Course Requirements

Film Project: Working in four-person teams, students will begin by writing a treatment for a digitally animated cartoon. They will then script/storyboard their idea. Finally, each group will animate and edit their cartoon using Macromedia Flash (or equivalent software). Teams who decide to attempt other animation styles (such as stop-time or claymation) will have access to video cameras and Adobe Premiere. The finished cartoon is due on November 18. It must be on a clean tape or a CD saved in a format playable on the classroom computer; either must be clearly marked with the title of the cartoon and the name and personnel of the film team that produced it. (25% of final grade)

Lecture/Presentation: As part of a team of two, each person in the class will take a turn presenting material on topics in animation to the class. The team will provide the class with background and context for the topic they have chosen. This component will require some research (using print, on-line and CD-ROM resources). These lectures will be scheduled throughout the semester in order to broaden the range of material presented and vary the style of presentation. (15% of final grade)

Examinations: Two exams (an hourly and a final) will cover material from films, texts, and lectures. (50% of final grade)

Attendance: This category includes attendance at class sessions and informed and animated participation in discussions; thoughtful viewing of all films assigned. In order to participate effectively, you need to consult the course web page before preparing for each day's class; it will contain informational updates and reading/viewing questions for the assigned readings and movies. You should download the questions, in fact, since we will regularly use them as a way of starting our discussions in class. (10% of final grade)

 

Grading Scale

A

92-100

B+

87-91

B

82-86

C+

77-81

C

72-76

D+

67-71

D

62-66

F

0-61

 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is representing as one's own the words and/or ideas of another, whether the author is a classmate, a professional writer or an anonymous source on the Web. If you plagiarize a paper, you will fail the course. If you are in doubt about plagiarism, ask. That's what office hours and e-mail are for. Remember, ignorance is not a valid excuse for dishonesty.

 

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