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Department of Media and Communication

EXTENDED PROJECT PORTFOLIO

Academic Year 2016/2017

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Student NameYear 2 – Write the title of your

pathway Unit 13/14 – Extended Project

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS.........................................................................................................................................2

LIST OF FIGURES.............................................................................................................................5

LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................................5

DEFINITION OF TERMS...................................................................................................................5

Unit 13/14 - Project Proposal...............................................................................................................6

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Project Action Plan and Timetable.........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

.................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

CHAPTER 1...........................................................................................................................................10

Introduction........................................................................................................................................10

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The Background of my Project........................................................................................................10

Who am I?...................................................................................................................................11

What did I learn on my course?..................................................................................................11

What is my project about?.............................................................................................................11

Why my project is important?........................................................................................................12

My Research Plan............................................................................................................................12

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CHAPTER 2...........................................................................................................................................14

Literature/Resources Review.............................................................................................................14

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Introduction....................................................................................................................................14

Practitioners Report........................................................................................................................14

CONCLUSION - Who/what was my inspiration? /Contextualisation of my study.....................15

CHAPTER 3...........................................................................................................................................16

Research Design..................................................................................................................................16

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....................................................................16

Introduction....................................................................................................................................16

Research Questions........................................................................................................................17

Research Design Evolution..............................................................................................................18

CHAPTER 4...........................................................................................................................................20

Research Findings...............................................................................................................................20

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Data analysis...................................................................................................................................20

Conclusion - How did the research help me with my project?......................................................20

CHAPTER 5...........................................................................................................................................21

My Project...........................................................................................................................................21

.................................................................................21

Introduction....................................................................................................................................21

Pre-Production................................................................................................................................21

Production.......................................................................................................................................21

Post-production..............................................................................................................................21

Presentation....................................................................................................................................21

CHAPTER 6...........................................................................................................................................22

MY EXTENDED PROJECT – FINAL PRODUCT........................................................................................22

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CHAPTER 7...........................................................................................................................................23

Project Evaluation...............................................................................................................................23

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APPENDICES........................................................................................................................................24

Extended project in creative media production Learning Outcomes and Assessment.................24

1. Be able to initiate and develop a creative media production project proposal.......................24

2. Be able to use research, analysis and evaluation to develop solutions for creative media production project.......................................................................................................................24

3. Be able to solve practical, theoretical and technical problems in a creative media production project.........................................................................................................................................24

4. Be able to plan, organise and produce a creative media production project..........................24

5. Be able to use practical methods and skills in a creative media production project................24

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6. Be able to use evaluative and reflective skills in the production of a creative media product.24

7. Be able to present a creative media production project..........................................................24

REFERENCES........................................................................................................................................25

LIST OF FIGURES

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Figure 1 what I love mindmap.............................................................................................................12Figure 4 smearing example..................................................................................................................23Figure 5 multiples example..................................................................................................................24Figure 2 Castle Of Cagliostro car chase................................................................................................28Figure 3 Boy and The Beast 3D characters...........................................................................................29Figure 6 rotoscope experiment: key frame 1.......................................................................................35Figure 7 Rotoscope experiment: key frame 2......................................................................................36Figure 8 rotoscope experiment: stretched frame................................................................................37Figure 9 rotoscope experiment: "multiples" frame.............................................................................38

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 - Project Proposal......................................................................................................................8Table 2 - Project Action Plan and Timetable..........................................................................................9Table 3 Interview Questions................................................................................................................13Table 4- My Research Plan..................................................................................................................20

DEFINITION OF TERMS

EP – Extended ProjectUAL – University of the Arts London

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Unit 13/14 - Project Proposal

Candidate Name

Jack Hilder

Candidate Number 1094275262Pathway Digital design and animation

Project Title Frame by Frame Animated Fight Scene

Section 1: Rationale (approx. 150 words)

I am interested in exploring frame by frame animation techniques, character movement and pose/posture/gesture; the focus of this project is animating characters and communicating their emotions to the audience, that is why for this project I have chosen to animate a couple of shots of a short fight scene between two characters. Essential information for this project is what techniques and methods are effective when creating fast paced animation, how to communicate the characters’ emotions effectively and how show impact in animation. The reason why I have chosen to do frame by frame animation for this is because I have found that frame by frame is a lot more fluid in movement than vector based, this is something I prefer in animation and can use to communicate emotion. The purpose of this project is to gain some experience in animation before I go to university to study it, that way I am not clueless about animation before I start.

Section 2: Project Concept (approx. 200 words)

The concept of my project it to create a segment of shots of a very short fight scene between two characters using frame by frame animation, focusing on exploring and creating the characters’ movement, emotion and impacts to each of the characters’ body. I want to research what elements make a fight scene intense and interesting to the audience and I want to experiment with techniques used to create fast paced animation such as smearing and blurring, morphing shapes and removing, adding or timing frames differently to create specific effects, I would also like to experiment with creating different types of impacts. I will conduct secondary research through online websites, online journals and books to learn about the elements that make a fight scene intense and techniques used in fast paced

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animation, and I will conduct primary research through experimentation into the techniques I have researched to see how effective they are and whether I can create use them, such as creating simple animation clips that include shape morphing, blurring and smearing, etc. The outcomes of this project are that I would have a short animation on YouTube of a fight scene that would interest an audience that would be into the thriller genre and fight scenes, I would also have work showing the journey I took.

Section 3: Evaluation (approx. 150 words)

To evaluate the final outcome of my work, I will review the work and research I have documented for each week of the project, looking at key points such as the quantity, the quality and the time it took to achieve specific tasks, I will then evaluate the final product and reflect on the work I have reviewed on, seeing what was successful or what has caused the product to drop in quality. I will finally have a screening of the product and will hold a discussion with the audience and will record the feedback which I will use to reflect. When evaluating certain techniques to use in my product, I will do an evaluation myself and again hold a focus group to see what they think of these techniques and I will also conduct small surveys when working on the character’s emotions to see if I have successfully communicated the right emotion.

Proposed Research Sources and Bibliography (Harvard Format)

ANDERSON, K., 2014. MIYAZAKI MASTERCLASS – THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO (1979). [Online] Available at: http://nerdist.com/miyazaki-masterclass-the-castle-of-cagliostro-1979/[Accessed 24 February 2017].

Animations, A. N., 2015. Fast Paced Fight Animation | By Anthony Nold. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NElnIRyikKI

Anon., 2017. Anime news network. [Online] Available at: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=4068[Accessed 20 February 2017].

Anon., 2017. IMDb. [Online] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396074/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm[Accessed 20 February 2017].

Anon., n.d. Director, Development - Boomerang. [Online] Available at: https://www.turnerjobs.com/job/atlanta/director-development-boomerang/1174/4058966

Anon., n.d. Subject: Hayao Miyazaki Biography, Revision 2 (6/24/94). [Online] Available at: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/miyazaki/miyazaki_biography.txt[Accessed 21 February 2017].

Anon., n.d. The Hayao MIYAZAKI Web. [Online] Available at: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/miyazaki/[Accessed 21 February 2017].

B, R., 2017. How to SHOOT a Fight Scene: MOVEMENT, CHOREOGRAPHY (taught by stuntmen. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxap6jc9Sbk

Burton, M., 2015. Animation Director - Career Profile. [Online] Available at: http://www.animationcareerreview.com/articles/animation-director-career-profile

Frank Thomas, O. J., 1981. The Illustrations of Life Disney Animation. Italy: Walt Disney Productions.

Gaeta, J., 2017. Vimeo. [Online] Available at: https://vimeo.com/39790868

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[Accessed 2017 February 2017].

Grandin, T., 2006. THINKING IN PICTURES with 2006 Updates from the Expanded Edition. [Online] Available at: http://www.grandin.com/inc/visual.thinking.html[Accessed 14 January 2017].

IGN, 2016. The Boy and The Beast - Clip #2 (English Dub). [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yp92Mq2GdE[Accessed 26 February 2017].

J.Ruocco, M., 2011. Smears, Multiples and Other Animation Gimmicks. [Online] Available at: http://animationsmears.tumblr.com/

Jazza, D. w., 2013. How To: Animation Smears. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a71-rmYCqMU

Martin, S., n.d. Animation Tricks. [Online] Available at: https://web.cs.wpi.edu/~matt/courses/cs563/talks/anim_tricks.html

Medlej, J., 2014. Human Anatomy Fundamentals: Mastering Facial Expressions. [Online] Available at: https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/human-anatomy-fundamentals-mastering-facial-expressions--cms-21140

Robin J. S. Sloan, B. R. M. C., 2009. Creative approaches to emotional expression animation. [Online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41461346_Creative_approaches_to_emotional_expression_animation

Robin J. S. Sloan, B. R. M. C., 2009. Creative approaches to emotional expression animation.

slowtiger, 2013. Motion blur, smears and multiples. [Online] Available at: http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=24645

Wimshurst, H., 2015. How to Animate a Fight Scene | Motion Blurs. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ScUIpzswbE

Table 1 - Project Proposal

Project Action Plan and Timetable

Week Date WeekBeginning

Activity / What you are intending to do - including independent study

Resources / What you will need to do it - including access to workshops

13rd April

I will be conducting observations on movement and analysing them in detail.

I will need a camera to record the observations, I will also need a graphics tablet and Photoshop to create rotoscopes of the movement to help me better understand them.

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210th April

I will be creating a timeline for the skills I have learnt throughout this course.

I will need a computer and access to Tiki-Toki to create the timeline

317th April

I will be working on the project proposal and the research plan.

I will need a computer and access to word.

424th April

I will be presenting my project proposal and working the final drafts of the research plan.

I will need a computer and access to word and power point.

51st May

I am going to be researching techniques that are used to create fast paced animation, such as smearing, blurring, timing, etc.

I will need a computer and the library if needed, to conduct secondary research. I will also need a computer to document what I learn.

68th May

I will use the techniques I learnt in the previous week in an experiment to see if frame by frame animation techniques can be applied to a rotoscope.

I will need to Photoshop and a graphics tablet to create the Rotoscope and to use the techniques.

715th May

I will do research into facial expression in animation and pose/posture/gesture. Focusing on communicating emotions effectively.

I will need a computer to document this and to research. I will also need access to the library for books to research.

822nd May

I will work on the art style and draw up the storyboard for the animation.

I will need photocopier, pencils, pens and pads.

929th May

Finalise the storyboard and art style, along with also deciding the setting and time period. I will start working on the backgrounds for the animation to take place.

I will need photocopier, pencils, pens and pads. I may also need a graphics tablet and photoshop if I decide the backgrounds I create are good enough

105th June

Depending if I decide to use rotoscoping or not, I will record the footage for the rotoscope and begin working on the rotoscope whilst applying the techniques I have learnt.

I will need a camera, a classmate or two to help me record. I will also need a graphics tablet and Photoshop to work on the rotoscope.

11 12th June Continue working on the animation and finish it up. Hold a screening to receive feedback and to discuss about my product. I will then begin to work on the final evaluation of my work.

I will need Photoshop and a graphics tablet to finish the animation. I will also need a projector and a classroom to hold the screening.

12 19th June I will be polishing up my evaluation and my presentation of my work and product.

I will need a computer.

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Table 2 - Project Action Plan and Timetable

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

This project portfolio is a report of my Extended Project for my second-year UAL Digital Design and Animation pathway. The project is a short thriller animation of two men fighting in an alleyway, the animation will focus on communicating the emotions and personalities of the two characters as they fight. This first chapter of the project portfolio presents the background of my project starting with writing about myself, what I learned on my course and who or what inspired me for my project. This is followed by explaining what my project is about and why it is important. The chapter concludes with my research plan.

The Background of my Project

The reason why I want to animation in my project is because I want to pursue career in it as I found from last year’s extended project that I had a lot of influences in 2D animated films and series.

Looking back, I can that some of my personal experiences have influenced my choices, one of them being last year’s extended project, where I worked on a graphic novel. I found that I did more research into creating the comic than the characters themselves as I wasn’t able to show much emotion and/or personality through facial expression and pose, posture and gesture. This is probably why I have decided to choice a project where I can research and explore different techniques to communicate emotion and personality to the audience.

The basic premise of my project is to explore techniques used in movement, facial expressions and pose, posture and gesture to communicate emotion and personality from the character to the audience. I seek to achieve animation that clearly shows the personality and emotion of the

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characters in my animation, this will allow me to show the knowledge and experience I have by using the animation in my portfolio when applying to future jobs, etc.

Who am I?

What I love?

At the beginning of this week, I worked on creating a mind map of the things I love, this would include things that I like and are interested in, hobbies and seeing what I know about such as techniques and methods for frame by frame animation. The purpose of this task is to discover more about myself and to see if my interests are linked to one and another; I can use this kind of research for my FMP to narrow down what I want to do and learn by using my interests and also finding the best base for my FMP that meets most of my interests.

Figure 1 what I love mindmap

In my mind map, I included four major things I like and love, these were animation, script writing, concept design and landscapes. With that, I then explored more into each one, going deeper it what I like and love about them, along with what I knew.

Reflection

From creating the mind map, I found that I knew a lot about concept art. I found that I knew more than I expected about script writing, however I needed to do more research on it, along with also animation and landscapes if I were to go down that line. This is useful information to me because I can now use it to see what I need to research if I go down one of the paths that link to my mind map

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in my Final Major project, such as I might go down a path that involves animation as it is linked to several other interests and have my interests in landscapes be the main theme.

Interviewing

Interviewing Xavier

For the 2nd week of this term, I interviewed another student from a different class; this would help us learn more about ourselves and apply that knowledge towards our final major project, I can use this research to narrow down what I want to do for my FMP, along with also discovering new things about myself such as new skills or weaknesses, interests I never really thought about, etc. The research that I will be doing will also count as primary research.

To start the task, I first began simple research into my interviewee, Xavier; this will help me create questions that are relevant to Xavier; for this research, I asked him simple questions like what is the course he is on, what was his FMP, etc.

He are my research questions:

1. What course are you on?

“Games Development”

2. What was you Final Major Project and how do you feel about the final result?

“3D environment, it didn’t work out to how I planned it.”

3. Do you like gaming and what games do you like?

“Yes, I like Halo games, first person shooters, third person survival and Mass effect series”

4. What do you play on?

“Xbox One”

5. What films do you like?

“Marvel films and Star war films”

6. Do you like anime and which do you watch more, Sub or dub?

“Yes and I mostly watch Sub”

7. What are you passionate about?

“I am passionate about games and my pets”

8. What are your influences?

“My family”

I then did some more research by looking at Xavier’s blog, mainly around his final major project from last year. He made a 3D environment which was very good, however he believes that he could do better, he is also very self-critical about his work.

What do I want to find out?

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After going through the research, I found that the main thing I wanted the interview to focus round is, what influences him into pursuing the career he wants?

Questions

Topic Question 1. Interests - What are your hobbies?

- What are your likes & dislikes?- Expand on answers, e.g. what you like linked to…..

2. Personal questions - What makes you happy?- What characteristics do you like about people and why?- What do you dislike about people and why?

3. Career - What career do you want to peruse?- What is your final goal in your career?- Expand on answers, e.g. do you think that…. Is why you want to do…?

4. Influence - From your interests would you say that … is an influence towards your career and if yes, then why/ if not then what and why?- Expand on anything else learnt from the interview.

Table 3Interview Questions

Answers

1. - His hobbies are gaming and watching anime.

- He likes to spend time alone because of his mental disability (He has to spend an hour alone a day), He likes games quite a bit. He dislikes crowded places, having to give out the same answer to someone.

- I asked him about one of his dislikes which was crowded places and whether it was connected to his disability, he answered that I was slightly right however part of it is because he is not very good at socialising, as a result he prefers to be by himself.

2. - What makes him happy is when he relaxes around his home, as well as being with his pets and family, and playing games. I followed up by asking him if being with his friends make him happy, he responded with that he doesn’t see his friends outside of college but he doesn’t mind spending time with them at college.

- The characteristics he likes about people are he prefers kind people, he likes quiet people because of his disability, he doesn’t want to constantly talk to people about it and he likes people with similar interests as him as it makes it easier for him to socialise with them.

- He dislikes people that involve themselves in other people’s business when it doesn’t concern them, he doesn’t like bullies, people who oppress people and he doesn’t like people who place themselves above others.

3. - He wants to peruse 3D modelling for games, this is because he finds himself mostly skilled at it and he believes that he is not very good at sound, he also hasn’t explored animation, so he sees 3D modelling as the only option.

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I then expanded on the question and asked if he thinks that his disability, autism is connect to why he wants to do 3D modelling and further explained how some disabilities also allow different skills and talents to be created. He disagreed with me and said that his disabilities are more psychical and social, along with that when he plays his games, he is somehow able to lose those disabilities.

- He would like to be employed by one of the larger gaming companies and get a stable income and doesn’t have any other goals.

4. – I asked him from the answers he gave that if one of the influences for his career in the game industry was because of games and if so why do you think that is, he agreed with me and said he finds it all familiar to him so he goes towards. He doesn’t like doing new things because thinks he will do them terribly wrong, so he only sticks to the things he knows and doesn’t stray.

Reflecting on the interview I gave

From this interview, I was able to achieve my main goal of finding out “what influences him into pursuing the career he wants?”, the answer was a bit complicated but I was able to figure it. What influences him to pursue a career in game development is his dislike of change and doing new things which is linked to his autism, the reason why he chooses to pursue this career because he takes great enjoyment from games and it is something he knows a lot about. However, this may be a good choice for him to pursue this career as his autism may benefit him, this is because his autism may allow him to visualize 3D space and objects much more easily than others which is great in games development as most of the development is 3D modelling. (Grandin, 2006)

Being Interviewed

Here are the questions I was asked and my answers:

1. What are the names of your pets?

- My dogs’ names are Lillie and Lolo, my cats’ names are Puddy and Tip, and my goldfish’s name is Bob.

2. Why do I prefer Xbox over PC?

- When it comes down to technicality and gameplay, I prefer PC, however when it comes to emotion, I find I prefer console as in childhood I only had a console.

3. How was I introduced into anime?

- I first discovered anime when watching the TV on Film 4 and Spirt away came on.

4. What is my favourite anime series?

- When I first started, it was Full metal alchemist, however now that I have watched a lot of great anime, I cannot decide.

5. What do I like about the game portal?

- I like how portal’s comedy and story are scripted, along with how it’s one of the games that has great puzzles in 3D space.

6. What do I like about metal gear solid?

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- How I can spend hours playing one mission and the amount of concentration needed to do well on a mission.

7. What do I like about battlefield?

- I like the communication that can be used in the game, along with forming up into separate squads in one team to achieve different tasks.

8. What do I want to do for my Final major Project?

- I want to focus my final major project around animation.

9. Do I know what I want to do after the course, and if so what?

- I want to go to Farnham University of creative arts to study animation.

10. Why Am I influence by Justin Roiland and Seth MacFarlane?

- Because they are both creators of their own shows which both are wildly popular.

11. How do I feel about my name?

- It’s alright, I neither like nor dislike it.

12. Who gave me that name?

- My mother

13. How was my childhood?

- It was great, I spent a lot of it outside because I live on a farm, so I really appreciate where I live.

14. What characteristics do I like about people?

- I like the kindness of people, the empathy they can have to one and another, and the trust they can have between each other.

The results my interviewer concluded

After interviewing Jack Hilder I found out the things that influenced him into pursuing his current career was the Ghibli films and he was also influenced by Justin Roilard and Seth Macfarlane due to their different approach to comedy and the fact they have their own shows. It appears he wants to do animation in shows and tv series rather than games.

Reflecting on my interview

From this interview, I didn’t really learn as much as I wanted to about myself, this is probably because my interviewer didn’t really push as much on the questions he gave. However, what I did learn about myself was that the reason I enjoy landscapes and environments, whether done in photography, sketch or create in 3Ds Max, was because most of my childhood has been in the countryside and from where I live, I have a great view of it. With this knowledge, I can decide whether to use landscapes in my final major project such as using landscapes as the main theme of my project and explore how landscapes are used? for future reference, such as using it in future projects.

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Myer’s Briggs test

In order to learn more about myself, I used a personality test to find out more about, the site I used was https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test. This again goes towards my FMP as the information I learn about myself, I can apply to the FMP, such as making the project focus on strengths or improve upon my weaknesses.

The theory behind this test that was create came from the theory created by Carl Jung which was that there are four principal functions by which humans experience the world, they are sensation, intuition, feeling and thinking.

After going through the test and answering as honestly as I could, I found that I was Campaigner ENFP-A, each letter of that means different thing and are also pared with another letter/word.

It goes:

(E) Extrovert or (I) Introvert

(S) Sensing or (N) Intuition

(T) Thinking or (F) Feeling

(J) Judging or (P) Perceiving

What it says and how I feel about it

The results are actually pretty accurate with how I experience life and how I approach things, however there are some parts that I disagree on such as my weaknesses, having poor particle skills and getting stressed easily. The things I related to from the results were how I am in a workplace, a little bit on how I will pursue the career I want and how I am with friendships.

I was surprised when reading through the weaknesses, as I discovered something I never really considered about myself and that is being highly emotional, particularly when under high amounts of stress, criticism or conflict, it comes out in burst and can be counter-productive.

I slightly agree with the test with parts that really match what I am to parts which are way off. The theory of the test I am not too sure about however because the test results were fairly accurate, I think do agree on it however I believe it is more to do with the psychology of human beings.

Reflecting

After doing this task, I have found that I have discovered more about myself than I previously knew and has made me more solid on who I think I am; with what I have learnt, I can use it to inform my work practices, such as making the idea process in my projects a lot longer or shorter than usual as it says in the results that Campaigners are great at creating and working on ideas. I can also improve some of my weaknesses through my FMP, such as improving my ability to focus by creating a plan that would allow me to keep my work flow and when working, create an environment without distractions.

Part 2: Going through the test as if your peer is answering them

After going through the test again as my peer, Sam, I got the same thing he got early; however when he went through the test as me, he got Protagonist (ENFJ-A) which is different to what I got earlier. When reading through the protagonist I found that I related to it a lot, maybe more than the

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campaigner as I found that some of the weaknesses don’t match with me and nearly of the rest relate with me such as again how I act towards myself, friends, my career and my workplace.

After looking at the results, I find that my perspective of myself and what other people perceive of me are similar but also slightly different, either I see myself less than I am or other people see more than I am.

Reflection

When looking at Sam’s results and my results, I have found that I maybe more complicated than I thought or that I think less of myself; this has helped me also discover more about myself that I didn’t really know. Again this will help me with my Final major project as can base my work on improving myself.

Reflecting on this week's tasks

When looking at the tasks I have undertaken, I believe I have done very well when doing research into myself. I was able to discover that I may criticise myself a little too much and I can do more than I believe I can. Through the tasks, I was able to give clear reflections on them, however I believe I may be able to do more by asking for feedback from my peers.

What did I learn on my course?

Demonstrate your achievements through proposing and realising a project, which integrates the skills, knowledge and understanding acquired throughout the course. Write about your two-year experience on the course and what you have learned during the course. Also, compare where you were when you enrolled on the course and where you are now.

What skills have I learnt?

This week I created a timeline in Tiki-toki of what I have done through this course to see what skills and knowledge I have required over the time, this is so I can apply this knowledge to my project proposal and research plan, allowing me to know what I need to research and be able to identify skills I can use in this project.

First year

Term one:

The first skills I learnt at the start of the year was self-reflection and doing research into myself, I now use this skill through most of the course and will defiantly use it at the end of my project to self-reflect on how I have done and whether I could do better.

The next set of skills was learning how to use 3Ds max, and the techniques and methods used in it. Because the animation I am planning to do is mostly 2D work, however after conducting some research into different vector based animated shows, I discovered a technique on using 3Ds max to create 2D backgrounds that have very good perspective.

I then began to learn how to use sound, how edit sound in audacity and how to dub video with sound you have created. These skills are useful to my project as it is an animation, however sound is not my main focus of this project so I will probably work on little bit of Foley sound.

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Term two:

I worked on creating a dossier with team on a fictional game, I did concept art, 3D modelling, texturing and voice acting. From this I learnt how to work on a project with a team, learning that communication and organisation is very important; I learnt how to work on concept art, how to research techniques better and document it, and how to use both physical elements and digital elements to create a piece of work. I can use these skills in my project by using them to learn new techniques, to create a team or focus group and have them properly organised, to sketch out character designs and to use physical techniques together with digital techniques.

Term three

I began my FMP by reviewing my core skills and abilities, which is something I did similar at the beginning of this project. Further on, I finally began research into my project, looking at books like Framed Ink and other sources. This taught me how to do independent research and document it properly, along with Harvard referencing it. This is a very useful skill I can use in this project as I will be mostly doing independent research on my project.

When I was researching art styles, I did two types of research, first is secondary research which was on art styles from products with the similar genres I was working with and then primary research which was experimenting with the art styles I had research by applying them to my character. From this I learnt how to properly experiment and document it, this is again something I will be doing a lot in my project which means that it is a very important skill to know.

Second Year

Term one

I learnt at the beginning of my interactive promotional video project, the main basics of After Effects, creating and using mask paths and text paths, and using 3D characteristics in After Effects. I also put more practice into storyboarding for my promotional video and motion graphic; most of these skills, I probably won’t be using in my project as I won’t be using After Effects to animate, however storyboarding will be an Important part of my project as it will help me plan the chorography of my fight scene, along with the shot types and angles.

Term two

In the first two weeks, I learnt more about researching myself, one of the skills I learnt that can be useful for my project is how to conduct a proper interview, this would allow me to conduct interviews with people in the industry and be able to gain a lot of information which I can use for my product.

In the third week, I was taught how to do a case study, this was done by first doing asset case study with a group; once I learnt the basics, I put what I learnt into practice by doing my own case study of a chosen technology. I can use this skill to create more case studies into things I want to know for my project.

The fourth week, I was taught how to properly conduct an experiment and how to document it by showing me how and then doing it under a specific theme, I then again put it into practice but this time picking my own theme. I can use this skill to properly conduct and document my experiments in this project.

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In the fifth week, I worked on more experiments focusing around 2D animation, I first experimented on using acetates to create key frames of a walk cycle, I found that it would allow me to see what it would look like at the end a lot easier, however this process took more time and requires very few mistakes; from this gain some skills in using acetate, animation and improve my Photoshop skills. When experimenting with vector based animation, I found that it was a little be more fiddly than frame by frame, this was because I had less control of what each frame was and I have little experience with using it. However, I was able to improve my After Effects skills, gain some Illustrator skills and vector based animation skills.

In the sixth week, I worked on my practitioners report, where I researched into two people and their products. From this I found new techniques and methods, along with history of both Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Hosoda. From this I improved my research skills and Harvard referencing as I did a lot of secondary research for both products and creators.

Evaluation

Looking at this, I find that I have learnt a lot about how to research, using certain software and techniques used in the industry. This information will allow me to know what I am capable of for my project, and what I need to research and practice to achieve my project; this will allow me more time to work on my project as I will not have waste time trying to find out what I need to more of.

What is my project about?

My project is about two people having a fight in an alley, the genre is a thriller so I want to

explore these emotions effectively through movement, facial expression and pose, posture

and gesture. That is why I have chosen to use 2D frame by frame animation to portray the

characters emotions, as it allows for more fluid movement and easier morphing of shapes.

In the industry my role would be animator, however because I am working on the majority

of the project alone, I will also be taking on the role as Foley artist, actor, story-boarder, a

cameraman and a video editor.

Why my project is important?

My project is important because it will allow me to expand my experience in creating animation before I begin my new course at University, this is important as it would allow me to achieve a higher grade with the knowledge and experience I have gained. It is also important because the use of movement in animation plays a key part in animation as it is used to communicate the emotion and personality of the character to the audience. I want to create an animation that allows the audience to fully understand who the characters are and what they are feeling through the characters’ facial expressions and pose, posture and gestures they use.

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My Research Plan

Table 4- My Research Plan

EXTENDED PROJECT - RESEARCH PLAN No of Words

Interest/Topic/Theme 150I am interested in exploring the use of movement in 2D animation, focusing more on the fast pace animated scenes and how the emotions of the characters are communicated through facial expression and pose/posture/gesture. I want to also explore in creating a fight scene that is aimed to be more real and messy than most fight scenes by using the same techniques they use in the industry, such as the choreography of the fight, this includes pacing, timing, etc. And how the camera is used, such as the shots, the way the camera moves, etc. The last thing I’m interested in is the thriller genre, I want to know the similar themes used in different thriller based media to make it a thriller genre and what techniques are used to create these themes; this would allow me in the future to create thriller based media and know how to research and create different genres.Why is it important? - Importance 100Exploring the use of movement in animation is important to me and the industry because it plays a key part in what the character or scene is trying to communicate, whether its matching a theme/genre, communicating an emotion of a character at a specific point or personality of that character. A character’s emotion and personality can also be communicated through facial features and pose/posture/gesture which is why if movement, pose/posture/gesture and facial features were created with no prior knowledge or research into, lots of these opportunities of communicating to the audience would be lost, making the animation sloppy and without purpose which is why it’s important to the industry and to me.

My research question(s) 100

I will be trying to find out: • What does the audience feel when using certain techniques and methods in animation to create movement? • What makes a thriller? • What techniques and methods are used to create thriller themes in animation? • How can movement be used to communicate a character’s mood and personality? • Can movement be used to communicate different themes? • What techniques are used to created fast paced animation?• How can a character’s emotions/personality be communicated through facial expression and pose/posture/gesture?

Research Design 100

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For conducting research into the thriller genre, developing characters and researching animation, I will use the sources I have written down and more to find key points, I will then cross reference them with similar products of what I am going to create, that way I can see what key points really matter and learn new key points. I will also do experiments using these key points I have learnt to how effective they are, such as for creating the illusion of fast movements in animation, how does amount of motion blur or smear effect the way an object/character moves.Literature (Proposed Sources – Harvard Format)10 Basic Ingredients of a Successful Thriller. (2008, September 5). Retrieved from Writer's Digest: http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-conferencesevents/qp7-migration-maui/10-basic-ingredients-of-a-successful-thriller

Animations, A. N. (2015, November 24). Fast Paced Fight Animation | By Anthony Nold . Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NElnIRyikKI

Cabral, C. G. (2013, December 4). Cartoon Fundamentals: How to Create Movement and Action. Retrieved from envatotuts+: https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/cartoon-fundamentals-how-to-create-movement-and-action--vector-19904

Filskov, D. (n.d.). The Guide To Sound Projects. Retrieved from epicsound: http://www.epicsound.com/sfx/Pegbarians. (2016, March 25). Amazing Animation Analysis - Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Retrieved from YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzCGknQg1vk

Pegbarians. (2017, February 17). Amazing Animation Analysis- ONE-PUNCH MAN. Retrieved from YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlrpo2nod64

Robin J. S. Sloan, B. R. (2009, January). Creative approaches to emotional expression animation. Retrieved from Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41461346_Creative_approaches_to_emotional_expression_animation

slowtiger. (2013, August 15). Motion blur, smears, and multiples. Retrieved from Moho Forum: http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=24645

Williams, R. (2009). The Animator's Survival Kit. Faber Limited.

Wolf, S. E. (2017, January 21). What Makes A Fight Scene Interesting. Retrieved from YouTube: https://youtu.be/rEn0x1DCk4A

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CHAPTER 2

Literature/Resources Review

Introduction In this chapter, I will be reviewing the different secondary research tasks that I will be conducting throughout this project. The research tasks will be using a different array of sources such as books, websites, online articles, etc.

Researching fast paced animation techniques

The first couple of techniques I already know but need more research into are blurring, smearing and timing.

Blurring and smearing

Smearing

Smearing is usually found between to key frames, it’s like a normal frame but is more morphed and a little strange. There are different types of smearing which are stretching and multiples; stretching is where the character/object becomes stretched out, however this can be made to only occur in certain parts of an object or character, like a character’s arms moving.

Figure 2 smearing example

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Multiples are when the character/object has multiple versions of itself, either separately space from each other, the spacing varies depending on the action, or the multiples are part of one character or object, like a character having multiple eyes and necks in one frame.

Figure 3 multiples example

When creating stretching in animation, a key point of the stretching is to retain the shape between the point where it starts and where it ends, placed half way. When working on multiples, it seems that positioning and spacing are very important factors as it shows how the object or character is moving between those two points, usually these multiples follow an arch pattern.

(Jazza, 2013)

(J.Ruocco, 2011)

Motion Blur

Motion blur in animation is the recreation of what happens when a camera records fast movement with a low shutter speed, it blurs. Motion blurs are dictated by a couple of things, like the direction, the speed and some randomness. A way to measure how big the motion blur is, is by using the onion skin and seeing how far the object/character’s limb travels from the frame before, the greater the distance, the bigger the blur.

When creating the blurs, it’s good to have the eraser and the pen ready, this is because there will be a lot of erasing and drawing to get the blurs right. When creating the motion blur, leave at least some rough outline of the original object/character, this will make it easier to animate future frames

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with onion skins. Also, when creating the blur lines, it’s good to distribute them going further out and a little bit in the character/object.

There are two types of blurs, the trailer edge blur which usually comes from behind the direction the object/character is heading and the leading edge which is at the front of the object/character. When creating the leading edge, the blur lines must not go head of the object/character as they have not reached that destination, this is something I need to be careful about when dealing with blur lines.

(Wimshurst, 2015)

Looking at the book, Illusions of life Disney animation by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, on page 116 it shows an example of another way of using motion. From the Adventures of Mr Toad, Weasel quickly approaches toad to shake his hand, as he reaches Toad to shake his hand, the speed lines are still catching up to him, this exaggerates the speed. (Frank Thomas, 1981)

Timing

Looking back at the Illusions of life Disney animation, on page 64 to 65 it talks about timing. When dealing with the speed and timing of movements from characters, the varying speeds of the movement can determine the different personalities ad emotions of that character, like “lethargic, excited, nervous, relaxed. Neither acting nor attitude could be portrayed without paying very close attention to timing.” It also talks about how timing even effects the most basic actions as it can change the meaning entirely, an example it gives is imagine a character’s head, “first showing it leaning toward the right shoulder and the second with it over on the left and its chin slightly raised”. Now here are the different meanings it could give when left or given in-between frames, shown by the book:

“No in-betweens- THE CHARACTER has been hit by a tremendous force. His head is nearly snapped off.

One in-between- ………………………. has been hit by a brick, rolling pin, frying pan.

Two in-betweens- ………………………. has a nervous tic, a muscle spasm, an uncontrollable twitch.

Three in-betweens- ……………………. is dodging the brick, rolling pin, frying pan.

Four in-betweens- ……………………… is giving a crisp order, “Get going!” “Move it!”

Five in-betweens- ………………………. is more friendly, “Over here.” “Come on- hurry!”

Six in-betweens- ………………………… sees a good-looking girl, or the sports car he has always wanted.

Seven in-betweens- …………………… tries to get a better look at something.

Eight in-betweens- ……………………. searches for the peanut butter on the kitchen shelf.

Nine in-betweens- …………………….. appraises, considering, thoughtfully.

Ten in-betweens- ………………………. stretches a sore muscle.”

In my earlier research, I found in some animations they would use two or more frames of the same drawing, the book talks about it. They are know as “Ones” and “Twos”, “This referred to the number of frames of film to be shot of a single drawing”. They used this because it was known that most actions don’t require new drawings for every frame, so to save time they would use the same

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drawing; it also had an effect on slower movements, giving the animation a smoother appearance. Twos in fast actions scenes also caused an effect, it would make the action seem to have “more sparkle and spirt than the same action with in-betweens, which tended to make the timing too even and removed vitality. An important thing I must keep in mind when working with Ones and Twos is if I have the camera panning and it has the character’s feet in contact with the floor in the shot, the animation would have to be on Ones. This is because the character will have to match the moves of the pan, otherwise “there would be a slippage which looked peculiar. Similar, if the camera were moving in any direction (which must be on “ones”), there would be a strange jittering unless the character’s actions were one “ones” also.”

(Frank Thomas, 1981)

Evaluation

From this I have learnt the basic techniques of animation and fast paced animation, this will allow me to begin to put into practice those techniques and see whether they can be applied to Rotoscoping.

Communicating emotions

Character expressions

In the seventh week, I am going to be conducting research into character’s facial expressions and see what techniques are used to communicate different emotions through the facial expressions.

The human face is known to be the first immediate thing the eye is drawn to, this makes it very important to known how to correctly use facial expressions correctly. As it says in the online article “The body expresses action, but the face is a window into someone's inner life, and the expression of this inner life in a character makes all the difference between a skilled, observant artist (or writer) and a wooden one.” (Medlej, 2014)

Eyes

The eye is made up of three specific things that determine the emotion, the eyelid, the iris position and the pupils size; when working on the face, it is best to work on the eyes first as “the eyes are the main point of focus in a face”. Here are some examples the article gives:

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Figure 4 different eyes

This shows that different combinations of how the eyelid is positioned, how the iris is position, and what size the pupil is, can determine the emotion it communicates. For a sleepy eye, the eyelid covers most of the eye, the iris is covered and the pupil is dilated; a relaxed eye is like a normal open eye but can be simulated as still tied by adding one more line, the iris just touches the edge of the eyelid and the pupil still dilated. An alert eye is when the eyelid is open normally but with no extra detail, the iris is in the same position as the relaxed eye and the pupil is this time contracted; the last eye shown is a wide eye, where the eyelid is fully open, the iris is free and the pupil is contracted.

Eyebrows

In this online article, it talks about the eyebrow being made up of segments, he calls it the head and the curve. These two parts pull on each other and can be either rested, raised or lowered, the combinations of two different heights can also achieve different expressions; here are some examples:

Figure 5 different eyebrows

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You can see that these different combinations communicate different emotions, such as when the head of the eyebrow is rested and the curve raised makes the expression appear to communicate surprised, when both raised it appears to communicate confusion.

Mouth

The way the mouth communicates emotion is though both lips and how they curve, if both lips are curve up it communicates a generic happiness, if the upper lip is curved down and the lower lip up it communicates a greater happiness. If both lips are curved down it communicates dismay or fear, if the upper lip curves down and the lower lip curves up it communicates shock as it represents a jaw dropping and if “Lips look like they want to join in the middle: caused by the corners, which are lifted into a snarl: this is the angry open mouth.” (Medlej, 2014)

Figure 6 different mouths

Nose

The nose communicates the least amount of emotion however, it is known to scrunch and wrinkle up when the character needs to communicate extreme anger and disgust.

Putting it into practice

For this, I wanted to put what I have learnt to the test to see if I understand and to see if it is effective. To do this I decided to create four emotions through only using eyes and eyebrows, these four emotions are fear, anger, relaxed and tired. Here are the results:

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Figure 7 Putting facial features into practice

As you can see, I have been very success full in communicating those emotions, however I have also notice that both expressions for fear and tired are also communicating something else. For fear, it is also communicating confusion and for tiredness, it is communicating questioning; these two emotions are both connected through curiosity, like confusion is looking for an answer to what you are not understanding and questioning is wondering, thinking. I believe that these two are connect through one similarity, the eyebrows; this is because the heads of both eyebrows (where the eyebrow starts from the nose) are raised, this creates the idea the expression is communicating that the character is surprised and curious.

This is also explained in the same online article which it calls “The Emotion Tree”

Figure 8 Emotion tree

This shows that some emotion are connected to bigger emotions and each other, such as what I was explaining earlier, those two emotion are connected to being surprised.

Body expression

When characters are shown expressing emotion, it is rarely done with facial expressions alone, using body expressions makes the character look less stiff and adds more personality to the character.

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Hands are known to be very expressive, they can help the audience to tell how the character is feeling, such as if the character’s hands are flailing around, it could mean they are panicked or upset.

Some examples the article gives are:

Figure 9 Postures and Gestures

Here’s what it could mean for each gesture:

“Hand on Hips:

Palms on the hips, fingers forward, elbows bowed outward:

Classic sign of confidence

Shows the body is ready to step into action, get to work etc

Enlarges the upper body, making one look more powerful and threatening in a confrontation (or when grounding kids)

Also means "Keep away from me, I’m feeling anti-social."

Note that when the thumbs are forward, the posture is more feminine and signals uncertainty rather than aggressiveness.

Arm-Cross:

Classic defensive stance

Disagreement, closing oneself to input, arrogance, dislike. Women don’t cross their arms around men they like.

Self-comforting posture, used to alleviate anxiety and social stress.

Arms and elbows pulled tightly into the body signal acute nervousness.

Touching oneself:

We unconsciously touch our bodies to comfort or release stress. Perplexity, disagreement, frustration, uncertainty manifest in the fingers touching the lips, the hand scratching the head, holding the neck, grabbing an earlobe, rubbing the cheek, massaging the other hand, etc. Self-manipulations increase with stress and disapproval.

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It is particularly effective to show repressed anger through these cues, as they are often a way of displacing the aggressivity.

Note that in young children, the hand behind the head can express jealousy.” (Medlej, 2014)

Reflection

From this research, I have learnt what facial features communicate different emotions and that these facial features can be combined to communicate multiple emotions, or singular, more complicated emotions.

Practitioners Report

This week I will be doing a report on two people within my chosen discipline (animation) so I can look at their work and learn from them, this will allow me to apply that knowledge to my FMP, such as I can learn specific techniques and methods in animation, I can learn from simple mistakes they have made and can take inspiration from their work to create an animated scene, trailer, etc.

Plan

Create a mind map of what I know about animation

From the mind map, create a list of people I want to look in to

Decide the main person and why?

Look into the person, how they got to where they are at now, what they have worked on, what they are working on right now, etc.

Collect examples of their work and look into them detailed

Why does this interest me?

What Have I learnt? Reflect

List of people and companies:

- Madhouse

- Hayao Miyazaki

- Adam Reed

- Kenneth Muse

- Disney

- Studio Ghibli

- David Productions

- Mamoru Hosoda

Who I have chosen?

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The Studio/person I have decided to base my report on is Animation director, Mamoru Hosoda, this is because he has done a hand full of films in which I have found that the animation in some points are amazing, with both character animation and environment animation.

Another person I have also decided to do research on is Hayao Miyazaki, a Film director producer, screenwriter, animator, author and manga artist. I chose Miyazaki because he is well-known for his animated films and has been working in animation since 1963, which will allow me to compare his animated films to the modern films created by Mamoru Hosoda.

Researching

Mamoru Hosoda was born in September 19th, 1967 and began his career in 1989, the public first gave their attention to him in the early 2000s for his first two films in the Digimon Adventure series and the sixth film in the One Piece series. He worked for MADHOUSE from 2005 to 2011 and in that time he created “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” in 2006, “Summer Wars” in 2009 and the last film he created with MADHOUSE is “Wolf Children” in 2012. When he left MADHOUSE, he went to create his own studio, Studio Chizu which created his most recent film “The Boy and the Beast” in 2015. (Anon., 2017) (Anon., 2017)

Hayao Miyazaki was born in January 5th, 1941 and began his career in animation in 1963, when he joined Toei Animation. He first worked as an in-between artist for “Gulliver’s Travels Beyond the Moon” and worked on many other things after that, like co-directing Lupin III with Isao Takahata, provided the screenplay and key animation for Panda! Go Panda!, provided key animation for the first episode of Tokyo Giants, provided the original concept for Jungle Kurobe, provided the director role for Lupin III: Tales of the Wolf and more. He later directed his first featured film, “The Castle of Cagliostro”, a Lupin the Third story that was released in 1979; after that he worked on his next successful film, “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind”, released in 1984 and with that he created Studio Ghibili where he continued to work and release very successful films. (Anon., n.d.) (Anon., n.d.)

Looking at their key works and comparing them

I will be analysing Hayao Miyazaki’s film, “The Castle of Cagliostro” and Mamoru Hosoda’s film, “The Boy and the Beast”, this is because I will be comparing the old animated films done by Hayao Miyazaki and the newer modern animated films done by Mamoru Hosoda. This will allow me to see what has changes have been made when creating animated films, this will also allow me to see what works with animated films and what doesn’t, such as certain techniques and methods used to create animation.

The Castle of Cagliostro

I will be looking at certain scenes within both films and will analysing the animation, sound, colours and art style. The scene I will be looking at is the car chase scene at the beginning of the film The castle of Cagliostro:

https://vimeo.com/39790868

(Gaeta, 2017)

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From the start you can already recognize this is Miyazaki’s work, from its art style to the way the characters move, full of life; the character art style is a mix of the manga creator of Lupin the third and Miyazaki’s art style, that way the characters are recognizable from the manga.

The colours used in the animation are bright, however it is also controlled by what feeling they want to communicate to the audience in a particular scene, such as in peaceful scenes, the colours are bight and also light, and in dark scenes the colours are dark and well shaded. The first part of the chase I will look at is when the cars are driving by Lupin; you can clearly see when looking at the footage frame by frame that the car and the background are two separate things as the car would stop some frames and the background would move, then back to the car. This effect makes it seem that there is an actual camera there following the red car as it drives by.

Figure 10 Castle Of Cagliostro car chase

They also begin to slow down the car as it approaches Lupin by adding more frames of the car and background being still. This is probably because they want to allow the viewer have to process what is going on, on the screen; along with that they have more frames of the car passing by to allow the viewer to get a good look at the character driving the car, introducing her to the audience.

The clothing of the character is also done very well, you can clearly see that the wedding dress veil is fluttering in the wind as the car drives past, this to show that the car is moving fast. It also gives the character an elegant look as she drives past, making her look beautiful and captivating the audience attention towards this character.

If we go further into the scene when the chase begins, we hear the music suddenly pick into a funky rhythm that uses trumpets, drums, piano, etc. The music fits right in for the chase sequence, giving it an action feel to it whilst also making feel quiet fun and lively.

The Boy and the Beast

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The scene that I will be looking at in this film will be the first fight scene in the movie, when Kumatetsu and Iozan fight for the first time on screen. I’ll be again looking into this films animation, art style sound, etc.

The first thing I noticed was that this scene uses both 2D and 3D animation, as you can see when the crowd is backing up from the fight, they are all 3D models of characters; the only two characters that aren’t 3D are Kumatetsu and Iozan. They probably did this because it would be a lot easier and less time consuming to use 3D models of characters for the crowd as the crowd isn’t really drawing the attention of the audience, it’s the two characters in the centre.

Figure 11 Boy and The Beast 3D characters

Looking closer at the animation, to create the illusion of something moving fast, they blur out the lines or even remove them completely on some parts and just leave the colour to be blurred. You can also see that they paid close attention on how a body moves and what rules apply; this can be

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seen when either of the characters are punching, the fist and arm stretch all the way out when punching, then the muscles retracted the arm back a little and finally the arm is pulled away. This can also be seen in the wrist and hand as the hand gets pulled back by the wrist.

The characters also are moving independently from each other, which means they are timed differently, a couple frames one character moves, then the next couples frames the other character moves. This creates the feeling that they are both individual beings that act independently, making the scene feel more believable.

When looking at the art style and colours used in this scene, you can recognize Mamoru Hosoda work, the colours are bright on lighter colours and darker colours seem to be more saturated. The art style used for humanoid characters sticks closely to realistic proportions of a human body, unlike “The Castle of Cagliostro” who sometimes exaggerate specific features, like long limbs.

Comparing

When comparing these two films, they are similar in colour scheme but are quite different to each other on other things, this is because of the obvious age gap, however you can still see some techniques being still used in the present. The first big thing is that Castle of Cagliostro doesn’t do use 3D animation due to lack of technology back then, however Studio Ghibli do begin taking advantages of modern technology and use CG in their later films.

In Castle of Cagliostro, they don’t seem to use the blurring technique that The Boy and the Beast use to create the illusion of speed, this is probably because those kinds of techniques came later after The Castle of Cagliostro was created. However, this does not make the film any lesser, instead gives them a somewhat charm to it. For The Boy and the Beast, this technique makes action scenes like fight more intense as it makes the characters and objects look like they are moving very fast and have a lot of power behind, making them seem a lot more dangerous.

When looking at the characters, they are very different, The Boy and the Beast focuses on more realistic proportions, whereas Castle of Cagliostro is more cartoony such as elongating limbs or making parts of the body extremely thin. This is because they have two different themes, Castle of Cagliostro is supposed to be fun and comedic, whilst also being action packed and having adult themes, that is why the characters have that kind of art style, to both keep to the adult themes whilst being light enough to have comedy in some scenes.

The similar technique they use for both films is that they both have the background and the character animated to look like it’s being recorded by a camera, a lot of animated films and TV series also do this, however there are still some that do not due to lack of time or production.

Reflection

After doing this report, I have discovered many more things about frame by frame animation, such the techniques and methods used to create specific feelings or create illusions of movement and cameras. I have also discovered that I am more passionate for frame by frame animation than vector based animation, this is because the characters feel more fluid and alive in frame by frame animation than vector based. I can apply what I have learned from this report into my FMP by using it to make the final decision on what I am going to and if I am going to use frame by frame animation in my FMP, I can use the techniques and methods I have learnt from this report to create my own animation.

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CONCLUSION - Who/what was my inspiration? /Contextualisation of my study

Other similar products would be 2D animated films or series containing a fast paced fight scene or other scenes that are fast paced. This is related to my work because to make a good fight scene or a fast paced action, you must also aim to communicate the characters emotions and personalities to the audience, otherwise the audience don’t feel invested in the fight scene or action. Communicating to the audience is one of my main aims for my product to do through movement, facial expression and pose/posture/gesture.

Similar products have influence me to pursue me to research more about the basics of animation and fast paced animation as it seems there are still some techniques I don’t fully understand. It has also influenced me to pursue a product that has a thriller genre, this was because before I was going for an action comedy genre, however after looking at similar products, I have found that it would be beneficial to stick to a thriller genre which will allow me to explore more intense emotions and personalities.

I learnt from the similar products that they use the same drawings for a couple of frames, this could be something to do with timing which I need more research on, so I will be researching the basics and more. I have also found that if I am going to do a fight scene, I will need to do research into impacts in animation, that way I can learn the technique and use it to make the fight scene more intense.

To achieve my project I will need to do more research into the basics of 2D animation and the techniques used to create impact in 2D animation, this is because these are essential things to know to create an animated fight scene. I will also need to look at chorography in fight scenes, maybe more on boxing and action or thriller movie fights, this is because it will allow me to create a more accurate fight, such as using certain types of punches and blocks, along with getting the timing correctly with certain movements.

CHAPTER 3

Research Design

Introduction

This chapter will explain the research I will be conducting for my project, how I will do and what I aim to learn from it. The chapter will first start with my research questions and then will follow up with a description of the research design and the research methods used in my project.

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Research Questions

My intent for my project is to see how to communicate a character’s emotions and personality through movement, facial expression and pose/posture/gesture. To do this I will need to conduct secondary research through books and websites, then use primary research to find more techniques used in the industry, to test those techniques through experiements, and finally use screenings to receive feedback on the techniques I used.

Here are the main questions:

• What does the audience feel when using certain techniques and methods in animation to create movement?

• What makes a thriller?

• What techniques and methods are used to create thriller themes in animation?

• How can movement be used to communicate a character’s mood and personality?

• Can movement be used to communicate different themes?

• What techniques are used to created fast paced animation?

• How can a character’s emotions/personality be communicated through facial expression and pose/posture/gesture?

Research Design Evolution

In this chapter, you will expand on what you wrote in your project proposal. Write about what you researched and how you collected your data (research activities). Remember, in this chapter, you will only write what you have researched and what research activities you used. In the next chapter, you will write about your findings, analysis and conclusions. You can write following chapters about findings and analysis using same themes (see below) for the sub-titles.

You can use following research themes as separate sub-titles:

• Subject you are going to research (this will be primary research you conducted; the secondary research about subject will be in literature review)

o This is anything done by you, and it could be such:o Online questionnaire – you could ask your Facebook friends to comment on your

project idea and give you some additional ideas how you can make it better.o Get the feedback from your lecturers and comment on it. o You can contact companies, council, artist depending on what is your project about to

get their opinion on your project idea. o You can use your phone or tablet to research, take photos of possible locations and

places that you can use in your project.

• Target audience

Ask yourself questions: Who? What? Where?

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o Who is your target audience? Who are you aiming your product at?o What type of audience is it? Investigate the target demographic and record the type of

media or entertainment they consume. o Where can you find this out? You can use, ‘YouGov Profiles’ site to find out about your

target audience demographic. (secondary)o You can set up interviews or record a ‘Vox Pops’ (primary) to find information about

your audience.

• Skills and techniques

o Come up with the plan of what skills and techniques you will need to research to produce an effective, original and to near professional standard project.

o For example, you can watch tutorials or read about how to achieve specific skills and techniques that you will need for your project (secondary)

o Experiment with range of skills yourself (primary)

• Production research

o Explain what and how: o People needed for the production/availability (how: emails, Facebook, Skype

conversation, etc.) o Research production roles that you will need to carry out and how to do it successfully

(how: the internet, media books, etc.) o Production schedule (how: create your own) o Budget (How: secondary internet, primary ask yourself) o Recce research/location needed (how: take images, contact individuals for permission,

etc.) o Health and safety research ( How: take images, check locations yourself, ask for

permission) o Visual ideas (storyboard optional) (How: take images, create sketches, get inspired by

other people ideas, etc.) o Props (how: make a list, ask to borrow, make it, buy it, use what you have)o Production (techniques, hardware, workflow) ( how: research what you need / how:

try it yourself) o Post -production (Edit, colour correction, VFX, etc. ( how: read, watch how other

people/professionals do it, try it yourself)

List all research activities; what activities you conducted to answer your questions and collect the data? Write about the data you collected; your choice of data presentation and how you structured your data analysis.

The research activities should be identified e.g:-

Observations (observational drawings; using photography, video and audio to collect data)

Documents analysis (written, but also video and audio documents) Workshops

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Interviews Focus groups Surveys (visual, audio, etc.) Experiments Tests and measurements

Observations

I have conducted observations on movement such as movement of people, movement of fabric and movement of the camera. I conducted this by going into the public and recording on my phone, people that walked by, flags and clothes moving and tracking of my classmates walking past me. I then analysed the footage, looking carefully at the movement and seeing what caused it to move that way, along with also creating a rotoscope of one of my classmates to see how the perspective changes as he walks by whilst the camera is tracking him. This has helped me understand movement and perspective in more detail, this will allow me to apply this knowledge when creating the fight scene’s storyboard as I will know how people properly move and how the perspective changes when the camera moves.

Fast paced animation techniques

I have conducted an experiment using the animation techniques I have learnt from the previous research task to see if 2D animation techniques work on a rotoscope. To conduct this, I first record a simple action such as a punch and then bring it into Photoshop to start working on the rotoscope and applying the techniques to it. This has help me to see if the techniques I learnt in the previous research task work and if 2D animation techniques can be applied to a rotoscope.

CHAPTER 4

Research Findings

In this chapter, you will summarise the collected data and the statistical treatment, and/or mechanics, of analysis. You should start this paragraph by briefly restating the topic/theme of your project (take it from Chapter 1).

Explain the object of each question, research activity, point out results, and present those results in a chosen form of summarised data. Select method of presenting data carefully.

In a quantitative study, the results usually begin with a description of the sample (e.g., sample size, description of participants who were excluded and why, handling of missing data). Next, descriptive statistics (e.g., frequencies/percentages for categorical variables, means, standard deviations, and ranges for continuously measured variables) are presented.

In a qualitative study, the results often include many quotes from participants who were interviewed. Here you should also present your non-textual elements such as photos, videos,

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audio files, maps, tables, charts, mind maps, SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis, etc.

Data analysis Researching fast paced animation techniques

For the research into the techniques used to create fast paced animation, I used two different videos, one on how to create smears in animation and the other was how to create an animated fight.

Conclusion - How did the research help me with my project? Rotoscope experiment

I first start the experiment by recording a fast action, this is because my fight scene will be mostly fast actions and movements between to characters. The video was of me doing multiple straight punches, this will allow me to decide which punch I want to use.

I then brought it into Photoshop and scanned through the footage to decide what punch I wanted. Once decided, I cropped the footage down to the punch I wanted; I then began to Rotoscope, however instead of rotoscoping every frame, I only Rotoscoped key points in my movements which are when I started the action, when I was halfway through the action and finally when I was at the end of my action.

Figure 12 rotoscope experiment: key frame 1

You can see that in my second key rotoscope, I have used animation techniques such as motion blur, this was done by instead of doing the normal outline of the arm and hand, I left the inside colour of its own and used outline to draw trails coming from the arm. I also used smearing by making the inside colour bigger than the normal arm, going towards the direction it came from. I used these techniques for some in-betweens as well.

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Figure 13 Rotoscope experiment: key frame 2

When working on the in-betweens, I first took into account how fast I was moving at that moment, this is because the faster I moved the less frames I needed in that moment. I found that I needed less frames half way through than the end and beginning as this is when I am delivering the punch. Once all the frames are completed, I brought the frames into a different Photoshop file and began to work out the timing using Ones and Twos which I learnt last week, this is when I have the same drawing for multiple frames.

Here is the completed version:

I have also created alternate versions of the animation, where I have slightly changed the frames where my arm is moving fast. Instead of losing the border lines and using them for trail lines to represent motion blur, I kept the border lines but stretched and enlarged them; here is the result:

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Figure 14 rotoscope experiment: stretched frame

And for this one, I used multiples in one of the frames as my arm launches forward:

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Figure 15 rotoscope experiment: "multiples" frame

When analysing the different techniques, I found that they only made a slight difference to the animation, the rotocope that uses stretching seems to be less powerful than the other rotoscopes. The multiple rotoscope and the motion blur rotoscope are very similar in delivery of the punch, however the multiples to me seem more natural than the motion blur, this is because the action is that fast, making the motion blur sort of exaggerate the speed which isn’t a bad thing. It could be improved with less trail lines to lessen the effect of motion blur; the multiples could also be improved as they seem to give the animation a bit of a stutter, to improve it I’ll need more practice and experience, same goes for stretching.

Evaluation

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From this I have proven that the techniques commonly used in 2D animation can be applied to a normal rotoscope; I will be able use this to create my animation, making it easier for me to create an animated fight scene for my project. I have also created my own process of using those techniques when working on the rotoscope, this will allow me to work more quickly when animating for my project and make it easier to plan out what I will do for each day as I will know how long each step takes.

CHAPTER 5

My Project

Introduction In this chapter you should present the level of self-direction, personal initiative and commitment necessary to progress ideas and find solutions, and the practical, theoretical and technical comprehension, appreciation, knowledge and proficiency necessary to achieve identified goals. The ability to plan and organise work within a given timeframe and the efficient production of outcomes both individually and collaboratively.

Pre-Production

Produce Pre-Production Portfolio which will formally define your project (location survey; risk assessment; treatment; script; budget; schedule etc.).

Pitch your proposal to the production board (video recording of your production board presentation)

Analyse your target audience. Investigate the target demographic and record the type of media or entertainment they consume

Production Project management techniques, (notes of team meetings; production and post-

production schedules; call sheets, etc.) Team and individual performance monitoring (weekly check against schedule) Development – Demonstrate development (photos from the shoot, screenshots from

computers). Keep daily production and post-production diary and reflect on your production process.

Post-production Describe post post-production of your project. Assess your production and post-production process. Describe, and critically analyses any

production problems and the solution you experienced.

Presentation

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In this chapter, you should demonstrate the degree of competence and proficiency shown in the organisation and presentation of yourself and your work to an audience. Your EXTENDED PROJECT has to be presented appropriately (effectively; imaginatively) presented with suitable (relevant; purposeful) media conventions to suit the target audience.

Write about what influenced your decision to present your work in a certain way.

CHAPTER 6

MY EXTENDED PROJECT – FINAL PRODUCT

Here present your final EXTENDED PROJECT media production.

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CHAPTER 7

Project Evaluation

Critically evaluating your final media project against the agreed requirements and parameters. Answer following questions:

Introduce the project in your words List five strengths and five weaknesses in your final design Was there a theme for the design ideas? Can you describe it? Can you reference any

influences here? - art movements, designers, media companies/campaigns, etc. What experiments and exploration did you do (what happens if). How did it affect your

development? Find a similar type of design publication - place it next to your own - what

comparisons/difference can you identify? What were the key areas of development in this project? - use your daily reflections to

help you with this Review your proposal - what changed, what developments did you make, did you manage

to complete everything you set out to achieve? What did the client think of your concept? How did that make you feel? What could you do to adapt the work produced to improve and develop it? Is the final work appropriate for the needs of the project? Does it sufficiently answer your

brief? Reflect on your pitch to the board; how did you feel about it before? Did it go better or

worse than you expected? What was the feedback from the client/lecturer? What do you think you could improve next time?

Did it go better or worse than you expected? What was the feedback from your lecturer? What do you think you could improve next time?

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APPENDICES

Extended project in creative media production Learning Outcomes and Assessment

1. Be able to initiate and develop a creative media production project proposal.

1.1. Use critical and contextual perspectives to initiate a creative media production project proposal.

1.2. Use analysis and evaluation to clarify and develop ideas for a creative media production project proposal.

2. Be able to use research, analysis and evaluation to develop solutions for creative media production project.

2.1. Use research to support the development of a creative media production project.

2.2. Use analytical and evaluative skills to develop creative solutions to realise a media production project.

3. Be able to solve practical, theoretical and technical problems in a creative media production project.

3.1. Solve practical and technical problems within a creative media production project. 3.2. Solve theoretical problems within a creative media production project.

4. Be able to plan, organise and produce a creative media production project.

4.1. Demonstrate the ability to plan, organise and produce a creative media production project within an agreed timeframe.

5. Be able to use practical methods and skills in a creative media production project.

5.1. Demonstrate the exploration, adaptation and application of practical methods and skills in the realisation of a creative media production project.

6. Be able to use evaluative and reflective skills in the production of a creative media product.

6.1. Maintain evaluative and reflective records of the development and production of a creative media project.

6.2. Use evaluative and reflective skills to make decisions for a creative media production project.

7. Be able to present a creative media production project. 7.1. Explore strategies to present a creative media production project.

7.2. Present a creative media production project to a specified audience.

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REFERENCES

Make sure you use Harvard referencing. The bibliography should be continuously updated as the project progresses.

BibliographyANDERSON, K., 2014. MIYAZAKI MASTERCLASS – THE CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO (1979). [Online] Available at: http://nerdist.com/miyazaki-masterclass-the-castle-of-cagliostro-1979/[Accessed 24 February 2017].

Animations, A. N., 2015. Fast Paced Fight Animation | By Anthony Nold. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NElnIRyikKI

Anon., 2017. Anime news network. [Online] Available at: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=4068[Accessed 20 February 2017].

Anon., 2017. IMDb. [Online] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396074/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm[Accessed 20 February 2017].

Anon., n.d. Director, Development - Boomerang. [Online] Available at: https://www.turnerjobs.com/job/atlanta/director-development-boomerang/1174/4058966

Anon., n.d. Subject: Hayao Miyazaki Biography, Revision 2 (6/24/94). [Online] Available at: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/miyazaki/miyazaki_biography.txt[Accessed 21 February 2017].

Anon., n.d. The Hayao MIYAZAKI Web. [Online] Available at: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/miyazaki/[Accessed 21 February 2017].

B, R., 2017. How to SHOOT a Fight Scene: MOVEMENT, CHOREOGRAPHY (taught by stuntmen. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxap6jc9Sbk

Burton, M., 2015. Animation Director - Career Profile. [Online] Available at: http://www.animationcareerreview.com/articles/animation-director-career-profile

Frank Thomas, O. J., 1981. The Illustrations of Life Disney Animation. Italy: Walt Disney Productions.

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Gaeta, J., 2017. Vimeo. [Online] Available at: https://vimeo.com/39790868[Accessed 2017 February 2017].

Grandin, T., 2006. THINKING IN PICTURES with 2006 Updates from the Expanded Edition. [Online] Available at: http://www.grandin.com/inc/visual.thinking.html[Accessed 14 January 2017].

IGN, 2016. The Boy and The Beast - Clip #2 (English Dub). [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yp92Mq2GdE[Accessed 26 February 2017].

J.Ruocco, M., 2011. Smears, Multiples and Other Animation Gimmicks. [Online] Available at: http://animationsmears.tumblr.com/

Jazza, D. w., 2013. How To: Animation Smears. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a71-rmYCqMU

Martin, S., n.d. Animation Tricks. [Online] Available at: https://web.cs.wpi.edu/~matt/courses/cs563/talks/anim_tricks.html

Medlej, J., 2014. Human Anatomy Fundamentals: Mastering Facial Expressions. [Online] Available at: https://design.tutsplus.com/tutorials/human-anatomy-fundamentals-mastering-facial-expressions--cms-21140

Robin J. S. Sloan, B. R. M. C., 2009. Creative approaches to emotional expression animation. [Online] Available at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/41461346_Creative_approaches_to_emotional_expression_animation

Robin J. S. Sloan, B. R. M. C., 2009. Creative approaches to emotional expression animation.

slowtiger, 2013. Motion blur, smears and multiples. [Online] Available at: http://www.lostmarble.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=24645

Wimshurst, H., 2015. How to Animate a Fight Scene | Motion Blurs. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ScUIpzswbE

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