Art and Animation History
The Lectures and Practical/Written Exercises will introduce students to:
- The structure and anatomy of the human eye and the workings of the human system of visual perception (and interpretation), from normal/abnormal colour perception through binocular/stereoptical perception to Persistence of Vision.
- The fundamental principles of Moving Image/Animation Finance, Pre-Production, Production, Post Production, Distribution and Marketing.
- The historical, social and technological developments that have led to today's Moving Image technologies, industries and practices.
- The dominant developments in Animation/Moving Image technologies and practices in America and Western Europe with a briefer introduction (time permitting) to the parallel/complementary developments and practices in other parts of the world, from Japan and China to Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East.
In the practical part of this course every student will have the opportunity to:
- develop and explore the methods and techniques covered in each class
- develop and explore their own observational skills alongside purely imaginative elements or experimental ideas
- pursue the regular habit of observing and recording, using both pictorial and verbal methods
Students will also be encouraged to maintain the Scrap Books and Note Books they started in Art 1 (to accompany and enhance both the work done in class and the work done in their Sketch Books)
The written exercises will allow students to further develop:
- their interest in contemporary (and historical) Art Criticism and Design Theory, with particular relevance to Moving Image history and practice
their own personal awareness of the importance and significance of all aspects of visual communication
When the students have finished the course they can:
Skills:
- Trace and describe the history, within that wider Moving Image setting, of hand-drawn, stop-frame, computer-generated Animation, Visual Effects, Special Effects and frame-by-frame Image Manipulation.
- Trace and describe the chronological development of all methods of commercial Moving Image distribution and exhibition, from the Parlour Toy and the Nickelodeon to the Multiplex and the Internet
- Continue drawing with confidence and skill from observation:
- portraiture
- figure drawing
- composition
- perpsective
- lighting
Knowledge:
- Understand, appreciate and articulate the development of the underlying technologies, materials and methods that underpin today¿s Moving Image industries (including Animation in all its forms)
- Understand, appreciate and articulate the roles played by individual Moving Image practitioners within all areas of the entertainment sector, the communications industries, IT, research and manufacturing (including the roles played by Animation practitioners of all kinds)
- Understand and articulate the fundamental concepts of film ¿language¿, from Editorial Continuity and Visual Storytelling to Camera Movement and Colour Theory
- Relate all materials created from the imagination to one or more aspects of the specialist departmental work they most want to pursue on graduation
- Understand and appreciate further developments in the History of Art & Design in Europe, America and Asia
- Maintain and up-date their personal folio of work
General Competence:
- Appreciate and articulate the practical, social and the ethical implications of Moving Image Storytelling in a wide range of contemporary and historical contexts
- Producing artistic content using traditional drawing tools
Will be decided into 4 mandatory activites:
ONE:
Practical Assignment (25%): to be submitted in person at Week 4 Class
Zoetrope / Phenakistoscope Exercise
1) Steven Ford's Zoetrope exercise
or
2) Joseph Plateau's Phenakistoscope exercise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rzwdRqsuVM (How to Create a Phenakistoscope)
or
3) your own personal Zoetrope https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfAzr0GWknU (How to make a Zoetrope)
TWO:
Written Assignment (25%):
Outline to be submitted in person at Week 4 Class
First draft to be submitted in person at Week 5 Class
Completed version to be submitted in person at Week 6 Class
Commercial Animation - The First 50 Years
Choose one Animated Short Film - in any medium, from any country- from any year between 1892 (the date of Charles-Émile Reynaud's "Pauvre Pierrot") and 1942 (e.g. "The Ducktators", Warner Bros Propaganda Cartoon, 1942) and write a minimum of 1,000 words (excluding quotes and references) outlining two or more important aspects of the film's technical, creative and/or historical significance. Additional credit will be given for appropriate selection of illustrations and for the inclusion of clear points of comparison.
Points to consider:
pioneering use of sound
pioneering use of colour
pioneering use of toolkits or materials
excellence or advancement in artistic or technological work
innovation or achievement in the design or implementation of particular camera techniques
innovation or achievement in the design or implementation of specific animation techniques
THREE:
Stop Frame Assignment (25%):
Short sequence of stop motion animation
(freestyle - open choice of materials, methods techniques)
Minimum: 15 seconds
Maximum: 30 seconds
completed version to be submitted in person at Week 8 Class
FOUR:
Exam - in place of Week 10 Class - (25%):
Written exam combining Multiple Choice with a short essay topic