Animation

Introduction
''Animation involves bringing artwork and characters to life with such precision that they truly seem believable. Animation is part acting, part storytelling, and part visual art.''

In CAT we address all of these art forms — acting, storytelling, and visual design — utilizing both digital and traditional animation methods. Our animation program allows the student to study and experiment with movement involving performance technology, 3D cgi, object animation, and 2D traditional hand-drawn character animation. Students are encouraged to produce individual projects as well as collaborating on team productions to gain real-life practical experiences. One such team project, Pete's Odyssey, was a 2D traditional animated short that resulted in multiple awards nationally. (see below)





 Classes in animation at Bloomfield College use studio facilities that include a Black Box  Studio with a green screen and a combined workshop area for miniature set design staging in Stop Motion Animation; a recently added 1100 sq.ft. State-of-the-Art Motion  Capture Studio(the only one in NJ!) using Motion Builder; and a 17- seat Mac Lab with Light Tables for use with our traditional 2D cel animation offerings.

Courses range from History of Animation, to 3D Modeling & Animation with Maya to Stop Motion Animation, and to 2D hand-drawn cell animation using Flipbook and Toon-Boon software. Other pre-production classes include multiple levels of Screenwriting, Physical Computing, and Web Design, while post-production courses include: Sound Design I & II, Visual Effects and the Art of Editing. Animation, G ame Design, Digital Video and Music Technology majors are collaborating while learning their role as time-based media artists, all while working with the latest technologies in their digital media industries.

Graduates are prepared and encouraged to seek entry-level employment such as 3D character animators, modelers, motion editors and storyboard artists. Work within the field of animation includes a range of opportunities in film and television graphics, feature film production, special effects, storyboard design, computer game software design, animation for the internet, game design, character design and experimental animation.





Required Courses
CAT 107 Introduction to Music Technology

CAT 116 Movement for Animators

CAT 134 Drawing for 2D Animation

CAT 221 The Art of Editing

CAT 225 Visual Design in Video & Animation

CAT 228 Stop-Motion Animation

CAT 230 History of Animation

CAT 241 Pre-Production & 2D Animation

CAT 264 Computer Imaging

CAT 286 Sound Design I: Audio for Video I

CAT 290 Basic Video Production

CAT 305 Sound Design II: Audio for Video II

CAT 332 Life Drawing for Motion

CAT 361 3D Modeling

CAT 372 3D Animation

CAT 471 Advanced 3D Animation

CAT 352 PreCapstone

CAT 420 Capstone

Related Courses (electives)
Motion Capture with Motion Builder

Screenwriting I & II

Physical Computing

Visual Effects

Introduction to Game Design

History of the Cinema

Motion Graphics

Digital Photography

Making the Short Film

Creative Writing

The Shory Story

Faculty
Lynne Oddo (Head of Animation) - History of Animation and Stop Motion

Vincent Potuto - 2D

Richard Thompson - 3D

Keith Robinson - Motion Capture

Facilities
Animation Studio - Ckick here for a virtual tour of the animation lab.

Stop-Motion Studio/Green screen

Motion Capture Studio

Guest Artists
Recent guest artists have included animators Craig Bartlett (Nickelodeon); Larry Lauria (Disney films); and Jonathan Lyons (Pirates of the Caribbean).

  Craig Bartlett, who created the Nickelodeon animated series Hey Arnold!, also served on Ren and Stimpy and  Rugrats . Prior to that he worked as a stop-motion animator for Will Vinton and produced shorts for  Sesame Street  in the early 1990's. One of these starred Arnold, later to be adapted for cel animation, but created while working on  Pee-wee's Playhouse .  The series aired its 100 episodes from October 7, 1996 until June 8, 2004. Bartlett is currently the creator and executive producer of the award winning series, Dinosaur Trainnow on PBS and produced by Jim Hensen.

We invited Larry Lauria to teach a Master Class in Animation offered to Advance 2D Animation CAT students. Larry Lauria is a professional and renowned animator in the field of 2D animation. His animation and direction work spans more than 30 years and includes feature, commercial, television, industrial and interactive projects. Current projects include an independent film and concept development and character design for network TV and internet based projects.

Many of his projects have been awarded over 50 awards internationally, they include Addy’s, regional and national Emmy nominations and public service awards. Most recent: responsible for conceptual design and direction of the “Create a Character” segment in the Disney’s Magic Artist software - awarded “Best Children’s Software and “Most Creative Software” in France); also nominated for a Cody award for “Best Software” (5 years) and won the Cody for Most Creative Software in the United States. The software also won a BAFTRA award for Best Children’s Software. He is dedicated in his field and as an expert that is taking time from his own production to work with CAT students.

Projects
In 2009, animation students took part in the production of Pete’s Odyssey, directed by award-winning animator Larry Lauria and co-produced by Charlotte Rinderknecht of Studio Kinate in Fairfax, VA. CAT students and alumni and students from the East Orange Public School district, under the direction of CAT instructor Vincent Potuto, worked for months to develop the drawings, animation, and set it all to the song Unafraid to Find by musician Michelle Armstrong. The 2-D animation project was the basis for what Lauria calls an incubator studio in which students learn all facets of the animation project. This experience gives the students a view of the whole scope of the project as well as giving them more marketable skills in the world of animation arts. The film short was entered into national and international film festivals for review.

Animation Capstone Projects
Senior Projects are an important part of a students graduation and a critical springboard into their career.

Here are a few of Senior Capstone Projects