The following course calendar is tentative and subject to change.
| Date | Day | Class | Deliverables Due | In-Class Activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/17 | Tue | 1 | Welcome. Introduction to the history of special effects. Introduction to philosophy and technology of DIY tabletop effects. |
|
| 1/19 | Thu | 2 | Animatronics tutorial: Tabletop Optical Puppetry | |
| 1/24 | Tue | 3 | demo 1 | Video tutorial: Cameras and Codecs |
| 1/26 | Thu | 4 | Animatronics tutorial: Armature Design | |
| 1/31 | Tue | 5 | demo 2 | Animatronics tutorial: Armature Automation (Suzie absent.) |
| 2/2 | Thu | 6 | ||
| 2/7 | Tue | 7 | demo 3 | Animatronics tutorial: Automated Stop-Motion |
| 2/9 | Thu | 8 | Video tutorial: Lighting |
|
| 2/14 | Tue | 9 | demo 4 | Project 1 Intro: Kaleidoscopic Perception and Microcosmic Spectacle Intro to Editing: Continuity and Montage |
| 2/16 | Thu | 10 | Animatronics tutorial: Camera and Light Motion Control (Suzie absent.) |
|
| 2/21 | Tue | 11 | demo 5 project 1 concept drawings | Project 1 Start |
| 2/23 | Thu | 12 | ||
| 2/28 | Tue | 13 | project 1 hardware complete | |
| 3/2 | Thu | 14 | ||
| 3/5 | Sun | test video 1 | ||
| 3/7 | Tue | 15 | ||
| 3/9 | Thu | 16 | final video 1 | Project 1 Critique |
| 3/14 | Tue | Spring Break - no class | ||
| 3/16 | Thu | Spring Break - no class | ||
| 3/21 | Tue | 17 | Lecture/Screening: Creating Characters and Telling Stories | |
| 3/23 | Thu | 18 | Animatronics tutorial: Optical Effects, e.g. Pepper's Ghost | |
| 3/28 | Tue | 19 | six frame storyboard, one page script or scenario | Video tutorial: Compositing and Visual Effects |
| 3/30 | Thu | 20 | Intro to Narrative and Character Animatronics tutorial: Remote Puppetry (Teleoperation) |
|
| 4/4 | Tue | 21 | scenery/effects proof of concept | Project 2 Start |
| 4/6 | Thu | 22 | video test (at least five minutes of dailies) | |
| 4/11 | Tue | 23 | ||
| 4/13 | Thu | 24 | ||
| 4/18 | Tue | 25 | Dailies selects for all scenes. | |
| 4/20 | Thu | Spring Carnival - no class | ||
| 4/25 | Tue | 26 | Rough cut of project 2 video. | |
| 4/27 | Thu | 27 | ||
| 5/2 | Tue | 28 | ||
| 5/4 | Thu | 29 | Project 2 video. Project 2 documentation. | Project 2 Critique |