Jim Krause | Classes | P354 Program Graphics & Animation

Midterm Project

Propose and create an animated project lasting at least 30 seconds in length. Your animation should be original, creative and professional looking. It should take advantage of the After Effects environment and serve as an excellent addition to your student portfolio. It should incorporate sound and have some correlation between the audible and visual components.

You may not use other people's sounds, artwork, or images in your own work without permission. If you do use other people's intellectual property, please identify and address this in your critique.

Possible Ideas: a short animated story, a 30 second commercial or public service announcement, a promo or an opening title sequence for a show, a political message, or an opening for your demo reel or DVD project.

Criteria - Your project must:

contain original design, artwork and a soundtrack
be suitable for broadcast on HDTV (1920x1080)
be submitted in H.264, mp4, or Apple Prores422
be at least 30 seconds in length

The proposal and design for your project will be presented in class at least one week before the final projects are due.

For your Midterm Project you will turn in:

Proposal: This is a one-sheet document describing the purpose of your project, the intended audience and the approach. For more information on proposals, check out my on-line info.
Storyboard: Storyboards are recommended due to the visual nature of the project. If words are a driving force consider including a script as well. Your storyboard and/or script should contain enough detail to clearly communicate the flow and look of your project. For more information on scripts, follow this link. If you need storyboard templates you can find them at this link: storyboard templates.
Critique. This will be a typed critique at least a one page in length (not the standard critique form). Please describe the files you used, your artwork, the effects & filters used, and the overall process. Explain if you think the project was successful or not and why.

Suggestions: Follow visual design guidelines and be sure to apply the principles of C.R.A.P. Use contrast to separate foreground & background elements, adherence to the safe text area, etc.). Fade up from black at the beginning and fade out at the end. Make sure any on-screen text is clear and on long enough to read. It’s good if your project has a clear color scheme, repeating visual motifs, and a clear message or purpose. Don't make the mistake of heavily relying on imagery (E.g., photos and videos), which is not visual design.

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