CAR 102: Art and Craft of Animation

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CAR 102
Art and Craft of Animation
(3 credits)
Class Size: 10-14

Faculty: Heath Hanlin, Associate Professor, Syracuse University
Administrative Contact: Christina Parish, Director, Project Advance

Course Catalog Description

Introductory studio course explores animation history and practice, with a strong emphasis on practice. Students will learn important animation techniques and modalities and build a foundation for further coursework or personal exploration of animation.

Course Overview

Art and Craft of Animation is an introductory course for students interested in exploring animation history and practice, with a strong emphasis on practice. Animation, as a discipline, has historically had a vast number of modalities, techniques and styles. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to some important animation techniques and modalities and to build a foundation for further coursework or personal exploration of this diverse and dynamic artistic medium.

Students will explore and practice modalities of animation traditionally practiced by independent filmmakers like drawn, cut paper, stop motion, pixilation, as well as modalities practiced in the animation production industry like character design, concept art, and animatics production. Students will also learn the basics of animation post-production, including editing, sound, color correction, and preparing short, animated films for delivery via YouTube, Vimeo, and other streaming services where their work can be viewed by the public.

Pre- / Co-requisites

N/A

Course Objectives

  • Students will practice and develop an understanding of several animation production modalities
  • Students will develop an understanding of timing in animation
  • Students will learn about pre-production workflows common to the animation industry
  • Students will learn about different kinds of positions and jobs in the animation industry
  • Students will develop skills and understanding of animation post-production techniques
  • Students will develop and produce a short animated film using one or more techniques introduced in the course

Laboratory

N/A

Required Materials

Option to substitute materials for the required list with faculty liaison pre-approval.

  • Access to a computer with Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Colored paper
  • Exacto knife and blades
  • Technical pens, minimally a set of 5 with varying nibs
  • Drawing pencils
  • Vertically aligned sketchbook, sliced into thirds
  • Modelling clay and tools
  • Light gauge steel wire for clay armature and wire cutter
  • LED ring light and desktop tripod for smartphone (if there is a DSLR and tripod available, this is not necessary)

Instructor Recommendations

N/A