ElodieDurandunit3

unit 3 animation

How am I changing?

investigation:

the problem:

the problem is to show how we change physically during secondary school years by using animations.

research: about animation

from the internet:

animation is motion shown by many still images. it is some type of optically illusion. the images are passed through so fast (usually at 24 images per second) that your eyes and brain think that it is just something moving. animation is usually used for entertainment. cartoon drawing is considered as the basic way of making animation. it started in the 20th century. traditional animation drawing is made by hand, so it is a lot of work and takes a lot of time to make a complete animation. because of that, it is often big companies that make animation movies. Now days there are computer programs that can also make animations, so really anyone can try doing it. animation works by fooling your eyes and making them believe that the images are moving because they are passing by too fast. the eyes cant see the individual images. drawings in animation have no limits because it is just drawings, nothing that comes from real life. they can be made to seem realistic, like in many Disney movies where the people look very real, or they can be made to look funny and unreal, like in a lot of cartoon series where the people and objects have unusual shapes. traditionally made animations are hand drawn and then copied onto a transparent frame. the transparent frame is colored and then placed on an already drawn background with other frames of the same type to produce a motion effect. the background doesn't move around like the frames, there is only one ig one that is used for every scene that needs a that background. traditional animators need to be good at drawing there are also different types of animations. animations can be in 2D or in 3D. they can also just be on a flip book. the 3D animations are made on computers with special programs. those type of animations where used to make the movie Shrek and other Dreamworks movies. flip book animation are just simple drawings drawn onto paper that are put together so that when so flip through the book, you can see an animation.

animation skills: skills you may need to make a good animation would be good storytelling, good understanding of time and composition, good drawing, and an understanding of size, perspective and motion.

story board: the story board is used for animations to plan out what the story will be about. the story board shows the main idea and event of the story. in a storyboard you need to include the different key frames and say when the view position changes, and where the lighting comes from. a storyboard is basically an outline of the whole animation. storyboards have images and text in them so that you know what will happen during the story. there shouldn't be too much detail in the images because the storyboard is not the final copy of the story.

animation softwares:

Creatoon 3.0 is a free animation software. the good things it has is that it is good for training for people who have never done animation. but the problems are that there is a limited amount of export files. it isn't very easy to use the tools to draw simple things like geometrical shapes and line. when a pnj image is imported, there is a white border around it> it lakes it hard to use other images sin your animation. another animation software that i could use is Synfig. it is free, but it is hard to use on Windows. it is easy to use and has many tools. it is easy to make scenes and layers with it. the only problem is that it is really horrible to use it on windows, it is almost impossible. and sometimes, it needs other downloads to work. Macromedia flash has vector images that are easy to use, but it can also import images. it is easy to use once you understand the basics, even though some other tools in it are harder to use and made for more professional people. it can have animations and audio in it.

i will choose to use Macromedia flash to make my animation. it is the best because it is easy to use and the school already has it, so there will be no need to download or buy it.

sources: http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-animation.htm http://www.yourmaindomain.com/web-articles/What-is-Animation.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animation http://minyos.its.rmit.edu.au/aim/a_notes/anim_intro.html http://www.slideshare.net/walkers/animation-the-basic-skills

investigation animations:

animation 1:

media type="file" key="Investigation part1.swf" width="360" height="270"

animation 2:

media type="file" key="investigation part 2.swf" width="360" height="270"

animation 3:

media type="file" key="investigation part 3.swf" width="360" height="270"

product brief:

what i am going to do about the problem is that i will make an animation movies that show how I and other kids my age change physically, for example growing taller and weighting heavier. i will make my animation by using Macromedia flash because my research shows that it would be the easier to use. my animation will be animated at both children and adults. it will not be funny, but educational about what happens.

product specifications:


 * What it should have: ||
 * have a background that moves ||
 * have at least 5 layers ||
 * have a morphing image ||
 * be at least 15 seconds long ||
 * 12 frames per second ||
 * have a morphing image ||
 * Easy to understand what is happening ||
 * it should seem attractive and interesting enough so that the people who are watching it want to watch it until the end ||
 * It should answer the problem and stay on subject. ||
 * it should use macromedia flash ||

product test:

to test my product, i will ask three people if they think that the animation is easy to understand, if the images flow well together, and if the animation really answers the problem and stays on subject and if they find that it is colorful enough.

Design

design 1:




 * What it should have: || does it have that ||
 * have a background that moves || yes, it has a background that moves ||
 * have at least 5 layers || yes. there will be one layer for the plain background, a layer for the objects in the background, a layer for the stickman, and a layer for any writing needed ||
 * have a morphing image || yes, it has two morphing imaes at the end when he is thinking ||
 * be at least 15 seconds long || it will definetaly be at least 15 seconds and will probably be longer ||
 * 12 frames per second || that will be done ||
 * Easy to understand what is happening || yes, the actions are clear ||
 * It should answer the problem and stay on subject. || this design anwsers the problem and stays on subject all the way through ||
 * it should use macromedia flash || yes, i will use that software to make my animation ||

design 2:




 * What it should have: || does it have that ||
 * have a background that moves || yes, the background moves in the end when the stickman is moving around ||
 * have at least 5 layers || there will be five layers, one for the plain background, on efor the objects in the background, one for the unused stick children, one for the main character, and one for anywriting needed ||
 * have a morphing image || there is no morphing image. ||
 * be at least 15 seconds long || it will be at least 15 seconds long an d will probably be longer ||
 * 12 frames per second || there will be 12 frames per second ||
 * Easy to understand what is happening || it is clear what is happeing, but it could be made clearer ||
 * It should answer the problem and stay on subject. || it does answer the problem and stays on subject until the end ||
 * it should use macromedia flash || yes, i will use macromedia flash to make the aniomation ||

design 3:




 * What it should have: || does it have that ||
 * have a background that moves || the background will move a lot and even change ||
 * have at least 5 layers || there will be five layers: one for each of the two backgrounds, one for the stickman, one for the speech bubbles, and one for the props. ||
 * have a morphing image || ther is no morphing image ||
 * be at least 15 seconds long || it will be 15 seconds long a probably more ||
 * 12 frames per second || it will be 12 frames per second ||
 * Easy to understand what is happening || the story is very easy to understand, epesially because the stickman is speaki ||
 * It should answer the problem and stay on subject. || the animation answers the problem and stays on subject ||
 * it should use macromedia flash || yes, i will use that animation software to make this design ||

**i chose to do the design 3** because it fits with most of the criteria. the other designs also fit in with most of the criteria, but design 3was the one that fitted them the most. it is also more realistic about what could really happen in real life, unlike the other ones that are comletely imaginary. that could affect the explaining about what happens to someone that really doesn't know much. the character in design 3 also speaks, so it makes it clearer whatis happening because he is pretty much narrating the whole thing.

Plan

For my animation, i will use Macromedia flash.

I have made some changes to my original design.I have added a morphing image to the animation because it was a requirement in the product specifications. I added the morphing image at the point where the "camera" is zoomed in on scale. It will be when the pointer goes from 0 kg to 45 kg. I also changed the part where he checks his weight on the paper. he will also be writing his new weight in. i changed this so that the people that are watching understand that that is his new weight so that they can also compare it to the older weights.

this is how i am going to do it:

the create should be finished by 8/3/13 the evaluation should be finished by 15/3/13

this is my plan for my create:


 * step 1:**
 * this is the first thing that i will do.
 * i will make the background layers for the bedroom and the bathroom.
 * it won't take me very long, so i won't need more than one lesson. it should be done by Monday the 18th by the end of the first lesson


 * step 2:**
 * the next thing i will do is to make the objects in the background, for example the sink, the window, the bed, and the scale.
 * they will each be on a separate layer because they will all need to move separably during the part where the background moves.
 * i will do this during the double ICT lesson on Tuesday the 19th.
 * the parts where those objects move won't be included in this step because it will take more time.


 * step 3:**
 * after that, i will make the background objects move when they need to.
 * that will mean that i will make the moving background part in this step.
 * i will also add in the two doors in separate layers and make them move for when the stickman opens them.
 * this might take some time, so i will have two days to do it. those two days will be the Wenesday the 20th and thursday the 21st.
 * i will do it after school at home because we don't have any ICT lessons on those days.


 * step 4:**
 * all the objects are done, so i will then make the stickman in the animation.
 * there are a lot of different parts of the animation with the stickman, and I will start by doing the part when he is in his bedroom. i will do it on Friday the 22nd.
 * then i will do the part when he is in the bathroom.
 * I will start by the part before he weights himself. I will do it on Saturday the 23rd. it should also be done by the end of that day.
 * I will then do the second part in the bathroom, which is after he weighs himself. i will do it on Sunday the 24th and it should be done by that date.
 * then, I will do the last part of the animation after he checked his weight on the piece of paper. I will do this during the ICT lesson on Monday the 25th and should be finished by the end of that lesson.


 * step 5:**
 * this will be when i make the morphing image on the scale.
 * i will make the scale and the feet of the stickman on the same layer.
 * the two images used for the morphing image will each be on a different layer. this won't take a very long time.
 * i will make it during the double ICT lesson on Tuesday the 26th. It should be done by the end of that lesson.


 * step 6:**
 * next, i will make the part where the camera is zoomed onto the paper on the wall.
 * in this part, the stickman will also be writing down what he weighed.
 * there will be a different layer for
 * the background, which is the wall
 * the piece of paper,
 * the writing that is already on the piece of paper,
 * the stickman,
 * the hand of the stickman that will move,
 * for what the stickman is writing.
 * i will start by making the background, the stickman, the paper, and the writing that is already on the paper.
 * i will use text boxes to make the writing because it would be too hard and unclear if i use the paintbrush
 * those will be the easier things to do because they don't move, so i will make them first. i will make them on Wenesday the 27th at home because we don't have an ICT lesson on that day.
 * then, i will make the stickman's hand and what he is writing.
 * i will make it on Thursday the 28th a home because we don't have any ICT lesson on that day.


 * step 7:**
 * the last part i need to do is to make the speaking part of the animation. all the speaking will be in the same layer.
 * the lines that connect the words to the stickman will also be in that layer.
 * i will also make the "the end " part at the end of the animation in this step, but it will be in a different layer that the speaking.
 * i will make the speaking parts in order from the beginning of the animation to the end. I t will be easier to do it that way because i will know what i have already said and what i still need to say.
 * this step will take more time than the other steps because there is more to do in it.
 * i will make the first part of the speaking, which is from the beginning of the animation to the part where he gets onto the scale, during the first lesson of the double ICT lesson on Tuesday the 5th
 * i will do the other part of the animation during the second lesson of the same day and on Wenesday the 6th.
 * on Wenesday the 6th, i will also work on making the "the end" sign at the end of the animation.
 * on Thursday the 7th, i will make sure that the words stay long enough on the screen and if needed change the amount of time that it stay up on the screen.

(the writing in red is things that i have added.)

Create

the changes i made from the original design was that i added and moved some speaking parts in some places. and i also made the beginning different by making the stickman start in his bed and not already standing up. i changed some of the speeches to put them in places where they would make more sense and where they are easier to place. I changed the beginning of the animation because it would make it more clear to the audience that the stick man is waking up. I also changed the place where the moving background was. I put it in the bathroom instead of in the bedroom. I changed that because it had no use in the bedroom. I put it in the bathroom instead because the piece of paper with the different weights on it had to be hidden until it was used so that the audience wouldn't guess what could be happening next. a way to make the paper appear when it was needed was for the stickman to walk to it and the background moving to show that the paper was somewhere different.

media type="file" key="create unit 3 elodiedurand.swf" width="360" height="360"

Evaluate

Test: my test was to ask some of my classmates what they thought about the animation with a survey. this is the survey that i asked them.

Survey
 * 1) 1. Is it clear what is happening?


 * 1) 2. Was the animation colorful and attractive?


 * 1) 3. Was the animation flowing and the drawings of good quality?


 * 1) 4. Does it have a morphing image?


 * 1) 5. Does it have a background that moves?
 * 2) 6. Is it at least 15 seconds long?

7. what grade would you give my animation out of 10?

These were the answers i had. i put them in graphs so that it would be easier to see what the answers were:















these are my design specifications for my final product
 * What it should have: || does it have that ||
 * have a background that moves || yes, the background moves when the stick man goes to look at the piece of paper in the bathroom ||
 * have at least 5 layers || yes, it has 20 different layers, which is more than 5 ||
 * have a morphing image || yes, it has a morphing image to show the weight of the stick man on the scale ||
 * be at least 15 seconds long || yes, it is more than 15 seconds long ( it is about 22 seconds long) ||
 * 12 frames per second || yes, it has 12 frames per second ||
 * Easy to understand what is happening || yes, it is very easy to understand what is happening especially because the stick man speaks as he does things and explains what he is doing ||
 * It should answer the problem and stay on subject. || yes, the animation answers the problem because it shows how we change during middle school years, and yes it stays on subject all along. ||
 * it should use Macromedia flash || yes, i used Macromedia flash to make the animation ||

investigation: my investigation wasn't so good. there wasn't so much research. the problem and the design brief weren't very specific, i could have been more detailed and thought more about what the problem really was and how i could fix it. the specifications i made were fine. they were quite detailed and contained realistic things that would make my product be good. i could make the investigation better by passing more time doing my research and thinking more about what the problem is. i should also put detail in the design brief next time.

design: my designs weren't original at all, they were very basic. i could make them more original next time by thinking them through more and think about what i could change about them that would make them more interesting. i didn't do any evaluating for each design, i just showed the design specifications. next time, i will make sure that i evaluate each of my designs so that i have a better idea of how good each design is. I have clearly said which design i would choose and i said why i chose it.

plan: in my plan, i gave all the details of how i would do my work and in what order, but it wasn't very clear when i would do each step. i should have put in bold the dates at which i would each thing so that it is easier to see and made them more detailed. i could have also made a table with the dates and what i would do each time on it so that it would be easier for me and others to follow what i will be doing.

create: my create was of good quality. the drawing wasn't very good, but it was still clear. my product fit every specification and answered the problem.

Some improvements i could have made to my product could have been making the words stay longer on the screen so that everyonehas the time to read it. adults would probably be able to read it, but younger children wouldn't, and since my animation is made for people of all ages, it has to be suitable for all ages. I could have made my product better also by making the drawings more realistic and enjoyable to watch. and if i had put more detail on the stick man, for example given him a teenager appearance and teenager clothes, it would have made it more obvious who the stick man was and help the understanding of the animation. I also noticed that some of the speeches that i wrote don't always make much sense for example, in the end when he finished looking at the paper. i should have gone back and changed it so that it was easier to understand.