Students will explore the physical form and anatomy of animals through both research and on-site examples.

Expanding upon their knowledge of staging; students will consider how to show character interaction on screen, using non-verbal and verbal communication skills.


This module will continue to explore the structure of characters in traditional drawn, 2D digital, CGI and Stop Motion Industries. You will consider how mechanical movement in animated characters, often restricted by the limitations of the medium, strives to imitate organic movement in the search of believable performance.

You will analyse emotional expression to plan responsive animation sequences that illustrate your understanding of the mechanics of character animation, their limitations, and unique capabilities in industry.


You will focus on the mechanics of creating a range of character-based animated sequences that reflect the importance of whole-body performance as you develop a series of lip-sync performance exercises and tests that show increased control and advanced use of animated assets in animated performance that imbue the character with believable emotion, personality, gesture and advanced use of performance principles. You will continue to build upon your understanding of advanced timing as a key factor in creating believable movement in all forms of animation production. As such this module will explore timing, movement, emotion relating to motion and character performance and its application in 2D, 3D and Stop motion animation methods. Students will understand the key factors and importance of variation in pace, the use of holds and the importance of stillness and motion as a tool to punctuate animation to highlight and underpin the emotion in animated work.


You will continue to develop your skills and use of the LAV – Live Action Video reference as a tool to help you identify the subtleties of motion and emotion to help create well observed, nuanced performances that are believable and engaging

Journal (LO 1,2),3, 4

Students will generate an iterative reflective body of visual explorations with traditional drawing at the core, but including digital and sculptural studies, movement analysis exercises, movement cycles and other negotiated responses to given themes, prompts and practical challenges

Equivalent of 6 Hours per week over 13 weeks

Delivered as a number of sessions of 1-3 hours each) dependant of the relevant pathway requirements).

A variety of Lectures, Workshops, Demonstrations and technical instruction.

Alternating pattern of pathway delivery allowing focused teaching a learning.

Assignments will invite students to practice techniques and explore methodologies towards the development of several character creations outcomes.

1. ON COMPLETION OF THIS MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN AN ORGANISED LEARNING JOURNAL OF USEFUL REFERENCES & ITERATIVE IMAGE-MAKING AND EXPLORATORY VISUALISATION ENQUIRY THAT USES STRATEGIC FEEDBACK AND DEMONSTRATES CORE PRACTICAL AND THEORETIC COMPETENCIES

KNOWLEDGE & UNDERSTANDING

ENQUIRY


2. ON COMPLETION OF THIS MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO USE VISUAL ANALYSIS TOOLS ANDS TECHNIQUES TO UNDERSTANDING THE PHYSICAL COMPOSITION, ATRIBUTES AND LIMITATIONS OF A VARIETY OF CREATURES FORMS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF ANIMATION DEVELOPMENT

ANALYSIS


3. ON COMPLETION OF THIS MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DEVELOP KNOWLEDGE OF CREATURE ANATOMY & MOVEMENT USING DRAWING AND DESIGN VISUALISATION SKILLS TO GENERATE EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO A RANGE OF PRACTICAL STILL AND SEQUENCIAL IMAGE-MAKING CHALLENGES

PROBLEM SOLVING

APPLICATION


4. ON COMPLETION OF THIS MODULE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PRESENT OUTCOMES CLEARLY AND EFFECTIVELY AND REFLECT ON THE APPROPRIATENESS OF TECHNIQUES AND APPROACHES WITHIN A SPECTRUM OF CONTEXTS.

COMMUNICATION

REFLECTION

2D Design, Visualisation and Animation Software

3D Design, Visualisation and Animation Software

Stop Motion fabrication tools, facilities and Capture Software

(Specific software and equipment will develop in accordance with evolving creative industry requirements)

VLE environments

Mattesi, Michael. (2011) Force: Animal Drawing: Animal Locomotion & Design concepts for animators. Routledge.

Brown, Lewis Stacy. (1956) An Atlas of Anatomy for Artists. Dover.

Hultgren, Ken. (1993) The art of drawing: construction, action analysis, caricature. Dover.

Muybridge, Eadweard (2014) Animals in Motion. Dover.

Uldis Zarins & Sandis Kondrats (2014). Anatomy for Sculptors. Anatomy Next, Inc.

Iijima, Takashi (2005) Action Anatomy: for gamers, animators and digital artists. Harper Design.

Shaw, Susannah (2008) Stop Motion, Craft Skills for Model Animation, Focal Press

Chong, Andrew. (2008) Digital animation. Lausanne.

Philips, Adam. (2014) Animate to Harmony: The Independent Animators Guide to Toon Boom.

Cheryl, Briggs. (2021) An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging. CRC Press.

Walsh, Christopher. (2019) Stop Motion Filmmaking: the complete guide to fabrication & animation. Bloomsbury.

Visually Explore the fascinating and complex realm of creature anatomy, the variety of complex mechanics, capabilities, limitations, evolved movement and expression characteristic, and aspects we can anthropomorphise