Animation Projects - Click for animation study materials.
After Effects - Dancing CanGraphics/Audio/Video/Animation - After Effects
Essential Standard - 203, 204, 205, 206 Essential Question: How are motion graphics used to sell a product? Objective: Use After Effects to animate a still image. Assignment: You have been hired as video animator by ILM. They want you to create an animated video advertisement for a beverage company. You are to follow the directions given by the project manager for the target audience to complete the project. Once complete then you should review the checklist for grading criteria before turning in your work. Complete and submit the online rubric for this project once it has been completed. Click on the link and follow the tutorial to create the Dancing Can After Effects project. You can alter the project any way you like, but must have a can that dances, an animated background, and animated text. The length of the animation should be 30 seconds long, but can be longer to fit your song if you like. You choose the song (must be school appropriate) and you choose the can (must be school appropriate). You will have to edit your song in Audition and make as a MP3 to import into AE. Make your audio fade up/down in Audition before you export as an MP3. You must include a catch phrase or original slogan as well that must be animated. You can use the tutorial to animate the text or use any of the pre-made text effects in AE. Make a new project in AE, make a new composition with the NTSC HD setting (1280x720) and change the duration to the length of your song. Then follow the steps in the tutorials. http://www.motionworks.com.au/index.php?s=dancing+can Direct links to download the video tutorials are to the right. Save the project as a AE file labeled last name + first initial + can. Export your completed video as a Quicktime MP4 file using H.264 Compression and save it in your video folder. Add the final video to your Portfolio folder as well. Grading Criteria Checklist 1 - Used Internet to find high resolution can image online for the project (NO blurry, pixelated, or copyright info) 2 - Can is cut out cleanly using layer mask in Photoshop and saved as PSD to import to AE 3 - Audio edited in Audition with fade up/down to fit the length of the video 4 - Can is animated to dance with the beat of the song using Puppet Pin Tool 5 - Can areas that buckle or tear corrected using Starch Tool 6 - Background behind can animated 7 - Original slogan created with the text animated 8 - Video is edited in a manner that is visually pleasing and creates an interest in the topic 9 - Video file is saved as a AE file and exported as a MP4 format as instructed 10 - Final video file is submitted as a MP4 format with the instructed name for the project This project is due on the date outlined in the syllabus. When you complete all work, work on the Xtra Credit projects. |
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After Effects - Motion Graphics |
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After Effects - March MadnessVideo/Animation - After Effects
Essential Standard - 203, 204, 205, 206 Essential Question: How is motion graphics and video used in promotion? Objective: Use After Effects and Premiere to create an advertisement/promotional video montage with special effects. You have been hired by CBS/Turner Sport. They want you to create an animation for March Madness as well as Technical Direct some of the games during the NCAA tournament. You are to follow the directions given by the project manager for the target audience to complete the project. Once complete then you should review the checklist for quality assurance before turning in your work. You will be creating an After Effects advertisement promoting March Madness on CBS/TBS/TNT/TruTV. Click on some of the links to follow along on how to create some effects you may want to use in your project. There is also a folder that will include some images you may want to use. You must use the Final 4 logo and the March Madness Networks logo with the broadcasting stations. Save these items in your Animation folder on your hard drive.
Bracket Competition Grading Criteria Checklist
This project is due on the date outlined in the syllabus. When you complete all work, work on the Xtra Credit projects. |
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Animate - Video GameAnimation - Animate
Essential Standard - 203, 204 Essential Question: How do you create an animated interactive game? How do you use Action Script? Objective: To use the tools of Adobe Animate to create a flappy bird type of interactive game. Assignment: You have been hired as a game designer to design a basic interactive video game using basic Action Script. They want you to create a game similar to flappy bird where a player will move through obstacles. You are to follow the directions given by the project manager for the target audience to complete the project. Once complete then you should review the checklist for grading criteria before turning in your work. You will be creating an interactive game using Photoshop and Animate. You will create a Player object, an Obstacle, and Background in Photoshop. You CAN NOT just use images you find online!. Save your work as last name+first initial+flappygame as an fla file. Export as a SWF file of the same name. Submit only the SWF file in the digital drop box. Place a copy in your Portfolio folder as well. Grading Criteria Checklist 1 - Player figure designed in Photoshop 2 - Obstacle figure designed in Photoshop 3 - Background designed in Photoshop 4 - Photoshop items linked with Action Script 5 - Action Script text file used to create interactivity 6 - Game operates correctly and can be played by users 7 - Scoreboard added and works properly 8 - Animation designed in a manner that is visually pleasing, balanced, and creates an interest in the topic 9 - Animation file is saved as an Flash file and exported as SWF 10 - Final animation file is submitted with the instructed name for the project This project is due on the date outlined in the syllabus. When you complete all work, work on the Xtra Credit projects. |
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Animate - Animated ShortAnimation - Animate
Essential Standard - 203, 204 Essential Question: How do you create an animated short with scenes? How do you produce a professional newscast? Objective: To use the tools of Adobe Animate to create frame-based animation and to learn how to create a path animation Assignment: You have been hired as an animator to design a frame-based animated short by Onion Skin, Inc. They want you to create a 7 scene animation of a topic of your choice. (examples - kids going to school on a school bus, cars racing, skateboarder in a state town, surfer catching waves, etc) You are to follow the directions given by the project manager for the target audience to complete the project. Once complete then you should review the checklist for grading criteria before turning in your work. You will be creating an animation with multiple scenes. You must have at least 7 scenes but you can have more. The size should be 550 x 400 pixels with a frame rate of 30 fps. This will be a frame based animation so you will have keyframes on every frame with slight movement each keyframe. Each scene must be at least 120 frames, but you will probably go much longer. You can use a mix of frame-based and tweens for this project. Save your work as last name+first initial+short as an fla file. Export as a MOV file of the same name. Submit only the MOV file in the digital drop box. Place a copy in your Portfolio folder as well. Grading Criteria Checklist 1 - Animated the figure frame by frame 2 - Created minimum of 7 scenes for the short 3 - Each scene has at least 120 keyframes 4 - Scene items drawn and filled in with color 5 - Background sky created that fits with target audience 6 - Item is slightly adjusted and moved on every keyframe 7 - Onion skin was turned on to help with keyframing movements 8 - Animation designed in a manner that is visually pleasing, balanced, and creates an interest in the topic 9 - Animation file is saved as an Flash file and exported 10 - Final animation file is submitted with the instructed name for the project This project is due on the date outlined in the syllabus. When you complete all work, work on the Xtra Credit projects. |
Example Projects:
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After Effects - Character AnimatorVideo/Animation - After Effects
Essential Standard - 203, 204, 205, 206 Essential Question: How are motion graphics used to tell a story or sell a product? Objective: Use After Effects to animate a character. We will be using Adobe Character Animator that is a part of Adobe After Effects. Adobe Character Animator gives life to characters you create in Adobe Illustrator or Adobe Photoshop when you act out their movements in front of a webcam. Installed with Adobe After Effects CC, Character Animator tracks your facial movements, lets you record dialogue or a voice performance, and enables you to trigger actions with your keyboard.
You have been hired by Pendragon Entertainment to create a short animated video to sell candy. Your video will last :15-:30 and must show the candy, the name of the product, and a slogan for the candy. All text should move. There must be an original background location for the advertisement. (ex. city street, park, school classroom, living room, office). The background size for this project is 1920X1080. - You must plan/storyboard your entire video and write your script before you animate your character. - You must use background music in your project. The music must be instrumental. Edit in Audition first. - At least two sound effects must be added to help draw attention, or help in the overall story or sell of the product. Use the Photoshop or Illustrator Puppet and then modify the puppet to make the character your own. DON'T START DELETING LAYERS!! Adobe has done most of the work for you. Here are 10 tips for working with Character Animator thanks to Dave over at OkaySamurai: 1) Start with another puppet as your template. It’ll save a lot of time naming layers, which you have to do exactly right for the puppet to work right. Better off using the templates. 2) There are 13 different mouth layers. Only 3 of them change according to your actual mouth shape, the other 10 listen to your speech for letter sounds. So no sense making crazy mouth shapes, just talk naturally! 3) Use Keyboard command triggers. By simply adding any letter in parenthesis (w) to a puppet layer name, you can control seeing that layer with the keyboard. 4) Use eyelids to add expressiveness. You can also do blink together only, blink eyes independently, or have individual eyelid control. 5) Add dangle for anything that physics affects. Use for anything that might physically react to whatever you’re performing live. 6) Use fixed points to pin a character to a certain place. So your motion-tracked head doesn’t fling your character through the air… unless you want that. 7) Add mousetrack left or right to add interactive elements. You can move a character around much like the puppet tool in Ae. Doesn’t have IK capabilities yet, but it’s only Preview 1, after all. 8) Try out the Nutcracker Jaw and other behaviors. Customizing the capabilities of your character in Ch is achieved in a large part by the built-in behaviors. Check them out! 9) Include motion track points to add extra parts in After Effects. Adobe has said that eventually the tracking data will be exportable from Ch to Ae, but for now you can work around fairly easily. 10) Ch isn’t just for people characters! Objects, or really an image of any kind can be animated in Character Animator. The tools available are geared towards bipeds, but any illustration or photo can be brought to life with your own natural motion. Any time you think moving your head around would be easier than animated manually, it’s worth a try! Save the project as an AE file labeled last name + first initial + character. Export your completed video as a Quicktime MP4 file using H.264 Compression and save it in your video folder. Add the final video to your Portfolio folder as well. Grading Criteria Checklist 1 - Thoroughly modified original puppet to make it your own 2 - Background created that was appropriate with chosen theme 3 - Appropriate text was added 4 - Multiple items were moved in the animation 5 - Background audio added and at appropriate levels 6 - Dialogue added and clearly audible 7 - All graphics were cleanly cut out where appropriate. 8 - Sound effects added where appropriate 9 - Character is thoroughly and appropriately animated 10 - Final project was submitted as an .mp4. This project is due on the date outlined in the syllabus. When you complete all work, work on the Xtra Credit projects. |
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