Continuing Education . Pre-College . Classes . Animation

Animation

Learn how to share your story and create interesting characters that move and inspire.

Session 1: July 7–19, 2024
Session 2: July 21–August 2, 2024

Zoom

A Pre-College animation student and technical assistant look at sketches in the Animation lab.

An Animation student hard at work in a computer lab.

Animation students having fun in a computer lab.

An Animation student shows their work during final critiques.

We will focus primarily on the production of two-dimensional animation, exploring storyboarding, visual development, animation, and post-production. The final assignment will be a group project, where each student adds their unique voice and style to create a single animation reel. You will leave this course with a demo reel and an animated short for your portfolio. This class is highly recommended for anyone who wants a better understanding of how to create animated films or hopes to enter the animation industry. Students will gain knowledge of industry-standard techniques, terminology, and how to work in a professional production timeline.

Each day, we’ll view a variety of animations and behind-the-scenes DVD extras, supplementing our education on the history of popular and underground animation. Hands-on lessons will begin with animating objects to mimic the laws of natural physics through principles like “squash and stretch,” and “anticipation.”

Projects

The first week of the course will focus on building students’ understanding in the basic principles of animation, including using the interface and software, and creating a sense of time and weight in their animated object. The second week of the course will introduce story-boarding, with each student pitching their idea for the final collaborative project.

Topics that will be explored include using Adobe Animate and Adobe After Effects, story-boarding, animating facial expressions and gestures and human walk cycles.