Art Degrees Online

Media Arts & Animation — Bachelor of Fine Arts
Location-based entertainment, film and video, architecture, virtual reality, broadcast television, advertising, education, gaming, medical sciences, and forensics are among the industries that benefit from the techniques of traditional and digital animation. The course of studies at The Art Institute develops students’ skills in design, illustration, compositing, 3D computer modeling, and other areas needed to enter the animation field. Students begin the media arts & animation program with a foundation in drawing, color, writing, and character design along with introductory computer applications. Under the guidance of industry-experienced faculty, students begin to learn advanced 2D and 3D animation principles as well as story development, background design, scenic layout, and special effects. In increasingly more advanced courses, students learn and become experienced with program-specific software, such as Macromedia Flash, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, and Autodesk Maya. At the end of the program, students take a sequence of portfolio courses in which they design and execute specialized projects that form a part of their digital portfolios to showcase their conceptual and creative skills and abilities in both traditional and digital 2D and 3D techniques. All students develop a Web site in order to present this portfolio to a wide audience of potential employers upon graduation.

During their studies at The Art Institute, students are encouraged to apply for internships, participate in active student and professional organizations, enter national contests and film festivals, and attend conferences, such as SIGGRAPH, all of which enable them to become familiar with a developing industry and with the people who make the industry such a vibrant one in today’s world of communications and entertainment.

Media arts & animation graduates enter various aspects of the animation industry, specializing in fields such as computer-generated lighting, compositing and rendering, storyboarding, texturing, special effects, motion graphics, and others. In addition, the need for 2D and Flash animators continues to grow in order to support Web-based corporate communications, e-commerce, and marketing.
Total Credit Hours: 192
12 Quarters

Cinematic and digital media are developing at a rapid pace and dimension making it impossible to predict their precise future direction. New professions are constantly emerging in the field of digital technology and the use of animation in the presentation of visual information – television, Internet, multimedia and classical cinema (virtual actors and computerized animation stunts) – is growing by leaps and bounds. New inventions that crop up daily provide animation artists with sophisticated state-of-the-art tools to express their art. All this has led to unprecedented growth in the animation industry. However, this growth has created a gap between the technical skills these advanced tools provide and the animators’ creative abilities and artistic level.

Students in the 3D Modeling for Animation & Games program prepare for their future in the computer generated animation industry through a combined focus on traditional artistic skills and modern technology. You’ll attend courses on sculpture, life drawing, and color theory, as well as character modeling, lighting, and digital imaging. Graduates are prepared to seek entry-level employment such as character modeler, texture artist, and junior production designer.
Computer Animation Courses: 3-D Modeling Program – The Art Institutes programs are offered at the following Art Institute locations:

Animation at Lincoln is a new and exciting development within the context of moving image, digital visualisation and contemporary narrative; ranging from game artistry, character & creature performance to experimental digital techniques.
“This was an incredible opportunity for me as I didn’t really expect to get such a position straight out of university, and particularly on such a high-profile movie! I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. ”

Graduate, Darren Rodriguez – working on the Harry Potter movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban at Framestore, London

Underpinned by a strong contextual foundation, students gain a broad understanding of the entire animation process, its production ethos, and how to prepare for the future of the medium, with regard to new technologies. The emphasis of the programme is to develop creative animators and artists with flexibility to practice their developing craft in a variety of mediums, and understand how such mediums of 2D traditional drawn animation, and 3D computer generated techniques merge to create unique innovative projects.

Students have the option to build a focused pathway of study in line with their desired career or further study aspiration.
Course Content
Level 1
Animation Principles
Historical & Contextual Practice
Representation & Animation Design
Narrative Design & Development
Animation Practice 01 & Personal Development Plan
Level 2
Sound Design
The Animation Business Case Study
Digital Visualisation & Environmental Design
Animation Practice 02 & Personal Development Plan
Characterisation & Creature Animation
Level 3
Animation Pre-Production
Dissertation
Animation Production & Team Practice
Animation Post Production & Personal Development Plan
Careers

Employment prospects are excellent and graduates in recent years have achieved positions with leading practitioners across the broad spectrum of the animation industry. Many of our students have moved on to careers with top animation studios including Disney, Lionhead, Ubisoft, Framestore-CFC and Channel 4 TV.

. The entire program will be in full swing in the spring of 2008, when we will be training students for work in visual effects, feature animation, and video game industries.

Below are renderings of a character modeled, rigged and textured in Maya by Brent Gordon, a recent student. Brent has been a character designer in the traditional animation industry for quite some time, and learned Maya here at our program.

“Animation” is derived from the verb “to animate” — to bring to life.
Unlike a documentary film, which simply reflects the physical world, an animation is a completely constructed reality. In this new world, all kinds of characters, situations and space can be created simply from imagination.
KSU’s Animation course will provide the opportunity for students to dedicate themselves to serious study in this field. Faculty members include experienced animation experts whose work helped Japanese anime to gain world-wide recognition. Our objective is to foster the next generation of leaders creating animations that will bring dreams and inspiration to the world.

Department profile (May 2007):
Undergrad students (first intake 2006): 129
(M: 49; F: 80)
Overseas undergrad students: 8

Curriculum
1st year: Practical training and lectures forming the basis of the four-year course. Students will learn to see animation from the artist’s point of view, gaining knowledge of various processes.
Principles of animation 1 & 2, practical animation 1 & 2, CG animation 1 & 2, animation modeling (basic practice) 1 & 2, theory of animation media, theory of animation industry, history of Japanese animation, history of world animation, research on animation works and artists 1 & 2, history of media
2nd year: Contents of courses will be expanded, with more practical study of techniques, and improvement of skills by pursuing the real nature of animation.
Theory of animation direction 1 & 2, analysis of animation 1 & 2, CG animation 3 & 4, animation modeling expression 1 & 2, stop motion animation 1 & 2, modeling practice 1 & 2, theory of cinema 1 & 2
3rd year: Preparation period for major production (in 4th year)
Animation creation 1 & 2, sound effect practice 1 & 2, CG practical animation 1 & 2, practical animation modeling 1 & 2, theory of scenarios 1 & 2, theory of CG 1 & 2, animation production 1 & 2
4th year: Students express what they have learned in 4 years in their major graduation works.

ANIM 202 Animation I
Students explore the basic principles of animation to develop an understanding of character and performance. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of actions. Prerequisite: DRAW 200.

ANIM 218 Stop Motion I
In this course, students explore a wide range of stop motion styles, materials and techniques including clay, object and puppet animation, utilizing both tabletop and multi-plane setups. Students are encouraged to develop a personal approach while exploring possibilities in character design, armature and set building, lighting, special effects and camera/motion capture techniques. Prerequisite: ANIM 202 or FILM 100 or FILM 101 or FILM 102.

ANIM 223 History of Animation
This course focuses on the history and aesthetics of animation, with references to related arts such as live-action cinema, puppetry and comics. Screenings include a wide range of commercial and experimental works produced throughout the world. Students create small projects and written works pertaining to course topics. Prerequisites: ARTH 110, CMPA 110.

ANIM 230 Action Analysis
This course concentrates on human and animal movement. Students explore issues of anatomical motion relevant to the animation industry, such as skeletal pivot points, figure weight, balance and momentum, through gestural, automatic and other drawing-in-motion techniques. Prerequisite: ANIM 202.

ANIM 250 Digital Form, Space and Lighting
Topics covered throughout this course include the theories of 3-D space, surface modeling, rendering, lighting and procedures for texture mapping. Students develop and construct 3-D computer models and sets. Prerequisite: CMPA 100 or CMPA 110.

ANIM 252 Animation II
Building on principles learned in Animation I, students are introduced to animating in 3-D, with an emphasis on character performance. Students may choose to specialize or further develop their skills in 2-D or 3-D animation. Prerequisite: ANIM 202.

ANIM 270 Principles of Screen Design
Screen design is fundamental to animation communication. In this course, students expand upon traditional media skills and animation craft, by adding the element of screen design. Through individual approach and expression in traditional and digital media, students communicate by juxtaposing and sequencing imagery to develop a sense of artist-audience construct and consequence. Prerequisite: ANIM 202.

ANIM 280 3-D Character Set-up and Animation
This course explores the basic principles of modeling and rigging as applied to a series of very different characters. Students explore basic tools and apply them to various anatomical problems to find modeling and rigging solutions for character motion. Major emphasis is placed on proper identification of controls for the end user. Prerequisite: ANIM 252.

ANIM 312 2-D Animation Production
Using perspective and other traditional design attributes to create a variety of shot compositions, students in this course learn the business of staging, posing and animating action in a sequential layout to create effective visual narrative. This course develops the student’s ability to rough, block and animate 2-D shots in sequence to meet the goals of the script to tell a story. Prerequisite: ANIM 280.

ANIM 313 3-D Animation Production
Through the process of learning to assemble the components necessary to allow for efficient workflow in getting animated storytelling on the screen, students in this course focus on previsualization, creating and texturing assets for camera, animating for camera, lighting and rendering in passes, and assembling shots in sequence to create effective storytelling. Prerequisite: ANIM 280.

ANIM 314 Facial Set-up and Animation
Animated characters get much of their character from their faces. Design, style, texture, and expressive articulation all contribute toward more memorable animated storytelling. In this course, students explore all aspects of facial design, modeling, texturing, rigging and animation. Prerequisite: ANIM 280.

ANIM 318 Stop Motion II
Building on skills learned in Stop Motion I, students explore more advanced stop motion and clay animation production techniques. Topics include foam/latex build-up models, a survey of background construction techniques, basic casting, and further study in lighting and F/X. The course emphasizes art direction and project development. Prerequisite: ANIM 218.

ANIM 322 Acting for Animators
In this course, students further their studies in animation by exploring acting and public speaking in team environments. Students act out their characters and complete drawings of motion studies, expressions and poses. Prerequisite: ANIM 202.

ANIM 330 Animation Layout and Character Design
This course provides students with the background knowledge and practice methods necessary to plan and direct animation sequences with characters. Prerequisite: ANIM 250.

ANIM 332 2-D Character Animation I
Students gain a better sense of timing, staging and fluid movement while continuing to develop sequential drawing skills. Prerequisite: ANIM 312 or ANIM 313.

ANIM 333 3-D Character Animation I
Focusing on expressive timing, staging and fluid movement in character animation, students create original, high quality animated segments in preparation for senior projects and portfolio quality work. Additional techniques are taught in facial expression, lip-synch, gymnastic stunts, two-handed object control and climbing. Prerequisite: ANIM 312 or ANIM 313.

ANIM 342 Digital Cel Animation I
In this course, students study animation and its uses on the Internet. Students assess both the aesthetic and technical aspects of animation as they relate specifically to an online environment. Prerequisite: ANIM 202.

ANIM 350 Advanced Character Set-up
This course explores the basic principles of creating an animatable skeleton for a 3-D puppet, as applied to a series of anatomically different biped and quadruped characters. Students are assigned a prebuilt model to rig, explore advanced tools and apply them to various anatomical problems to find modeling and rigging solutions for believable character motion, and finally test the rigs with basic motion assignments. Prerequisite: ANIM 280.

ANIM 351 Advanced Digital Modeling
This course emphasizes anatomical construction and digital re-creation of believable characters. Students develop and construct digital 3-D character models intended for animation. The course covers advanced topics in 3-D character design and modeling, with an emphasis on anatomy as it applies to predetermined movement requirements. Students explore the advanced sub-divisional, polygon and NURBS modeling tools as they pertain to believable biped and quadruped characters. Prerequisite: ANIM 280.

ANIM 352 2-D Effects Animation
Applying the motion attributes of observable physical phenomena, including those which are both organic figurative and inorganic non-figurative, students create 2-D animation effects such as fire, water and smoke in traditional pencil-drawn animations. Prerequisite: ANIM 312.

ANIM 385 Concept Development for Animation
Students explore methods for cultivating original ideas suitable for production as a short animated film. Preliminary exercises lead to the development of a production-ready concept package including storyboard, script, animatic with sound, art direction samples and research. Prerequisite: ANIM 312 or ANIM 313.

ANIM 395 Group Project in 3-D Animation
Working in small production teams, students in this course learn how to manage the production pipeline for a 3-D project. With the focus on working in a team environment to meet deadlines, students are expected to produce an animated film of 90-seconds duration or less. Prerequisite: ANIM 385 or VSFX 406.

ANIM 408 Senior Animation Project I
After completing preparatory assignments, students create a cohesive animation work using their acquired skills to express their artistic vision. Prerequisite: ANIM 385.

ANIM 410 Digital Ink and Paint
This course allows students to strengthen existing animation skills by emphasizing illustrative style and technique. Through lectures and practice, students explore the influence of the visual arts in independent production and develop a personal aesthetic. Prerequisite: ANIM 312.

ANIM 411 Dynamic Simulation and Secondary Motion
In this course, students increase artistic expression and improve realistic movement by developing dynamic motion simulation techniques that extend the realism of 3-D animation. Prerequisite: ANIM 250 or VSFX 210.

ANIM 413 Animation Off-campus: Tokyo
Through organized trips to cultural events and landmarks, students learn how to collect firsthand project reference material for their work. Through trips to animation studios, students also gain an understanding of the Japanese production environment and the nature of the Japanese animation market. Prerequisite: ANIM 312 or ANIM 313.

ANIM 426 Experimental Animation
Students develop a unique sense of style and material as alternatives to formulated classical animation or digital graphics. Students employ imagery, objects and different media types to develop a method and use of media appropriate to the subject. Prerequisite: ANIM 270.

ANIM 432 2-D Character Animation II
By interpreting a script and other given materials to determine character motivations and other unique traits of character personality, this course allows students to explore more advanced aspects of character animation. Topics addressed include sequence planning and pacing, subtle character gesture, and advanced action timing with emphasis on personal observation. Prerequisite: ANIM 332.

ANIM 433 3-D Character Animation II
By interpreting a script and other given materials to determine character and motivations, students explore advanced aspects of 3-D character animation. Topics covered include sequence planning and pacing, subtle character gesture, and advanced action timing with emphasis on observation. Prerequisite: ANIM 333.

ANIM 440 2-D and 3-D Compositing
Students are challenged to integrate, both technically and aesthetically, 2-D and 3-D character and background elements in a project-based environment. Students master match-moving and compositing techniques, as well as exercise character animation and modeling skills. Prerequisite: ANIM 250.

ANIM 442 Digital Cel Animation II
In this advanced course in 2-D digital animation, students use their knowledge of the media to produce a short animated film, learning how to incorporate sound and render the output for broadcast. Course emphasis is on contemporary aesthetics and animation appeal. Prerequisite: ANIM 342.

ANIM 444 Visiting Artist in Animation
From commercial and independent filmmakers to industry practitioners, this course offers students opportunity and insight into a visiting artist and animator’s creative methodologies and production practices. Prerequisite: ANIM 385 or VSFX 406 or BCST 400.

ANIM 448 Senior Animation Project II
This project class builds on the technical and aesthetic skill set of the advanced animation major. Through the exploration of projects, students continue to develop content delivery, story and technical mastery. Emphasis is placed on the identification and utilization of individual strengths in the context of a production environment. Prerequisite: ANIM 408.

ANIM 490 Animation Portfolio
This course prepares students for professional situations through the creation of individual demo reels, resumes, Web sites and portfolios and by emphasizing business structure. Through topics such as studio hierarchy, production bidding, media distribution, employee evaluation and professional growth, the course highlights many important aspects of business in order for students to attain and sustain a professional career. Prerequisite: ANIM 408 or ANIM 448.

ANIM 495 Special Topics in Animation
The topic of this course varies from quarter to quarter. Each seminar focuses on various problems in the field of animation and allows the advanced student an opportunity to pursue individual or collaborative projects related to the subject of the course. Prerequisite: Permission of department chair.

Graduate Courses
ANIM 703 Topics in Animation History
This course is designed to give students a greater understanding of past and current trends in animation vis-a-vis the social milieu in which the work was created and how it relates to the history of film and television.

ANIM 705 Animation Aesthetics and Practice
This course introduces students to the diversity of animation aesthetics, from industrial processes to individual personal expression. Through class screenings, students examine historical context and methods as well as contemporary trends and technique. Oral and written critique is supported by practical investigation into personal aesthetic choice.

ANIM 709 Computer-generated Modeling and Design
This course focuses on the issues of modeling surfaces appropriate for use in animation. In particular, students are expected to develop an understanding of modeling organic forms.

ANIM 713 Drawing in Motion
This course explores observational figurative motion through life drawing and animal study. Emphasis is placed on expressive gesture drawing to enhance fluid representation of the figure in motion.

ANIM 714 3-D Cartoon Character Animation
This course explores alternative techniques for creating and animating 3-D cartoon characters with emphasis on exaggerated action through timing and squash and stretch. Students are encouraged to push the technical limitations of the medium to achieve familiar cartoon motion. Learning emphasis is placed on advanced problem solving in 3-D animation. Students are encouraged to demonstrate character appeal through applied personal aesthetics. Prerequisite: ANIM 709

ANIM 715 Character Look Development
Surface and context have an interdependent relationship to the production of 3-D characters. This course explores advanced texturing techniques, including use of hair and fur, to create realistic and stylized surfaces appropriate for animated characters in context. Prerequisite: ANIM 709 or VSFX 708.

ANIM 721 Storyboarding and Previsualization
This course emphasizes concept development and realization in animation. Storyboards portray various types of story structure and style using a production guide that emphasizes typical industry deadlines, techniques and methods to communicate ideas.

ANIM 724 3-D Naturalistic Character Animation
This course explores the background of naturalistic character movement, advancing key-frame animation techniques and use of motion-capture technology. Observational animation is prioritized with special regard to subtle gesture. Learning emphasis is placed on advanced problem solving in 3-D animation. Prerequisite: ANIM 709 or VSFX 708.

ANIM 725 Environment Look Development
This course emphasizes the application of industry standard practices to create believable form and texture for animation environments. The course covers advanced topics in set creation, design and modeling with an emphasis on reference-based structures as applied to predetermined content requirements. Prerequisite: ANIM 709 or VSFX 708.

ANIM 736 2-D Collaborative Project
Through collaboration, students create a short animated film utilizing traditional media. Emphasis is placed on original content and collective vision. Prerequisites: ANIM 705, ANIM 713.

ANIM 737 3-D Collaborative Project
Through group participation, students create a short animated story utilizing 3-D computer media. From preproduction to postproduction, students employ methods of contemporary production management. Prerequisites: ANIM 705, ANIM 709.

ANIM 748 Animation M.A. Portfolio
This course provides M.A. students with an opportunity to prepare a professional portfolio package. By assessing their body of work, identifying individual career goals and preparing for interviewing in animation related fields, students prepare a personal demo reel, flat-book, Web site, resume, business card and letterhead. Topics include marketing strategies, studio business practices and how to use career services at SCAD as an ongoing resource.

ANIM 751 Animation Off-campus: Japan
Through organized trips to cultural events and landmarks, students learn how to collect firsthand project reference and document the experience. Through trips to animation studios, they also gain an understanding of the Japanese production environment and the nature of the Japanese animation market. Prerequisite: ANIM 713.

ANIM 753 Animation Studio I
In this required seminar/studio course, students develop and define a personal vision in their area of interest. As preparation for thesis work, this course is flexible and self-directed, with a strong emphasis on critique. Prerequisites: ANIM 705, ARTH 701 , SFDM 719.

ANIM 756 Animation Character Performance
This course offers students advanced learning that combines the principles of character animation with observational techniques to create believable character performances. Students are encouraged to develop their own aesthetic. Pre-rigged or puppets made in other courses can be used in this class. Prerequisite: ANIM 709.

ANIM 758 Animation Design I
This course focuses on the design issues in all animation media, including fundamentals of layouts, screen design, methods of locating characters within a frame, issues of timing, camera moves, titles and credits. Prerequisite: ANIM 705.

ANIM 759 The Short Short
In this course, students explore the possibilities for extreme short-form animated content such as the visual gag or animated conundrum of between 15 and 30-seconds in length. Students develop and complete content intended for portable media and interstitials. Prerequisite: ANIM 753.

ANIM 760 Stop Motion Animation
Students are introduced to a wide variety of stop motion styles, materials and techniques, including clay, object and puppet animation utilizing both tabletop and multiplane setups. Students are encouraged to develop a personal approach while exploring possibilities in character design, armature and set building, lighting, special effects and camera techniques.

ANIM 762 Directed Projects in Animation I
Working closely with the professor, students define specific production goals to explore or complete an animation project of their choosing. Emphasis is on the director’s conceptual, aesthetic and technical decision-making processes. Students are encouraged to share their specific areas of expertise while producing individually directed projects. Prerequisites: ANIM 709 or ANIM 713, and ANIM 721, SFDM 719.

ANIM 764 Experimental Process and Narrative
This studio course exposes students to non-orthodox approaches to animation production. Emphasis is placed on creating process-driven work and exploring alternative narrative approaches. Prerequisite: SFDM 719.

ANIM 768 Animation Design II
Animation Design II explores multifaceted design issues in all animation media leading to completion of a 30-second commercial or public service announcements (PSA). Design aesthetics are developed further with specific commercial requirement, such as originality, being addressed in detail. Working in teams is integral to the course. Prerequisite: ANIM 758.

ANIM 772 Directed Projects in Animation II
This course provides additional structured production opportunities for students continuing independent project development. Emphasis is on realizing personal vision through exploration of the tools of animation and further refining of production management skills. Prerequisite: ANIM 762.

ANIM 775 Animation Studio II
This seminar/studio course continues the animation studio sequence as preproduction for the thesis project. Students must complete this course in order to register for the thesis project. Prerequisite: ANIM 753.

ANIM 778 Animation M.F.A. Portfolio
This course provides M.F.A. students with an opportunity to prepare a professional portfolio, assessing practical thesis work and support projects to promote individual career goals in animation related fields. Students prepare a personal demo reel, flat-book, Web site, resume, business card, letterhead and artist statement. Topics include marketing strategies, studio business practices and how to use SCAD’s career services as an on-going resource. Prerequisite: ANIM 775.

ANIM 780 Special Topics in Animation
This course provides students an opportunity to focus on particular issues in the field of animation or to study advanced techniques and processes. Faculty, course content and prerequisites vary each time the course is offered. The course may include lectures, discussions, individual projects and critiques, depending on the nature of the topic. Prerequisites: Vary according to topic.

ANIM 790 Animation M.F.A. Thesis
Animation M.F.A. students develop an innovative and theoretically informed body of work that is exhibited in a manner and context that supports its creative content. Students also produce a written component that addresses the theoretical premise of the work. Prerequisite: ANIM 775.