Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:08:06 -0600 (CST)
   From: Mark Jacobson <jacobson@cns.uni.edu>
     To: 810-088-12-spring@uni.edu
Subject: NO PREREQUISITES, NONE:  Visual Effect, Animation, and Motion Graphics

Hi 088 students,

    I am not sure why a couple of students have dropped the class.

  COURSE     SPRING 2011                   OPEN TAKEN  DAY   TIME 
----------  ----------------------------  ---- ----- -----  -----
810:088:12    VIS EFFCT ANMTN MOTN GRPHC    2    23  M W F  11:00
----------  ----------------------------  ---- ----- -----  -----

    1. The final project examples shown in class on the first day
       were NOT TYPICAL at all!  The one project was by a student
       that I had in Computational Modeling and Simulation 3 semesters
       ago who has done Flash and Adobe stuff since his freshman year
       in high school.

    2. You will be exposed to ideas and techniques over and over
       again this semester.  You are not expected to feel comfortable
       with any idea or technique until the 3rd or 4th or in some cases
       8th or 10th time you have seen it and used it!  :-)

       At the end of week 3 or week 4 of this class you will be pretty
       comfortable with most of what you have seen and done during the
       first two classes.

    3. Your first assignment only requires use of a web browser.
       You will watch a few videos, read a few pages of HTML or PDFs,
       and answer a few questions with paper and pen or paper and pencil.

       It is designed to get you familiar with Adobe After Effects basics
       such as the user interface and a few tricks.  It makes the most
       sense after you have the hands-on experience in class.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NO PREREQUISITES, NONE:  Visual Effect, Animation, and Motion Graphics 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

       So, to repeat the subject of this note, 810:088 12 does not
       have any prerequisites.  It is assumed you are a BEGINNER
       at Adobe After Effects and with any type of animation and
       motion graphics.

       When I taught at U of Iowa, they had a policy there that students 
had to get the instructors signature to drop a class.  Guess what often 
happened because of that?  Many of students that thought they would have
to drop the class found out after one on one with the instructor that
they do not need to drop the class and they would be just fine.

       If you feel lost looking at the Adobe After Effects user interface
and all the foreign concepts needed to get started at first, guess what.

       That is to be expected and nothing to worry about!

       Mark