital animation with Flash. Wikipedia Animation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/animation provides an extensive overview of the history, styles and techniques of animation. Animation.com: http://www.animation.com Pixar studios: http://www.pixar.com/ The Animation Magazine: http://www.animationmagazine.net The Animation World Network: http://www.awn.com/ 8