Pivot Animation Workshop

Transcription

1 Pivot Animation Workshop

2 Key Points Low Threshold, No Ceiling Very Easy Learning Curve FREE! Small (700K), Use at home Can be easily added into MS Moviemaker Does not do Tweening Its faults are its virtues, encourages creativity

3 What To s How this can be used Reviews of Old Material Introduce New Material Commercials of related Products Fake News Reports Quiz-Like Game Shows Music Videos Movie Trailers Stories: serials, soap operas, cliff hangers

4 Literacy Get the Students writing: Pitch an idea Create a synopsis Write out a story, screen directions Develop dialogue Write reviews

5 How- To s Add Backgrounds Edit Characters Add Sound Extend into a Movie Format Sounds: Music, Sound Effects, Dialogue, VON Voice Over Narration Text: Titles, Captions Multiple Scenes: Transitions, Large Projects Special Effects

6 Contents Part One: A very brief overview of the history of animation Part Two: An Introduction to Pivot Animation Software Part Three: Importing into Video Editing Software Part Four: Important Websites Part Five: A quick MP4 showing Pivot in use.

7 Rational The process of showing motion in artwork is essential to the concept of the narrative element in the visual arts. This contemporary application of the traditional narrative to new technology is valuable in arts education because this is how we now share and transfer the stories that society deems interesting and important. Also, it allows our students to participate in the new world of Vimeo, YouTube and other video sites.

8 Learning Goals & Success Criteria Section 1 Learning Goals, at the end of this section you will know about: The early attempts to show motion in artwork; B1.3, B1.4 The evolution of the optical illusion of motion from static images; B2.1, B2.2, B2.3 Ways you could consider using this in your own artwork; B3.1, B3.2, B3.3 Success Criteria, in the attainment of these leaning goals you will: Be able to identify some early attempts at showing motion in artwork. Be able to identify the key elements in the optical illusion of motion Be able to describe how you could use these concepts in your own artwork

9 Part One A Brief History of Animation Back

10 Etymology From Latin animātiō, "the act of bringing to life"; from animō ("to animate" or "give life to") + -ātiō ("the act of"). Animation: to bring to life; the state of being alive; the state of being full of life or vigor; liveliness.

11 Artists have always wanted to push the boundaries beyond just capturing form and light. They also wanted to capture the essence of motion as well. There were many early attempts to portray motion in artwork.

12

13 Time Line of Late Proto-Film Developments

14

15 Even before the development of photography, scientists discovered a phenomenon that has come to be called, The Persistence of Vision. Experiments in 1825 showed that if a series of images with slight differences were shown to a viewer faster 1/16 of a second, then the viewer would perceive this as a single image that was appearing to move. This lead to the development of numerous optical illusion toys.

16 Experiments showed that if a series of images with slight differences was shown to a viewer faster 1/16 of a second, then the viewer would perceive this as a single image that was appearing to move. This lead to the development of numerous optical illusion toys.

17 The early photographic process required too much light and time to effectively freeze motion. (Film Speed) Both the camera and the subject had to remain very still and exposure time was measured in whole minutes. Over time, photographers developed new photographic emulsions to reduce the exposure time to fractions of a second.

18 In 1872 Eadweard Muybridge conducted his famous experiments on animal locomotion. This was soon adapted to these optical illusion toys to create the first moving pictures.

19 Muybridge s early motion photos used the traditional process of applying the light sensitive emulsion onto glass plates. For his experiments, he needed to use a row of cameras, one for each image to be taken

20 Between George Eastman worked at putting photo emulsion on a flexible material; first paper then early plastics. This allowed a roll of film for many pictures to be contained in a simple camera. Thomas Edison teamed up with Eastman to created a motion picture camera. Independently in Paris, the Lumiere brothers were also developing a motion picture camera.

21

22 Although early motion pictures were primarily focused on live action, as early as 1900 there were experiments using a series of drawings and also stop motion techniques. In 1914, Winsor McCay created the first animation character with a name and a personality, Gertie the Dinosaur.

23 Part Two Some Basics of Pivot Animation Software Back

24 Rational It is FREE, students can use it at home It is small, 775KB, and can be loaded for a memory stick It has a very low threshold / learning curve; meaning that a student can get good results at once It has no ceiling, a student can do creative fantastic things with it worthy of film festival competitions

25 Its very limits are its virtues. Limitations make creativity work harder. (besides, that is why it is so easy to learn) There are many web based tutorials and examples It can be adapted to be used with any subject and interdisciplinary form of teaching

26 Student Work Over the years I have lots of luck in getting students interested in working with Pivot. I use it in English class where they write scripts and dialogue. I can use it in other courses where they have to think of plot points and situations, such as math or science.

27 By importing Pivot into a Video Editor, you can add voice and music, etc. Some of these examples are from a Culminating Activity, based on making a 30 sec. Trailer of an Alice in Cell Phoneland movie, where Alice is transported and transformed by a rouge APP on her phone

28 Learning Goals & Success Criteria Section 2 Learning Goals, at the end of this section PowerPoint and the MP4 you will know about: Key Vocabulary Terms; C1.1 Functional Concepts; C1.2, C1.3, Changing the screen size; A1.2,C2.1 Adding a custom background; A1.1, A1.2, C2.2 Creating frames; C2.1, C2.2, A1.2, Using the Onion skin features; A2.1, C2.2 Creating some simple character motion; A2.1, A2.2, A2.3, C1.1, C1.2, C1.3, C2.1, C2.2 Saving the animation for editing: C2.1, A1.3, A3.2 Presentation options: A1.3, A3.3 Success Criteria, in the attainment of these leaning goals you will: Be able to answer questions about vocabulary Be able to answer questions about fictional concepts Be able to change screen size and insert a custom background Be able to create a series of frames showing motion Be able to save for editing Be able to Present your animation in a finished form

29 Key Vocabulary Terms Cel or Frame: an individual static image that contains objects, each with slight changes that when the series of cels/frames is played back at proper speed will have the illusion of motion Drag Node: the handle by which you can move an object Onion skin: a lightly coloured image of the objects original position that is used to show the amount of change. Formats:.piv,.bmp,.gif;.piv is the native format of this software and is used to create, edit and store the animation, it can only be used on computers where the pivot.exe file is present..bmp and.gif are used to play back and present the animation. They can be used on virtually any computer. They can also be loaded into moviemaking software for inclusion of sound and advanced editing.

30 The play back controls can also be modified in other software like a moviemaker You can create and store custom made objects in the edit mode The current / active figure will have an ORANGE dot as its Drag Node. (be careful of an all orange object) This changes the size of the active object, it is useful in creating perspective. Front/Back allow overlapping Creates a frame, without it your motions are not recorded. Frames can be inserted and deleted on the top bar.

31 You can change the colour and sizes of the active object This will show you your recorded frames As you get involved in moving the character DO NOT FORGET to hit the Fame Button, without it NO frame is recorded

32 There will always be an ORANGE dot as the Drag Node. This allows you to move an object. When you move an object, there will be a grey onion skin that helps you to see how much you have move it. You can also change size as you do this. This can help create the illusion of moving from the front to the back. Hitting the frame button will lock in the movement and reset the onion skin to the new position. Be careful about getting carried away and forgetting to hit the Frame Button.

33 The stage area starts out as a square. The options button allows you to change the stage area to a different shape. These dimensions are in pixels and can be used to adjust a PhotoShop picture to an exact size. If you go to insert a custom background, the default mode is a.bmp. You can not see.jpgs until you change the selection.

34 Adjust your stage size and insert a custom background You can also add many extra characters, change sizes, shapes, and colours

35 The default save is a.piv. which allows viewing and editing only on computers that have the Pivot.EXE file. You can also save it as a GIF or BMP. When you save it as a BMP remember to make a folder to save them in or else you will have a desktop full of images Either can be imported into other moviemaker software for sound and advanced editing

36 Ability to do advanced a character development and editing The How-To of advanced editing is a subject of a longer discussion. It is virtually unlimited in what you can build. You can also build vast libraries of characters and objects for later use. Check out the web for more information

37 How to import your animation into Microsoft Live Moviemaker So you have a nice little animation, but where can you go from here?? Adobe Premier and MS Moviemaker 2.6 will take a GIF file. MS Live Moviemaker, which is on most school machines, takes a BMP series So follow these steps Back

38 While not a difficult process, the import and transfer process is a bit touchy and does not work well with other video editing steps. It is advised to take each animation and convert it into a WMV video format separately. This will lock them prevent difficulties later (trust me on this one) The you can then import them into a full video piece and go nuts with editing, sound, and other special effects. The GIF process is more resilient, but I would still suggest converting the Pivot animations into a solid video format before doing a lot of advanced editing and processing on them.

39 Make a folder and save you BMP In MS Live Moviemaker go to Add Photo Videos, find your folder, open, select, and add The default duration time is 7 seconds. notice the length of this short piece. Go to the Video Tools tab and select Duration.

40 Change the duration to about 0.25 of a second. You will have to custom type those numbers in. You can play with it here, but also when you re-import it into your final video you can adjust the speed Notice how the length of the bar has changed

41 Now go and save this as a video segment in the default format for your computer. Give it a meaningful name so you can find it later While it is being saved AVOID playing with you computer, checking you mail; these can add glitches to the file product. Take a break and walk away

42 Important Websites and References The Offical Website of Pivot Animatior Back

43 Pivot Animation a very good site

44 Dark Demon an odd sounding name but a great site.

45 Content Standard Expectations Creating and Presenting A1. The Creative Process A1.1 use a variety of strategies, individually and/or collaboratively, to generate and explore ideas and to develop plans for the creation of art works A1.2 apply the appropriate stages of the creative process to produce two- and three-dimensional art works using a variety of traditional and contemporary A1.3 document their use of each stage of the creative process in a portfolio A2. The Elements and Principles of Design A2.1 use a combination of elements and principles of design to create art works that express personal feelings and communicate specific emotions to an A2.2 apply elements and principles of design as well as art-making conventions to create a variety of art works that explore and/or present a point of view on contemporary social issues and/or A3. Production and Presentation A3.1 explore a range of techniques, tools, materials/ media, and technologies, including alternative media and current technologies, and apply them to create and present a variety of art works A3.2 demonstrate appropriate ways to prepare their art works for presentation in a variety of contexts or venues A3.3 demonstrate an understanding of a variety of ways in which art works can be presented to reach a variety of audiences

46 Content Standard Expectations Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing B1. The Critical Analysis Process B1.1 describe their initial reactions to a variety of art works B1.2 identify and describe the elements and principles of design used in their own art works and the works of others, and explain how they are used to achieve specific effects B1.3 communicate their understanding of the meanings of a variety of historical and contemporary art works, based on their interpretation of the works and an investigation of their historical and/or social context B1.4 use a variety of strategies B2. Art, Society, and Values B2.1 explain the functions of various types of art works B2.2 identify and explain ways in which various art works are a response to and a reflection of the society in which they were B2.3 describe how creating and analysing art works has affected their personal identity and values and/or changed their perception of society B3. Connections Beyond the Classroom B3.1 explain how knowledge and skills acquired in visual arts B3.2 describe, on the basis of research, a variety of pathways and careers related to visual arts B3.3 describe, on the basis of research, a variety of personal opportunities in their community in cultural or other fields related to visual arts

47 Content Standard Expectations Foundations C1. Terminology C1.1 demonstrate an understanding of the elements and principles of design, and use appropriate terminology related to elements and principles when creating and analysing art works C1.2 explain terminology related to techniques, materials, and tools, and use this terminology appropriately when creating and presenting art works C1.3 identify and describe the stages of the creative process and the critical analysis process using appropriate terminology, and explain how these processes are used to create and analyse art works C2. Conventions and Techniques C2.1 demonstrate an understanding of a wide variety of techniques that artists use to achieve specific effects C2.2 demonstrate an understanding of a variety of conventions used in visual arts C3. Responsible Practices C3.1 describe legal and ethical issues associated with the use of images, materials, and property (both physical and virtual) in the production of art works, and demonstrate legal and ethical practices when creating, presenting, and/or promoting art works C3.2 demonstrate an understanding of safe and conscientious practices associated with the use of materials, property, tools, and technologies in visual arts, and apply these practices when creating and/or presenting art works C3.3 demonstrate an understanding of how the production and presentation of art works can affect the environment, and apply environmentally responsible practices when creating, presenting, and promoting art works

48 Part Five View my MP4 In a wonderful contradiction of methods, I am trying to present information about animated motion using a static medium So, I have put together some essential information in a MP4 format to show some of the actual steps and processes Please consider that this is very abbreviated to keep down the file size limits for posting on this site. Check out the Web for longer and more detailed tutorials Back

49 References Part One: images were gleaned for the general Google image search space Part Two and Four: my students at Almonte DHS and Morristown CS and my own uses of Pivot software