Video Graphics and Visual Effects I (2D Animation and Key Framing) Syllabus for 2021-2022
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Instructor Information

Office Location

<p>Online Appointments by request.</p> <p>Please send an email to dante@infernovfx.com and we&#39;ll set up a Zoom Conference Call.&nbsp;</p>

Office Hours

A fast way to send an email to Dante - online form or immediately book a time to video chat!

https://stage03vfx.com/page.asp?content_id=35626&s=vfxunleashed

 

 

Course Information

COVID-19 Protocols

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Student Service Center office 112. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

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Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

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As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

The Tutoring for Success policy applies to any student whose grade or performance in the course falls below a departmentally determined minimum threshold. In either of those cases, the instructor will direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. Under this policy, the instructor will follow specific departmental guidelines governing the use, duration, and grade component of the tutoring need.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

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The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

FLMC-1331-001 Video Graphics and Visual Effects I (2D Animation and Key Framing)

Prerequisites

Course Description

A course in the applications of computers for video production. Design of computer graphic workstations and development of rationale for selecting software, hardware, and peripherals.

Introduction to fundamental principles of motion through the exploration of traditional animation processes, including key framing and graph editor animation techniques. Emphasis will be on creating expressive movement with meaning through the principles of animation.

Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 2 lec, 3 lab)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Adobe After Effects Classroom in a Book (2021 release)

By Lisa Fridsma, Brie Gyncild

Supplies

Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription

 

Minimum system requirements for After Effects

Windows

 

Minimum specifications

Processor

Intel or AMD Multi-Core Processor

Operating system

Microsoft Windows 10 (64 bit) versions 1903 and later. Note: Win version 1607 is not supported.

RAM

16 GB minimum (32 GB recommended)

GPU

2GB of GPU VRAM. (4GB or more recommended)

Adobe strongly recommends updating to NVIDIA driver 451.77 or later when using After Effects. Drivers prior to this have a known issue which can lead to a crash.

Hard disk space

15GB of available hard-disk space; additional free space required during

installation (cannot install on removable flash storage devices)

Additional disk space for disk cache (64GB+ recommended)

Monitor resolution

1920x1080 or greater display resolution

Internet

Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.*

macOS

 

Minimum specifications

Processor

Intel and Apple Silicon (Rosetta2 Supported) Multi-Core Processor

Operating system

macOS versions 10.14, 10.15 or macOS Big Sur 11.0 and later.

macOS Big Sur is supported in After Effects version 17.5.1.

RAM

16 GB minimum (32 GB recommended).

GPU

2GB of GPU VRAM.

Hard disk space

15GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space

required during installation (cannot install on a volume that uses a case-

sensitive file system or on removable flash storage devices)

Additional disk space for disk cache (64GB+ recommended)

Monitor resolution

1440x900 or greater display resolution

Internet

Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.*

Student Performance

No performance information available

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Introduction to VFX compositing incorporating multiple elements into the compositing workflow. Topics such as color correction, plate integration, green-screen lighting, rotoscoping, and advanced keying for traveling mattes. 3D animation, shaders, lights and materials will be discussed. Programs used: Photoshop, Nuke

Student Learning Outcomes:
• Students will be able to light live action elements and pull a high quality key from green screen footage.
• Students will be able to successfully composite various image sources into one professionally-integrated, composited image.
• Students will be able to build or create professional quality, production-ready 2D assets with external matte channels.

Grading Criteria

There are 11 Explorations the student is required to submit. 
Each assignment should be uploaded to the individual student folder on Google Drive.

Each assignment is worth 10% of the final grade, with the lowest of all assignments dropped.
Individual assignment rubrics we be available in the Module.

Attendance

You are expected to watch the weekly class videos during the week they are assigned and complete the assigned homework. Often this involves finishing the course demonstrations. However, if you are not able to keep up with the work, contact the instructor before the week. Missing class for unexpected emergencies will be taken into account. Please discuss it with the instructor.

Calendar

Section

Video Title

WEEK 01 / Aug 23 -27
 
01 Getting Started 00 Install Creative Cloud Apps
  10 What is After Effects
  20 Who Is Using After Effects
  40 Creative Challenges
  50 AE in Film Production
  Total (in Hours):
   
02 The UI Tour 10 A Quick Tour of the Interface
  20 The Top Tool Bar
  30 Attributes Panel
  40 The Project Panel
  50 The Timline
  Total (in Hours):
   
03 File Formats 10 Elements and Compositions
  20 Common File Types Part 1
  30 Common File Types Part 2
  40 Codecs and Containers Revealed
  50 Understanding PlayBack Cache
  60 Interpreting Imported Footage
  Total (in Hours):
   
WEEK 02 / Aug 30 - Sept 03
 
04 Your First AE Project Creating Composition and Importing
  Linking Media and Masking Grunge
  Adding Fonts and Text
  Basic Animation
  Adding and Deleting Keyframes
  Bringing Audio Into The Mix
  Normalizing Audio In Audition
  Adding A Glow Effect
  Get to Know the Composition Window
  Compositing Window Buttons
  Caching and Motion Blur
  Render Queue Settings Part 1
  Render Queue Settings Part 2
  Total (in Hours):
   
05 Principles of Animation 10 The Priciples of Animation
  20 Anticipation
  30 Appeal
  40 Staging
  50 Ease In Ease Out
  60 Exaggeration
  70 Overlap and Follow Through
  80 Secondary Animation
  90 Solid Design Drawing
  100 Squash and Stretch
  110 Pose to Pose
  120 Timing
  130 Arcs
  Total (in Hours):
   
WEEK 03 / Sept 06 - 10
 
Translation, Rotation, Scale Using Opacity and Gradients
  Changing Scale, Motion Blur
  Applying Common Effects (Glow, Wiggle)
  Layer Blending Modes
  Rotation and Anchor Points
   
Importing Adobe Files Working with PSD files
  Photoshop and AE Workflow
  Working with Illustrator Files
  Using Animation Presets
   
PreComposing Work Nesting Compositions
  Nesting vs PreComposing Frames
  Animating PreComps
   
WEEK 04 / Sept 13 - 17
 
Exploring Effects Gaussian, Directional Blur vs Camera Blur
  Color Correction (HSL, Curves, Levels, Selective Color)
  Wiggle
  Audio Waveform
   
Working with Masks Adding Shape Layers
  Shapes vs Pen Tool
  Feathering Masks, Vignetting
  Animating Shapes
  Using Track Mattes
WEEK 05 / Sept 20 - 24
 
Animation Interpolation Keyframes and Curve Editor
  Key Interpolation
  Using the Speed Graph
  2 axis of the curve/speed editor
  linear, easyease, ease out,
  Keyframe distance and motion blur
   
Puppet Tools Introducing
  Adjusting Position Pins
  Stiffening Areas
  Animating Pin Positions
   
WEEK 06 / Sept 27 - Oct 1
 
Rotoscoping What is Rotoscoping -
  Using Roto Brush
  Fine Tuning the Matte
  Animating Text Behind People
3D Features Creating 3D Text
  Using 3D Views
  Adding Lights
  Working with Cameras
   
   
WEEK 07 / Oct 04 - 08
 
Tracking Footage Matchmoving
  Stabilizing a shot
  Removing Objects
  Using TimeWarp
   
Advanced Rendering Options Adobe Media Encoder
  Hardware/Software Encoding
  Constant and Variable Bit Rate
  Average and Peak Bit Rates
  KeyFrame Distance
  Setting Up Watch Folders
  H.264 vs ProRes
  Sequential Frame sequences (TIFS, EXRS, JPGs)
WEEK 08 / Oct 11 - 15
 
Expressions  

Additional Information

Your journey in VFX Animation begins here in Adobe After Effects. Learn about the secrets of how to make amazing and engaing animation, the most common tools and industry-standard techniques, and get your vision to the screen. We dive into graphics, motion, editing, keyframing and a lot more!

Syllabus Created on:

08/20/21 10:45 AM

Last Edited on:

01/14/22 1:31 PM