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WEEK of FEBRUARY 17, 2003 |
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Middle School Animation Classes Bring Ideas to Life Cel-by-Cel Media Coordinator Andy Cohen says his semester-long Animation classes for Middle School students marry hand-drawn, individual creativity with high tech digital manipulation.” He adds, “In this class the students learn the ‘step-by-step’ process of cel animation. The illusion of motion is created by incorporating a minimum of 10 images per second to a maximum of 30 images per second. Students begin the process by drawing images in pencil on paper with registration holes on a light table. After the initial image is drawn, a second page is placed on top of the first and traced, making slight adjustments to create motion. It's very similar to the process of making a flip book. “Once the student has made enough images for one second of animation, we create a pencil test, which involves placing the images under a copystand camera and importing the cels into the computer to quickly gauge motion. From that, alterations can be made to make the motion more effective. The drawings are then cleaned, scanned, painted into the computer and exported to the editing program for completion.” The class is a popular one with Middle Schoolers and the resulting projects earn students a sense of gratification. And there’s no required prerequisite for the course. “The students are mostly computer literate so they easily adapt to the technological requirements of the course. And regardless of drawing ability, each student has individual style. Some of the more interesting animations have derived from some of the worst drawings I’ve ever seen.” Cohen elaborates, “For example, one student drew a line of drool coming out of a character’s mouth that splashed onto the floor. The motion was beautiful even though the image may have been disgusting. The exercise was successful because it clearly demonstrated for this student a talent previously not known. “Another exercise involved students animating a character speaking by carefully observing themselves in a mirror, speaking the same words as the character they were creating. That observation led to an accomplished finished product. Last semester, the class produced a Public Service Announcement (PSA) about safety, with more than 250 drawn images with eight characters.”
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See
the animation video “Lunch Time.” Choose from
RealMedia or QuickTime formats (note: you’ll need the
free