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Animation Projects

Project - Animatic

This project may be completed by the following students:

M1 1st Year Media Arts Majors.

M2 2nd Year Media Arts Majors.

M3 3rd Year Media Arts Majors.


Directions

  1. Pre-Production

    1. You will need to begin with a story idea. It doesn't need to be elaborate as your final video cannot be longer than a minute, but it will still need to include a beginning, middle, and end.
      1. While the traditional pre-production path is to begin with a script before moving on to storyboarding, you can combine the two for this specific project. Your storyboard is the only required evidence of planning required by this rubric.
      2. There is no official requirement for what the plot of your animation needs to be, so long as your Media Arts teacher approves it. Suggestions for possible stories include but are not limited to...
        • A student's morning routine.
        • A small animal escaping a predator in the woods.
        • A superhero stopping a meteor from hitting a building.
        • Something large being built.
        • An athlete competing in a sporting event.
    2. Get your storyboard idea approved by the Media Arts teacher. They may have advice to make the recording process easier.
    3. Storyboards are rough drafts of the final video. As such, they don't need to be as detailed and refined as artworks you might be expected to make in a Visual Arts class. With that said, your storyboard should adhere to the following guidelines to help you out:
      1. The storyboard should be drawn on unlined paper.
        • ines going through a drawing can affect your perception of the shot composition, one of the main reasons why storyboards are used.
      2. Every space for a drawing should have a corresponding space for including any sounds (usually dialogue) the audience will hear.
        • This space can be to the left, right, above, or below the drawing, but it should never be inside the drawing. Again, this changes the shot composition.
      3. If you run out of space for dialogue, continue in a new picture.
        • Your art should be changing frequently, just as camera shots in movies change frequently.
      4. The drawings should make it obvious how characters will be framed within the shot while providing some setting information.
        • The drawings should make it obvious how characters will be framed within the shot while providing some setting information.
      5. In the dialogue portion of the storyboard, include how long each shot is intended to be used. This can help you make sure your final video is within the time limits.
        • Have your first shot be the title and last shot be the credits. Those count towards the Total Run Time (TRT) as well!
    4. Storyboards can be a variety of formats. You can make your own or find a template online. You can even make one by folding a single sheet of paper 4 times!
    5. Helpful video tutorials:

  2. Production

    1. With everything planned out, use your storyboard as a guide to make larger, more detailed drawings of each storyboard panel.
    2. These still don't need to be "finished." Pencil marks can be visible. Hands can be ovals. Buildings full of windows might only have a couple rectangles to point out that windows exist. Color is 100% optional.
    3. Consider having each drawing be a half or full sheet of printer paper.
    4. Go over your most important lines with a black marker. This will help them stand out when you digitize them.
    5. Place each drawing on a flat surface and hold a camera directly above it to take a picture of it. Ensure these things to get the best images:
      1. Take your photos in an evenly lit space, ideally where you are not casting any shadows on your drawings.
      2. DON'T use a flash. This can bleach out important lines in your drawings.
      3. If you can adjust the camera's aspect ratio, it should be as close to 16:9 as you can get it. (Good sizes would be 1280x720 or 1920x1080, which are common 16:9 resolutions.)
      4. Zoom out as far as you can and get the camera just close enough so that you cannot see any of the edges of the drawing. You might crop off some small parts but this will save you some effort in post-production.
      5. Most cameras number their photos consecutively, so if you take your photos in the same order as they appear in the storyboard they should automatically be placed in the right order when you import them into an editor for post-production.
    6. If your video has voice-over work, this is also where you will be recording it.
      1. It is MUCH easier to sync animation up with recorded audio than it is to sync audio up with a created animation.

  3. Post-Production

    1. If you recorded voice-over work, add that to your timeline first.Import your photos into a video editor.
    2. Use your storyboard as a guide to make sure your images are all in the correct order. (If you followed the tip in the production section of these directions, this is already done for you.)
    3. Depending on your camera, the edges of your images may not line up with your video editor's 16:9 aspect ratio. If you have to, zoom in on your images to make them fit.
    4. Add each image to your timeline, adjusting its timing so that it lines up with the voice acting or, at the very least, lines up with the timing you planned out during pre-production.
    5. Many animatics include minor movement effects to make certain parts stand out. Consider zooming in on a character's face, or perhaps a pan or tilt. These can be done in post-production using key frames or other methods, depending on the editor you used.
    6. Be sure to use credits at the end of your video to give thanks to anyone who helps you create it.
      • This includes YOU! YOUR NAME should be in the credits!
    7. Export your completed video and upload it with a copy of your storyboard.

Rubric

Standards

Resources


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