CGI Research - Final bit - Hooray!!

So this is the last part of our research.

You will need to provide evidence of the following. When these are complete, providing you have done everything asked in my lessons, you will have completed Unit 10, Element 1.

This leaves - Plan a Sequence (10.2), Produce (make) an animated sequence (10.3) and Evaluate your sequence (10.4). This means - plan, make and review an animated sequence.

After this we will spend time ensuring you have done all the mandatory units fully and you will have time to improve any work you have that could be better - say you want a distinction but one piece of work is a merit, you can have another go and submit it when it's a distinction.


CGI WORK

CGI = Computer generated imagery

You must

- cover more than one studio that has used CGI - I suggest you choose from PIXAR, ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) or STUDIO GHIBLI

- Discuss briefly what CGI is and how it works. What has it meant for animation (it's quicker (is it??) but is it more realistic? does it take more people?less people? Is it cheaper? (or not)) etc

- Give some examples (3-4) of films with some screenshots and your response - covering a range of styles* of CGI from different studios commenting on techniques in animation and their effect will get you a distinction

*Different Styles (kids, adult, special effects, global media such as anime, does stop motion style animation (look at companies such as Aardman and films like 'Fantastic Mr Fox') use CGI in a different way? Do they still move everything by hand and take camera stills - or do they mix up the modes so they photograph the stills but ADD in details using CGI later? How is CGI used in non-animation (don't do too much detail)?


1. Watch Pixar - 25 Magic Moments

Make a FEW notes on each film - some possible notes are: what is unique about the film? Did the film tell you anything about the process of animation using CGI? How did they attract the audience? What problems did they have? - You won't know exactly what to say until you've seen each segment.

2. Find out about CGI - start with wikipedia BUT please also research elsewhere - remember you MUST keep a record of the websites you visit!
Write some basic info about CGI and it's different styles, using images and videos too.
Remember to look at BOTH wikipedia links before doing anything else!

Wikipedia link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imagery
Wikipedia link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CGI_animation

Pixar on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixar
ILM on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Light_%26_Magic

3. BLOG your findings on CGI - cover the technique and the different styles/uses - briefly!

4. Link in some examples - see notes above 

Some starting points could be computer animation created blockbuster films such as Toy Story 3 (2010), Avatar (2009), Shrek 2 (2004), Cars 2 (2011), and Life of Pi (2012).

- Give some examples (3-4) of films with some screenshots and your response - covering a range of styles* of CGI from different studios commenting on techniques in animation and their effect will get you a distinction

*Different Styles (kids, adult, special effects, global media such as anime, does stop motion style animation (look at companies such as Aardman and films like 'Fantastic Mr Fox') use CGI in a different way? Do they still move everything by hand and take camera stills - or do they mix up the modes so they photograph the stills but ADD in details using CGI later? How is CGI used in non-animation films? Don't do too much on non-animation films although CGI is a part of animation and therefore what we are studying and researching.


From WIKIPEDIA --

Some prominent CGI studios to help you get started...
Notable computer animation studios

• Pixar - Notable for Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998),
  Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Cars (2006), Ratatouille (2007),
  WALL-E (2008), Up (2009), Brave (2012) and Monsters University (2013)

• Walt Disney Animation Studios - Notable for Dinosaur (2000), Meet the Robinsons (2007), Bolt (2008), Tangled (2010) and Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

• DreamWorks Animation - Notable for Shrek (2001), Madagascar (2005), Kung Fu Panda (2008), Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), Megamind (2010), How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and The Croods (2013).

• Sony Pictures Animation - Notable for Open Season (2006), Surf's Up (2007), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
  and Hotel Transylvania (2012)

• Illumination Entertainment - Notable for Despicable Me (2010) and The Lorax (2012)

• Blue Sky Studios - Notable for Ice Age (2002), Robots (2005), Rio (2011) and Epic (2013)

• Ilion Animation Studios - Notable for Planet 51 (2009)

• Industrial Light & Magic - Notable for Rango (2011)
  Notable for visual effect on live action films like Star Wars (1977) and The Avengers (2012)

• Digital Domain - Notable for visual effect on live action films like Armageddon (1998) and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

ANIME Research Project

Your task is as follows:

1. Use youtube to watch (and research) several anime style films/clips

2. Having watched a few, choose 3-4 to embed into your blog, with a brief description of what you thought about each film and overall using these questions as a guide:

     a. Did you enjoy it and why?
     b. What features make it 'ANIME'?
     c. What themes and storylines (plot) are in the extracts you watched/have seen?
     d. What sorts of characters are in ANIME?
     e. Who made the film? Who was the director?
     f. What sort of animation techniques have been used? (Use WIKIPEDIA)
     g. How much do you think ANIME and Japanese film have influenced UK/US animation/films?
     h. How, overall, do you think ANIME is different to 'western' animation and why?


3. CREATE!!

Invent a Film title
Invent a Plot
Design, using the 'how to draw manga' sheets, some characters to be in your film (draw them and we can upload them onto your blog later) - these are on TEACHING RESOURCES
Perhaps you will have time to design a poster for your film

What you need to do with your research...Animation Presentation

ANIMATION PRESENTATION – 10.1

You need to present all the research you have been doing in one place and this will mean you can pass Unit 10, Task 1. You also need to give a presentation to the class as a part of your BTEC for the unit called ‘Communication Techniques for Creative Media Production’. This will help you to pass Unit 2, tasks 1,2,3 and 4.

You need to create and deliver a powerpoint presentation on Animation to include techniques (processes), Key Animators and Animation Studios.

You will then be asked to give some of the presentation to Miss. This will be about 5 mins worth. You will be given a sheet showing you the criteria for giving the presentation later.

 

You need to include the following:

24/6 Start timeline/online research output ADD a timeline and ANIMATORS* Includes own cartoon history	Continue work 1.    Research lesson 1 2.  Put on powerpoint Lesson 2
1/7 timeline/online research output ADD TECHNIQUES/Devices*	Continue work 1.    Research lesson 1 2.    Put on powerpoint Lesson 2
8/7 timeline/online research output ADD STUDIOS*	Continue work 1.    Research lesson 1 2.    Put on powerpoint Lesson 2
15/7 Give Presentations	Give Presentations part 2

Please use the software to exploit the information you are covering. This means include VIDEO and examples as you can import these into powerpoint.

Miss will show you how to use ‘videodownload helper’ on Firefox to get any video you might need. We can also clip, crop and shorten video – just ask how.

See overleaf for the grading criteria and assessment outlines and *details of what to include

Animators:

An animation timeline

Paul Roget

Joseph Plateau

Emile Reynaud

James Blackton

Winsor McCay

Lotte Reiniger

Fleischer Brothers

Disney

Tex Avery

Chuck Jones

Oliver Postgate

Brian Cosgrove

Mark Hall

Gerry & Sylvia Anderson

Ivor Wood

Bob Godfrey

YOUR OWN CARTOON HISTORY!!

Techniques & Devices:

Drawn on Film                                                                       Thaumatrope

Stop Motion                                                                            Phenakistoscope

Claymation                                                                             Praxinoscope

Pixilation                                                                                 Flip Book

Puppets                                                                                  Zoetrope

Shadows and Light                                                              Kinetiscope

Rotoscoping                                                                          Kinematoscope

CGI (digital animation)                                                        Persistence of Vision

Anime

Studios/Companies:

Walt Disney

Hanna Barbera

Small films

Cosgrove Hall Films

Pixar

Dreamworks

Aardman

Studio Ghibli

Unit 10.1 - Know about animation Techniques

Pass

Merit

Distinction

Phase 6 - Finding out all about Animation Techniques

BTEC ANIMATION UNIT – Phase Six  (10.1 Know about animation techniques) 

Task 1 – Techniques in Animation

You need to make sure you have notes and information (including pictures, examples and possibly videos of the techniques) for EVERY one of these techniques.

You will also get to try most of them. Knowing about these techniques is a compulsory element of the Animation Unit (10) and you HAVE to show you know about ALL of these to pass the unit (at any grade level).

You may already have details/notes on the techniques. These will all need to be included in your presentation so make your notes good – use colour, video and images!

TECHNIQUES

1.    Drawn on film – Cel Animation – Painting on Film – 10.1.4, 10.1.6

2.    Stop Motion (Stop Frame) 10.1.10

3.    Claymation 10.1.9

4.    Pixilation (Photographic Stills) 10.1.8

5.    Puppets 10.1.10

6.    Shadows/Light 10.1.8

7.     Rotoscoping (you have done this on a previous sheet so check and add to your work) 10.1.5

8.    Digital Animation (including CGI) (this is in Phase 7) 10.1.7

9.    Devices (you did these right at the start) – Praxinoscope, Zoetrope, Kinetiscope, Flick Book, Thaumatrope (10.1.1, 10.1.2, 10.1.3)

Checklist

Technique	Where is the work? Have you more to add? Have you covered all the types? Used egs?	Tick and initial when complete
Drawn on Film
Stop Motion
Claymation
Pixilation
Puppets
Shadows/light (Silhouettes)
Rotoscoping
CGI
Devices: Praxinoscope, Zoetrope, Kinetiscope, Flick Book, Thaumatrope

Writing about cartoons/animations? Doing a film response?

Questions to help you 
Did you like the film? What did you like? What did you least like? Why? 
What did you think to the storyline? 
Was there sound? Was it dialogue or music (or both)? 
Did you like the style? What did you think to the techniques? Did it break new ground? 
Did the work do anything that you can see in cartoons/animated films you have enjoyed? Were there some parts you liked? If so, explain – basically try to write about your feelings and thoughts about the cartoons/work created using this technique/invention.

Phase 5 - The Golden Era of Cartoons - 1930s - 1960s - Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Fred Quimby, Looney Toons, Tom & Jerry, Hanna Barbera

TASK ONE: Investigate the following KEY ANIMATORS listed below. There are TWO main tasks: Find out about the animator, watch and review their films. 

a) Look the animators up on WIKIPEDIA and the internet and find out a bit about them, including making a note of some of the films they’ve made – see below for details - Compile BRIEF research data and info for an ‘information sheet’ on each animator. Your work should be brief (about 100 words each) and be on your blog. Try to INCLUDE the following:

1. i)  Where and when were they born (if an individual) and a brief career history – don’t go on too long but include studios they worked in and key personnel they worked with. Are they still alive?
   
2. ii)  Are there any pictures of them available? If so, download some to use
   
3. iii)  What cartoons and/or characters were they responsible for?
   
4. iv)  Name/List some of their main features/cartoons and say where they were
   working when they made them
   
5. v)  Find some on YOUTUBE (as listed below) and write up a ‘FILM RESPONSE
   SHEET’, ONE for each animator (for one animator, review several films and write it all on ONE SHEET) and include your three favourite cartoons they made from the list given. For Fred Quimby you should write about your favourite three Tom & Jerry cartoons from the list.
   

TASK TWO: On YOUTUBE, watch the examples listed of their work – see Mrs T’s Animation playlist on the channel ‘Mediamonkeymovies2’ or find them in the Teaching Resources Student Drive in the Resources Library Folder. 

Key Animators for Stage One: (5)
Tex Avery
Chuck Jones
Fred Quimby – (Tom & Jerry) 

OTHER CARTOONS
TASK 3: Hanna Barbera - for help http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanna-Barbera

1. When did Hanna Barbera first start? Give a VERY brief outline of the history of the company, showing who they were and who they were owned by up to the present day. This should be a mindmap or in note format but put it on your blog. Use Wikipedia for this question. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanna-Barbera
   
2. Look at the shows below – see how many you can find clips for on the internet (remember there are more video sites than just Youtube!). For those shows you can find clips for, watch and make some notes on characters, storylines and style – take some screen shots (CMD + SHIFT + 4) – and for those you can’t find video for you can watch, do the same without watching!
   
3. Looking at the list, some of the cartoons ARE NOT from Hanna Barbera. Find out who made them and put them into groups accordingly.
   
4. Having watched the cartoons, answer the following questions:
   a. What are the MAIN, KEY ingredients of these cartoons? Work out what
   you think the cartoon formula is. Think about
   
   1. What makes it funny?
      
   2. What usually happens?
      
   3. Why does the audience like so much if the cartoons are so
      predictable/work to such a formula?
      
      b. Organise the cartoons into a timeline and write it down–make a Bubbl’us or Mindmap to use later. 

      5. EXTENSION–only if you’re ahead! - See if you can organise the Cartoons list into which were shown on the BBC and which were ITV – this is a hard task as you will have to do the research first. Some may be shown on Cartoon Network etc now but pre-Satellite TV (when these were first shown), there were only three channels in the UK (and four after Channel 4 started in 1982). 
      
      

Homework research task – Your own Cartoon history
A. Compile a list of your favourite cartoons from when you were younger to now B. Research them on Wikipedia to answer the following questions:

1. Who made the cartoon?
   
2. Where/on which channels could you view it?
   
3. What is the usual storyline?
   
4. Who are/were the main characters?
   
5. Is the cartoon still on TV/Satellite/Cable?
   
6. Why did you like it
   

C. Put the cartoons in order to create a kind of personal cartoon history
Prepare to put this information on your blog. You have THREE weeks to complete this section. The deadline is: Weds 22nd May 2013 (last lesson before half term).

Phase 4 - Disney

TASKS:
1. Watch “Disney talks about Fantasia and early animation (short from pt3)” (ABOVE) and answer the following questions:

1. What does Walt Disney say an animation feature could do after 1938 (Clue, it’s to do with the audience)
   
2. What does he say is the primary purpose of animation?
   
3. What does he say combine to create this effect?
   
4. Explain how they made the film images using paintbrushes. What effects
   were created? (10.1.6)
   
5. He later says that the drawings and art are only half of a successful
   animation – what does he say is the other half? (right at the end!)
   
6. How many frames make up ‘The Nutcracker Suite’?
   

2. Having watched the DISNEY films from the 30s and 40s, write a brief response to the films, exploring the following on your blog: (‘Snow White’, ‘Bambi’ and ‘Dumbo’)

1. What did you like about the films?
   
2. Which was your favourite? Why?
   
3. What did you find ‘different’ about them compared to modern animation
   films?
   
4. Do you think the audience has changed for Disney–both in terms of 1. Who
   they are targeting and 2. How the audience is different from the 1930s and now (think about sophistication, more media access, changes in how we consume media and new animation techniques)
   

3. Use the internet and the following sheets to help you compile

1. A mind map(you can use electronic aids such as Bubbl’us or Glogster)of
   the overview of Disney – who do they own? What companies are included? Remember to include theme parks and other media like video games etc. Embed this on your blog when complete. You should be able to complete this from this site alone – it is a brief overview! http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about-disney/company-overview
   
2. Use the sites below to plot at least 5 main animated Disney film releases for the each of the following years:
   
   1. 1990 – 1995
      
   2. 1996 - 1999 
      iii. 2000 – 2005 
      i.v. 2006 – 2013

Add any other info you can find using imdb.com, boxofficemojo.com, the- numbers.com (and Wikipedia if necessary). Present this information on your blog. 

c. Look at the UK Disney websites aimed at young people and the games available and answer/address the following questions:
 – how do they link with Disney’s image? 
Who do you think their main audiences are? Why?  
LINK some pictures of games and other Disney media on your blog. 
Please write something about the Disney audience and who you think they are and why. 
Use media on your blog such as images and links. 
Don’t forget to comment on the sound, colours and images used as well as the layout and ease of use of the website

http://www.disney.co.uk/disney-junior/index.jsp http://www.disney.co.uk/disney-games/

4. Make sure you visit the following and write a few notes about how easy it was to use the site for research – also say what kind of research it is (primary? secondary?) - how reliable do you think the information is? Where else did you find where you can get this information (not websites listed here)?

Audience Figures/Box Office Research
www.imdb.com 
www.boxofficemojo.com 
www.the-numbers.com 
www.wikipedia.com 

Any others you have found or used