Bring your imagination to life!

There are no available registration dates at this time.

This course is part of our Young Artist program, Open to all high school-aged students

NOTE: This class will be held in an online format.

Explore the history of animation using your own imagination, bringing your stories and characters to life as you track your creativity throughout the myriad fields of animation. In this course, students will begin where animation began, with the paper and pencil as they breathe life into their inanimate creations. They will then explore the same modern technologies that are used in making 2D animations for modern cartoons and films. Soon after, students will take their creations to the next dimension as they explore stop-motion animation.

This pioneering field behind modern visual effects is a technique still used by modern filmmakers such as Aardman Studios, creators of the popular Chicken Run and Wallace & Grommet films. Finally, students will leap into the cutting edge as they create computer-generated 3D animations using the same tools behind films such as InceptionSpider-Man and Serenity. Throughout the process, technical and creative guidance is given as students realize the creation of their own short films. When they leave, they will have the skill and confidence to continue animating their own productions.

Schedule: 12:00-5:00 PM EDT

System Requirements:

  • macOS 10.10+ or Windows 7/8.1/10
  • OpenGL 2.1 Capable Graphics Card
  • 1.33 GHz CPU or faster
  • 2 GB RAM or more
  • A supported camera

Software: Dragonframe (temporary license provided)

Past Student Work:

 

Image Credits: Christian Randolph, Darcy Aders, Kara Birnbaum

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Instructor: Brandon Soards

Brandon Soards, a native of the Mid-Coast area grew up immersed in digital imaging on the campus of the Center forCreative Imaging. He left the area to complete a degree in Design/Technology from Emerson College. During this time in Boston, he studied a plethora of fields including Film & TV Production, Motion Graphics & Animation, Scenic Design, Audio Production and Lighting Design. He also worked on a variety of productions including art exhibits (ArtRages, 2007), dance shows (The Dance Asylum, 2008), film productions (Keys to Success), concerts (All Acapella Live, 2008), and traditional theatre. Of the latter category, his most notable productions were "The Rubik's Cube", winner of Boston's Annual EVVY Award for Best Scenic Design and "Much Ado About Nothing", winner for Best Lighting Design in the same year. Brandon has owned and operated his own business, Rubicon Edge Design, which focuses on the production of multimedia marketing for non-profit organizations. He is also a instructor at the Mid-Coast School of Technology (MCST) where he teaches Graphic Design, Animation, Film Production and Video Game Design, for which he won '2015 CTE Teacher of the Year'.