The Chicago Academy for the Arts

MEDIA ARTS DEPARTMENT SATURDAY PROGRAM

Media Arts Saturdays

Over the course of 5 short weeks, the second session of the Media Arts Department's Saturday Program covered a whole lot of ground. We started out looking at character designs, swooped quickly through animation walk cycles, touched on storyboarding and storytelling wit different shot types, filmed and edited silent films, and animated bouncing ball sequences. Somewhere in there, we made friends, watched cartoons, and busted out some wild ideas. Scroll down to check out our work below!

You can also find more resources and handouts from the program here:

Resources

SILENT FILMS

We split into 2 groups to write, act out, film, and edit silent films! SEE HANDOUT (link opens a Google Doc).

Killer Janitor

killer-janitor.mp4

Classroom Evil

classroom-evil.mp4

ANIMATION EXERCISES

Bouncing Ball

Bouncing Ball animations are a great way to learn and apply the 12 Principles of Animation. From timing to staging to squash-n-stretch, this animation exercise packs a wallop for such a simple action. Take a look at our planning documents and some examples of both digital animation and classic flipbooks!

SEE HANDOUT (link opens a Google Doc)

Character Designs and Walk Cycles

Character design is a cornerstone of visual storytelling. We looked at examples of classic character sheets, character turnarounds, and then focused on walk cycles to break down motion and show personality.

SEE HANDOUT (link opens a Google Doc)

Storyboards

In our second week, we looked at how different shots and angles can come together to build scenes and films. Students worked with storyboard templates to break down stories into smaller visual segments.

SEE HANDOUT (link opens a Google Doc)

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