Tehe Michigan Daily Mich
Tursday, October 18,2072
FRAMEI
BY,
F RA ME
How students pursue
animation at the 'U'
n 2001, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sci-
ences gave the green light for a newly recognized
category in the upcoming Academy Awards: Best
Animated Feature.
. It was a subtle mark of changing opportunities for
animators and their fans. Animation's status as an art
form was finally garnering legitimacy, encouraging the
genre to push new boundaries by embracing exciting and
unorthodox innovations - all while emerging from the
shadows of the monopoly of Disney, Hanna-Barbera and
Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Pixar was busy proving its potency within the realm of
a-D technology, Nickelodeon was enjoyingthe fruition of
its first few multimedia ventures and Cartoon Network
had just introduced its Adult Swim lineup, an adult-orib
ented complement to its popular action-animation block,
Toonami, already in full swing at the time.
Now, little over a decade after animation's turn-of-
the-century takeoff, its stereotype as either Disney clas-
sic or cheap children's entertainment has finally fallen
away to reveal new dodrways for animators at every skill
level. Though the University doesn't have an animation
program of its own, the sheer versatility of the genre -
combined with the increasing accessibility of classes and
equipment - helps students employ hard work and cre-
ative initiative to transform their animation aspirations
from conceptual artto reality.
Storytelling in the second dimension
Animators today have countless paths to choose from
that lead into what is now an estimated $80-billion indus-
try - the genre is used as a vehicle for everything from
entertainment and advertising to medical modeling and
teaching aids.
Even animation's traditional TV demographic has
shifted: The success of Comedy Central's "South Park,"
FX's "Archer" and FOX's "Family Guy" have proven that
animation can thrive outside of cartoon-heavy channels,
offering endless possibilities for those willing to think
outside the box - a crucial mindset for animation-bound
University students.
Because the University doesn't maintain a formal ani-
mation program or major, students interested in pursuing
the field are encouraged to create their own informal cur-
riculum, complete with classroom and extracurricular
experience.
The Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design and LSA's
Screen Arts & Cultures department provide hands-on
learning experiences that introduce students to the his-
tory, science and art of 2-D and 3-D animation. Classes
range from lectures on animation's political and social
contexts to individualized, project-centered design
courses, while SAC honors theses and independent stu-
dent projects offer opportunities for self-directed discov-
ery.
Options like these are not meant to be exclusive to
those starting out with an intimate knowledge of the
field. As daunting as jumping into animation may seem
to new students, University faculty and staff are aware
that most undergraduates likely have little to no prior
experience with animation, and help design their courses
accordingly.
"The very first project students do is make a flip book,
so they can actually see how much work goes into doing
something that takes about five seconds to watch," said
SAC professor Chris McNamara.
Among others, McNamara has taught introductory
courses on 2-D animation and new media, which enable
students to explore the methods and mechanics behind
the illustrated illusion of movement. Instead of focusing
on a single facet-of design or application, students are
introduced to a wide range of animation genres, from
hand-drawn sequences to stop-motion video, as well as
some of the abstract artistic elements that govern them.
"We have kind of a unique arrangement where students
do both productions and studies in the department," he
said. "So the concentration gives them a lot of conceptual
and theoretical background, as well as the foundational
aspects that deal with production."
Introductory SAC courses typically refrain from
delving into the advanced specifics of any single form
of digital or physical animation. But it's their broad and
inclusive nature - combined with the encouragement of
students to pursue their own short and long-term project
goals - which make them so enticing to curious first-tim-
ers and those for whom animation seems like a promising
career path.
"From my own experience, it's been pretty laissez-
faire in terms of what style you're taught (in SAC)," said
LSA senior Mike Chenoweth. "They're pretty inclined
to let you develop your own techniques, whatever they
may be. They'll teach you how to use the technology to
make actual animation, and other than that, the advice
they give you on your artwork is more based in technical
criticism."
In some SAC classes, students are given time for indi-
vidualized projects, or encouraged to start small ones of
their own. Whether it's an animation-based honors thesis
or a personal work-in-progress, these animators-in-the-
making are encouraged to get creative when looking to
enrich their skills outside the classroom.
"The mostehelpful thing is to just go out and do it," Che-
noweth said. "Even though there's not an intensive pro-
gram specifically devoted to the art of animation, there
are still projects floating around and people that need
animators."
"Since there's not that much in the way of course mate-
rial offered here, you have to take more of a hands-on
approach, and you really learn more about the craft when
you just do your own projects or work with other people,"
he added.
This technical introduction to the field leaves students
open to explore their own narrative ends and new media
interpretations and gain a scope of the field before choos-
ing to pursue a more specialized niche in the ever-grow-
ing animation spectrum.
"By no means do I think of these courses as compre-
hensively preparing students to become an animator,"
McNamara said. "But it certainly gives them an intro-
ductory taste of what it would take to pursue that kind
of work. In many ways I'm helping students to be more
prepared for independent work, and for the possibility
of incorporating animation elements into other kinds of
media."
Processing the power of pipeline
For students seeking to add another dimension to their
artistic repertoire, the Art & Design School offers a small
but int- .sive set of courses on the process of 3-D anima-
tion and modeling. This includes a semester-long pipeline
animation class and a digital modelingcourses that enter-
tainment-bound animators are encouraged to explore.
Art & Design junior Molly Lester is currently enrolled
in a pipeline animation class, which treats students as
a comprehensive animation team. A semester is spent
working toward the completion of a short animation
piece - one which will eventually be submitted to the
international SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival,
held yearly during the prestigious SIGGRAPH Interna-
See FRAME, Page 1B
Illustration by
I\oyl~ Cll