54418 Performance Animation

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Communication: MAP and Sound and Music Design
Credit points: 6 cp
Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): (48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10273 Bachelor of Design Animation OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10274 Bachelor of Design Animation Bachelor of Arts International Studies OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10356 Bachelor of Design Animation Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10424 Bachelor of Design Animation Bachelor of Languages and Cultures OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10460 Bachelor of Animation Production OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10461 Bachelor of Animation Production Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation OR 48 credit points of completed study in spk(s): C10462 Bachelor of Animation Production Bachelor of International Studies) AND (82221 Context: Introduction to 3D and 2D Hybrid Animation OR 54409 Context: Introduction to Hybrid Animation)
Anti-requisite(s): 54415 Performance Animation AND 89018 Performance Animation

Description

This subject develops students’ understanding of character acting for animation. Character animation is a highly specialised craft and a unique discipline within the field of animation. Students work to develop unique performance and movement languages with pre-rigged characters to prioritise the animation and performance process. There are no designing or modelling tasks in this subject as a character animator’s primary concern is the quality of a character's performance. The subject emphasises the practice of observing and analysing human behaviour and an understanding of the role that articulation, gesture, weight, and timing play in performance animation. The subject builds on students’ fundamental animation skills in character performance. On successful completion of this subject, students attain the skillset to achieve a convincing character acting performance that generates an emotional engagement with an audience.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

a.	Assess the significance of gesture, posture and body language.
b.	Understand personality and appeal in animation.
c.	Analyse and apply observation of human behaviour.
d.	Experiment with a range of performance languages.
e.	Demonstrate an understanding of weight and force.
f.	Demonstrate an understanding of timing and anticipation.

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:

Apply fundamental and higher-level animation and cinematic principles with understanding and professional proficiency. (1.1)
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)

Teaching and learning strategies

Weekly sessions of lab based tutorial workshops incorporate case studies, demonstrations for skills acquisition and setting tasks and assignments. The subject provides a framework for continual feedback throughout the teaching period. Students are expected to engage with tutors in the second part of the class and discuss their work in progress around assignments or class exercise material. Students are encouraged to take initiative in finding their own solutions through self-initiated study, critical thinking and research skills that analyse human motivation and movement. This subject includes active learning experiences, where face to face ongoing comprehensive feedback is provided on a weekly basis. It is the students' responsibility to take notes of any feedback provided in studio and at presentation crits. This subject has two assessment tasks. Each task has a detailed brief and additional support material for the successful completion of tasks available on Canvas. There is an expectation of approximately 8 hours of self-directed practice outside class hours each week. Grades, marks, and summary feedback on assessment submissions will be provided through Review.

Content (topics)

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Character performance with dialogue

Objective(s):

a, c and f

Weight:

40%

Length:

Character performance animation BLOCKING as a playblast in QuickTime H.264 file format
Research material in the form of reference video file/s and thumbnails as evidence of your research process for the animated performance.

Note technical specifications:

Screen Aspect Ratio: 1280 x 720 and 1920 x 1080 are acceptable
Please hide all the curves, grids and any other animation helper elements

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
Degree of observation of human motivation evident in final performance	34	c	1.3
Clarity of posing in character	33	a	1.2
Appropriateness of timing in final performance	33	f	1.2

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Advanced character performance with dialogue

Objective(s):

b, d and e

Weight:

60%

Length:

Character performance animation with sync dialogue in 1920 x 1080 QuickTime H.264 file format;
Research material in the form of reference video file/s and thumbnails as evidence of your research process for the animated performance.
Note: Animation must be a final colour render with sync sound.

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
Clarity of key poses	33	b	1.1
Level of connection between motivation and movement in character performance	34	d	1.3
Level of Appropriate Performance Physics	33	e	1.2

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Minimum requirements

Attendance at classes is essential in this subject. Classes are based on a collaborative approach that involves essential workshopping and interchange of ideas with other students and the tutor to build capacities towards meeting the subject learning objectives. A roll will be taken at each class. Students who have more than two absences from class will be refused marking of their final assessment (see Rule 3.8)

Students must pass all assessment tasks to pass this subject, as each task assesses unique subject learning outcomes.

Required texts

The Autodesk Maya documentation and user manual is considered to be important reading for this course. Access to this is normally through the software help interface. It is expected that students become familiar with this primary source of information.

Osipa, J. (2010). Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right (3. Aufl.). Sybex. (available online through UTS library)

Williams, R. (2009). The animator’s survival kit (Expanded ed., 1st American expanded pbk. ed.). Faber and Faber.

References

Osipa, J. (2010). Stop Staring: Facial Modeling and Animation Done Right (3. Aufl.). Sybex. (available online through UTS library)

Williams, R. (2009). The animator’s survival kit (Expanded ed., 1st American expanded pbk. ed.). Faber and Faber.