Last Session

The animation unit officially finishes today and all work associated with it needs to be finished. As part of this can you also be aware that all work has to be fully labelled.

Also you need to check the assignment paper on this site which explains what is required for assessment, ie an animation movie has to be present amongst other things, so if you havent got them edited they need to be finished, and exported as quicktime movies then uploaded to your blogs and then written about.

Check your work to see if you can add any more value to it, have you written enough, have you uploaded all your images and videos.
Plus you need to write a final evaluation blog about the work you have done on this animation assignment.
Because you are all able to work online away from college can you also add final work over the xmas period if you don't quite finish today, thats the whole point of working online, that you can add more at home.
Can you fit a bit in between films, chocs, pressies and turkey dinners, etc...when you get 10 minutes, final marking will take place over the xmas break. Any extra work after that will not be marked at all.

Also have a Merry Christmas and Holidays whatever your faith, and a Happy New Year.

Control your 3D application with Kinect

Kinect Sports - E3 2010: Lifestyle Debut Trailer | HD

Kinect Effect

Making EA Sport's Fifa game

Computer Games; Xbox 360, Playstation, Nintendo Wii

This section of the course will now look at computer graphics in the context of the following,
Evidence the following on your blogs,

1.Motion capture of people that are used within computer graphics as per Wayne Rooney was motion captured for the FIFA football games.
2.Playstation Move games - get 4 YouTube videos and 6 images
3.Nintendo Wii games -get 4 YouTube videos and 6 images
4.Xbox 360 Kinect games-get 4 YouTube videos and 6 images
5.Make a list of all the computer games you have along with covers off the dvds off the internet.
6.Plus video clips of these off youtube.
7.Then written work for each about what you like about it, did they use motion capture to make it, is the game used with a Motion Controller.
8.Motion Graphics games such as Wii Fit and motion controllers and boards, etc..

The main areas are the motion games that use the new the transfer of human movement onto the tv screen.You can also look at other games that are of interest to you that may use a normal controller, add images and YouTube clips onto your blogs as well.

Can you also load images of all the different computer consoles to add to your blogs along with all the accessories you can use with these different systems. The Motion Controller, and other attachments steering wheels, bats, rackets etc etc that are available all need adding to your blog and writing about.

The Design /Learning Cycle

                                       Research, Research, Research

                          

The research that you do fits the ‘Design Cycle Model’ this is a cyclic event where continual evaluation takes place.

You may start with the ‘Design Stage’ and plan what you wish to explore based on inspirations from your research. Then the idea will enter the ‘Development Stage’ where the whole concept, theme, resources and equipment required will be considered.

The ‘Implementation Stage’ is where the actual photography will take place in a practical way. And the ‘Analysis Stage’ is where you can reflect back on how well the outcome has met the initial thoughts and ideas.

All the way through all of these stages you will be continually evaluating how well your project is evolving. This takes the form of a reflective process where you will consider what went well, what you think needs improving and what you would do differently next time. 

The areas identified can then be rectified, and so you will go round the cycle again repeating the same process hopefully in an upward spiral raising the level of your work each time.

Expectations / This Week

After all the different sessions we have done I have noticed that in general across the board you are not writing about what you have done or uploading the images that you have taken onto your blogs.
This has to improve by the next class and you can ask me for images, other students in group may have them, chase these up and add them all to your blog with a title for each new blog.

For Next Week I expect that you have added these to all of your blogs;

1. Find all the images you have taken on this course and upload them to your blog for each session.

2. Write about what you did and what equipment you used, for most shoots we used the Canon 5d with a Cambo camera stand or tripod. Find out what these are and add photos where needed in your blogs.

3. The flat 2D animations cut outs we did, where are the images from this shoot, find them and add to your work with written explanations. Also these short animations should of been made into simple movies in iMovie to show what you have done. Ask if you are not sure how to do this.

3. The 'Green Screen Shoot' we did, where are your images and written work, what about the session you did with Andy editing in Final Cut, what is this software can you add 'screen grabs' into your blog about what you have done. What did you do in the studio, write about it, thoughts, ideas, problems, successes, along with the kit that you used to do it. What is green screen, look on the internet and find examples and videos that show it working and add to your blog.

4. The 'Halloween Shoot' needs writing about in each stage, plus where are the photos you took, what kit was used, what have you done with the images, compare to any visual research that you have done.

5. What did you do with Kate and the makeup and what happened, how did you do it, were you pleased with the results.

6. The outdoor shoot we did with the portable 'Bowens Gemini lighting', this needs a blog and written work and the photos you took.

7. As well as outside location work you have also worked in the photography studio, this needs writing about as well. Kit equipment, the portrait session we did, kit used, etc, write about everything you did.

8. You also looked at ISO, shutter speed and f stops with me last week , I need a blog about each with written work to support it.

9. Also the outdoor action figure animation that we did outside this needs to be written about and images added. Then you need to start to put these images into Final Cut or iMovie over the next sessions.

This needs to be done by next week so I can see exactly how much you have caught up where required
I have looked at all of your blogs this week and left comments. Do as much as you can in this session and the rest away from college in time for next week.

Portrait Photography

After half term we will be starting the portrait photography section of this course. This will involve a new assignment paper which is on this site, take time to have a look at see what it includes.
The portrait photography will be in the studio and on location and we will cover all aspects of the cameras and the lighting so you can explore portrait photography.
It will involve looking at the work of other photographers and researching the broad range of styles within this area of photography.
You will be working on your same blog websites and recording everything that you do onto them as we have done with the animation.

NB,
There is an expectation that you record everything that you do at all times, this needs to be happening in every session. There is little point in alot of effort in the activity and then nothing of it appears on your blog, this has to improved.
Anyone found not following this from day one on this part of this course, or indeed the animation will be  spoken to on a weekly basis until it improves.

Update / Momentum

In the next session we will need to catch up and as a group see where we are within the time frame of what's required for the course.
This animation / photography course needs to be finished by xmas break, at the moment I am concerned that a lot of work hasn't been evidenced on your blogs at all. Partly the break we had at week four didn't help much, so we need to gain momentum again please.

Also because you are able to work from home on this course, you really need to do some work away from college to help you to pass this course. There is little point in doing practical work if you don't write about it on your blogs. The research of animators and their work will influence and inspire you to try and explore different ideas and animations for yourself.

In the next session I also need to look at everyones work to see what still remains to be done.

Iron Man Vs Bruce Lee [Animated Action Figure Style] HD

Change of plan

At the next lesson we are going to change direction slightly in that we will be moving onto 3D objects and action figures, etc.. and placing these onto a green screen in the photography studio.
We will be taking photographs / or movies with a flip camera outside that we will then be using as backgrounds in these films.

The example is the action figure video as shown ...I want to use a music video as the background for example so we need to think of the theme and the music to go with it...We will do this shoot together then I want people to work on their own ideas and action figures etc.....etc..

We have had a studio induction and experience with the lighting so now we will be looking at using green screen. 

Her Morning Elegance / Oren Lavie

Surf "Shadows" Twilight Sensations

Shadow Animation

Terry Gilliam Talks Monty Python Animations

Moleskine: Stop Motion video

Wallace & Gromit - A Matter of Loaf & Death - How They Donut

Aardman Studio Tour

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit [Featurette]

How Walt Disney Cartoons are made

Walt Disney Animations Steamboat Willie

The death of Talos

Jason And The Argonauts - Skeleton Fight