The Animation Course
The TAFI award-winning Animation Course provides students with the tools they need to enjoy the process of creating stories & animating them. This course provides 5 levels of learning for students who are just starting to animate or for those looking for a refresher to get back into the game of animating.
NEW COURSE - Flipbook Funpack
Animation Instruction for ALL AGES! Learn about the principles of animation and learn to animate with just a sketchbook and a pencil. And a way to watch these videos.
The Animation Course Overview
Level 1
12 one-hour long sessions: Meeting Online through Adobe Connect
The main goal of Level 1 is to introduce the student to the concept of animation. Animation is not merely making something move across the screen, but rather it is making something come to life. We learn how to do this through The Principles of Animation – ideas and concepts that were identified and written down by two of the original Disney Animators. Each week we will examine and explain one principle and then put it into practice as the student will have an assignment to create their own animation during the week (3-5 hours per week). By the end of Level 1, the student will have created four animation projects.
Level 2
12 one-hour long sessions: Meeting Online through Adobe Connect
Continuing where Level 1 leaves off, Level 2 will introduce the student to the concepts of physics (and how they apply to animated motion) and body mechanics (the way joints and structure are utilized during basic locomotion: i.e. walking, running, jumping, etc.).
We will also explore the concepts of adding emotion and acting to animation, further enforcing the idea of bringing a character to life.
As with Level 1, Level 2 can be experienced in any form of animation (hand drawn, computer, etc.).
Level 3
Moving into the most important aspect of filmmaking, Level 3 delves into how to tell a story. Everything from the basic structure that all stories share to staging and cinematography is covered. In Level 3 your student will learn the tools to take their ideas and transform them into a cohesive narrative that communicates a clear theme.
We will explore the concepts of characters and why developing convincing personalities is essential to plot.
Level 4
Taking all of the lessons from Levels 1, 2 and 3, your student now combines them to make their own animated short film. All of the assignments work in conjunction with one another to help the student conceive, write, direct, storyboard, edit, record and ultimately animate their film. Each class is devoted to giving feedback and constructive critique to help encourage and guide the student throughout the process.
At the end of the course, your student’s film will be joined with the other films from the class into a compilation and released on The Animation Course YouTube channel where students can set up their own ‘premiere’ to screen their films for friends and family.
Level 5
Students will be given the opportunity to work together, just like a real animation crew, to complete a joint film project. A collaborative effort, the students will come up with concepts, designs, art direction, record voices and animate using all the lessons from Levels 3 and 4.
The goal of Level 5 is to spend more detailed time with each individual section of the filmmaking process, especially giving significant time to animation. The students will receive detailed critiques on a small number of shots with the intent that they can seriously refine their animation skills.
The Drawing Course Instructor - Chad Stewart
