Digital Animation Master Studio


Catalog Code	DDA 643
Course Title	Digital Animation Master Studio
Course Credits	3
Year & Term	2008 Spring
Section	2
Location & Time	ARC, E8, Wed 2:00 - 5:00 pm
Instructor	Claudia Herbst
Required?	Elective
Prerequisites	DDA 310 or 624
Department	Department of Digital Arts
Chairperson	Peter Patchen
School	School of Art and Design
Instructor's eMail	cherbst@pratt.edu
Web Site	claudiaherbst.org
Instructor's Office Phone	718-636-3490
Instructor's Alternative Phone	tba
Best times to call	Mon & Wed, lunch
Office Hours	Mon & Wed, lunch
Office Location	ARC F-11c
Syllabus Version Date	December 27, 2007
Bulletin Description of Course	This advanced-level course allows MFA students in the Digital Animation and Motion Arts emphasis to work independently on a variety of their digital animation projects. Under the guidance of the instructor each student designs and realizes either one or two animations during the course of the semester. Students may work either individually on their own personal animation or collaboratively with several other students in the class on an animation project. Students may take the class a maximum of four times provided the student receives a minimum grade of B in the previous CG-643 class.
Detailed Description	Designed as a studio course for advanced students with a keen interest in animation and an ambition to create original works, this course does not entail "formal" instructions. Rather, students are expected to work independently and execute their ideas in a self-directed manner. Class time is dedicated to the development and completion of projects, group discussions, and critiques. Weekly readings will be assigned; students are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the material. Each student will give several presentations throughout the semester.
Course Goals	Within a structure of self-directed study, the goal of this course is to facilitate students' ability to independently design and develop original animation shorts. Reviewing avant garde as well as populist animation, students also learn to contextualize animation as a modernist medium, and to think critically about trends in animation. The readings, discussions, and presentations of this course aim to provide students with the vocabulary for an informed analysis and critique of animation and animation processes.
Projects, Papers, & Assignments	Presentation 1: Examples of the avant garde Project 1: Open assignment Presentation 2: A comparison in animation trends Project 2: Open assignment
Course Schedule
WEEK 1	Syllabus overview Animation screening For next week: Begin preparing first presentation ("Examples of the avant garde") Develop concept for project # 1: create storyboards, character sketches, reference images -- visualize your idea and prepare to communicate the underlying concept Screening: Norman McLaren, Fantasia Look up: What is "auteur theory"? Come prepared to give an explanation Assigned reading: Animation Genre and Authorship, Chapter 1, "What is Animation?"
WEEK 2	Discussion of last week's reading Review and discussion of ideas and materials Screening that works of... Alex Rutterford, Supifocom, George Griffin, Yuri Norstein, Stuart Hilton, Tim Hope, Erica Russel, et al Studio time... Assigned reading: Animation Genre and Authorship, Chapter 2, "The Animation Process"
WEEK 3	Discussion of last week's reading Review of progress, discussion Studio time...
WEEK 4	Presentation 1: Examples of the avant garde Review of progress, discussion Studio time... Assigned reading: Animation Genre and Authorship, Chapter 3, "Animation: The Modernist Art"
WEEK 5	Discussion of last week's reading Review of progress, discussion Studio time... Assigned reading: Animation Genre and Authorship, Chapter 4, "Genre in Animation"
WEEK 6	Discussion of last week's reading Review of progress, discussion Studio time...
WEEK 7	Review of progress, discussion Studio time... Develop concept for project # 2: create storyboards, character sketches, reference images -- visualize your idea and prepare to communicate the underlying concept Assigned reading: Animation Genre and Authorship, Chapter 5, "The Animation Auteur"
WEEK 8	Review of progress, discussion Studio time... Assigned reading: Animation Genre and Authorship, Chapter 5, "The Animation Auteur" interview)
WEEK 9	Discussion of last week's reading Review of progress, discussion Studio time... Assigned reading (handout): "Second-order realism and post-modern aesthetics in computer animation," by Andy Darley, in A Reader in Animation Studies, edited by Jayne Pilling
WEEK 10	Review of progress, discussion of reading... Begin to prepare the second presentation: A comparison in animation trends Screening: Quay Brothers (various) Assigned reading (handout): "The Quay brothers' The Epic of Gilgamesh and the 'metaphysics of obscenity'," by Steve Weiner, in A Reader in Animation Studies
WEEK 11 April 2nd	Discussion of last week's reading Review of progress, discussion Review of presentation ideas and research... Studio time... Prepare presentation
WEEK 12 April 9th	Presentation 2: A comparison in animation trends Review of progress... Studio time...
WEEK 13 April 16th	Presentation 2 (Animesh) Scheduling rendering time (how long will it take?) Review of rendered frames... What's due on April 30th Pre-finals critique -- time for finishing touches Studio time...
WEEK 14 April 23th	Review of progress -- you should be rendering by now...
WEEK 15 April 30th	Finals: all materials are due Critique
Textbooks, Readings, & Materials	Required textbook: Animation Genre and Authorship by Paul Wells, Wallflower Press, 2003, ISBN: 1903364205 Additional reading: A Reader in Animation Studies edited by Jayne Pilling, Indiana University Press, 1999, ISBN: 1864620005

Assessment & Grading	Attendance is mandatory: three classes missed will result in a failure; two latenesses of 15 minutes or more are equal to one absence. Evaluation is based on quality of work, positive contribution to discussions and critiques, and effort. The quality of work is evaluated based on originality, creativity, and technical competence.
Course Policies	3D animation is a complex medium; technical challenges invariably arise. As always, it is essential that you back up all materials frequently. The loss of essential material is not an excuse for not meeting deadlines or presenting work
Institute Policies	ACADEMIC INTEGRITY Pratt Institute considers Academic Integrity highly important. Instances of cheating, plagiarism, and wrongful use of intellectual property will not be tolerated. Faculty members will report each incident to the registrar for inclusion in studentsí files. More than one report to the registrar during a studentís program of study at Pratt will result in a hearing before the Academic Integrity Board, at which time appropriate sanctions will be decided. These may include dismissal from the Institute. The nature and severity of the infraction will be determined by faculty members who can: ask students to repeat an assignment, fail students on the assignment, fail students in the course and/or refer the incident to the Academic Integrity Board. For more details about these procedures please see the Pratt Student Handbook, the Pratt Bulletins, and the pamphlet entitled Judicial Procedures at Pratt. CHEATING If students use dishonest methods to fulfill course requirements, they are cheating. Examples of this include, but are not limited to: Obtaining or offering copies of exams or information about the content of exams in advance. Bringing notes in any form to a closed book exam. Looking at another studentís paper during an exam. Receiving or communicating any information from or to another student during an exam. PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is a bit more complicated, but the rules of documentation and citation are very specific and are tailored to different academic disciplines. Types of plagiarism include: Including any material from any source other than you in a paper or project without proper attribution. This includes material from the Internet, books, papers, or projects by other students, and from any other source. Using your own work to fulfill requirements for more than one course The extensive use of the ideas of others in your work without proper attribution. Turning in work done by another person or a fellow student as oneís own. Please remember that all work must be the studentís own. If it is not, the source should be cited and documented appropriately. If there are aspects of this statement that are not understood, ask faculty members for help.