Students will develop the ability to appropriately apply 2D and 3D compositional strategies to animation and game projects and will acquire a deep understanding of the twelve principles of animation: squash and stretch, anticipation, weight, arcs, timing, easing, overlapping motion, staging, straight ahead versus pose to pose, exaggeration, solid drawing, and appeal. They will cultivate an in-depth knowledge of the application of cinematic principles to animation, and competency in cinematography techniques, including camera distance, motion, angle, focal length, parallax motion and lighting, as well as in special effects and compositing. They will master editing techniques such as cuts, dissolves, match shots and jump cuts, and will learn how to make sophisticated color choices and palettes in services to composition and meaning. They will master the ability to translate scripts in order to create storyboards, animatics and teasers. Students will develop a trained eye for seeing the nuance of motion in character animation.