82220 Animation Studio: Foundations in Animation Design

Description

This subject advances students’ knowledge and skill in the development of both narrative and non-narrative forms of animation. Students build upon their experience during first session with a continuing emphasis on primary research through direct observation, photography, film and sound. Studio based projects focus more on the production of animation sequences as final outcomes, and there is a strong emphasis on experimentation and risk-taking throughout. It also expands on themes around building narratives for animation through the making and analysis of analogue and digital sequences.

Further emphasis is placed on developing sophisticated visualisation skills in a wide range of hand made and digital media. Issues such as composition, colour theory, camera framing and movement, visual space and hierarchy are also explored in greater depth.

Students begin to work closely with text in relation to character and story, both generating original written material and analysing existing texts. The research methods explored in this subject further equip students to observe and invent compelling characters and archetypes for moving image.

This subject also explores further the construction and function of team-working models, including appropriate roles, time management and action plans, negotiation, and communication. Projects include a range of team based and individual tasks to identify capabilities and extend creative possibilities within the group.

The aim is the development of a design and movement language that incorporates a clear understanding of animation both as traditional narrative form and as an open-ended experimental and abstracted language. Students learn how to conceptualise intention, atmosphere, mood and genre in order to develop a critical understanding of the language of visual communication and animation media.

In addition, this subject increases students’ knowledge of the history and theory of animation, with a particular emphasis on the study of genre. This includes animation production techniques, animation styles and formats, experimental animation, text and image sequences, as well as a study of centres of production such as European, North American and Asian animation.