Perfect Day

Make me laugh. Make me cry. Make me think.


Assignment Brief

Create a ten second stop-motion animation of your perfect day. Document the complete twenty-four hour period. Communicate an idea with storytelling.

Objectives

  • To learn the basics of composing and rendering with Adobe AfterEffects
  • To practice the art of storytelling
  • To create style and communication with restraint

Specifications

  1. Dimensions: 720 by 480 pixels (NTSC DV)
  2. Duration: minimum of 10 seconds and maximum of 15 seconds
  3. Use only two colors
  4. Use no more than two typefaces
  5. Use either hand-drawn imagery or photography
  6. Use different depths of field
    Deep focus & shallow focus
  7. Use different camera angles
    High-angle shot, low-angle shot, bird's eye & Dutch angle
  8. Use at least two different film transitions
    Cut, dissolve, fade, L cut & wipe

Final Deliverables

Be ready to present your Quicktime movie on-screen at the beginning of class. Be prepared to save the Quicktime movie and project folder to the AVC server at the beginning of class.

Quicktime Movie: ?

Project Folder: Save all the run-time files (HTML and SWF files) in a folder named using your first and last names (i.e. ray-elder).

Timeline

Project hours: 24

Three weeks of the semester are assigned to complete this project. Late work will not be accepted or critiqued. See semester schedule for deadlines.

Week One

Research & ideation: Storyboard your perfect day. Include 5-10 frames to clearly explain the beginning, middle and end of your story. Be ready for the class critique.

Week Two

Prototype: Refine the storyboard aesthetics and flow based on feedback. Create a rough animatic of the complete story from start to finish. Be prepared for on-screen presentation and group critique.

Week Three

Refinement & Presentation: Refine the aesthetics of individual frames. Render the final cut of your story. Be ready for on-screen and class critique.