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| Snake by Bonnie Duncan |
AN5002 starts on Monday 18 September 2023 and finishes on Friday 20 October 2023. The Portfolio assignment, a 7-11 second animal or creature animation, is due on Wednesday 18 October 2023. The Retrospective assignment is due on Monday 23rd October 2023 at 11.59pm.
Animal and creature work
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| Jaguar by Francesco Nevi |
This year we have three tutors teaching AN5002 and AN5001 to the second year animators:
- Marc Stevenson. Marc is a veteran animator with credits on Hollywood VFX films including Fast & Furious 6, Avengers, Age of Ultron, Moon, and Victor Frankenstein. Marc has also created many tutorials for our students, which you can find at our Animation Vimeo Channel
- Kevin Richards. Kevin is an experienced animator who is currently working as a Lead Animator on the new Aardman Animation TV Series "Pop Paper City", produced by LoveLove Films
- Steven Lall. Steve has a decade of experience of working in advertising and animation, both 2D and 3D. He will be teaching Toonboom Harmony to our "2D Pathway" students, choosing to specialise in 2D animation.
Student Work
To see some examples of work done on this module, watch the short videos below.
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| Tiger by Bonnie Duncan |
Showcase
To see more examples of student work, read this blog post.
Canine locomotion exercise by Maria Robertson
Maria Robertson's canine animation was based on a number of live action clips, combined into one seamless piece of animation. It is an excellent study of quadruped locomotion and a very skilled performance.
Dog animation by Tim Golton
Animal and creature work doesn't have to be super-realistic; it can be cartoony as well, as in this very charming dog animation by Tim Golton, using the Cody rig.
Animation Library
We have many books on animation in the animation library, located in the hallway just outside Rapture on the 3rd floor. The Animator's Survival Kit Expanded Edition, for example, has a section on animal and creature animation. We also have Edward Muybridge's historic reference book Animals in Motion.
Online Tutorials at Vimeo
We have many online tutorials at Vimeo to support this module. Tutorials include:
Quadruped Locomotion - Walks, Trots & Runs
Quadruped Walks, Trots & Runs
by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/album/5698554
Also read this blog post for more on quadruped locomotion.
Multi-legged Creature Locomotion
Six-legged crab animation by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6055339
For more on the crab animation, see this blog post
Creature Performance using live action reference
Six-legged "Xye crab" mating dance animation by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6191592
Also see this blog post.
Dinosaur Locomotion
Dinosaur Walk Cycle by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793283
For more on dinosaur animation, read this blog post
Butterfly Animation
How to Animate Butterflies in Motion by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793287
Also read this blog post on Butterfly animation
Vehicle Animation Tutorial
Cartoony Yellow Beetle tutorial by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793289
For more on animating vehicles, including rig notes, read this blog post.
Bird in Flight Animation Tutorial
Crow in flight tutorial by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6218232
For more on animating the crow in flight, see this blog post.
To see more about how the 2nd year at Escape Studios works, read this blog post.
Two Classes
Canine locomotion exercise by Maria Robertson
Maria Robertson's canine animation was based on a number of live action clips, combined into one seamless piece of animation. It is an excellent study of quadruped locomotion and a very skilled performance.
Dog animation by Tim Golton
Animal and creature work doesn't have to be super-realistic; it can be cartoony as well, as in this very charming dog animation by Tim Golton, using the Cody rig.
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| Animation library |
We have many books on animation in the animation library, located in the hallway just outside Rapture on the 3rd floor. The Animator's Survival Kit Expanded Edition, for example, has a section on animal and creature animation. We also have Edward Muybridge's historic reference book Animals in Motion.
Online Tutorials at Vimeo
We have many online tutorials at Vimeo to support this module. Tutorials include:
Quadruped Locomotion - Walks, Trots & Runs
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| Quadruped locomotion by Edward Muybridge |
by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/album/5698554
Also read this blog post for more on quadruped locomotion.
Multi-legged Creature Locomotion
Six-legged crab animation by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6055339
For more on the crab animation, see this blog post
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| Dino locomotion: IRex by Truong |
Six-legged "Xye crab" mating dance animation by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6191592
Also see this blog post.
Dinosaur Locomotion
Dinosaur Walk Cycle by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793283
For more on dinosaur animation, read this blog post
Butterfly Animation
How to Animate Butterflies in Motion by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793287
Also read this blog post on Butterfly animation
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| crow in flight |
Vehicle Animation Tutorial
Cartoony Yellow Beetle tutorial by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793289
For more on animating vehicles, including rig notes, read this blog post.
Bird in Flight Animation Tutorial
Crow in flight tutorial by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6218232
For more on animating the crow in flight, see this blog post.
To see more about how the 2nd year at Escape Studios works, read this blog post.
Two Classes
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| Spider animation by Michael Davies |
Classrooms
AN5002 classes will take place at our new Greenwich campus.
Timetable
Last year, AN5002 classes ran on Monday mornings from 9.30am to 12.30pm, and all day (9.30am until 4.30pm) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays and Fridays were self-study days. This year's schedule is still tbc.
2023 Schedule
Assigment Brief - Portfolio (75%)
Students should create an animal or creature performance (which may or may not contain spoken dialogue) approximately 7-12 seconds long.
Assignment - Retrospective (25%)
Students must write a retrospective based on the portfolio submission, of about 2,600 words. There is a standard template you can use (but you don't have).
To see more about Retrospectives at Escape Studios, follow this link. To watch a short video on the subject, see this blog post. Don't fancy writing a Retrospective? Try recording a Video Retrospective instead.
Deadlines
The Portfolio assignment is due on Wednesday 18 October 2023 at 11.59pm.
Presentations, peer marking and self-marking of the portfolio assignment will take place on Thursday 19th October at 9.30am.
To see more resources on how to animate animals and creatures, follow the links below:
The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link. To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here. For the next 12 week animation course, click here.
To see the 2023 weekly schedule, take a look at the calendar below:
Class Daily Schedule
Class Schedule for 2023 tbc
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| Daniel Amor - leopard animation with reference |
Students should create an animal or creature performance (which may or may not contain spoken dialogue) approximately 7-12 seconds long.
Blog Your Progress
Students should also build a portfolio of progress through the project. This should be in the form of a website or blog containing written elements, images (such as storyboards and/or thumbnail sketches) and video (such as live action reference) to describe the development of the project.
You can create a free blog at either Blogger (log in through your Gmail address) or Wordpress. Alternatively you could document your progress at Artstation, Instagram or Behance.net, or create your own website at wix.com. To find out more about Blogger, see how to create a free blog here.
Lighting & Rendering
The final animation should be lit, rendered, and uploaded as a movie file to your YouTube channel. Links to the video and the blog should be emailed to your tutor before the deadline.
Assignment - Retrospective (25%)
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| Dinosaur by Edoardo Sartori |
Reflect on Your Work
Your retrospective should reflect on your performance, the work that you created and the decisions that you made. How does your practical output relate to the established theory and practice? How well did you do, compared to industry standards? What might you do differently next time? This written analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of your portfolio should be in the context of current industry practice. You can use our standard template if you like (ask me for a copy) but this is not compulsory.
Retrospective Resources
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| Don't forget to write a Retrospective |
Deadlines
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| Bear animation by Amanda Costa |
Presentations, peer marking and self-marking of the portfolio assignment will take place on Thursday 19th October at 9.30am.
Retrospective
The Retrospective assignment is due on Monday 23rd October 2023 at 11.59pm.
How to Submit
Submit your final projects by email to your tutor with a link to your final film, uploaded to Vimeo, and a link to your website or blog showing your development process, including thumbnail sketches and/or video reference.
How to Submit
Submit your final projects by email to your tutor with a link to your final film, uploaded to Vimeo, and a link to your website or blog showing your development process, including thumbnail sketches and/or video reference.
Animal & Creature Animation Resources
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| "Xye Crab" mating dance by Maria Robertson |
- Vimeo Channel - animal & creature tutorials
- How to Plan Character & Creature Animation
- Leopard Walk Tutorial at Vimeo
- Spider Animation Workshop
- How to film animals and creatures for live action reference
- Ziva muscle systems tutorial with Michael Davies
- Scorpion Animation Tutorial at Vimeo with Alex Williams
- Horse Animation Tutorials at Vimeo with Alex Williams
- Horse Run Tutorial with Marc Stevenson
- Dragon in Flight Tutorial with Jamie Floodgate
- Quadruped Transitions with Maria Robertson
- Bird in Flight Tutorial with Marc Stevenson
- Putting Animals on a Path with Marc Stevenson
The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link. To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here. For the next 12 week animation course, click here.
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