“Introduction to the Art of Animation“
2018
The Video Art Laboratory of the undergraduate program of the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA), in collaboration with the Postgraduate Program "Digital Arts", undertook the implementation of seminars in animation in the framework of the program "Introduction to the Art of Animation", following an invitation by the General Secretariat for Youth of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the General Secretariat for Information and Communication of the Hellenic Ministry of Digital Policy, Communication and Information. The seminar program aimed to promote the training of young people in the art of animation by combining traditional techniques with new digital tools and the possibilities offered by new technologies, with the aim of enhancing the participation of young people in the digital age.
The seminar offered an integrated approach, which combined theoretical training with practical experience. The aim of the proposed program was to educate, experiment, and experience the art and techniques of animation, following the phases and stages of production and realization of a short animation film, from the idea to its visualization, with emphasis always on the aesthetic and visual composition of the final work.
1st Cycle: 2D Animation (September 14th – October 15th)
The first cycle of the program focused primarily on 2D animation with an emphasis on experimentation with a combination of techniques, both analogue and digital. Given the nature of the subject matter of the implementer: Athens School of Fine Arts, and the artistic status of the lecturers, special emphasis was given to the painting and design rendering of movement and animation of characters and scenery, without excluding the use of other techniques. The editing and compositing of the animation film was completed in a digital environment, so that learners acquire skills in the use of technologies and digital tools for drawing, animation, editing, compositing and sound editing.
2nd Cycle: 3D Animation (October 4th – November 30th)
The second cycle of seminars focused on 3D animation, where in addition to introducing the history of animation with an emphasis on CGI, and its basic theoretical principles, it provided trainees with skills in designing and animating 3D motion graphics.
Workshop Structure
The courses of both cycles are developed through lectures and laboratory practice following the phases of animation filmmaking, from concept to visualization, always emphasizing the aesthetic and visual composition of the work and experimentation with a combination of techniques:
Supervision: Introduction to the history, techniques, and aesthetics of animation, as well as the stages of its industrial production
Pre-production: Idea, script, choice of techniques, aesthetic style, principles of direction, decoupage, choice of shots, storyboard, animation, production organization, etc.
Production: Character and set design, development of movement based on the storyboard, creative camera control and frame-by-frame shooting techniques, composition, writing the work in its final form: digital editing, articulation of the work in time/rhythm, content, meaning
Post-production: Editing of the moving video image, sound design, color corrections, color grading, rendering, and export in different formats, etc.
Presentation/Commentary/Evaluation: Presentation of the completed animation film to the audience, followed by commentary and evaluation by the lecturers
Workshop Coordinator: Vicky Betsou Assistant Professor ASFA
Related links:
https://vbetsou.wixsite.com/animationasfa
Workshop Duration
September - November 2018.
