Administration
  • Barbara - Instructor - Everything

Technical Assistants
  • Works with individual students in teams and group leaders of those assigned teams.
  • Assists with the evaluation of the student work.
  • Provides guidance and professional, constructive attitude toward technical problem solving and workload completion.
  • Provides technical assistance by presentation of technical material and technical troubleshooting.
  • Works closely with instructor to ensure that the students learn to work well collaboratively and get their individual work accomplished in the most productive manner.

Production Assistant / Student Producer
  • Take notes during dailies
  • Have notes reviewed by director
  • Email notes out or have them posted online
  • Driving the schedule of the production
  • Identifying and managing lab resources

Group Leads
  • Collect daily reports from the those in their group.
  • Send weekly synopsis to the staff mailing list by Monday morning at 10 am.
  • Recommend reference throughout the film and be sure to keep their area members on track and up to date.
  • Assign projects to team members.
  • Keep staff up-to-date of all meetings.
  • Maintain notes and keep track of the team's progress on the wiki.

Story
  • Develop the story of the film, including beat sheets and story breakdowns.
  • Create storyboards that visually tell the story.
  • Create a story reel that tells a story through the individual boards.
  • Create character descriptions for each character that outline their background and personality.
  • Build a motion bible for distribution in the class that visually and verbally describes each shot.
  • Maintain written feedback to the lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Concept Art
  • Create several schemes and ideas for each prop model and character model through drawings, paintings, and other customized art for the film and idea development.
  • Produce color schemes for scenes with lighting group.
  • Create visuals to help clarify the story.
  • Design the look and feel of the movie.
  • Maintain written feedback to the lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Reference
  • Get references for all scenes and models (based on the real world and other media).
  • Work in closely with concept art to maintain the look and vision of the movie.
  • Coordinate with prop and character modelers.
  • When focusing in on final references, obtain as much information as possible.
  • Maintain written feedback to the lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Animatic/Layout
  • Layout your assigned shots faithful to storyboard using stand-ins for the props and characters.
  • Add appropriate camera moves.
  • Add rough animation so the production team can get a good feel for the timing of the film.
  • Maintain written feedback to the lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Motion Capture
  • Create plans to prepare for motion capture sessions.
  • Work with actors in motion capture studio to ensure consistent motion.
  • Work with animatics team to apply motion captured data to characters.
  • Daily written feedback to the lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Shading / 3D-Paint
  • Assign Color and Texture to Surfaces that are true to the look and feel of the film, concept art, and real life objects.
  • Design and Test complex shading tricks such as animating shaders, and how to approach objects with complex features such as reflection and refraction.
  • Create 3D painted textures where necessary.
  • Create and add backdrops and background plates in shots that need them * Work with the lighting team to make sure that all of the surface detail comes through in the lighting.
  • Maintain written feedback to the lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Lighting
  • Produce color schemes for scenes with lighting group.
  • Create lighting tests showing the mood of the scene.
  • Produce the final lighting for the scene, portraying the desired mood.
  • Make sure character lighting is dynamic and highlights the action of the shot.
  • Maintain written feedback to the lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Set and Prop Modeling
  • Create all models which are not characters.
  • Get as many references as possible for the models.
  • Work with Concept Art to maintain the look and feel of movie.
  • Keep models well labeled, clean, and rid of histories before importing into final scenes.
  • Daily written feedback to the lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Character Modeling
  • Create the surfaces of the characters in the film.
  • Model surfaces correctly to ensure that they animate properly.
  • Work closely with the character rigging group to make sure that the models are built correctly.
  • Create different designs/models for characters for testing, as necessary.
  • Create multiple character designs for each character, as needed, to be used for jumping/running, extreme close-ups, etc.
  • Daily written feedback to the lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Facial Blends
  • Work with the characters head models to allow a wide range of expressions.
  • Work with the motion and concept art teams to develop expressions that are appropriate for each character.
  • Test expressions extensively to ensure that they work properly.
  • Daily written feedback to the lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Rigging
  • Build a skeleton for the character.
  • Ensuring proper skin deformation in a variety of poses.
  • Setting up controls for animation (IK, blendshapes for > facial expressions, etc).
  • Work closely with the motion group to ensure that the animation controls are easy to use, and that all necessary animation can be achieved with the setups.
  • Daily written feedback in the form of critiques and progress reports must be maintained.

Motion
  • Animation (primarily of characters) in the film.
  • Define the qualities of each character and their role in the to ensure consistency in how the character is animated.
  • Analyze acting and action for the film as a whole and for each shot.
  • Create/find reference for each shot as necessary.
  • Make sure that the character's actions/acting are consistent.
  • Create planning sheets before animating.
  • Make sure shots are critiqued constantly.
  • Each group member will be assigned specific shots with clear due dates.
  • Maintain daily written feedback with lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Bird Motion
  • Animation of birds in the film.
  • Define the qualities of each bird and their role in the to ensure consistency in how the bird is animated.
  • Analyze acting and action for the film as a whole and for each shot.
  • Create/find reference for each shot as necessary.
  • Make sure that the bird's actions/acting are consistent.
  • Create planning sheets before animating.
  • Make sure shots are critiqued constantly.
  • Each group member will be assigned specific shots with clear due dates.
  • Maintain daily written feedback with lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Poster / Title / Credits
  • Design, render and add approved text on a movie style poster appropriate to the needs of the film.
  • Work with the Director to make sure the data get to the printer and is printed in a timely manner.
  • Design small leaflet style credits for screenings and DVD sleeves for DVD and CD distribution.
  • Create methods of implementing special effects as needed in the production.
  • Create an interesting and unique way of presenting the title for the film.
  • Organize and create the credits for the film, ensuring that credit is given appropriately and all information is correct.

Rendering
  • Use and understand render farm
  • Support the render farm as necessary.
  • Check renders as they begin to ensure desired results.
  • Understand the use and needs for motion blur, layering, compositing etc.
  • Where to place the renders so they are easy to find and are static for the compositing team.

Special Effects
  • Create methods of implementing special effects as needed in the production.
  • Ensure consistency of effects across shots.
  • Make sure effects are seen through to completion.
  • Maintain daily written feedback with lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Sound
  • Add sound and foley to movie.
  • Ensure that all sounds used are not copy-right protected. If they are, research to see how easy it would be to obtain permission to use.
  • Maintain daily written feedback with lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Editing
  • Maintain an updated premiere file that includes the film in its entirety. Update this file as shots are completed.
  • Develop the timing and pacing between shots to deliver the story in the best possible way.
  • Maintain daily written feedback with lead in the form of critiques and progress reports.

Post Production
  • Set up a Post Production pipeline.
  • Image processing on final renders to ensure consistency and desired look.
  • Composite layers and various other elements.
  • Create DVD Menu and implement DVD features.
  • Output final product to DVD and other medium.

Outtakes
  • Collect and organize technical mistakes and intentional bloopers.
  • If there is sufficient time, find new & creative ways to use the characters and setting in original outtakes.

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