23 courses with the subject AN, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
AN 200Animating Facts, Issues and Events3
Beginning with examination of how information is presented in time based media, documentary structures and techniques, students complete a series of exercises crafting animated visuals to accompany existing expository audio tracks (for example: lectures, interviews or historical recordings). Students will then research, create scripts, conduct interviews (if needed), storyboard, and develop short illustrative documentaries or educational animations. Visuals may include character and background designs as well as animated text, charts, scientific visualizations, and graphics. Emphasis will be on employing cinematic language to effectively illuminate and clarify the text or story of real or proposed information, processes, truths, structures, or events. Students may elect to work in teams on projects for this course. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or Studio Elective
This course focuses on the development and presentation of concepts, designs, and visual assets of film and animation productions. While addressing a variety of technical and creative issues, students work in teams to learn firsthand the workflow, organization, and challenges of project development. Students will also learn and use common 2D digital drawing and imaging tools. Topics include: concept art, storyboarding, character design, character turnarounds, background design, project bibles, and pitches. Fulfills: Animation Requirement (Animation Students) or Studio Elective
FN140 Time-Based Practices or Permission of Instructor
AN 210Stop Motion Animation3
In Stop Motion animation, physical objects are moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when played back at 24 frames per second. During the first weeks of the semester, students explore this phenomenon by creating simple narratives using a copy stand, torn paper and found objects. Building on these exercises they explore performative storytelling by constructing armatures - adding foam, fabric, plasticine clay and found materials - to develop an articulated and expressive character. Small teams of students then work together to complete walk-cycles and gesture studies. Later in the semester, the teams experiment with simple set design/construction, camera and lighting techniques - leading to the creation of a storyboard and production plan for a short project. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or Studio Elective
Squash and stretch! Anticipation! Staging! Using cross-disciplinary concepts and tools, students will gain the ability to identify and implement these and other principles of animation. Moving from concept to storyboard to animatic to finished animation, this course emphasizes the fundamentals of animation and time-based media. Students will learn about the role of process, planning, and time management as well as standard animation terminology. Traditional animation techniques such as rotoscoping and stopmotion will be utilized alongside 2D digital methods to put ideas in motion. Fulfills: Animation Requirement (Animation students) or Digital Media Elective (Art Education and Interdisciplinary Arts students) or Studio Elective
This course provides students with the opportunity for in-depth study of 2D Character Animation using both hand drawn and digitally generated imagery. Through work with live models, field research and inclass improvisational acting, students develop sketches, model sheets, turnarounds, walkcycles, lip-syncs and animated sequences of original characters in a variety of action/reaction situations. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or Illustration Elective (Illustration students) or Studio Elective Page 2 of 91
15 Studio Credits, including AN220 Animation I: Principles or Permission of Instructor
AN 230Drawing for Animation3
This is a course aimed at developing the drawing skills particular to the practice of 2D animation. With an emphasis on staying on-model, students will plan for and create: keyframes (and their subsequent in-betweens), timing charts, dramatic and exaggerated drawings, all while continuing to focus on composition, line, and light. Students will also develop an animated sequence from pose-to-pose, to animated roughs, to clean-up and coloring. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or Studio Elective
AN220 Animation I: Principles or Permission of Instructor
AN 2353D Modeling for Physical and Virtual Worlds3
This course introduces the 3D production pipelines for digital and physical applications such as 3D printing, animation, video game assets, and cross-disciplinary creative works. Utilizing the fundamentals of 3D modeling and scanning technology, students manipulate and sculpt meshes, map surfaces, assign textures, and render their creations in both digital and physical forms. Fulfills: Games, Toys and Play Requirement (GTP students) or Animation Elective (Animation students) or Digital Media Elective (Art Education and Interdisciplinary Arts students) or Studio Elective
Students work with meshes, rigging and skinning to develop the initial skills for 3D character animation. Simple characters are created and then moved through a series of exercises based on traditional animation principles. Emphasis is on structure, planning and process documentation. Students will explore a variety of thematic assignments and finish the course with several character animation studies. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation Students) or Graphic Design Elective (Graphic Design students) or Digital Media Elective (Art Education and Interdisciplinary Arts students)
In this course students will have the opportunity to build on their animation skills and knowledge in order to experiment with various animation techniques and concepts. In this course we will be getting away from the conventional tracks of cartooning and story arcs, working with alternative and cross-disciplinary approaches, such as incorporating found footage, using small gauge film manipulation, collaborative work, pixilation, painted image sequences, etc. Students will explore employing a thesis as the core of their work, through abstract and experimental short and long form animations, as well as readings on specific media concerns. Students will leave with a body of work that focuses on the message of the film as much as the aesthetic involved. Fulfills: Animation Requirement (Animation students) or Studio Elective
AN220 Animation I: Principles or Permission of Instructor
AN 250Animating Stories3
Students explore story development as it relates to animation and the moving character learning the nuances of the 12 principles of animation and how to better use them for narrative effects. Students tackle a variety of projects that test their ability to integrate dramatic pacing and shot choices creating a visual dialogue with the audience. The course ends with students using 2D animation tools to build characters and develop short-form animated storylines. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or Illustration Elective (Illustration students) or Narrative Elective (Writing & Visual Narrative students) or Studio Elective
15 Studio Credits, including AN220 Animation I: Principles or Permission of Instructor
AN 260Storyboarding3
Storyboards are sequential drawings that represent scenes and actions in time-based media. This course focuses on the professional presentation of refined storyboards. Students will cultivate techniques of communicating stories both coherent and compelling for audiences. Perspective, camera movement, depth of field, visual hierarchy, acting, pacing, blocking, and other aspects of narrative film will be studied and put to practice within the frame. Students will also workshop pitches of finalized boards. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or 200-Level Illustration Elective (Illustration students) or Narrative Elective (Writing & Visual Narrative students) or Studio Elective Page 3 of 91
This course is an introduction and overview of the techniques and pipeline for digital post-production and visual effects. During the semester, students will work through a number of topics, including editing, compositing, masking, color correction, rendering, and the export of high-quality video for web, games or broadcast. Through the research and analysis of contemporary film and animation, an emphasis will be placed on the breakdown of the steps to the creation of visual effects and the pipeline for their construction. The class work comprises hands-on demos, in-class exercises, and individual projects to build a solid technical and aesthetic foundation in digital post-production. Fulfills: Animation Requirement (Animation students) or Studio Elective
FN140 Time-Based Practices or Permission of Instructor
AN 295299 Topics in Animation3
This course provides an in-depth study of a topic in animation. The topic may be selected to take advantage of special events, to allow further exploration of a subject covered in a preliminary way in other courses, or to explore areas not sufficiently covered by the regular class rotation. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or Studio Elective
To be developed in conjunction with the course description for each topic.
AN 305Animation III: Independent Project3
This course is an opportunity for advanced animation students to take all they have learned thus far and hone in on a single independent project. Students will work independently or in small groups in a structured critical environment. The final project of this course is a public presentation incorporating one or more animation techniques. (Spring only) Fulfills: Animation Requirement (Animation students) or 300-Level Studio Elective
60 credits and AN245 Animation II: Concepts or Permission of Instructor
AN 320Kinetic Drawing3
This course develops and refines the drawing abilities specifically needed in the animation, illustration and gaming industries. Utilizing both human and nonhuman models, inclass exercises and assignments focus on the movement of form, and the relationship between weight, speed and motion. Building on the observational skills in prerequisite courses, students work from gesture to stylized renderings, depicting fluid motion in a convincing and efficient manner. Off campus field research may supplement studio activities. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or Advanced Drawing Elective (Illustration students) or 300-Level Illustration Elective (Illustration students) or 300-Level Studio Elective
FN100 Perceptual Drawing and DR204 Life Drawing I or Permission of Instructor
AN 330Sound and Image: Producing a Sound Track3
Students gain an understanding of the basic principles of audio capture, enhancement and multi-track production by focusing on the methods used in creating a professional sound track. Examples of successful videos and animations are analyzed for the relationship of sound and image. Students compose a sound track for an existing project or their in-class production. This includes writing or generating music, gathering and recording sound effects, and mixing the final tracks. Principles, PH265 Telling Stories (formerly PH240 Video Projects I), PH260 Shaped by the Media (formerly
At least one of the following courses: AN235 3D Modeling for Physical and Virtual Worlds, AN220 Animation I:
AN 3402D Animation for Games3
This is a course aimed at developing the animation and workflow skills particular to the needs of game development and other interactive media. Students will consider user input as they develop 2D character, prop and effects animation for particular game genres or art styles. The exercises and projects in this class, will emphasize the appropriate file set up, structure and pipeline for game engines. Topics covered may include character movement cycles, sprite sheets, rigging, game mechanics and simple coding to control 2D characters. Previous experience in game development is useful but not required. Development) or Permission of Instructor Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or 300-Level Studio Elective
30 Credits, AN220 Animation I: Principles (recommended pre-req or co-req GTP260 Intro to Video Game
AN 360Storyboard Portfolio3
This course is an advanced workshop for conceptualizing, staging, framing, drawing, and polishing Animation storyboards for features and series. Students will hone their personal directing skills and techniques by studying successful cinematic moments in film, animation, and television shows, and applying those learned principles to 2-3 large portfolio pieces. Additionally, students will be doing practical exercises in gesture drawing and composition to strengthen characters and shot choices. Storyboarding Portfolio is intended to prepare students for applying to animation studios with professional story artwork and practices. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or Narrative Elective (Writing & Visual Narrative students) or 300-Level
This course is designed to immerse students in a professional work environment. Students will work on teams to create a client-based festival-ready animated short film over the course of one or two semesters. Students will take on roles modeling a professional animation team and typical animation pipeline. With guidance from faculty, each animation team will be responsible for all aspects of production, from developing their own original story, creating storyboards and concept art to animation, sound and post production. Fulfills: Animation Requirement (Animation students) or 300-Level Studio Elective
ID200 Sophomore Studio and AN220 Animation I: Principles or Permission of Instructor
AN 395398 Topics in Animation3
This course provides an in-depth study of a topic in Animation. The topic may be selected to take advantage of special events, to allow further exploration of a subject covered in a preliminary way in other courses, or to explore areas not sufficiently covered by the regular class rotation. Fulfills: Animation Elective (Animation students) or 300-Level Studio Elective
To be developed in conjunction with the course description for each topic.
AN 399Animation Independent Study3
Advanced work in the student's major field of study, supervised by a designated faculty member. Fulfills: To be determined by faculty approval Page 5 of 91
In this course students complete an independently generated animation portfolio. Guided by an instructor, students generate an online portfolio while researching, reflecting, and understanding how best to present their work professionally and effectively. Particular attention is paid to the development of professional level artwork, a thorough understanding of the market for such artwork, and financial challenges animators may face in the professional field. Students work in their studios and participate in weekly group and/or individual critiques with the instructor. Fulfills: Animation Studio Elective (Animation students) or 400-Level Studio Elective
90 Studio Credits or Senior Animation Thesis Project Acceptance (Animation Students)
AN 410Senior Animation Thesis Projects6
(6 Credits, 1st semester, Required; 2nd semester, Optional) In this course students complete research, development, pre-production and a pitch for a film, animated short, or other animation-related projects. During the semester students will work in collaborative studio spaces with particular attention paid to the workflow and studio practice of a professional level work environment. Each student has an individual faculty project mentor that they meet with on a weekly basis. All students will have developed a completed pitch for their projects at the end of the semester. For students choosing a single semester of this course, their work will be professionally printed and presented at an end-of-semester exhibit. Students who are continuing on to a second semester will pitch their projects as part of admission. During the second semester, students implement their production plans and complete independently generated films, animated shorts, or other animation-related projects. Particular attention is paid to the workflow and timeline of professional level work, and an understanding of the market for such projects. In addition to an on-campus exhibition, students are expected to submit their work for presentation in an off-campus public forum such as festivals, exhibitions, or other venues appropriate to their specific project. All students, regardless of whether they do one or two semester projects, are expected to research and apply to job opportunities in their chosen area of interest. Fulfills: Senior Animation Capstone Requirement (Animation students); Senior Capstone option (Art Education, GTP, Interdisciplinary Arts and WVN students) Page 6 of 91
