In movies, if we don't care about the characters, we won't care about the film. For this reason, the animation students spend a great deal of time studying characters before they create their own. This extensive unit begins by watching live action fairy tales from the 1980s series "Faerie Tale Theatre". These tales have no animated version that would invade the imagination of the viewer - in this case, "Hansel and Gretel" was our first film, followed by "Jack and the Beanstalk" and finally "The Dancing Princesses". Some of the designs are conventional, many are unexpected, but all are unique! The students are tasked to think like character development artists. After viewing the film, they begin their research, followed by their concept images. The class votes and makes suggestions on their favorite of each student concept designs, which are then refined and voted on again. When the character is finalized, the students create model sheets (a page of the character making five different expressions) and turnarounds (a chart showing the character facing multiple angles), and finally color studies. In the animation world, this stage is vital, as it gives the animation team material to work from. In this class, it's just as vital to learning, and just plain fun!
Animated Films
A class on digital filmmaking could only conclude with a project on that very subject. In this class, each student was given the task of working a film from script to editing - and all the steps in between. These films combine traditional hand-drawn animation, stop motion and live action techniques - and some even combine them! Each student worked hard to achieve their unique vision, and the results are more fun than... well, a day at the movies!