Catalog Code: DDA 351
Course Title: 3D Animation Studio III
Department: Digital Arts
Chairperson: Peter Patchen
School: School of Art
Term/Year: Fall 2020
Course Credits: 3
Location & Time: Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30 - 11:50 PM, class meets virtually
Req or Elective: Required
Prerequisites: 3D Modeling I, 3D Animation I
Instructor: Claudia Herbst-Tait
E-mail: cherbst@pratt.edu
Phone: 718 636 3490
Fax: 718 399 4494
Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, Lunch
Office Location: 4W-16
Syllabus Version: August 21st, 2020
Course Description
This course is designed to teach advanced level production pipeline techniques and tactics employed in the creation of an animated short. Students will create a complete animation from story to post-production.
Detailed Description:
In this course students learn more about the production pipeline as they create their third animated short. In this animation studio course all departments will focus on high performance of original characters. Pre-production, production, post-production, and final delivery will all be aimed at creating a performance based story that has a beginning, middle and end, and also makes use of defined characters that operate within the parameters of well defined personalities. The primary goal is to create and screen a polished animated short. Students will learn to budget their time as they shift from pre-production through post and will work within the time constraints and technological limitations at their disposal. The instructor’s role in this course is to guide students through the pipeline, making them aware of and adhere to deadlines. In the professional world there can often be steep penalties for missing significant milestone deadlines and this class will operate as a quasi-real world example.
Students will employ any and all skills they have already acquired in drawing/painting, modeling, texturing, animation, lighting, rendering, and compositing to create an original short film. Additionally, they will review their postmortem notes and questionnaires from Animation Studio II in order to determine any successful techniques that were employed and also to identify areas of weakness in an effort to identify causes and propose solutions so that they are not encountered again. The stress in this class will be on creating a short performance based story and its final delivery. The story should involve no more than two characters and the focus should be on performance. The story is completely open-ended and is at the discretion of the student (in consultation with the instructor). It can be linear or experimental and should seek to be a culminating showcase of all the student has learned in 3D animation. Students must be sensitive to the time and resource limitations of a 15-week production cycle-consider creating stylized characters and using advanced techniques like fur, cloth and other dynamic systems sparingly. Students should strive to create stories that are succinct but still give the opportunity for nuanced character performance.
Animation must always be readable. If the student is attempting a performance, s/he must be aware that it requires a high level of emotion and individual personality in characters. In the event that something more abstract is attempted readability will still be of paramount importance. The abstract process should attempt to create a symbolic language that through rhythm, repetition and careful perturbation manages to get the animator’s ideas across clearly. In all instances making good use of the core 12 principles of animation will be helpful in creating compelling visual compositions. Character animation, if any, must also push out into the realm of acting, emotion and subtlety. In addition, students will also have to solve technical issues endemic to character performance with CG characters (e.g. believable character prop interaction, dynamics, simulations and advanced lighting/rendering/compositing) and lip-sync.
Each student will be solely responsible for all work throughout the entire project (with the exception of audio). Characters (if there are any) must be modeled and rigged (using any rigging tools available) by the student. It is recommended that students seek to simplify designs so that they can get the best results in the shortest amount of time (remember feature films get made in 18-24 months, a semester is a mere 15 weeks). It is also highly recommended that prop and asset creation be carefully planned so that students create only the necessary and sufficient set of assets without becoming too bogged down in detail. Every week during the pre-production phase of this course, students will have to show their work, keep to the schedule, detail what strides have been made and explain what will be done for the next week.
Note: Students may not use models/props or motion/animation in this course that has been created for other classes with the exception of audio.
Every week during production, students will submit an updated animatic with play-blasts for critique. The animatic will show the status of the project: with each ensuing week the play-blasts should become more robust until the animatic starts looking like a final animation. Instructor input and direction will result from every screening. Any critique or modification offered by the instructor is to be taken as an assignment that must be completed by the very next screening.
Every week during post production students will hand in updated renders for critique. These movies will show their progress and allow for final compositing, color correction and editing decisions. Similarly, all in-critique instructions will be considered as assignments to be carried out by the next critique.
Suggested Topics:
Students are encouraged to begin with a soundtrack such as a voice recording, or a piece of music. Sound lends structure to animation and defines the pacing of a film; like color, sound evokes an immediate emotional response from the audience. Possible references include:
animated documentaries
planned interviews
unscripted conversations
voice mail messages
music videos
music performances
slam poetry
political satire
Course Goal(s):
● To enable students to create a performance-driven digital short with character animation.
● To yield portfolio-quality work.
● This course continues to address storyboarding and conveys advanced camera techniques and, in a broader sense, the language
of the screen providing students with an increasingly sophisticated visual vocabulary.
Student Learning Objectives:
Upon the completion of this course student will be able to:
● Plan and execute an original 3D animation of portfolio quality
● Apply knowledge gained in co-requisite courses
● Use storyboards and production timelines to present “Dailys” (regular progress presentations)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Attendance:
Please note that completing a film is not the only requirement for successfully completing this course. Work is expected to reflect an advanced knowledge of the medium of 3D animation and represent polished, portfolio-level work. Students are also required to attend class, to be on time each time and come prepared. Students are advised that four unexcused absences will result in automatic failure of this course. A student who completes a film but has accrued excess unexcused absences may fail this course.
Students are expected to follow instructions to the proverbial “T” (i.e., 3 pieces of concept art = 3 pieces of concept art, etc.). The same rule applies to naming conventions: follow exactly.
Assignment/s:
1. Production of one film: duration should be roughly 1 minute, and no more than 2 minutes (students work within their means; class uses ready-rigging software to auto-rig their own character models. Focus is on originality, narrative (for traditional stories), clear staging, quality of motion and establishing a well-organized production pipeline). The focus will be on quality over quantity!
Students may use no more than two characters (max). Alternatives to linear narrative, such as mixed media and experimental animations are also encouraged and must be similarly manageable in terms of scope, and well organized and structured with a detailed production schedule.
2. Students are expected to create a blog dedicated solely to demonstrating progress in this class. Students must share the link with their instructor during the first week of class.
Students update this blog weekly, i.e. create entries with updates to storyboard, models, animation and any other assigned homework.
Blog designs should be kept as simple and be clearly structured: each week should have a clearly identifiable entry. Each blog entry must show the date.
Blogs posts will be discussed during class.
Deadlines:
The weekly breakdown below includes detailed deadlines for character-driven films because these types of films require an especially tight schedule and key goals must be reached at specific times in order to finish a polished film on time. This document includes an overview of all key deadlines that must be met by students who are working on a character-driven film this semester. Students should note that finalizing a functional rig is typically one of the biggest hurdles of this class and plan accordingly.
Films that are not character-driven will require a separate and equally detailed schedule; the instructor will advise students based on their individual project requirements.
Additionally, all students will devise a detailed production schedule that breaks down their film on a shot by shot basis and includes asset and task lists in the form of Google docs shared with the instructor. Students update their production documentation throughout the semester.
Rendering:
Students may use the DDA Render Farm (the instructor will share a revised Render Farm Handout during the first several weeks of class), use commercial render farms and/or render using their own equipment. As rendering is always a bottleneck, students are asked to plan wisely and keep render times — and overall feasibility — in mind when devising their aesthetic. For example, many highly reflective surfaces are render hogs — plan wisely and test render as soon as possible (during the design phase!).
At the time of this writing (08/11/20), no information on Pratt’s Cloud Computing platform is available but may be shared by the Institute at a later date. Students may render at 720p then size up to HD in After Effects using Effect-->Distort-->Detail Preserving Upscale.
Technology:
This class uses Maya 2019.
Students should use a three-button mouse.
A second monitor is highly recommended for all-virtual classes.
Screening:
Dates for Sophomore/Junior screenings will be announced by the department later in the semester.
Story/concept art etc. must be in the correct aspect ratio (16:9), no sketches should smaller than 50% of full size.
Students must follow these naming conventions:
FA2020_DDA351_Initial_LastName_ConceptArt_01.jpg
Examples:
FA2020_DDA351_C_Tait_ConceptArt_01.jpg or
FA2020_DDA351_C_Tait_StoryPanel_01.jpg
(Speaking of naming conventions: do not use any symbols — such as slashes or asterisks, etc. — other than underscores when saving Maya files.
Final rendering must be delivered at HDTV 1080p (1920 x 1080) pixel aspect square, interlacing none, compression none, audio 48 kHz sampling rate/ 16 bit stereo/ uncompressed. Students also submit a compressed version of their work.
Useful references include:
Prepare to Board! Creating Story and Characters for Animation Features...
The Noble Approach: Maurice Noble and the Zen of Animation Design
The Master Course in High-End Blocking & Staging
Rigs: Students use ready-rigging software to auto-rig their own character models: Advanced Skeleton.
Weekly Breakdown
Week 01: Aug. 25th & Aug. 27th
Notes on our virtual classroom.
Review of summer progress
Discussing Sophomore films: Which projects were effective and why? What did we learn from the experience.
Hi Stranger, Office Hours, Bring Me the Glue, Poof Puff, 404, Charge
Character Design:
Overview and conceptual considerations.
Students watch Visual Storytelling: We’re watching Alike and Alma.
What do the opening shots tell us?
At the end of the film/s, in what ways have the main characters changed?
DUE NEXT WEEK:
For the beginning of Tuesday’s class, complete all tasks outlined in this document.
Students design characters and begin modeling this week. (For proper rigging, characters will have to be retopologized), post screen shots of progress on blog.
Week 02: Sep. 1st & Sep. 3rd
Let your storyboard panels communicate.
Using a 3D camera effectively; editing.
We’re watching In a Heartbeat —
What is the character thinking and why does he feel that way? How do you know?
Count the number of reaction shots
Watch the short with the sound off and observe the variations in tempo (slow vs. fast)
DUE NEXT WEEK:
Revise storyboard — review this document and make each panel exciting.
For Thursday’s class, character models are at least 75% complete. All modeling progress is to show “wireframe on shaded.”
Week 03: Sep. 8th & 10th
Review of revised storyboards.
DUE NEXT WEEK:
Implement story notes and create a 2D animatic that reflects good pacing/variation in tempo and includes sound. Incorporate thoughtful/creative transitions between scenes.
Characters -- head and body -- models are completed and retopologized — test rig before UV mapping.
Week 04: Sep. 15th & 17th
Review of animatics and character models, plus rigging in progress.
Chuck Jones: Extremes and In-Betweens - A Life in Animation, 2000.
DUE NEXT WEEK:
Revise animatic/begin converting 2D to 3D animatic (scroll down on this doc). Add any missing sounds/effects.
Character models have been truly finalized, body and facial rigs are in progress. This means you are well into the process of fixing issues (not just encountering them…)
Week 05: Sep. 22nd & 24th
Review of revised animatics, everyone shows off their rigs in progress (body & face need to be very close to finalized).
Converting 2D animatic into a 3D animatic (Poses! Timing!)
DUE NEXT WEEK:
All character models are finalized, truly ready for animation head to toe, including facial rig (due Tuesday).
Environment modeling continues, all major assets should be complete/near completion (due Thursday).
Minor assets are in progress.
Create at least three pieces of developed concept art, consider color, texture and light of the overall project (due Thursday).
Upload any additional look dev work (textures, test renders, etc.) already completed.
Week 06: Sep. 29th & Oct. 1st
DUE TODAY: Finalized characters, truly ready for animation, including facial rig, hands, etc., major asset screenshots + three pieces of concept art.
Students continue modeling, creating props/backgrounds/environment elements
Credit resources are located here.
DUE NEXT WEEK:
Convert the 2D animatic into a 3D animatic, including sound/effects and credits
Includes all major assets, camera has been animated. Can be flat shaded. Key lighting should be indicated at critical moments. Characters have been posed in expressive poses and with key facial expressions.
Create production documentation, including shot list and asset list.
Week 07: Oct. 6th & Oct. 8th
DUE TODAY: 3D animatic. Includes all major assets, camera has been animated. Can be flat shaded. Key lighting should be indicated at critical moments. Characters have been posed in expressive poses and with key facial expressions.
Review of 3D animatics.
DUE NEXT WEEK:
Revise 3D animatic, implement feedback.
Begin animating.
Week 08: Oct. 13th & Oct. 15th
We’ve been making excellent progress — Thursday is an optional day, I will be here and our virtual classroom will be open, you may use the day to catch up or rest, or come to class.
Preparation for next week’s formal presentation — students get feedback from advisor.
Animation continues…
Week 09: Oct. 20th & Oct. 22nd
Students are informed of their mid-term grades in writing. Meeting midterm requirements is an integral part of your grade.
MIDTERM PRESENTATIONS
Students present their 3D animatics that include…
advanced pacing/timing
strong poses and key facial expressions
animation has begun, at least 30% is in first pass
includes all major and most minor assets
camera has been animated depicting good motion (ease in/out, etc.)
key lighting has to be indicated for critical moments
soundtrack includes quality sound effects and is representative of final score
Students continue to animate.
Week 10: Oct. 27th & Oct. 29th
Review of progress.
Discussion of look development and render strategies; students test render.
Animation continues.
DUE NEXT WEEK:
Third pass of animation is completed for 75% of the project.
The action reads clearly and communicates strongly; motion is rich/fluid, or snappy depending on what the scene calls for.
For key scenes, acting and timing have undergone several revisions. The character’s personality and emotional
states read clearly. Action, humor and/or emotion are strongly articulated, the story’s message is effectively communicated.
Actions depict changes in velocity: moments of anticipation are punctuated by acceleration.
Overall timing has been further revised. The story is coming to life.
Students post rendered stills for at least 3 shots, revise lighting and optimize render times.
Week 11: Nov. 3rd (Election Day, classes do not meet Tuesday) & Nov. 5th
DUE TODAY Third pass of animation is completed for 75% of the project.
Review of student work: polishing animation
Optimizing render times.
The most render-intensive shots are in the process of being finalized and set to render.
Any last missing sound effects have been added/finessed.
DUE NEXT WEEK:
At least 25% of the project is rendered.
Week 12: Nov. 10th & Nov. 12th
Review of student work: polishing animation, sound revision and rendering.
Revised 3D animatic has been uploaded and includes...
At least 25% of the project is rendered.
Soundtrack has been finalized.
Compositing and post-production begin.
Assistance from instructor.
DUE NEXT WEEK:
At least 50% of the project is rendered.
Week 13: Nov. 17th & Nov. 19th
DUE TODAY:
Revised 3D animatic has been uploaded and includes...
For key scenes, acting and timing have undergone several revisions. The character’s personality and emotional
states read clearly. Action, humor and/or emotion are strongly articulated, the story’s message is effectively communicated.
At least 50% of the project is rendered.
Soundtrack has been finalized.
Assistance from instructor.
DUE NEXT WEEK:
At least 75% of the project is rendered.
At least 50% of the film is in post-production.
All scenes have been set to render.
Week 14: Nov. 24th & Nov. 26th (Thanksgiving break, classes do not meet Thursday)
Review of animatics and renders, assistance from instructor.
Week 15: Dec. 1st & 3rd
DUE TODAY: 100% of rendering complete at the beginning of class today.
All scenes are in post-production.
Finishing touches, credits...
Exporting films: test export, check for any issues (size, playback, quality, etc.)
Exporting files & settings:
Resolution : 1080p (1920 x 1080)
Pixel Aspect Ratio : Square
Interlacing: NONE
Compression: H264 , encoded at less than 20Mbps
Audio : 48 kHz sampling rate, 16 bit stereo, uncompressed (WAV , AIFF or SD-II)
File format: .mov or .mp4
AUDIO LEVELS - The loudest sounds in your project should peak between -5 and -1 dB as
indicated on the audio level meters within your video editing software. Adjust the audio levels to
these settings will ensure that your project is not louder or softer than expected .
Please follow this naming convention exactly:
UG_20FA_dda351sec1_LastnameInitialFirstname (example: UG_20FA_dda351sec1_TaitC.mov)
After showing your finished film to me, upload it here.
Here’s a Adobe Media Encoder preset that can be used to quickly get these settings. You can import by clicking on the corresponding icon in the preset field.
Week 16: Dec. 8th & 10th
All films are due at the beginning of class on Tuesday — this deadline is firm, work handed in late drops a letter grade.
Final screening — The Sophomore/Junior Show is scheduled for Dec. 14th at 7 pm.
Methods of Assessment
A student’s progress is assessed based on their level of professionalism as demonstrated during weekly critique and ability to meet deadlines. Students are also evaluated based on their ability to receive feedback and to implement suggestions they have received during critiques. A student’s project is assessed based on the demonstration of technical ability, originality of ideas and overall creativity.
A finished film is a requirement for a passing grade in this class. Unfinished films, or work handed in late, result in failure (F).
The following are the criteria for what constitutes a finished film.
1) All frames are fully rendered at 1080p. There are no playblasted scenes.
2) The final movie has no glitched frames, missing frames, popping frames, or significant rendering noise issues.
3) The audio has no glitches, pops, distortions or discontinuities which read as errors. Audio sound levels are balanced.
4) Animation has been completed in all scenes. There are no blocked in or unanimated sections which were clearly slated for animation in the production plan.
5) Texturing has been completed in all scenes. There are no untextured models which were clearly slated for texturing in the production plan.
6) The movie has a title, credits, and displays the Pratt logo. The credits are spellchecked and appropriately timed (i.e. they have not been slapped on with no regard for timing).
7) The film has a coherent story or a legible conceptual framework.
8) The instructor believes the film is finished
UNDERGRADUATE GRADE SCALE DESCRIPTIONS
A= Exceptional Work
A-= Excellent Work
B+= Work of high quality
B= Very good work that satisfies goals of course
B-= Good Work
C+=Average Work
C= Barely adequate work
C-= Poor Work.
D= Poor Work; doesn't understand the assignments
F= Failure, no credit
Students are advised that incompletes are given only in cases of a documented emergency.
POLICIES
Attendance
4 absences will result in an automatic failure. Two absences will result in an automatic full grade deduction (ie. A becomes B). Two tardies equals one absence. You are tardy if you are late for class. In addition, all students are required to present at major critiques during the semester. Be present and on time. No exceptions.
Attendance at Critiques
Any student who fails to attend a critique and does not email their work on that day, will receive a 0 (that's zero, lower than an F) for that assignment.
Academic Integrity Policy
At Pratt, students, faculty, and staff do creative and original work. This is one of our community values. For Pratt to be a space where everyone can freely create, our community must adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity.
Academic integrity at Pratt means using your own and original ideas in creating academic work. It also means that if you use the ideas or influence of others in your work, you must acknowledge them.
At Pratt,
• We do our own work,
• We are creative, and
• We give credit where it is due.
Based on our value of academic integrity, Pratt has an Academic Integrity Standing Committee (AISC) that is charged with educating faculty, staff, and students about academic integrity practices. Whenever possible, we strive to resolve alleged infractions at the most local level possible, such as between student and professor, or within a department or school. When necessary, members of this committee will form an Academic Integrity Hearing Board. Such boards may hear cases regarding cheating, plagiarism, and other infractions described below; these infractions can be grounds for citation, sanction, or dismissal.
Academic Integrity Code
When students submit any work for academic credit, they make an implicit claim that the work is wholly their own, completed without the assistance of any unauthorized person. These works include, but are not limited to exams, quizzes, presentations, papers, projects, studio work, and other assignments and assessments. In addition, no student shall prevent another student from making their work. Students may study, collaborate and work together on assignments at the discretion of the instructor.
Examples of infractions include but are not limited to:
Plagiarism, defined as using the exact language or a close paraphrase of someone else’s ideas without citation.
Violations of fair use, including the unauthorized and uncited use of another’s artworks, images, designs, etc.
The supplying or receiving of completed work including papers, projects, outlines, artworks, designs, prototypes, models, or research for submission by any person other than the author.
The unauthorized submission of the same or essentially the same piece of work for credit in two different classes.
The unauthorized supplying or receiving of information about the form or content of an examination.
The supplying or receiving of partial or complete answers, or suggestions for answers; or the supplying or receiving of assistance in interpretation of questions on any examination from any source not explicitly authorized. (This includes copying or reading of another student’s work or consultation of notes or other sources during an examination.)
For academic support, students are encouraged to seek assistance from the Writing and Tutorial Center, Pratt Libraries, or consult with an academic advisor about other support resources.
Refer to the Pratt website for information on Academic Integrity Code Adjudication Procedures.
Attendance Policy
Four absences result in automatic failure. Two tardies equals one absence. You are tardy if you are late for class. Be present and on time. No exceptions.
Students with Disabilities
The instructor will make every effort to accommodate students with both visible and invisible disabilities. While it is advisable that students with disabilities speak to the instructor at the start of the semester if they feel this condition might make it difficult to partake in aspects of the course, students should feel free to discuss issues pertaining to disabilities with the instructor at any time. Depending on the nature of the disability, and the extent to which it may require deviations from standard course policy, documentation of a specific condition may be required, in compliance with conditions established by the campus Learning Access Center, and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students who require special accommodations for disabilities must obtain clearance from the Office of Disability Services at the beginning of the semester. They should contact Elisabeth Sullivan, Director of the Learning Access Center, 718-636-3711.
Religious Policies
In line with Pratt’s Attendance Policy, Pratt Institute respects students’ requirements to observe days of cultural significance, including religious holy days, and recognizes that some students might need to miss class to do so. In this, or other similar, circumstance, students are responsible for consulting with faculty ahead of time about how and when they can make up work they will miss.