Critiques

• Remark:
  
  
  • This is an advanced animation course that utilizes the knowledge and skills acquired in previous animation classes to create a masterpiece - your ultimate achievement - showcasing your accumulated skills.
    
    
  • One of our main goals is to submit the work created in this course to film and animation festivals. Festival participation is crucial for animators, as it provides opportunities to showcase your work, network with industry professionals, and learn about the latest trends and technologies.
    
  
  
  
  
• Critiques
  The following are the materials you need to prepare and submit before each critique. Compressed them before submitting to Bb.
  
  
  
  • 1st critique
    • A storyboard and specification of your animation must be ready and turned in on Bb in a digital format. Storyboard template
      
      
      • Remarks:
        
        • No subject-matters (themes or concepts) of your animation should be something you can think of in seconds that are often worn-out, clichéd and predictable.
          
          
        • It must sound unfamiliar, odd, or peculiar in a way, and has an element of surprise or unexpectedness.
          
          
        • The Bureau says, “opportunities should be best for those who have a wide range of skills or who specialize in a highly specific type of animation or effect.”

          “I'm not different for the sake of being different, only for the desperate sake of being myself" - Vivian Stanshall
          
          

  • 2nd critique
    • You must be ready to show the main 3D models that will be used in your animation. 
      
      
    • Turn in a Maya file (mb) containing all 3D objects you've created to Bb before this meeting occurs.
      
      
      
  • 3rd critique
    • The modeling work should be nearly complete by this point.
    • You should have already started working on camera setup, texturing, and lighting as well.
    • Bring some still images from your animation to the meeting, and submit them on Blackboard as well. Before turning in image files to Bb, compress them into zip.
      
      
  • 4th critique
    • Before the meeting, you'll need to render some still images and movie files from your 3D scene(s), then submit them on Bb in a zip file.
      
      
    • At this point in time, you may use 'Playblast' to create a quick preview video of your animation, (or use the Render Sequence feature to export a high-quality image sequence that you will do for a final video anyway)
      
      Using Playblast (for quick previews)
      
      
  • Go to Timeline then right click > Playblast > Playblast Options window.
  • Follow the settings below and click Playblast to start the process.
    Maya will capture the active view screen for each frame and compile it into a video.
    

    
    
    

  • 5th critique
    Your animation and demo must be nearly finished by this time, you will make minor refinements and add the finishing touches for the rest of the semester.
    
    
    • Submit a rough cut(s), the first edited version of your animation without final touches like sound effects, color correction or visual effects, onto Bb in a zip file.
      
      
    • draft of demo reel
      • A demo reel typically comprises of one or more your best animated films you have created.
    • Focus on finishing a few high-quality clips for your demo reel rather than many unpolished rough drafts. It is important to remember that quality is much more important than quantity.
    • It should be no more than one minute long and should highlight only your best work.
      Demos by WKU students
      
      
    • You must be sure which animation festivals you want to submit your animation.
      
      
      
      
  • Final critique
    Compress all files into a zip file then turn it in onto Bb.
    
    
  1. The completed animation file in mp4.
     
     
  2. Three stills from your animation in jpg or png.
     
     
  3. Infomation in pdf
  • Title:
  • Brief synopsis (description):
  • URL: (publish your animation on either Vimeo/YouTube then copy and paste the URL here)
    Password: (if applicable)
  • Name of artist:
  • Music/Sounds: (if applicable)
  • Runtime: xx minute xx seconds
  • Completion Date: xx/xx/2026
  • Film Color: Color or Black & White
  • First-time Filmmaker: Yes or No
    
    
  4. The final demo reel in mp4.
     
     
  5. Submission packets of the festival(s) you plan to participate in. You'll need to prepare a comprehensive package that includes various materials, including the animation itself, supporting documents, and information about you, etc.
     

     Submit the entire of the packets of the festivals in pdf.