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This Open Curricula Projects 2D Animation 9-Day Class presents a 9-day introductory crash course on the fundamentals of animation, traditional animation on paper (cels), traditional animation on computers, design-in-motion and design-over-time, compositing, editing, etc. A particular focus will be on pragmatically preparing students for production and the job placements that may follow the 9-day class. Therefore less emphasis will be on the theory, homework, and practice exercises necessary to build stronger skills.

Brief overview: Windsor Media Centre Animation Classes


Schedule

The Windsor Media Centre's first 2D animation classes start in September, 2023.

9 days over 3 weeks:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays
4,5,6 | 11,12,13 | 18,19,20 of September, 2023.
  • Class size of ONLY 10-15 students.

Hours

  • 3.5 hours morning (9am - 12:30pm)
  • 0.5 hour lunch (12:30pm - 1pm) ???
  • 3.5 hours afternoon (1pm - 4:30pm)
  • after class hours ???
  • off-class days ???

Portfolio

Not a requirement, but it might be good if students could bring in examples of their illustration abilities and/or brief clips of video work. Not to worry if you have none to show or aren't prepared.


2D Animation - Day 1/9

Introduction to traditional 2D animation on paper, day 1 of 3.

1A/9 - 9:00-12:30 Morning

1A/9 - 09:00-10:00 Introductions.

  • Brief teacher overview.
  • Student introductions, portfolios, experience, ambitions, goals, objectives.
  • Teacher gauges the general class levels.
  • Run down the overview of what has been prepared for the class to be presented.

Flexibility of options.

  • Student may get out of the class what they wish to get.
  • Students may be as passive or as active as they wish.
  • Students may absorb the fundamentals class as prepared and presented.
  • Students may take a vote to set aside portions of little interest to focus on other elements.
  • Students may generally ignore the lessons to work on their own personal project for their demo reel, and ask for assistance when the teacher has a moment.
  • Students may prefer to work on a collaborative class production.

As a flexible creative teacher, I will not only be ready to spontaneously adapt to other scenarios, I have several great creative concepts worthy of being fleshed out by the class, should they wish to explore my options. With luck and time available I may even outline these options on the side - just in case.

For clarity and simplicity, the remainder of this 9-day class outline will be traditionally prepared to be presented, without tangential "options".

1A/9 - 10:00-11:00 General animation production

Like any other industry, animation is a business.

A professional animator and/or filmmaker's craft must be commercially viable.

P.I.C.T.U.R.E.

  • Physics - must be obeyed, even cartoon physics.
  • Intention - and purpose must apply to everything, all scripts, words, actions, motives, characters, props, sets, focus, tones.
  • Clarity - is paramount.
  • Timing - is critical.
  • Utilize limitations - embrace them to develop into your stylization.
  • Respect the audience, their attention/focus, intelligence, time, etc.
  • Emotions in all things, animate or not.

Wikipedia: Chekhov's gun

1A/9 - 11:00-12:00 Filmmaking

Like any other motion picture, animation follows the Fundamentals of filmmaking.

REFINE THIS SECTION

1A/9 - 12:00-12:30 Drawing circles

Introduction to the desk, paper, pencils, etc.


1B/9 - 1:00-4:30 Afternoon

1B/9 - 01:00-02:00 Introduction to fundamentals of classical animation

Superior to the 12 principles:
21 Foundations of Animation (9:41)
01 Appeal
02 Strong Design
03 Staging
04 Acting & Pantomime
05 Keys & Breakdowns
06 Straight Ahead & Pose to Pose
07 Thumbnails
08 Timing, Spacing & Easing
09 Squash & Stretch
10 Arcs
11 Primary & Secondary Action
12 Silhouette
13 Line of Action & Reversals
14 Anticipation, Overshoot & Settle
15 Opposing Action
16 Counterpose
17 Leading Action
18 Breaking Joints
19 Overlap & Follow Through
20 Accents
21 Exaggeration
clearly presented by Angry ANIMATOR, 2019-01-15.

Twelve basic principles of animation were introduced by the Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas in their 1981 book Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life.

01 Squash and stretch
02 Anticipation
03 Staging
04 Straight ahead action and pose to pose
Straight ahead animation
Pose to pose animation
Key frame
Inbetweening
+ Pushing through or bounce back.
05 Follow through and overlapping action
+ Successive breaking of joints.
+ Whip.
06 Slow in and slow out
07 Arc
08 Secondary action
09 Timing
10 Exaggeration
11 Solid drawing
+ Physics.
12 Appeal.

Clearly presented and superior to the 12 principles, on YouTube: 21 Foundations of Animation (9:41) ~ Angry ANIMATOR, 2019-01-15.

AngryAnimator.com/word/2022/11/18/what-courses-to-watch
01 Appeal
02 Strong Design
03 Staging
04 Acting & Pantomime
05 Keys & Breakdowns
06 Straight Ahead & Pose to Pose
07 Thumbnails
08 Timing, Spacing & Easing
09 Squash & Stretch
10 Arcs
11 Primary & Secondary Action
12 Silhouette
13 Line of Action & Reversals
14 Anticipation, Overshoot & Settle
15 Opposing Action
16 Counterpose
17 Leading Action
18 Breaking Joints
19 Overlap & Follow Through
20 Accents
21 Exaggeration


1B/9 - 02:00-03:00

1B/9 - 03:00-04:00

1B/9 - 04:00-04:30

  • Find bad animations on YouTube to quiz class on what's wrong.


  • Pendulum swing
  • Key frames
  • Inbetweens
  • Drop ball bounce
  • Heavy & bouncy balls
  • Bounce off cube
  • Arcs
  • Drawing grain-sack emotions
  • Animating grain-sacks
  • Pencil tests
  • Figure drawing
  • Walk cycles
    • Side
    • Front
    • Three-quarters
  • Sneak
  • Storyboarding
  • Baseball pitch
  • Baseball swing
  • Animatic / boardomatic
  • Whip
Mouth shape chart featuring common phonemes and visemes.
A page from Cartoon Animation (1994) by Preston Blair, the best book for animation students.
  • Facial expressions
  • Meow
  • Lip sync
  • Click tracks
  • Dope sheets
  • Layout and design



2D Animation - Day 2/9

Introduction to traditional 2D animation on paper, day 2 of 3.

2A/9 - 9:00-12:30 Morning

  • 09:00-10:00
  • 10:00-11:00
  • 11:00-12:00
  • 12:00-12:30

2B/9 - 1:00-4:30 Afternoon

  • 01:00-02:00
  • 02:00-03:00
  • 03:00-04:00
  • 04:00-04:30


2D Animation - Day 3/9

Introduction to traditional 2D animation on paper, day 3 of 3.

3A/9 - 9:00-12:30 Morning

  • 09:00-10:00
  • 10:00-11:00
  • 11:00-12:00
  • 12:00-12:30

3B/9 - 1:00-4:30 Afternoon

  • 01:00-02:00
  • 02:00-03:00
  • 03:00-04:00
  • 04:00-04:30


Long Weekend 1

4 days.


2D Animation - Day 4/9

Introduction to 2D animation on computers, day 1 of 3.

4A/9 - 9:00-12:30 Morning

  • 11:00-12:00 brief overview on how to use a computer

Photoshop gimp onionskin gif

  • 12:00-12:30

brief overview on how to use software

4B/9 - 1:00-4:30 Afternoon

  • 01:00-02:00
  • 02:00-03:00
  • 03:00-04:00
  • 04:00-04:30


2D Animation - Day 5/9

Introduction to 2D animation on computers, day 2 of 3.

5A/9 - 9:00-12:30 Morning

  • 09:00-10:00
  • 10:00-11:00
  • 11:00-12:00
  • 12:00-12:30

5B/9 - 1:00-4:30 Afternoon

  • 01:00-02:00
  • 02:00-03:00
  • 03:00-04:00
  • 04:00-04:30


2D Animation - Day 6/9

Introduction to 2D animation on computers, day 3 of 3.

6A/9 - 9:00-12:30 Morning

  • 09:00-10:00
  • 10:00-11:00
  • 11:00-12:00
  • 12:00-12:30

6B/9 - 1:00-4:30 Afternoon

  • 01:00-02:00
  • 02:00-03:00
  • 03:00-04:00
  • 04:00-04:30


Long Weekend 2

4 days.


2D Animation - Day 7/9

Introduction to 2D post production on computers, day 1 of 3.

7A/9 - 9:00-12:30 Morning

  • 12:00-12:30

7B/9 - 1:00-4:30 Afternoon

  • 01:00-02:00
  • 02:00-03:00
  • 03:00-04:00
  • 04:00-04:30


2D Animation - Day 8/9

Introduction to 2D post production on computers, day 2 of 3.

8A/9 - 9:00-12:30 Morning

  • 09:00-10:00
  • 10:00-11:00
  • 11:00-12:00
  • 12:00-12:30

8B/9 - 1:00-4:30 Afternoon

  • 01:00-02:00
  • 02:00-03:00
  • 03:00-04:00
  • 04:00-04:30


2D Animation - Day 9/9

Introduction to 2D post production on computers, day 3 of 3.

9A/9 - 9:00-12:30 Morning

  • 09:00-10:00
  • 10:00-11:00
  • 11:00-12:00
  • 12:00-12:30

9B/9 - 1:00-4:30 Afternoon

  • 01:00-02:00
  • 02:00-03:00
  • 03:00-04:00
  • 04:00-04:30


2D Animation - End Of Crash Course

Fin.


2D Animation - Job Placement

Potential video production fields

  • 2D production
  • 3D production
  • Character animation
  • Commercials (and public service announcements)
  • Documentaries
  • Event videos (festivals, protests, weddings, etc.)
  • Feature films
  • Imagery
    • Photography
  • Industrial videos
  • Memes
  • Music videos
    • Audio engineering
    • Audio production
  • Podcasts (audio/radio/video)
  • Shorts
  • Visual poetry (art films)
  • Web ads
  • Web design
  • Web site clients

Potential placement places that may be interested


2D Animation - FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions


2D Animation - Notes

Questions for Amanda

  1. Did Amanda look at my invoice?
    • Did she understand it was based on the December numbers?
    • Did it make sense to her?
  2. Class hours are 9:00am - 4:30pm.
    • May teachers and students come early and stay later to use the equipment (ie. homework, projects, testing, practice, etc.), seek answers, and/or socialize?
    • Is there a lunch break, and for how long?
  3. Classes take place Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays.
    • May teachers assign homework evenings and/or over the two 4-day weekends?
  4. Job placements may follow the 9-day class.
    • What are the criteria that must be met, and by when?
    • May we start compiling lists of folks to cold call to see if they're interested?
  5. White board?
  6. How many video cameras will we have to record the classes?
    • Will we have decent lighting and sound recording?
    • Will someone be available to edit the footage under my supervision?
      We'd likely cut to minimize length and repetition.
      We'd likely also cut in example clips found online.
    • Can we share the videos online?
    • For free? (This is the best way to market the next class.)