The Computer Animation Program will offer training and education in Computer Animation techniques, with a foundation in artistic skills and development of aesthetic awareness.
Objective
Fine Art Foundations
Students will learn basic skills in drawing and design, and have an awareness of contemporary art.
Indicator
BFA Review
BFA review portfolios will be required of all students pursuing the BFA before they enroll in upper level Art courses.
The BFA Portfolio Review will be held at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters and include a selection of coursework from Art 130 and 131 (WASH) Art 163 (Drawing) Art 164 (Life Drawing 1) Art 262 (Foundations in Digital Art)
Students who do not pass the BFA Review will become BA majors in Studio Art. Students who choose the BA at the outset of their art studies are not required to take the BFA Review, but the Review provides an assessment of work done in the Foundation courses that the BA students are required to take.
All BFA Candidates participate in BFA Review after completion of Sophomore level art foundation courses to assess their retention and integration of skills learned. Students bring work from these classes to the review and are assessed by a panel of faculty.
Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to make sophisticated compositions using the elements of line, shape, color, form, texture, value and scale and the principles of balance, movement, symmetry, organization, and figure-ground relationships. Students will be evaluated on their ability to keep a sketchbook and to creatively solve problems by exhibiting works that are unique examples of harmonious design. Students will be expected to demonstrate the ability to convey concepts through the use of the elements of design.
Criterion
Passing The BFA Review
The BFA review will be held once a semester. A panel of at least 5 Art faculty will review each portfolio. Using a scale of 1-10 to evaluate the student work. It is expected that at least 80% of the students will receive a score of 7 or higher. The Faculty will use a rubric developed by the BFA review committee. It is expected that at least 80% of students pursuing the BFA in Computer Animation will pass the review.
Finding
Weaknesses In Foundations
50% of the animation students failed the BFA review in 2010-11.
Faculty comments and scores indicated that there was a lack of quality in the 3-Dimensional work, that sketchbooks did not appear to be emphasized in the curriculum, and that the conceptual basis for the WASH projects was weak. The faculty noted that in the figurative work from Life Drawing, students had very similar styles of rendering and compositions consistently excluded hands and feet. The work indicated that students were being taught a "right" way to draw rather then being taught to use technical skills to express their own style or "voice". The figurative work demonstrated a failure to teach a gestural approach to drawing.
Action
Revise The Foundation Curriculum And Evaluate Instructors
Change the course descriptions of ART 163 (1316) Drawing to include Gesture. Teach the traditions of drawing and place it in a historical context that emphasizes its importance in contemporary art.
Change the course description of ART 164 (1317) Life Drawing 1 to include Gesture and Compositional strategies.
Change the course description of ART 269 (3317) to emphasize personal expression and a study of the use of the figure in contemporary art.
Evaluate the Adjunct Faculty and adjust teaching assignments to ensure that qualified instructors are teaching the core classes and that the course descriptions are being followed.
Objective
History Of Animation
Students will learn the History of Animation.
Indicator
Research Paper In History Of Animation
The BFA Computer Animation curriculum requires students to take ART 473 History of Animation. Students in the course are tested on factual knowledge and write a research paper on a topic in Animation history. Students are graded on their ability to identify styles, trends and techniques in animation from 1900-the present. Students will be able to recognize the time period associated with these styles and their cultural significance. Students will write a research paper on a specific topic in the History of Animation. In this paper, the student will describe in detail the work of a particular animator or studio, give a history of this, and describe the relationship of the work to the culture to which it belongs.
The papers should • be based on research about a historical trend, style, or concept in animation • describe influences that affected the production of animation • describe ways in which the trend, style, or concept influenced other animation • describe at least two specific examples of animation in terms of style and content • compare and contrast these examples with animation outside of the paper's topic
Criterion
History Of Animation
The research papers will be evaluated by a committee of Art History and/or Animation faculty. The faculty will use a rubric developed and adopted by the committee. Using a scale of 0-100% to determine successful completion of the essay, it is expected that at least 80% of the students will score 75% or higher.
Finding
Improvement Needed In Course Structure
The findings indicate satisfactory results from the animation papers. However, the scores indicate a weakness in the students' ability to contextualize their topic by describing influences across subjects. An evaluation of the course indicates that the students need to view more animated films that are topics of discussion. Films were shown outside of class but attendance was poor. The course is devoted to lectures and screenings of short portions of important films, but limited by time.
Action
Make Films Available To Students
Animated Films discussed in the class will be made available on line through the Newton Grisham Library, or for viewing in the Art Department's Visual Resource Library. Students will be given written assignments and exams on material that must be viewed outside of class.
Objective
2D Animation And Basic Principles
Students will learn the Principles of Animation and acquire the skills to create 2D Animation.
Indicator
2D Animation Portfolio
Students in ART 231 and ART 331 will demonstrate knowledge of the basic principles of animation and the ability to complete 2D animations. At the completion of ART 331 the student should be able to animate 2 dimensional drawings in a way that suggests believable motion of objects governed by the laws of physics; demonstrate an understanding of the Principles of Animation described in the attached document; animate graphics and text to effectively communicate the content and purpose works made for video or film. The portfolio of work done in art 331 will be submitted as a final project in this course and will be used to asses these skills and abilities. Faculty will score the work on a scale of 1-100.
Criterion
2D Animation Skills
The Portfolio of 2D animation will be evaluated by Computer Animation faculty. The faculty will use a rubric developed and adopted by the committee. Using a scale of 0-100% to evaluate a portfolio of exercises and projects, it is expected that at least 80% of the students receive a score of 75% or higher using a scale of 0-100%.
Finding
Weakness In Creating Believable Motion
79% of the students scored above 75 on the portfolio evaluation. The weakest scores were in the students' ability to create believable motion in exercises to create walk cycles and bouncing objects.
Action
Revise Assignment And Improve Lecture And Demonstrations
Lectures and demonstration will focus more on precise techniques to create frame by frame animation that depicts believable motion. The exercises to create walk and run cycles and bouncing objects will be preceded by lessons in which students practice specific techniques to show the action and reaction of objects in motion.
Objective
3D Computer Animation
Students will become skilled in 3D Computer animation software.
Indicator
3D Animation Portfolio
Students will be required to take ART375 and ART376. A portfolio of 3D animations will be required in ART 376. The portfolio will demonstrate • the ability to model complex objects in a 3D program; • the ability to effectively rig and animate a character; • the ability to create believable and aesthetic textures and surfaces; • the ability to create animations that are effectively lit and rendered; • an understanding of the Principles of Animation described in the attached document. This portfolio will be graded by faculty on a scale of 1-100.
Criterion
3D Skills
The Portfolio of 3D animation will be evaluated by Computer Animation faculty. The faculty will use a rubric developed and adopted by the committee. Using a scale of 0-100% to determine successful completion of the essay, it is expected that at least 80% of the students receive a score of 75% or higher using a scale of 0-100%.
Finding
Weakness In Advanced 3D Techniques
The Portfolios demonstrate weakness in some of the students' ability to use the 3d software to produce sophisticated, professional work. The work is weakest in the portfolios of students who took all of the 3d courses in their senior year.
Action
Revise The Sequence Of Courses In The Animation Curriculum
ARTS 3343 (ART 375) Intro to 3D Computer Animation will be taken in the Second year rather than the third year. This will ensure that students have 2 full years of advanced 3D animation course work to develop skills and produce work that is more sophisticated and refined.
Objective
Portfolio
At the completion of the program, students will have a portfolio that will enable to them to compete for jobs in the animation and gaming industries.
Indicator
Senior Portfolio
Students in ART 490 will work on a thesis project consisting of an animated work that demonstrates skill and talent in a specific area of expertise. The students will create a Demo Reel (Portfolio) consisting of the thesis project and clips of work that demonstrate expertise in other areas of animation. These clips will be drawn from work done in previous courses in the Computer Animation Program. The demo reel will be evaluated by Computer Animation Faculty and by Professionals in the Animation and Gaming Industry. Professionals in the Gaming and Animation Industry will evaluate the Demo Reel when the students apply for jobs. The Faculty will evaluate the Demo Reel by rating each of the following on a scale of 1-5: 2D Animation- Is the student able to animate 2 dimensional drawings in a way that suggests believable motion of objects governed by the laws of physics? Does the work demonstrate an understanding of the Principles of Animation described in the attached document? Can the student animate graphics and text to effectively communicate the content and purpose of the works? 3D Computer Animation- Is the student capable of modeling complex objects in a 3D program? Can the student effectively rig and animate a character? Does the work indicate that the student creates believable and aesthetic textures and surfaces? Are the animations effectively lit and rendered? Does the work demonstrate an understanding of the Principles of Animation described in the attached document?
Criterion
Portfolio
Students will have a professional quality portfolio that will include 2D Animation, 3D Models and environments, with textured surfaces, and character animation with an emphasis on one area of specialization. Two computer animation faculty will develop and adopt a rubric to evaluate the portfolios. It is expected that at least 90% of the students receive at least 70 points on a 100 point evaluation of their portfolio by two Computer Animation Faculty.
Finding
Portfolios Weak In Demonstrating Advanced Level Of Skill
95% of the students scored 70 or above on the evaluation of the demo reels. However evaluators found a weakness in the number of completed project that were sampled on the reels. Many of the students had a limited amount of advanced 3D work to draw from and sampled work from only the thesis project. It was found that these students had taken all of their upper level 3D classes in their senior year.
Action
Revise The Sequence Of Courses In The Animation Curriculum
ARTS 3343 (ART 375) Intro to 3D Computer Animation will be taken in the Second year rather than the third year. This will ensure that students have 2 full years of advanced 3D animation course work to develop skills and produce work that is more sophisticated and refined.
Action
Limit The Advanced Art Electives To Animation
The BFA animation curriculum will be refined by limiting the 6 hours of advanced art electives to specific upper level animation courses. Animation students will choose from ARTS 3344 Advanced 3D Animation (repeatable), ARTS 4345 3D Modeling, ARTS 4355 Shading Lighting and Rendering, ARTS 4357 Computer Animation for Games, and ARTS 4333 Interactive Design. This will ensure that more time in the junior and senior years will be devoted to animation projects.