"From Leica Reel to Final Film" video showing Sheridan Animation workflow.

For some reason the embedded vimeo link to the "workflow" video doesn't come through in blogger's emails, so if you want to watch the video, go to my main blog page at  http://sheridan4thyear.blogspot.ca or directly to the vimeo page at https://vimeo.com/104525457 .

WELCOME TO 4th YEAR BA ANIMATION!

The 4th Year Senior Project Blog

Greetings to all Sheridan 4th Year BA Animation students!
This is the first posting of the 2014-2015 school year.  Note this blog address for future reference.:

http://sheridan4thyear.blogspot.ca

This is where all notices relevant to ANIM 45436 are posted, including Lecture guest announcements, workshops, and Milestone deadlines. There is also a listing of Mentor office hours (soon to be updated.)

Blog posts automatically get mailed to the 4thYear Mailing list, so keep an eye on your email for new postings.

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What does this course consist of? 

ANIM 45436 is the course to help you make your Senior Project Film. It's made up of three components:

1) The Lecture Series, which takes place on Wednesdays at 11 am, in SCAET 235
2) The Workshop series - Wednesdays at 2 pm, in Lab A150
3) Mentor Group Meetings - various times through the week, mostly in A360

In addition there are several highlights to the semester:

4) SCREENINGS - All film works-in-progress are screened twice in the semester; the Leica Reel in Week 8, and the Animatic Reel in Week 14. These screenings are CENTRAL to the production workflow and are therefore required of all students. There is a 20% Grade Penalty for not submitting your film for screening. 

5) Guest Critique - During Week 7's Mentor Group Meeting, a guest, normally form the Animation Industry, will be present to view and critique your Leica Reel. This is a valuable opportunity to have a fresh & experienced pair of eyes view your film - make the most of it!

6) University of Toronto "Composing For Film" class.  - Each year about 40-50 animation students work with musicians from the U of T Faculty of Music to have music written specially for their films. The first step of this process happens this Fall (normally in Week 10) when we travel to U of T for a "Meet and Greet" session.

The Lecture and Workshop Series

You can get some idea of what we cover in the Lectures and Workshops by browsing through this listing. Note that most of the Lecture and Workshop bookings are still tentative and are subject to change. More details will be available at the first lecture:

http://sheridan4thyear.blogspot.ca/2014/08/4th-year-senior-project-fall-lecture.html

The Milestones

Grading for this course is determined by meeting the Milestone requirements as laid out in the 4th Year Handbook (link below - see especially the section titled, "SEMESTER 7 MILESTONES".) You'll get a very good idea of where you're going with your film project over the next few months by browsing through this document. More details at the lecture:

http://sheridan4thyear.blogspot.ca/p/4th-year-student-handbook.html

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What workflow do we use? 

You might have fun watching the video below. It's a compilation of several films from last year's graduating students, shown in four stages of development, from Leica Reel to Clean Animation. It should give you an idea of the overall workflow we use in the 4th Year Senior Project films. I'll show this video at the lecture and we'll have some time to discuss what out means for you:





(link: https://vimeo.com/104525457)


I'm looking forward to seeing you all on Wednesday at 11 am.

Bruno Degazio
4th Year Academic Advisor
Senior Project Course Lead
Senior Project Mentor

4th Year Senior Project - 2014-15 Fall Lecture & Workshop Schedule

Unless otherwise stated, lectures take place in S235 and Workshops in A150.

Week 1 - Sept. 3

Lecture:

- Course Introduction and Overview

- Course Policies

- 4^th Year Course Handbook

- Stephen Barnes - BirdBrain & Jade Rabbit animatic reels
- 2014 Ottawa Festival selections
- 2013-14 animations with student music scores

- review of past Animatic reels - the good and the bad

Workshop:

Alternative Forms and Techniques for Short Animated Films

Workshop Leaders: Bruno Degazio & Trevor Davies

Week 2 - Sept. 10

Lecture:

Advanced Storyboarding - Nancy Beiman

Essential Academic Considerations for 4^th Year- Bruno Degazio

Workshop:

Story Development for 4^th Year Film - Using ToonBoom StoryBoard Pro 

Workshop Leader: Andrew Murray, Storyboard Artist, Nelvana

Milestone Due:

Milestone 1- Story Pitch and Concept Art

Week 3 - Sept. 17

Lecture: 
Laying The Tracks for a Successful Film -  Kaj Pindal

Workshop:

Approaches To Storyboarding for 4^th Year Films - 
Melanie Rose (illustrator for children’s books/concept artist for advertising, entertainment, and editorial industries) (tent.)

Milestone Due:

Milestone 2- Story Treatment and Rough Boards

Week 4 - Sept. 24 

Lecture:

“Professional Storyboarding” Presented by Scott Caple

Workshop:

Practical Storyboarding with Photoshop and other tools. 

Workshop Leader: Scott Caple

Week 5 - Oct. 1

Lecture:

Scratch Track Recording for your Leica Reel - Bruno Degazio
The Wonderful World of Color Keys - Nancy Beiman

Workshop: A151, Friday 9 am - 11 am
NOTE CHANGE OF ROOM & TIME!
Critique of Character Designs For 4^th Year films - Enzo Avolio 

Milestone Due:

Milestone 3- Finished Boards and Script

Week 6 - Oct. 8 

Lecture:

Guerrilla Design and Workbook Development for Short Animated Films - Peter Bielicki 

Workshop:

Animation Design & Workbook Critique - Peter Bielicki

Milestone Due:

Milestone 4- Finished Leica (2 versions: 60 sec and full length)

Week 7 - Oct. 15

Lecture:
Production Planning: Morghan Fortier, executive producer, Brett Jubinville, director, Tinman Creative (tent.)

Production Worksheet Introduction - Maury Whyte (tent.)

Workshop: Monday Oct. 27, 6-8 pm, A151 - 
NOTE the change of Room, date and  time!

ZBrush Sculpting workshop - Florian Jacot 

Special Event: Guest Leica Reel critique

BREAK WEEK

Week 8 - Oct. 29

Lecture & Workshop:

LEICA REEL SCREENING  (10 AM, S235 - note the early start time!)

Workshop: Monday Oct. 27, 6-8 pm, A151 - 
NOTE the change of Room, date and  time!
ZBrush Sculpting workshop - Florian Jacot 

Milestone Due:

Design Pack (unmarked)

Milestone 5- Production Plan: Asset Estimate, Shot Breakdown, Production Schedule

Week 9 - Nov. 5

Lecture:

Preparation for University of Toronto Sound Trip - Bruno Degazio

Professional Practices for Layout - Terry Lenko  (Curious George feature, series work on Franklin, Little Bear, Bob & Margaret; Production Designer on The Backyardigans, and Sidekick)

Workshop:

Layout Critique for 4^th Year Films

Workshop Leader: Terry Lenko 

Week 10 - Nov. 12

Lecture & Workshop:

University of Toronto Music Trip (times for this week to be confirmed closer to date)

Milestone Due:

Milestone 6 
- For 2D: Animatic Reel; 
- For 3D: Models and Animatic
- For StopMo: Sets, Props, and Puppets @ 30% Complete

Week 11 - Nov. 19

Lecture:

Animation Timing - Greg Duffel

Workshop 2-4 pm 

Rigging for 4^th Year Films, Part 2.

Workshop Leader: Mark Palowich (tent.)

Week 12 - Nov. 26

Lecture:

Industry Day Primer - Tony Tarantini
Inspired Acting: A Study of Great Moments From Great Actors - Stephen Barnes 

Wednesday Workshop - 4th Year Studio Video Reference Area
Using Video Reference for Animation - Steven Barnes

Week 13 - Dec. 3

Lecture: Working with a Composer (Tony Tosti)

Workshop:

Soundtrack Workshop and Adobe Audition refresher, with Tony Tosti
.

Milestone Due:

Milestone 7- 
For 2D: Performance Test; 
For 3D: Rigging Complete; 
For SM: Sets, Props, and Puppets 100% Complete

Week 14 - Dec. 10

Lecture:

ANIMATIC SCREENING (times for this week to be confirmed closer to date)

Workshop:

Special Christmas screening and critical discussion of Raymond Brigg's Oscar nominated short film, The Snowman
Kaj Pindal, workshop leader (tent.)

Milestone Due:

Milestone 8- Screening Participation Review

Selected Sheridan - UT Music Animations

Here are a few examples of the results of the Sheridan College - University of Toronto Memorandum of Understanding, which has produced musical scores for more than 350 animated films since 2007.

These particular scores were picked to illustrate in just a few films the wide range of styles coming from this program.

1. SMORES -  Contemporary easy pop 

2. SCRAP METAL - 1950’s SciFi Orchestra

3. LUCIAN - Synth Sound Design

4. PEACH FOR TEACH - Saturday Morning Children’s TV (Award Winner) 

5. WOR(L)D - BBC NeoClassical Woodwinds

6. PANIC ATTACK - Guitar Western

7. EGGCELLENT - Big Band Jazz (Award Winner)