SGD 161 SG Animation - Catalog Description Discrepancy

Here's how it's described on page 312 in the 2009-2010 Central Piedmont Community College catalog (and, sadly, exactly the same on page 320 in the 2010-2011 catalog) -

Awesome.

I was hoping it would be just that.  I was hoping the first question the teacher asked was "Who are some famous animators?".  Everyone would say Walt Disney and maybe Matt Groening or Mike Judge, of course.  Not me.  I was ready with the names Tex Avery, Ub Iwerks, Ralph Bashki, Don Hertzfeld, Winsor McKay, Otto Mesmer...you get the idea.  I dig animation.  Weird stuff.  Old stuff.  Yeah, the Pixar stuff is impressive, but it's scientifically designed to pull your heartstrings.  Down to the exact millisecond your heartstrings are expecting to be pulled.  

I've plunkered around on Flash and can't get it to do what I want.  I don't need knees to bend and perfect nostril flaring.  I just wanna move stuff around.  Maybe have the mouth move a little, but perfect sync with the dialogue isn't necessary.  I'm not aiming for realism.  I really don't care if the movement isn't fluid.

I've made 17 million little .gifs on free software designed for apes. Here are 3 - 

I want to think of a story.  Record the dialogue.  Take something I've already drawn or draw something new. Scan it, clean it up, then make it move.  Add music and sound effects.  Then put it on the internet.  

So, I signed up for SGD 161 SG Animation at CPCC.

But, it's not an animation class.  You learn After Effects.  Movie magic stuff.  Twirling titles and explosions and green screen things.  Very cool, but not what I wanted.  There is absolutely no "historical survey of animation, aspects of the animation process and animation techniques".  Zilcho.  Nada.  And there sure as hell ain't no sketching or doing artwork of any kind.  The description is wrong.  It needs to be changed. 

I bought the book.  I watched a bunch of tutorials.  I attended class and followed along with the tutorials.  But, I was disappointed.  After Effects is great for spicing up your vacation videos with realistic gun battles and blood squirts and laser beams and light sabers.  But, where was the animation?  The other students were digging it, but I wanted traditional animation stuff...not special effects.  I knew we wouldn't be using light tables, parchment paper, and 16mm cameras.  Maybe some simple animation programs.  Nope.  

You could import your artwork into After Effects and make little animated stories if you wanted.  People have.  But, I was really excited to do the stuff in the course description.  So, I quit.  I didn't get any money back.  Dang.  Oh well.  Live and...uh....ummmmmm....what is it....oh, yeah....learn. 

Here's a quote I repeat daily.

"A special effect is a tool, a means of telling a story. A special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing".

Neat, huh?  Guess who said it?

(scroll on down)

Go ahead.  Guess...

Nope.  Guess again.

No.  Good guess, though.

It was this guy...

     

                                                                            

Not the robot, you fool.  George Lucas.