Students in Animation II are taking a trip to the past and learning how to create and animate characters in older graphics. 8-bit color graphics are a method of storing image information in a computer’s memory so that each pixel is represented by eight different colors.  

“This project has been different from anything else we’ve ever done,” sophomore Gavin Ariota said. “I have been struggling a little bit to make things work the way I want, but overall the project has been fun and exciting.”

Students must prepare a 30-second long animation with three scenes where they will transport their characters to different atmospheres, one of which has to be on Mars.  

“This project won’t be hard, but it will be time-consuming,” Ball said. “This assignment requires students to be resourceful and make precise frames for the animations. Putting all the elements together and having everything make sense will be the hardest part.”

Grading will be based on the quality of elements, character appearance, and smooth transitions. Ball wants students to understand how to make diverse and interesting animations for future professions and basic foundational learning. 

“This assignment has been very challenging for me in many different ways,” sophomore Hai Tong said. ”It’s hard to make the animation very smooth considering the limited frames we have, but overall so far I think I am doing great at making my movements.”

This project will be done with Adobe Animate and/or Adobe illustrator and will be due Feb. 5th. 

“The hardest part so far for me has been making accurate movements that make sense” sophomore Aiden Duval said. “I feel like once I get the frames down this project will be super easy.”