Year 2: Digital Media Design

Module Code / Module Title: AF201 Animation

Assignment Title: Climate Change Awareness Animation

Value of Assignment: 50% Animation Module

Module Tutor: Kate Williams, Andrew Williamson, George Hedges

Hand-in Dates/Times: 

                                       Pitch:  Wednesday 9th October 9.00 - 1.30

                                       Crit:  Wednesday 23rd October

                                       Final submission:  Monday 4th November 

Learning Outcomes for the Assessment:

AF201 Animation Learning Outcomes

·         Present contextual research with annotations that demonstrate a basic knowledge of commercial applications of animation practices.

·        

      Produce sketchbook/s and deliver a verbal presentation to peers that demonstrate an understanding of general animation principles and an ability to apply them to practical outcomes.

Produce a short animated sequence that demonstrates competence with identified animation techniques.

The Brief

You have been commissioned to produce a short (20 – 30 seconds) animation which promotes a message of engagement in activities which will limit CO2 emissions as part of a public information campaign. 

The General Message:  This needs to express the seriousness of the message that time is running out, but be optimistic that we still have an opportunity to shape our future.   The message about the consequences of no action on global warming can be scary but your film should be designed to motivate to action. 

·         Food:  The food chain contributes significantly to climate change and food is essential for life.  Actions you can take to make the food supply more sustainable include growing your own veg, buying local and eating seasonally.

Transport:  Flying gives you a huge carbon footprint, so your film can encourage holidaying closer to home.  There’s really no excuse for driving a car round towns like Eastbourne or Brighton where catching the bus is cheap and easy, cycling is good for your fitness and walking slows life down to a liveable pace and creates a sense of community. 

Consumption/Lifestyle:  We live in a throw away culture in which we buy new stuff and bin our old stuff without a thought.  Your aim is to get viewers of your film to question this acquisitiveness, to ask questions like ‘do I really need to upgrade that phone’?  You also want to promote a message of ‘reduce and recycle’, to promote mending, sharing, swapping and buying second hand.  Look at services like Freecycle and Furniture Now for inspiration.  

The tone of your animation should be positive and encouraging, and avoid a hectoring, lecturing or accusing tone.  Your animation must have a sound-track, which can feature any combination of a voice-over script, music and sound effects.   

To prepare for your own design work, you need to undertake research into

1       The principles of animation

Examples of existing animations which are used to convey information or are designed to persuade.

This research work must be shown on the blog.

You will follow a design process, from initial idea generation (e.g. brainstorms, rough and thumbnail sketches), through to storyboarding and mocking-up artwork, generating a script and an animatic.  You will pitch your ideas, storyboards, art direction and animatic on Monday 14^th October in the classes in the morning.  The animatic must feature a sound track, so any music tracks, sound effects or voice over recordings will have been prepared to build your animatic against.  

You will produce the artwork in any combination of Photoshop or Illustrator, which you will import into After Effects to animate.  You will be using the core, foundational techniques in After Effects (e.g. transform properties, keyframing, easing, layers, pre-comping) so you will not use After Effects plug-ins to create your animated sequences.  Your blog should contain entries on how you create your artwork and animations. 

You will show your finished animation in crit on Monday 4^th November.  You should write up a review of this crit, the feedback you were offered and your response to it, including changes you make, in your blog.

Deadlines and Key Dates

The assignment is being set on Monday 30^th September 2013

On Monday 14^th October you will pitch your designs. This must be a properly prepared presentation, using Keynote, Powerpoint or another presentation tool, and must be submitted on Hercules at the start of this session.

On Monday 4^th November you will crit your final products to the whole group during the morning class.  

By 10.00am on Wednesday 6^th November you will upload your final submission to the server, complete your blog and submit your sketchbooks for assessment.      

Method of Assessment

What you need to submit

The following needs to go on the Hercules Submissions server:-

·       A .mov of your animation

·       Your pitch presentation

Your blog must feature of research and project development, including analysis of existing animations and research into animation design principles.

Your sketchbook must feature design development, including storyboarding

  

     

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