Now that our stop-motion videos are done, we are going to take some time to reflect on each other's work and provide feedback on our masterpieces. This is meant to be a celebration of everyone's hard work.

The next stage in your learning will move into Print Design.  This should give you a taste of what happens in the AWE3/4MI Courses (Yearbook).  This is a slightly different skill set than what you have been using over the first half of the course, and it is my hope you find it as interesting as Photography and Photoshop.

You will be working with Adobe InDesign over the next 5 classes to develop a DVD Case cover for your stop-motion masterpiece.  You will need this planning sheet and this rubric (and a whole lot of patience).

The first two classes will have a lot of hands-on opportunities, so make sure you follow along and practice.  You will also need your notes to keep track of your learning.

Today we are going to take your raw flying footage that you shot in front of the green screen, and make some movie magic happen!

​If you get lost, the video below is a good review on what we will be looking at in class today.

This is an ESSENTIAL part of video making that takes place BEFORE you start filming.  You cannot get to where you want to go without a detailed plan.  A Storyboard is an opportunity to take all those ideas in your head, and work them out on paper BEFORE you waste everyone's time once you start the cameras rolling.  A brief PowerPoint and the videos below will help reinforce this idea ;) 

Here is a blank story board to get you started (feel free to use any template you wish...there are several that you can find on -line)

Welcome back from your PD Day holiday!  I hope you had a relaxing time.  We have a big push ahead of us, so let's remain focused and on track for the next ten weeks.

Today, we are going to discuss the culminating assignment  (you'll also need the rubric) which is worth 15% of your final mark.  We are also going to review the requirements for your on-line portfolio, and the format of your exit interview (which combined, are worth the other 15%).
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Before we delve too deeply into making the scripts and storyboards for our movies, we are going to take a look at the concept of Codes and Conventions.  We will be analyzing the Thriller genre, and watching the movie, Jurrassic World

The is the first part of the Blockbuster booklet that you will need to finish your project.  Your group should set aside Thursday and Friday to complete this activities. 

This is an excellent quick tutorial on how to use camera angles to help tell your story. 

You will need to pitch your movie before you are allowed to proceed into development and eventually, production.  This handout will help you develop and fine tune your ideas.

This article on Body Language should also be helpful.  This video blog also has good examples of what elevator pitches sound and look like (but I think you can do even better!)

Your stop-motion animations are due today.  There will be a USB key for you to copy them on to for evaluation.  Please take the time to  fill out this self-reflection about your work over the last three weeks.

Today we are going to start a 5 week journey to complete what will be your most challenging project of the year.  We are going to take ALL the skills you have learned so far, dust them off and supercharge them, as we enter the magical world of movie-making.

You will form your own production company, develop and pitch your own unique story, film and edit that movie, and then market it to the masses.  You will have to be organized and ON TASK for the next 24 classes in order to accomplish all of this....
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It all starts with our exploration of the Phases of Movie Making​.  We will then move on to Common Shot Techniques, which includes studying the movie below.

Unfortunately, I am away from class today.  I hope you all have a wonderfully relaxing March Break.  But before you go, we have some work to get done!

You should spend the day working with your partner to fully plan your animation movie (remember it needs to be 45 seconds to 90 seconds long).  You saw how much work went into your 2 second video...so multiply that by at least 20 :)

You will need this storyboard template (print as many as you need..remember you are only laying out your key frames), and plot diagram.

Ideas for storytelling, even stories that are only 7 seconds long, are hard.  Today, we will take some time out to look at brainstorming techniques that might help you, and also what the "professionals do".

As you work on your flip books, and as we transition to creating animation on the computer, the images below (from the Illusion of Life Tumblr)  will be an invaluable reminder on how you can create the illusion of life.

These 12 basic principles of animation were developed by Walt Disney Studios during the 1930s.  These ideas were at the forefront of exciting discoveries that were contributing to the development of a new art form. These principles came as a result of reflection about the practice of animation and through Disney’s desire to use animation to express character and personality.
This gallery is a take on those principles, applied to simple shapes,  like this cube.  Click on each animation to bring them to life (if you hover, you can remind yourself of the name of the technique).

As you continue to work on your Flip Books, let's review how we trick the mind to see the illusion of life in animation.

Our task today is start using the concepts of animation that we have started to learn, by making a flip book cartoon come to life. In its most primitive form, a flip book is an actual book, and each page is a static image. The reader flips through all of the pages at an even pace, resulting in a short animated movie.  The image seems to move through a phenomena known as the persistence of vision.

You will be making three flip books this week, one that will animate a circle into a triangle, and then back again, another that will show motion, and then a final one that will be totally your own creation (and more complex and detailed).  This handout will get you started on this assignment.

Here are some very inspiring examples: