Walk cycle

this next animation exercise will probably be the hardest task you have to do on this course. Once you have got the hang of how to make a good walkcycle you can animate nearly anything.

Expect to mess this up a few times and dont get disheartened, the going wrong will teach you almost as much as getting it right.

To help you out Ive created a cut out character on toonboom that is fully rigged for you to practice with, as soon as youve got the hang of it you can then start making your own characters walk.

Here is an example of what your walkcyle will look like when it's completed.

When you've completed your walkcycle you need to post it on your blog as a finished video clip!

COOP Film Festival

Ive just got word that this years COOP film festival is asking for entries.

The deadline is the 28th May 2010.

I want you lot to enter films for this so we need to aim on finishing unit 1 within the next month so we can spend plenty of time on making some great animations!

Animation techniques 1.1 1.6 1.7

Ive uploaded Annie Mason's first animated film review onto my blog. I hope to see you all complete yours as soon as possible. Remember you can choose to animate your work or keep it as a written blog post like my Pinocchio example.

you must make sure you meet the following criteria

• you must do 4 animated film reviews
• they can be animated or written
• You must have links to youtube clips or pictures from the animation you are studying on your blog.

PLEASE NOTE!

When you make your blog post for this week please use the same headline that I have used for this post : e.g. Animation Techniques 1.1 1.6 1.7

1.1 squash and stretch

Here is my first animation test peice, it is squash and stretch , i learned to use paths, arcs and also how to squash and stretch to get a realistic look to my animation.

History of Animation- Pinocchio

Animation name; Pinocchio
Who made it;Walt Disney Studios
Year of release; 1940

Here is a youtube video from the film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&v=oEPb6eL_azw

Plot;

The film storyline involves a wooden puppet named Pinocchio who is carved by the lonely wood carver Gepetto. One night Gepetto wishes on a falling star that he had a son which leads to Pinocchio being brought to life by a blue fairy ,who tells him he can become a real boy if he proves himself "brave, truthful, and unselfish". Thus begin the puppet's adventures to become a real boy, which involve many encounters with a host of unsavory characters, along his journey he is accompanied by his consciousness in the form of Jiminy Cricket.

Type of animation:

Pinocchio is a traditional animation, which means it is a hand drawn/cell animation. The individual frames of the film are photographs of drawings, which are first drawn on paper. To create the illusion of movement, each drawing differs slightly from the one before it. The animators' drawings are traced or photocopied onto transparent acetate sheets called cels, which are then painted on to add colour. The completed character cels are photographed one-by-one onto motion picture film against a painted background by a rostrum camera.

Has the type of animation used changed?

Traditional animation has changed a lot since it was used on Pinocchio, today most animations are drawn or scanned directly into a computer. Colouring is also now almost always done on computer. This saves a lot of time and also replicates the look and feel of traditional animation.

Why I like the animation:

Pinocchio is slightly underrated classic which often gets over shadowed when compared against some of Disney’s other films such as Snow White. The reason I believe Pinocchio is so great is because of it s fantastic character animation. The Disney animators have managed to get the movements of the characters such as Stromboli and Pinocchio down to a tee. In particular the scene where Pinocchio sings and dances to the song ‘I’ve got no strings’ stands out as a triumph of well observed animation, the animators actually made a real Pinocchio puppet so they could see how he would move and through their clever observation and knowledge of squash and stretch and anticipation and secondary movement have produced a master class in how to character animate. While not a success at the box office at the time Pinocchio is today rightly regarded as a Disney classic, something I would heartily agree with.

Unit 1. getting started!

Last week we started working on your squash and stretch animation. this week you will hopefully finish it and begin capturing it on computer and then recording it as a movie file.

this week and next I will set everyone of up with their own online blog so you can let everyone know what youve done so far.

everytime we finish a task we can put it on the blog and it will form a nice record of your progress, and it means your friends and family can see your work.

Task 2 the history of animation!

This task gives you the chance to show me what you know about animation and how it has developed and also it gives you the chance to watch some animation and talk about why you like it!.

the rules of this task are below!

1. You can only choose animations from the 1940's to present day.
2. Animation in computer games, special effects animation and online animation etc.., all count!
3. you must choose animations that have made a difference and pushed the art of animation forwards!
4. You must choose 4 animations in total.
5. You must have images of the animation and if possible an example of the animation linked to your blog.

Ive included below the questions you need to answer for each animation.

• Animation name;
• Who made it;
• Year of release;
• Plot;
• Type of animation:
• Has the type of animation used changed?
• Why I like the film:
  
  

More than just an after school club!

If your looking at this then you are most probably a member of the animation club or their parents or friends wanting to find out more about what we do!

If you are a student this blog aims to be a place you can go to so that you can see what we have been doing in lessons and also if you have missed anything while you are away.

The Technical stuff!
Before we can start making amazing animations I think it would be useful to explain about the course you are going to be doing.

You will be working in the club towards an NCFE level 2 in animation. To make it easier for you to understand a level 2 is basically a GCSE pass at A* to C.

There is no exam to worry about with the course as well so there is no need to get stressed about that!

You will work through the tasks I set you and once youve done enough to pass them I can submit you for the qualification.

Sounds easy so far you think, well yes it is easy but only if your willing to work hard and have enthusiasm to try and be as creative and imaginative as possible.

The course is split over 3 units that you have to do, Ive listed them below for you

Unit summary

• Unit 01 Explore animation techniques
• Unit 02 Design and plan animations
• Unit 03 Produce a computer animation sequence.

each Unit is made up of a number of tasks that you need to complete, once youve completed the lot you can get the qualification!

If you or your friends or parents want to know more about the course, ive added a link to the exam boards website which has a downloadable specification that explains ehat you have to do.

http://www.ncfe.org.uk/Qualinfo.aspx?qual=31f42a3d-bbad-4940-a1ee-3ef9b9e413e3

If you have any questions about the course feel free to find me and I will be more than happy to explain them to you.