2015 Step Up Class: Traditional Animation Origins

Hello Students,

Your first module is a physical exercise in creating examples of the earliest forms of animation. This module will create an understanding the illusion that makes animation possible, this is called "Persistence of Vision".

Animation History Project 1: Creating a Thaumatrope

• Make a thaumatrope using the materials available
• Think of an interesting 2-frame animation idea and create a handmade thaumatrope device, it can be created digitally and printed out or by drawn by hand
• You will turn in a physical example of your thaumatrope.
• Due at end of class today!

Animation History Project 2: Creating a Phenakistoscope

• Create a phenakistoscope using the materials available
• Follow the lesson details outlined in the CTEOnline curriculum for creating a "Spindle Viewer". This lesson contains a template which may be printed and used
• Think of an interesting 16 frame animation, it should be able to loop seamlessly if you are successful
• Your animation can be drawn by hand, created digitally or with photographs, your imagination and skill level is the only limit
• You will turn in a physical example if your phenakistoscope along with an animated GIF file of your phenakistoscope. We will learn how to make animated GIF's with Photoshop before you turn it in.

Phenakistoscope created by Reagan McLaughin

Links:

History of Phenakistoscope

Animated Cyclist Phenakistoscope Example

Phenakistoscope Instructions

1. Obtain or print up a copy of the phenakistoscope template
2. Sketch your animation very lightly in pencil, make sure to keep your artwork consistent and evenly spaced for best results. Make sure the scale of your characters or artwork is consistent.
3. Spin your template for a quick preview of what your animation will look like, adjust lines or artwork if needed
4. Once the artwork is complete, ink the sketched artwork with a dark pen. Felt tip pens are best but any will work. Make sure the lines are bold and easy to see for best results.
5. Scan your template with the scanner and transfer to your computer
6. Open your scanned image with adobe photoshop
7. Crop the image so that is is perfectly square and centered, use the Crop Tool for this step
8. Save your image and close it
9. Find and Launch Adobe After Effects
10. Import your Phenakistoscope into AE and drag it from the Project Window onto the New Item icon
11. Open the attributes for your image layer and turn on key frames for the Rotation
12. at 4 seconds set another key frame and rotate your images so that it turns 6 times and 180 Degrees in 4 seconds
13. Playback animation and adjust timing/duration as needed until the animation appears
14. Use the Render Queue to export an animated file such as a mp4 or gif