Animation

The aim of this unit is to develop your practical skills in the creation of interactive animations designed for web delivery. You will investigate web animations and explore digital animation methods. You will devise, plan and create an animation using vector-based animation software techniques to produce animated, interactive web content.

Users of the web increasingly expect dynamic, visually engaging and media-rich content. This can be created by designers in the form of interactive vector-based animations. Animations of this type are scalable, so they can be resized easily for different screen resolutions from mobile devices to the highest resolution monitors. They are also small in file size, they can stream across the internet even at dial-up modem speeds and all internet users can download a software player that makes viewing their content possible. These characteristics make vector-based animations a popular choice for vibrant web content, and designing such sites is a thriving sector of the interactive media industry.

The unit begins with investigations into web animations. These investigations will cover both visual and technical research. You will look closely at interactive animations on the web to analyse their design and content. You will also investigate technologies associated with web animation in order to better understand how your work will run on the internet.

Planning a web animation project involves designing, storyboarding and drawing animation content. You will gain experience of planning a web animation project in response to a vocationally relevant client brief. You will use vector-based animation software techniques to produce animated interactive content designed for delivery on the internet, and will save and export this animation in a format suitable for the web. This unit will also develop your ability to reflect critically on your own work, as you will need this professional skill in any future career.

The outcome of this unit will be in the form of a completed production blog, and a completed animated advertisement for the web.  The production blog must contain all research, planning, design, analysis, evaluation and re-design notes as well as a lesson activity diary.  As with other units, you must use this blog to communicate in a variety of ways, for example you may wish to support your writing with embedded images, and you may wish to produce your lesson activity diary as a video or podcast.

1. Understand uses and principles of web animation.

Understand requirements for a specific media production.

Understand the nature and purposes of research in the creative media industries

2. Be able to devise web animation.

Be able to prepare pre-production documentation for a specific media production.

Be able to apply a range of research methods and techniques

3. Be able to create web animation following industry practice.

Be able to apply pre-production planning for a specific media production.

Be able to present results of research.