Digital Natives Academy, is NZ’s first esports and game dev academy, and provides a state-of-the-art digital training centre which offers programmes focused on esports, coding, game development, and content creation for young people aged 10-17 years old.

Course Information

• Taught onsite – Starting the 2nd week of term 4
• Each session is 1 hour
• Free, thanks to the generous support of our sponors
• Programme is 9 weeks
• Ages 10+

Course Description

Students will begin to gain an in depth understanding of the basic principles of animation, intro and setup, designing original characters, creating simple animations and understanding the importance of life drawing.  In addition, students will understand Squash and Stretch, and apply it to an animation through a comprehensive analysis of the scene/idea. Students should recognize the cause and effect of this precept.

Animation Outcomes

• Students understand principles of squash and stretch and are able to apply these concepts to people/objects to show weight/gravity.
• Students have experience in life drawing, drawing from life/observation drawing.
• Students understand concepts related to anticipation/jump animation. Students can animate a jump cycle to show they understand this animation principle. Anticipation is moving the opposite way before moving a certain way.
• Students understand character design, mood boards, references, and iterations. Students can create original characters of their own and are able to go through a process of elimination with their ideas.
• Students can animate facial features. Students created a face and animated eyes blinking and mouth moving.
• Effects animation, students will understand how to use effects and will warm create something using effects.
• Students will compile this into a Google Drive folder where they can use their work for later portfolios