"60 Minutes : Bob Dylan" Format Styling.

So, I'm putting together my script for the final MFA animation, which is going to be a newsreel 60 Minutes inspired style. I came across this format that fits what I had in mind. I liked it because it shows a clip, then an interview close up. It then cuts to the interviewer to show reaction.

Final Document Setup & Visual Aid Advice

Final Document Setup:
a. Title page
b. Abstract
c. Title page
d. Copyright page
e. Committee and Department Head signatures page
f. Dedication (optional)
g. Acknowledgements (optional but recommended)
h. Table of Contents
i. List of Tables (if 4 or more tables are in text)
j. List of Figures (if 4 or more figures are in text)

Settin up Your Visual Aids

Website Architecture II : Flow Chart

Website Architecture

I. INTRODUCTION:
The intro will be in HTML, but for the approving committee, it may begin as a Word Document, which will the then proceed to the actual website.

• Overview of the Inquiry
• Statement of Intent
• Acknowledgments.

II. CURRICULUM

i. Animating Emotion Overview

ii. “12 Principles of Animation” Overview - How is it used in this presentation?

iii. Animation Process - Keyframing, Positioning, Timing, Detail and Refinement

iv. Importance of Feedback and how it relates to this project.


A. Animation Exercises (11 total). Each exercise will include the following.

1) Assignment Description

2) Lecture and Lessons

• a. Video Tutorials or HTML
• b. Things to watch out for (This is based on my observations and my findings of conducting the exercise myself.
• c. Purpose of this exercise.
• d. Show example of the exercise.

3. Pre – Planning

a. Understanding the scene and scene analysis. (Some questions include):

• What is happening in this scene?
• What is the purpose of this scene?
• What happened to each character before and after this scene?
• What is each character's state of mind

b. Gesture - What body positions is your character going to
display in order to convey the appropriate mood for the
scene.

c. Intensity - At what intensity are these gestures occurring?
Can the intensity be adjusted to enhance the scene?

d. Research

• Video reference – Personally film, or view video resources to serve as reference for movement and timing in your animation.
  
• Use the step feature of your computer program to be familiar with frame count.
• Still Imagery or Mirrors - Use a mirror and or a digital camera to capture the emotion in your face.
  

e. Sketching

• Gesture - Sketch the body positions and expression, use this as a frame of reference when you begin animating.
• Placement - Where are the characters placed in the shot in order to convey the mood clearly?

4. Animation -
The animation process for each exercise is the same, and will be featured it a higher level within the site. This page can serve as a resource for the animation process.

a. Posing and breakdown. Using your sketches and video reference. Block in your poses using the "bookend" technique, and explain how this is done in each exercise.

b. Adjust timing and positioning

c. Add keyframes for:

• Anticipation
• Arcs

d. Add Overlapping Action and Followthrough.

e. Refinement

• Apply moving holds
• Using the Graph Editor.

5. Evaluation -
A separate section on "evaluation" will be written and presented prior to the presentation of the exercises in the curriculum. A link will be available for students to read this section. Show your animated clip to a peer to get feedback from them.

Personal evaluation can be achieved by answering the following questions.

• Is emotion clearly communicated in the scene through the characters? How can it be improved?
• Can anything be exaggerated?
• Can anything be simplified?
• Can we infer a deeper understanding of the character in the scene?

6. Tips and Tricks

• Advice from professional animators.
• Common pitfalls for each assignment and workarounds.

III. 60.2 Seconds "How to Run Off a Cliff With Style",
An Animated Newsreel : by Randolf Dimalanta
I will be animating this next quarter and is used as an example of what can be done utilizing the techniques presented in this thesis presentation.

Format: This will be done in a Quicktime movie file. Or it will be uploaded to a free online server, where the animation could be embedded within an HTML . A nice site that fits right into this presentation is Aniboom.com

IV. Animation and tutorial gallery:

All of the animations, as well all of the tutorial found in the curriculum will be presented on a single HTML page.

Format: Mostly quicktime movies or they will be uploaded to a free server where they will be embedded.

V. CONCLUSION

References


VI. FURTHER STUDY & Other Resources

• Resources
• Bibliography
• Categorized Websites
• Animator Websites
• Links to Laban Motion Analysis
• Link to Ed Hooks site
• Link to Aniboom Site and other Animation Sites
• Video Reference Sites

Week 9 Check-in

I had to submit an assignment which lists the things I still need to do to complete my thesis presentation. I thought I'd post it as a reminder for myself.

While studying illustration in college, I had an instructor who had a great way of critiquing. When it was my turn in the critique, she would look at it, appear to analyze it and would ask me, “So Randolf, what do you think?”. Its at that point, that I tear into myself, and list 15 things that I did wrong, and that I could improve. When I was done, she would agree with everything I’ve said and would say, “Yes, you are correct!” – that’s when I get depressed – “I suck”, I silently say to myself. She finishes off the critique by prioritizing the things I had mentioned that were wrong in my illustration. This technique really works well and is useful as it gives me a good place to start and improve.

Many years after the fact, I asked her about that and she said that we (the students), during a critique, will be much harder on ourselves than she could ever be. The trick however, is to train the student to be at that point where they are able to be critical of their work because they begin to see their work in the way their audience does, but doing so takes perseverance and patience from the instructor and takes years to accomplish. In this assignment, we are doing the same thing, and are beginning to view our thesis with a fine tooth-comb. I already know that I have to proof read my presentation more so than I’ve already done, but here are other things I need to work on regarding its content:

For the MFA Computer Animation thesis, we have to put together a final animation, one that supports our findings and that serves as an example of the high caliber work we are capable of. Last quarter, a recommendation came from an instructor, encouraging me to weave my animation examples together into a documentary style animation about emotion. At the time, they seemed disparate and by putting them together, my presentation will be stronger for viewers of my thesis. The new piece would serve as an example of what could be done by doing my exercises. This week, I’m realizing that I have not mentioned or included this newly integrated animation into my thesis presentation. Not only must it be included, but I should also use the piece to highlight certain points in presented in my curriculum.

Corresponding to Ed Hooks this week, made me realize that the topic of Laban Motion Analysis is too broad to cover in a single section of my thesis. I could however point out a single aspect of it that I had found useful. One aspect of Laban Motion Analysis I found helpful is its technique of identifying the intensity of a particular gesture. As a reviewer for my thesis, I would be interested in seeing how I would teach “intensity training” (for lack of a better term) in the curriculum. I have a couple ideas of exercises that I’m currently using with a class this quarter, and hoping to include it as a preplanning tool for one of the posing exercises mentioned in my curriculum.

The mention of posing exercises for the animator also brings to mind the topic of gesture. I’ld like to locate sources and references on the topic to make my point stronger. I plan to reference Glen Vilppu’s Drawing Manual, Bridgman’s Life Drawing Anatomy Manual, and John Vanderpoh’s Guide to Lifedrawing, all of these texts are standard texts in an animation studio. Referencing these books will make my topic on gesture stronger, now I just have to sit and sift through the pages of thse texts. I’m confident I will find what I’m looking for.

As we move into week 10 and 11, in addition to writing my thesis presentation, I need to come up with a working script for the animation I mentioned earlier. In order to meet my graduationdeadline, production will need to begin next quarter, which means that a script will have to be completed by the end of THIS quarter (Um, that’s in two weeks). Currently, I have an idea that my documentary styling will be following the look and feel of the news show “60 Minutes”. To begin, I found a great example on youtube.com that has the styling and formatting I want. You can watch it here.

Lots of stuff to do, and it doesn’t help that relatives come into town. They are a nice distraction, and I would separate themselves from them in order to complete the work, but these are “high ranking” relatives like my Mom, Dad and Brother and its not that often I spend time with them. Plus, I don’t want them getting angry, so I have to make sure they are okay (Filipino parents are sensitive you know, or at least mine are). I have found open windows in which to work and by this Tuesday, everyone will be on a flight back to the West Coast. I hope to press the gas and move quickly and efficiently this week to prepare for next quarter. For some reason, I don’t feel worried and it stems from the confidence I’m getting back from my leg healing. I’m on both feet, and am only using one crutch.

Woohoo!

"60 Minutes" Style Production Example

To integrate my animations into one cohesive production, I am following the recommendations of my instructor to create a documentary style presentation. It would require that I have another character to act as the host, who is interviewing the various characters in my animations. For a while, I thought about the show "60 Minutes" and how that was a good example of a news documentary style that many people are used to seeing. I like how it beging, and how the dialogue track integrates with the footage. There are a lot of options to try, and I may just try all of them for variety.

Working Bibliography : References

"Empathy." The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company. 02 Jun. 2007. .

"Emotion." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 03 Jun. 2007. .

Hooks, Ed. "Acting for Animators". Portsmouth, NH. Heinemann Press. 2000.

Jones, Chuck. “Extremes and In-Betweens: A Career in Animation”. 2003.

Lasseter, John. Principles of Traditional Animation Applied to 3D Computer Animation. July 1987. Computer Graphics, pp. 35-44, 21:4. 03 June 2007.

Mayerson, Mark. Mayerson on Animation. 2006. Blogger.com. 09 May, 2007.

Thomas, Frank and Ollie Johnston. "The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation". New York, Hyperion. 1981.

Thomas, Frank and Ollie Johnston. The 12 Principles of Animation. 2002. FrankAndOllie.com. AWN. 03 June 2007. http://frankanollie.com/PhysicalAnimation.html

Whitaker, Harold and John Halas. “Timing for Animation”. Burlington, MA. Focal Press. 2004.


ANIMATION WEBSITES:
The following websites have been used as inspiration for the workshop component of the thesis. These animators, if not already, will be contacted to provide feedback and input on this project.

Animation Mentor
http://www.animationmentor.com/

Bright, Rocky
http://www.thingamatoon.com

Christen, Simon
http://www.simonchristen.com/

Haas, John-Dennis
http://www.jeandenis.net/

Harris, Mark:
http://www.markcharris.com/

Jeffers, Leif
http://www.leifjeffers.com/

Luera, Robin
http://www.melvinandi.com/

Navone, Victor
http://www.navone.org

Rosario, Nick
http://www.nickrosario.com/

Pascual, Ruel
http://www.ruelpascual.com/

Spline Doctors
http://www.splinedoctors.com/links/index.html

Tan, Melvin
http://www.melvin-tan.net/

Thesis Outline 030208:

THESIS OUTLINE (revised 3/02/08)

”How to Run Off a Cliff With Style : Animating Emotion in Characters”
by Randolf Dimalanta

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ABSTRACT:

1) Open with Frank Thomas and Ollied Johnston quotation, “Emotion…it is one of animation’s greatest strengths and certainly one of the most important aspects of this art for the young animator to study and master.

2) Introduce the reader to the importance of emotion in character animation.

3) Begin to define the project, what I intend to explore and how the presentation is broken up.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A project like this is never completed alone, and so this section is a thank you to the following people: Dori-Little Heck, Patricio Fernandez, Thomas Joule, Ron Wade, Carol Parenteau, Jacob Kaltenbach, Meryl Blau, Doug Glen, Rocky Bright, Brian Tinker, Christina Labrise, Gretchen Thomas, Lee Lanier, Ed Hooks, all my students who have been the guinea pigs for this experiment, and my family Angela, Aisa, Iman and Mayumi.

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INTRODUCTION

1) State the importance of animating emotion in characters and how character drives story. Show examples of these.

2) Explain how story drives the animation industry through interesting characters.

3) Explain how learning these skills happens too late in the animation student’s training and that it should happen sooner.

4) State the purpose of this project, which is to develop an animation curriculum that teaches the intermediate animation student how to animate emotion.

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OVERVIEW of the INQUIRY

1) Explain the order of the presentation which will begin by defining “emotion”, followed by an overview of the “12 Principles of Animation” and its importance to the animation industry, explain the current state of emotion animation and finally, mention the curriculum for the intermediate animation student, which is taught through a series of exercises, that covers pre-planning tips, advice from professionals, stage acting techniques, video tutorials and which is then followed by class discussion questions.

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STATEMENT OF INTENT
Here I list the reasons why I am choosing to explore this inquiry, and how the inquiry is broken up.

Reasons:

1) Learning emotion animation rarely occurs at the intermediate level. By providing this curriculum, it exposes industry standard methods for animating emotion in CG characters, which results in better prepared students for entry into the field.

2) It is part of my value system to give back to the community, though teaching and by developing a website where anyone can access the information to better their skills.

3) It helps generate samples for my professional portfolio.

For clarity of presentation, the project will be divided into 5 parts.

PART I: “What is Emotion”
Define emotion and what it means in animation characters. Review influence of the Golden Age of Disney and Warner Bros. and their impact in the field. List 3 examples.

PART II: “Acting for Animators”
Focuses on the mechanics of movement and acting principles as it relates to the animation student. Items to be covered in this section include gesture, various acting techniques, and laban motion analysis. Mention “Acting for Animators” text by Ed Hooks.

PART III: “Importance of Pre-Planning”
Covers the importance of pre-planning for the animator. Subjects covered in this section include: Knowing the character, understanding the scene in relation to the story, posing, shooting and using video reference.

PART IV : “The Animation Workshop”
Begin by explaining the purpose of the curriculum and the importance of feedback and constant practice.

This section is the “ 11 Week Animation Workshop”.
Each exercise will include an assignment description, objectives, animated examples, background information and a process for how to begin. The lesson will end with tips and tricks from professionals, discussion questions, links to resources for further study and video tutorials for select exercises.

The animation exercises / assignments are:

1) 2 Bouncing Balls Animation
2) Drink Box Animation
3) Pose Sketching for Emotion (This is drawn by hand).
4) Create CG Poses that Convey an Emotion. (Same as above, but is now done on the computer).
5) Gear Change I (Animate a character experiencing two emotions).
6) Gear Change II (Animate a character experiencing 4 emotions) (2 weeks).
7) Animate a character pushing and pulling a heavy weight (2 weeks).
8) Character Monologue (2 weeks).

BONUS Assignment
Animate a character dialogue (2 characters)

PART V
This refers to the website component of the presentation. Prior to completion, this thesis project will be available for view online by anyone interested, specifically intermediate animation students, animation websites, and professional animators in the industry. Animation instructors can refer to the site as a resource for their classroom.

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GUIDING RESEARCH QUESTIONS (Not included here, but was included with the thesis pitch):

1) How is emotion defined in animation and why is it important?
2) To what capacity is emotion animation taught in animation schools?
3) What has been said by working professionals about emotion?
4) What tips and tricks do animators have to share about emotion animation?
5) How can emotion be achieved in a character?
6) What are effective animation techniques?
7) What are some acting techniques that an animator can use?
8) How can this help the animation industry?
9) How can this be marketed?

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CONCLUSION:
Comments on further study
Laban Motion Analysis
Ed Hooks: Acting for Animators Workshop
Getting feedback regarding your work (I’m currently reviewing resources that could help with this).

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OUTLINE & THESIS CHAPTERS:

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REFERENCES: