54401 Studio: Animation Practice
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particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
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Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 12 cp
Result type: Grade and marks
Requisite(s): (88211 Animation Studio: Narrative Experimentations OR 54404 Studio: Narrative Experimentations in Animation) AND (82420 Context: Animation Character Rigging Advanced OR 54408 Context: Animation Character Rigging Advanced)
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Anti-requisite(s): 88212 Animation Studio: Animation Practice
Description
In this subject, students engage in complex and challenging animation design projects that enable them to incorporate in-depth research and design techniques learned from previous design studios. Fostering experimentation in thinking and practice as a means for developing an individual design approach, students explore the role that animation designers and directors play in the development of complex design projects. There is a focus on executing well-considered and crafted outcomes, and on finding open-ended solutions that incorporate a broad range of traditional and contemporary animation methods and practices. Emphasis is also placed on building teams with complementary skill sets in order to promote a high level of both creative and technical competence in problem solving.
Students are expected to incorporate aesthetics and working processes developed through their chosen 2D hybrid or 3D animation pathway. 2D hybrid students pay particular attention to materiality and visual language, analogue and digital processes, production design for character and background, and shot choices for 2D animation. 3D digital animation students pay particular attention to developing rapidly prototyped characters and environments to suit the demands and timeframe of project briefs.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
| a. | Integrate sound design and music composition into animation outcome |
|---|---|
| b. | Use camera, lighting, composition and production design for creating 2D and 3D animation worlds |
| c. | Communicate through visual form a complex performance and internal narrative of an animation character |
| d. | Interpret a creative brief and respond, demonstrating knowledge of topic, empathy with audience, clarity of concept, originality and cooperation with collaborators |
| e. | Demonstrate an understanding of authenticity and imitation in documentary film language through reflective responses to subject matter |
| f. | Participate effectively in a team and negotiate responsibility and leadership |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject engages with the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs), which are tailored to the Graduate Attributes set for all graduates of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:
- Demonstrate a high level of craft and production value across multiple methods, aesthetics and techniques of the animation process (1.2)
- Apply theoretically informed processes to production practice including managing complexity and collaboration, incorporating research into development, active iteration and critique, clarity in communication, delegation, and resource management. (1.3)
- Demonstrate reflexive critical thinking as creative practitioners who are intellectually curious, imaginative, and innovative, with an ability to evaluate their own and others' work with candour. (2.2)
- Integrate risk taking and experimentation through development of unique aesthetics, techniques and movement languages in animation. (2.4)
- Apply a critical and responsible understanding of Indigenous peoples, cultures and protocols to creative practice (4.1)
- Possess well-developed skills and proficiencies to present and communicate narrative, complexity and abstract ideas with precision. (6.1)
- Work cooperatively as part of a creative team, challenging and negotiating differences with candour, engaging with the big-picture while mindful of detail, perception and nuance, and take a leadership role when required. (6.2)
Teaching and learning strategies
These studio projects are focused on a Problem Based Learning (PBL) strategy. Lectures and studios concentrate on elaborating on the set problem and encouraging students to take initiative in finding their own solutions through discussion, ideas generation, research and iteration. Students participate in individual studios, interactive lectures, group seminars and presentations throughout the semester.
The studio model in Animation Production subjects reflects industry practices of collaborative and iterative work. When working in teams to produce an outcome, students must regularly present their individual contributions and reflections on the collaborative creative process to peers and their tutors. Tutors make notes on and use these conversations, reflections and presentations to assess individual contribution to the assessment, as submitted.
Students learn by interacting with their peers and by engaging in independent work to read and develop ideas and solutions between sessions in response to both group and individual feedback. Students should bring substantially developed work to each tutorial for discussion and as a way to receive ongoing feedback on their progress.
Animation is a labour intensive discipline that carries a requirement of between 10-20 hrs additional work that students should undertake independently or with peers every week in order to achieve the subject objectives.
An aim of this subject is to help students develop academic and professional language and communication skills to succeed at university and in the workplace. During the course of this subject, they will complete a milestone assessment task that will, in addition to assessing their subject-specific learning objectives, assess their English language proficiency.
Content (topics)
This subject addresses the ways in which students further develop performance, design and narrative for animation.
Projects are designed to cover areas such as:
- advanced conceptualisation for narrative and non-narrative animation
- advanced animation principles for 2D and 3D performance animation
- collaboration around music composition and sound design for animation
Activities will include:
- meetings with key collaborators, specialist demonstrations and lectures
- development of production schedules
- individual and group presentations
- concept pitching sessions.
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Short Film Production with sound
| Intent: | Design characters to be composited into a real world scenario - reflecting some aspects of site specific history. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | a, b, c, d, e and f | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Project | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Group, individually assessed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 60% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 1-minute film (group) 1000 word written reflection (individual) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Character and Performance
| Objective(s): | b, c and d | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type: | Project | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 40% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | A concise process journal capturing your research and iteration as your character and designs take form:
?3 performance videos clips - each of 10 seconds, one containing your character drawn as refined line-art over the frame for 3 key poses within the clip. A short presentation documenting your work. This will be presented as a Pecha Kucha (20x20) presentation in class Crit.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
Attendance: Attendance is crucial to this subject as assessment is based on students’ creative and professional practice and process over the duration of a project. An important element of studio practice and assessment requires interactive collaboration with team members and with the tutor. A roll will be taken in each class. Unless otherwise agreed through formal UTS Special Consideration processes, students who have more than two absences from class will be refused marking of their final assessment (see Rule 3.8).
References
Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing, Penguin.
Bishko, L. (2014). Animation principles and Laban movement analysis: movement frameworks for creating empathic character performances. Nonverbal communication in virtual worlds.
Bishko, L. (2014). Our empathic experience of believable characters. Nonverbal communication in virtual worlds: Understanding and designing expressive characters, 47-59.
Buchanan, A. (2009). Facial expressions for empathic communication of emotion in animated characters. Animation Studies, 4(75), 2.
Frank, T., & Johnston, O. (1981). Disney Animation–The Illusion of Life. Abbeville Pub.
Heiss, A. ed. (2020) Growing up Aboriginal in Australia, Black Inc., Melbourne.
Hooks, E. (2017). Acting for animators. Routledge.
Hughes, R. (1988) The Fatal Shore, Vintage, Sydney.
Kundert-Gibbs, K. K. G. J. 2009. Action! Acting Lessons For Cg Animators (With Cd), Wiley India Pvt. Limited.
Miyazaki, H. (2009). Starting Point: 1979–1996, translated by Beth Cary and Frederik L. Schodt. San Francisco: Viz Media.
Pascoe, B. (2014) Dark Emu: Aboriginal Australia and the birth of Agriculture, Magabala books
Stanchfield, W., & Hahn, D. (2012). Drawn to Life-Volume 2: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures. CRC Press.
Torre, D. (2017). Animation - Process, Cognition and Actuality. Bloomsbury Academic & Professional.
Gapps, Stephen (2018) The Sydney Wars: Conflict in the Early Colony, 1788-1817
Luke, Sarah (2018) Callan Park: Hospital for the Insane
Foster. (2009). Pandemonium and parade Japanese monsters and the culture of yokai.
Emily Wakeling. (2020). GODS AND MONSTERS: “JAPAN SUPERNATURAL” AT AGNSW. Art Monthly Australia, 323, 26–4.