lecture 3: radical workflow transformation

Proposal Check-In (15 minutes)

Where Are You Stuck?

Today's goal: Identify what's limiting your current animation process and experiment with radical alternatives to break through those limitations.

Quick round: What's your biggest creative bottleneck right now?

Examples: "I get obsessed with perfecting every frame," "I always use the same tool," "I can't visualize what I want," "The software fights me," "I run out of ideas after the first concept"

Today is about disrupting your habits, not learning new skills. We're going to break your workflow and rebuild it in unexpected ways.

Workflow Archaeology (10 minutes)

Mapping Your Current Animation DNA

Before we can transform your process, let's identify the unconscious patterns that shape how you make work.

Exercise 1: Process Autopsy
8 MINUTES

Write down your typical animation workflow step-by-step:

  1. Idea Phase: How do concepts come to you? (sketching, references, inspiration?)
  2. Planning Phase: How do you organize ideas? (storyboards, mood boards, notes?)
  3. Creation Phase: What software/tools do you always reach for first?
  4. Revision Phase: How do you decide when something is "done"?
  5. Sharing Phase: Where and how do you show your work?
Circle the step where you spend the most time. Star the step you enjoy least. These are your transformation targets.

Radical Tool Swapping (25 minutes)

Use the "Wrong" Tool for the "Right" Job

Historical animators were forced to be creative by technological limitations. We'll create artificial limitations to spark innovation.

Frame-by-Frame Drawing Alternatives
You probably use: Photoshop, Procreate, or drawing tablet apps with onion skinning
Try instead: Physical flipbook, PowerPoint animation, Google Slides, or drawing in 3D space using Tilt Brush/Gravity Sketch
Forces you to think about movement differently when tools don't give you perfect control
Compositing & Layering Alternatives
You probably use: After Effects, Premiere, or video editing software
Try instead: Blender (as a 2D compositor), PowerPoint transitions, live streaming software (OBS), or layering in Instagram Stories
Tools designed for other purposes have unexpected constraints that lead to unique aesthetics
Timing & Rhythm Alternatives
You probably use: Timeline scrubbing, keyframes, and mathematical timing
Try instead: Music software (GarageBand/Logic) for timing, dancing your animation out physically, or using a metronome while drawing
Non-visual timing tools connect animation to body rhythm and musical structure
Pre-Production Alternatives
You probably use: Storyboards, mood boards, written plans
Try instead: Acting out scenes and filming yourself, making physical collages, using tarot cards for narrative structure, or planning in VR space
Embodied planning methods reveal aspects of movement and timing that static planning misses
Output Format Alternatives
You probably make: MP4 videos for screens
Try instead: GIF loops, vertical phone videos, projection-mapped animations, printed flip books, or animations designed for smartwatches
Platform constraints force formal innovations that wouldn't emerge otherwise
Revision Process Alternatives
You probably: Perfect one version through multiple revisions
Try instead: Make 10 terrible versions quickly, animate the same concept in 5 different styles, or collaborate by passing files between classmates
Volume over perfection reveals possibilities that careful crafting can obscure
Exercise 2: The Tool Swap Challenge
15 MINUTES

Pick ONE transformation from above and create a 5-second animation test:

  1. Choose the swap that feels most uncomfortable/ridiculous to you
  2. Set a timer for 15 minutes - no longer!
  3. Create something that moves, even if it's terrible
  4. Focus on what the tool makes possible, not what it prevents
  5. Document your process (take photos/screenshots of weird moments)
The goal isn't to find your new favorite tool - it's to discover capabilities you didn't know you had by working within unexpected constraints.

Creative Constraint Experiments (20 minutes)

Historical Limitations as Creative Catalysts

McCay, Reiniger, and McLaren created innovations because of limitations, not despite them. We'll impose artificial constraints to spark similar breakthroughs.

Infinite Choice Paralysis
  • Unlimited colors
  • Infinite canvas size
  • Perfect undo/redo
  • Thousands of fonts
  • Every possible frame rate
  • Endless revision capability
    • Productive Limitations
  • Only black, white, and one color
  • Fixed 640x480 canvas
  • No undo - live with mistakes
  • Only default system fonts
  • Exactly 12 frames per second
  • Must finish in one session
    • The McCay Constraint: Live Performance
    Create an animation that requires YOU to be present. Film yourself interacting with projected animation, or create an animation that responds to live input (even if it's just you pressing spacebar to advance frames).
    The Reiniger Constraint: Physical Materials
    Every element in your animation must originate from something physical. Cut paper, photograph objects, scan textures. No digital brushes or generated elements allowed.
    The McLaren Constraint: No Traditional Animation Software
    Create animation using only: slideshow software, browser developer tools, phone apps not designed for animation, or by manipulating file data directly.
    The Platform Constraint: Micro-Animation
    Create a complete animated narrative in exactly 3 seconds, designed specifically for Instagram Stories or TikTok. Every frame must advance the story.
    Exercise 3: Constraint Selection
    5 MINUTES

    Choose one constraint that scares you most. Write down:

    1. Why this constraint feels impossible
    2. What it might force you to discover
    3. One tiny first step you could take right now

    AI as Creative Partner (15 minutes)

    User-Friendly AI Tools for Animation Transformation

    AI tools that require no coding - think of them as very strange collaborators who see the world differently than you do.

    RunwayML
    Style transfer, background removal, image generation. Upload your sketches and let AI transform them into different artistic styles.
    Like hiring McLaren to repaint your animation in his abstract style
    Midjourney / DALL-E
    Generate background elements, textures, or reference images using text prompts. Create impossible scenes for your animations.
    Like having Reiniger's team of assistants create infinite paper cutouts
    Pika Labs / Stable Video
    Generate short video clips from text descriptions. Use as starting material to edit/composite into your own work.
    Like McCay dreaming up impossible creatures and having them appear
    Remove.bg / Unscreen
    Automatically remove backgrounds from images and videos. Perfect for creating Reiniger-style silhouettes from any footage.
    Like having an AI assistant cut perfect silhouettes instantly
    Luma AI / Polycam
    Turn phone photos into 3D models. Scan real objects and animate them in 3D space.
    Like bringing Reiniger's paper cutouts into dimensional space
    ElevenLabs / Murf
    Generate voices for character dialogue or narration. Create voices that don't exist.
    Like McLaren's synthetic sound creation but for voice
    Exercise 4: AI Collaboration Experiment
    10 MINUTES

    Choose one AI tool from above and use it as a creative partner:

    1. Start with something you've already created (sketch, photo, idea)
    2. Feed it to the AI tool and see what comes back
    3. Don't try to control the result - embrace the weirdness
    4. Use the AI output as raw material for your own animation
    5. Document the "conversation" between you and the AI
    AI isn't a replacement for creativity - it's a collaborator that sees patterns differently than humans. Use it to break out of your own visual habits.

    Platform Hacking (15 minutes)

    Making Animation in "Non-Animation" Spaces

    Every platform has affordances that can be exploited for unexpected animation. Think like McLaren - use tools in ways they weren't designed for.

    Social Media as Animation Platform
    Instagram Stories, TikTok: Post finished animations
    Use the platform tools AS your animation studio: Instagram's drawing tools, TikTok's effects, Twitter's GIF replies, Discord's custom emoji animations
    Platform constraints create unique aesthetics impossible in traditional software
    Presentation Software Animation
    PowerPoint/Keynote: Static presentations with basic transitions
    Create complex animations using only slide transitions, auto-advance timing, and layered elements. Export as video.
    Timing becomes musical/rhythmic when you can't scrub timelines
    Game Engines as Animation Tools
    Game engines: Build interactive experiences
    Use Minecraft, Dreams, or VRChat to create animations. Build scenes and record "performances" within game worlds.
    Game physics and user controls create movement impossible to plan traditionally
    Web Browser Animation
    Browser: View finished animations
    Create animations using: CSS animations in Codepen, Google Earth Studio flythroughs, or screen-recording browser interactions
    Web tools have built-in temporal behaviors you can exploit
    Exercise 5: Platform Exploit
    10 MINUTES

    Pick a platform you use daily (NOT for animation) and create movement within it:

    1. Choose: Instagram Stories, TikTok, PowerPoint, Google Earth, etc.
    2. Use ONLY the tools available on that platform
    3. Create something that moves/changes over time
    4. Screen record your process and result
    5. Notice what the platform makes easy vs. difficult

    Physical-Digital Hybrid Approaches (10 minutes)

    Bridging Reiniger's Craft with Contemporary Tools

    Combine the tactile satisfaction of physical making with digital distribution and manipulation.

    Fully Digital Workflow
  • Draw on tablet
  • Animate in software
  • Composite digitally
  • Export to video file
  • Share online
    • Physical-Digital Hybrid
  • Cut/build physical elements
  • Stop-motion with phone camera
  • Edit in mobile apps
  • Project onto surfaces
  • Document live projections
    • The Paper Method
    Create all visual elements by hand first: drawing, cutting, painting, collaging. Use phone/scanner to digitize. Animate the digital versions of physical objects.
    The Stop-Motion Hybrid
    Use stop-motion apps (Stop Motion Studio, iMotion) to capture physical movement, then composite with digital elements in editing software.
    The Projection Method
    Create animation to be projected onto physical surfaces. Document the projection as a new video. Animation becomes environmental.

    Open Experimentation Time (20 minutes)

    Break Your Process

    Choose one radical approach from today and push it further. The goal is productive failure and unexpected discovery.

    Deep Experiment Session
    20 MINUTES

    Select your most uncomfortable experiment from today and develop it:

    1. Set up your "wrong" tool or constraint
    2. Work for 20 minutes without stopping to evaluate
    3. Embrace failures - they often lead to discoveries
    4. Document everything: process photos, screen recordings, notes
    5. Create something that moves, even if it's weird
    Today's "failures" become tomorrow's techniques. Historical innovations often looked like mistakes at first.

    Process Reflection & Sharing (15 minutes)

    What Did Breaking Your Process Reveal?

    Share discoveries from today's workflow disruption experiments.

    Share one discovery from today: What did a "wrong" tool make possible that your usual approach never could?

    Focus on process insights, not finished products. What surprised you about your own capabilities?

    Process Documentation
    5 MINUTES

    Write down for your project development:

    1. Which constraint/tool swap felt most productive?
    2. What aspect of your normal process do you want to permanently change?
    3. What limitation do you want to embrace in your final project?
    4. Which experiment failed in an interesting way?
    The most valuable part of today isn't what you made - it's discovering new capabilities within yourself by working differently.

    Assignment for Next Week

    Process Transformation Project

    Week 4 Deliverables
    DUE: Next Class
    1. Workflow Manifesto: Write a 1-page statement about how you want to change your animation process based on today's experiments
    2. Constraint Commitment: Choose 2-3 limitations you'll embrace for your final project (tools, timing, materials, etc.)
    3. Process Documentation: Create a visual guide showing your new experimental workflow vs. your old approach
    4. Failed Experiment Collection: Document 3 "failed" experiments from this week - what didn't work and why it was valuable
    5. Historical Connection: Research how your chosen historical animator would approach your experimental process
    Next week we'll use your process manifestos to create individualized development plans for your final projects. Come ready to commit to working differently, not just making different work.

    Next Week Preview

    Lecture 4: Individual Project Development
    One-on-one consultations about your process transformation and final project direction. We'll troubleshoot your new experimental workflows and ensure your historical technique adaptation has a clear development path.