Create a panorama 3500 by 500 pixels from stitching together a collage of digital photographs: windows, doors, prints, wall textures, paint, fabrics, floors, stones, flowers, grass, sand, sky... Print as a pdf, select print preview, scale to fit media. View your work by zooming and scrolling the image through the small rectangular window of the pdf.

Class 2 - 07/10: Intro to video composition

Lecture:

Video composition and 3D scenes. How to work with video footage inside a 3D scene. This lecture shows how to design with the colors and the environment of a scene using video footage and digital lighting. Case Studies: Nekropolis by Bilal, Sky Captain World of Tomorrow by Kerry Comran. PLF for "Panic Room" and Weta Digital for "Lord of the Rings".

Tutorial:

Building a diorama. Creating a panorama in After Effects. Please note that we will spend the late morning at the marlet Avenue Garnier and at the flower market at the Plonchettes.

Assignment:

Create a diorama of an urban space, for example, a market place.
1- Take pictures or draw a market place: people, cars, street lights, street furniture, signs, street vendors, buildings, sidewalks, textures, smoke, clouds, sky…

2- Print and mount pictures on foamboard. Build a diorama the size of a shoe box using paint, collages, paper, cardboard and glue.
3- Use the panorama from class 1 as a background for example using a video projection

4- Shoot a video of the inside of your diorama - no more than 2 minutes in length - with sound from the street and music. No editing required.

Party at the Beau Rivage private beach.

Class 3 – 07/11: Intro to 3D animation

Lecture:

3D survival kit.

Tutorial:

Texturing digital billboards in Maya. step-by-step pdf

Creating a video composite of the Baie des Anges around the theme of ‘Negresco Fantastico’

Assignment:

Re-create a video composite of a real scene experienced in the street inside Maya using still images and video footage shot during the week.
Render a short animation in Quick Time format.

Class 4 – 07/12: Intro to character design

Lecture:

Designing characters : scrapbook

Tutorial:

Modeling a character with Maya

Assignment:

Create a 3D character from sketches, collages or photographs

Class 5 - 07/13: Trip to Col de Tende - Vallee des Merveilles + video shooting on location

07/14: July 14 - Reception and fireworks

Class 6 – 07/16: Character animation

Lecture:

Designing a character's motion. Animator’s survival kit. Afternoon trip to Vingtimille (Italy)

Tutorial:

Modeling a character step-by-step pdf Animating a character step-by-step pdf

Assignment:

Create a simple scene with an animated character.

Class 7 – 07/17: Motion tracking from video

Lecture:

How to extract motion and lighting from video footage

Tutorial:

How to create an animation that matches footage from a video camera.

Create an animation using video footage with matchmoving and procedural lighting

Assignment:

Create a scene with a 3D character inside video footage shot on the street or at the beach.

Class 8 – 07/18: Digital cinematography

Lecture:

Bringing everything together: introduction to digital cinematography. Case study: particle systems by Industrial Light and Magic. Case study: the making of environmental effects for the "Perfect Storm" in Maya.

Tutorial:

Using Maya with Final Cut and After Effects. Compositing a character step-by-step pdf

Create a scene with environmental effects using, smoke, particles and procedural lighting.

Class 9 – 07/19: Machinima, gaming and future of digital storytelling

Lecture:

Second Life and virtual worlds.

Tutorial:

How to record a video fiction inside a game, how to build a game from a video

Assignment:

Shoot and edit inside a game of your choice or in Second Life. Create a storyboard and plan your shots for your video shooting taking place in a medieval city the next day.

Class 10 – 07/20: Trip to Entreveaux + video shooting on location

Class 11 - 07/23: Life forms and organic growth

Lecture:

Virtual life and emotions. Life forms and organic growth. Afternoon trip to Monaco's Museum of Marine Sciences

Tutorial:

How to create procedural 3D models of simple life forms for example the plants from the gardens of Villa Arson. Case study: "Microcosmos"

How to create a character’s face with realistic expressions including skin animation, hair, hair collisions, clothing and realistic physics

Assignment:

Create a facial animation representing emotions with sound or re-create the growth of a plant in a garden

Class 12 - 07/24: Sea, sky and sun …underwater

Lecture:

Fluid simulations and visualization above water and underwater. step-by-step pdf

Tutorial:

Particle animation, fluid effects

Assignment:

Create a scene with a camera moving above and below water with plants and corals

Class 13 - 07/25: Virtual fishes with behaviors. Creating virtual eco-systems

Lecture:

Underwater environments, behavior. Afternoon trip to St Paul de Vence

Tutorial:

Creating an u nderwater environments.

Assignment:

Create a scene with fishes step-by-step pdf

Class 14 - 07/26: Designing virtual landscapes: islands, clouds... and life above water

Lecture:

Digital paintings and virtual landscapes

Tutorial:

From 2D to 3D building an animated landscape. Recreating weather changes above the lanscape

Assignment:

Create a virtual landscapes with weather changes.

Class 15 - 07/30: Creative chaos - Simulating dynamics for storytelling

Lecture:

Data in motion: visualization techniques. From conceptual design to storytelling. Mapping your production process and Introduction to your final project.

Tutorial:

How to create collisions and simulations in Maya

Assignment:

Add collisions and other physical properties to a scene of your choice

Class 16 - 07/31: Review of mid-class projects

Studio time

Class 17 - 08/01: Boat trip to Saint Augustin + video shooting on location

Class 18 - 08/02: Storytelling, gaming and interactivity (1)

Lecture:

Stephane Natkin - storytelling and narratives in video games (1)

Special event :

Afternoon- evening: round table with guests on movement, digital art and new technologies

Class 19 - 08/03: Storytelling, gaming and interactivity (2)

Lecture:

Stephane Natkin - analysis of video games (2)

Assignment:

Final project / create the following documents in pdf format: 1- revised story pitch, 2- storyboard showing the sequences and camera shots, 3- storyboard showing gradients of color and textures, 4- list of video shots with frame captures, 5- sketches of main character, 6- define the pivotal scene for your project.

Class 20 - 08/06: Trip to Marseille + video shooting on location

Class 21 - 08/07: Creating effects - Simulating physics and other natural phenomena

Lecture:

Particle animation, fluid effects, use particle instancing with goals to create dynamic schools of fish.

Tutorial:

How to create soft collisions and particle simulations in Maya.

Assignment:

Final project assignment.

Class 22 - 08/08: From 3D animation to DVD - Post-production and broadcasting

Lecture:

Postproduction, publishing and broadcasting

Tutorial:

Compression and DVD publishing

Assignment:

Final project assignment.

Classes 23 to 29 -08/08 to 08/14: Final projects workshops

-08/15: Final project presentations -08/16: Show at Villa Arson