P4

Title: Students plan a new animation to feature the character they have created.

Deadline: 8th January 2020

Marking Criteria Pass, Merit, Distinction

Students are creating a new animation product featuring the character they have created in P3.

Students to include the following;

a) a treatment

b) a component storyboard

c) target audience references

d) production schedule

e) relevant legal and/or ethical issues

f) Students compare their production to trends in the animation industry(Distinction).

The following is a more detailed outline of what each part entails.

a) The Treatment - students to state;

• The Title of the animation
• Medium (2D animation, CGI),
• Running time
• Synopsis
• Characters in the show
• Key scenes
• Appropriate suggestions for Voice over artists (casting). Can be Boy/Girl, age range, or a famous person.

b) Storyboard - I would suggest that students storyboard main scenes and sequences.

A 10 panel storyboard is = 1 minute. Then students should aim to storyboard 1 - 3 minutes = 10 - 30 panels.

You can use the following Storyboard templates;

PDF, Photoshop file, using Power Point

(with the PDF you will have to print and draw and then photograph and upload to your blog)

Here are some interesting facts about storyboard output and time;

A rule of thumb is to have one shot for every 6 seconds of video. (3min = 30 shots, 5min =50 shots). You can exercise some artistic liberty with this, so use less or more if you need them.

The average length of time an industry artist used to have to create a storyboard for an 11-minute TV episode was six weeks.

It is considered that you will need 8-12 panels per script page 

Scripts written in proper screenplay format average a page per minutes.

The following article and video on storyboard tips might help: Article

Students should aim to select a sequence which establishes the character, location and the challenge using camera shots. Include details like sound effects and dialogue.

Students should aim to keep it simple but can add shading if you feel confident.

Some examples of Disney storyboards taken from the movie 'Bambi'. 

 For more design options you could research the following;

• Charlie Brown (simple)
• Comic books (Action/ Super hero)

c) Target Audience. 

Aim for establishing audience profile; age, gender, lifestyle, interests.

d) Distinction - Production Schedule.

You can use the following Gantt chart. Recreate and fill in details for your production. The main departments for pre-production, production and post-production pipeline are outlined in the diagram. Use these to establish your schedule.

Don't forget to specify your animation product length and format.

For example/ 

Is it a CGI Short animation (5- 10 minutes)? or Feature animation (90 minutes).

The length will effect the schedule. On average you should aim for 6 weeks per one minute of animation.

 

e) Legal and Ethical issues.

 

Students to discuss the following issues with regards to their product;

• copyrights
• slander
• defamation
• royalties
• performance rights
• offensive material
• representation, etc.

Always reference the relevant regulatory body. for example: Ofcom, ASA, Copyrights, BBFC.

f) Distinction- You need to place your animation production within the global market and compare to current trends in the animation market. 

You can read the following article: Trends in Animation. and see how this applies to your product. It might be that you reject these trends. Your product might not fall into these trends in which case you might want to explain how it's different and unique.

Marking Criteria

PASS	MERIT	DISTINCTION
Learners plan a new animation, to feature the character they have created, including: - Treatment - Competent storyboard - Target audience - Production schedule - Relevant legal and/or ethical issues	Learners create a detailed plan for a new animation. The treatment includes title medium, running time, synopsis, characters and key scenes. Appropriate suggestions are made for voice over artists that relate to the proposed production	Learners create a comprehensive plan for a viable new animation and justify ideas in relation to current trends in the animation industry. The production schedule is detailed and identifies timescales for the activities needed