I had no tutorial talk this week but I took this time to finish my Intro and First section of the dissertation coursework before my next talk with my lecturer Yuan since my major project team have finished with our pre – production presentation to focus more on dissertations due for December.
Reflective blogs
We were briefly recapped on blogs and especially our reflective blogs for this semester’s major project which should cover our research, artistry, techniques/planning and we’ve used communication between team mates. For our major project we have to focus on our idea, pre production, production, post production and our portfolio pages.
This really gave me a new insight to my blog and what should be changed and added onto it. That I should always add my opinions on the lesson on what I have learnt, what the lecturers had explained in our lessons and evidence on what we have done for our projects/lessons. It gave time to reflect and go to my previous posts to make sure everything is clear and concise for my major project and essay.
For our pre-production stages and before having our presentation for week 7 I took the time to model a pumpkin for our major project being the 3D element for our environment outside the cabin. Here the link to the reference I used to help me model a 3D jack o’ lantern.
Following the videos guide was a bit hard sense I had to remember certain controls and keys while modelling and it was very fast to follow. But I was able to follow it and model the pumpkin and fix the UV of the pumpkin to showcase for next weeks presentation on pre – production.
Here is the result.
Took a lot of time for the storyboards and experimenting different camera angles and perspective which my lecturer Aodhan talked about the story and to make it feel less comedic.
Our tutorial talks were this week as I had my talk with Ryan about my essay on which topic I’m discussing, my chosen title being the question I answer and my outline/structure of the essay itself. He said my work was going in the right direction of my structure and what I would be talking in each section, of there was some pointers Ryan had given to me for my essay to relate to my title question. For the topic is hybrid animation and the question will be have it is the better type of animation to use this modern time and how it effects animators and the audience themselves. His advice was quite helpful for the direction I’m going for this essay with the topic I will be analysing for.
This weeks lecture involves the experimentation and ideation of animation which Henry went over for Tuesdays class. He talked during the lecture about:
– Defining Pipelines
– Research
– Reference!
– Identifying methods and processes
– To achieve art style
– Learning & Developing techniques and skills
– Identifying risks
– Strategic Planning
– Identifying and Developing resources
– Recycling resources
Contrast
Key element for visual legibility
• Contrast is achieved in different approach
• Some overlap
• Independent factors
Colours
• Colour Theory & Psychology
• B&W
• RGB = 100
• Indication of saturation and luminosity
• R = 30, G = 59, B = 11, Y = 89, C = 70, M = 41
• Vibrance Saturation
• Perceived Brightness
Composition, Lighting, Storytelling, Framing, Leading lines, Contrast, Shape Language, Repetition, Level of Detail, Scale and Dynamism.
3D vs 2D
• Identify your Tools
• Weaknesses / Limitations
• Strengths / Efficiency
• You have experience in both – Use it!
• Do not discard an ideas because a complex technical
skill
• Research
• Ideate and Experiment
• Find solutions
• Work non-destructively
• Don’t be intimidated by procedural workflows
• Don’t be intimidated by node-based systems
• Feedback – Adjust – Feedback – Adjust – Results
• Keep learning
Resources and Advice
• YouTube
• Community Forums
• Other Social Media
▫ Twitter / X
▫ Facebook
▫ LinkedIn
▫ Art station Portfolios and resources
• Documentation and Sample Files
Reverse Engineer Sample Files
• Libraries and Recyclable assets
Build your Libraries 2D and 3D
Learn to build Custom Brushes
Understand Masks & different types of texture maps
Resources & Advice
• Build simple projects with block outs and
premade assets and test!
• Don’t be afraid of Software. It’s just a tool
• Understand the pipeline
▫ Embrace Ambiguity in the early stages
▫ Adapt to ambiguities and investigate
Communication
• Find Solutions
▫ Even if it means using different mediums (3D
and 2D)
▫ Always go back to the script and consider the
end goal.
This weeks class had recapped the things I already know but the importance from each one to help with my major project since my team and I are going for a type of hybrid animation. Communication is vital and gaining our resources for experimentation with the 2D and 3D animation. For this week I took time with my group on character design, collecting more references and working on the storyboards with Sarah’s script. I took this time to gather some movies and short films with the best jump scares to add into our short film which involves amount of suspense and jump scares which would make the audience shake with fear as I had to narrow down the inspirations for our four minute short film and out them on our Miro. There it took some time but I managed it quite well picking the ones I knew and what others on YouTube think are the best jump scares to fit within our script of the story.
My tutorial wasn’t on this week, but I used this time to work on my major project with the other members of my group and hold a call meeting later to make sure my tasks are update, two weeks before our pre production presentation and the first draft of my essay for my dissertation which involves the intro.
VFX people from Frame stone with Nathan McConnel animation supervisor and Claire from Cinemagic from Soho London 1986 who worked on Guardians of the galaxy movies and most recently VOL 3. Started their animation career in 2002 in Europe and America after getting a degree in Fine Art and psychology masters in computer animation with Doctor strange, Alice in wonderland , Harry Potter, Fantastic beasts, dark materials, spiderman far from home, Thor 3, detective Pikachu, Kingsman, Mowgli, Godzilla and Cloudy with a chance of meatballs. Fascinating morning talk with an incredible studio who brough magic to the movie by following the theme of friendship with a tragic backstory.
Yuan’s last lecture class – Structure and Developing essay/report with a clear overall structure is essential for a dissertation.
Start with the;
Intro
Section 1 )
Section 2 ———— Main body of dissertation
Section 3 )
Conclusion
References (More than 10)
A clear overall structure in a report
Introduction
Introduction acts as a bridge that transports your readers from their own lives into the “place” of your dissertation/report. Introduction will provide your readers with their initial impressions of your argument, your writing style, and the overall quality of your work.
Structing the Intro
Main Body
Every paragraph should be:
Unified—All of the sentences in a single paragraph should
relate to a single controlling idea (often expressed in the
topic sentence of the paragraph).
Clearly related to the research question—The sentences
should all refer to the central idea of the work.
Coherent—The sentences should be arranged in a logical
manner and should follow a definite plan for development.
Well-developed—Every idea discussed in the paragraph
should be adequately explained and supported through
evidence and details that work together to explain the
paragraph’s controlling idea.
Conclusion
• A general conclusion is needed to round off your
work. If you realise you are introducing new
ideas, decide whether they are relevant. If they
are, then think where they should fit in the main
body.
• The conclusion allows you to have the final say on
the issues you have raised. It is also your
opportunity to make a good final impression and
to end on a positive note.
• Draw everything together
• Summarise the main themes
• State your general conclusions
• Make it clear why those conclusions are important
or significant
• Do not introduce new material
• In the last sentence, sum up your argument very
briefly, linking it to the title
• Set the issues in a broader perspective/wider
context
• Discuss what you’ve failed to do if you have
• Allow plenty of time to proofread your work.
• Be aware of the type of mistakes that you tend to
make so you can focus on eliminating them.
• Read your work aloud, which can highlight
punctuation errors particularly.
Academic Writing Skill
When writing a dissertation/report that others will read, you must use a
certain style. What you writing has to be easily understood by the reader.
Also, certain conventions – ways of writing – have to be understood and
then followed.
Basic Approaches
You can use academic books and journals you read as models to imitate.
As you write, it may be useful to consider whether what you are writing
reads as if it could be in an academic book.
Think about your readers. Your work will be read by your tutors. Does it
express your ideas with clarity? Remember that tutors will have many
assignments to read; writing as clearly as possible will benefit you and
them.
Academic writing tends to be impersonal, objective and cautious, avoiding
sweeping statements or generalisations. Take particular care to avoid
absolutes such as “completely” “absolute” “unique” “totally” “always” etc.
Referencing
It is most important to ensure that you always back up everything you say
with evidence from a reliable source. This means you need to carry out
research through appropriate reading.
A major feature of academic writing is the need for referencing.
Whenever you use other people’s ideas, even if you are not quoting their
exact words, you must let your reader know their source. Also, you will
need to list all the sources you have used in your work.
Apply Harvard reference style.
Avoid use if “I”, “my”, “we”, “you” etc. However, do not overuse the passive voice either.
Remember that in academic English, a paragraph should contain more
than one sentence. Try to use a range of linking words and expressions such as “moreover”,
“in addition”, “however”, “nevertheless”, “on the other hand” in your
paragraphs. They help your reader by making your arguments much
clearer.
If you do need to refer to yourself, you can write “the (present) writer /
author…” e.g. “The present author considers that…” or “The author’s
view is that…” Avoid “I” or “you” by using “one”. For example, “One could argue
that…” or “If one is in such a situation, one could…” . Avoid “you” and “I” by starting with an impersonal “it” e.g. “It can be
considered/ argued / claimed that…” Avoid “you” or “I” by using passive sentences such as “The solution was
added to the test tube” instead of “I added the solution to the test
tube”. (The meaning is the same but there is no mention of who did the
adding, which can be understood.)
“Based upon the literature I have read, I think that…” ×
“Based upon the literature, it could be argued that…” √
The second example shows that you are not presenting your own
thoughts and views but providing an argument that is based upon the
literature you have read.
Choosing the right words
Try to avoid informal words. Think of the sort that would be used in
academic books or journals, rather than magazines. For example, use
“quotation” rather than “quote”, “many” rather than “lots of” or
“teenage mothers” rather than “teen mums”.
Avoid using “lazy” words such as “nice”, “get” or “stuff”. For example,
“obtain”, “acquire” or “become” may be more appropriate than “get”.
Spelling
Correct spelling is important. Use the spelling and grammar checking
tool if you are using a word processor. Remember that you still need to
use your own judgement and common sense when using this tool.
Always use British spelling. Be particularly careful about checking the spelling of the names of
authors and the titles of film titles, directors’ and actors’ names, etc.
You must be accurate. Be particularly careful about checking the spelling of the names of
authors and the titles of film titles, directors’ and actors’ names, etc.
You must be accurate. To make your style clearer, make greater use of the word ‘that’– in
particular after verbs of utterance, such as “say”, “report”, “argue” etc.
“I am going to say that I disagree.”
Avoid repeating the same word in a single paragraph. Try to find an
alternative. Humour or irony are not used in academic writing. Remember that it is appropriate to use qualifications such as “Within the scope of this writing, it will not be possible to cover all the implications of the question.”
Avoid shortened forms: Shouldn’t, it’s etc. Avoid popular phrases or clichés such as: at the end of the day; in a nutshell; when it comes to the crunch. Replace with – finally, in summary, in a crisis. Avoid casual everyday words such as, really, okay, maybe.
Plagiarism and academic integrity Harvard Referencing Style
You have plagiarised if:
➢you took notes that did not distinguish summary and paraphrase from
quotation and then you presented wording from the notes as if it were all
your own.
➢while browsing the Web, you copied text and pasted it into your paper
without quotation marks or without citing the source.
➢you repeated or paraphrased someone’s wording without acknowledgment.
➢you took someone’s unique or particularly apt phrase without
acknowledgment. E.g., “male gaze” from Laura Mulvey’s Visual Pleasure
and Narrative Cinema.
➢you paraphrased someone’s argument or presented someone’s line of
thought without acknowledgment.
➢you bought or otherwise acquired a research paper and handed in part or all
of it as your own.
You can avoid plagiarism by:
➢making a list of the writers and viewpoints you discovered in your research
and using this list to double-check the presentation of material in your
paper.
➢keeping the following three categories distinct in your notes: your ideas,
your summaries of others’ material, and exact wording you copy.
➢identifying the sources of all material you borrow—exact wording,
paraphrases, ideas, arguments, and facts.
➢checking with your lecturers/tutors when you are uncertain about your use
of sources.
Harvard Referencing is a two-part process:
1. Citing within the text
2. References at the end of the work
The morning session with Alec had been an recap what we learned the years before which involved the 3D previs which is the previsualisation of creating a scene like a 2D animatic but in 3D. For we have to keep things simple for the narrative, consider the music/sound used, use free rigs, considering camera focal length, visual contrast and after effects for editing.
We had learnt more with camera movements with the virtual cameras which move like real cameras but can’t at the same time. So try to keep things based on the real world by studying cameras and editing references to experiment and to have fun. So we must remember the types of lenses we use and camera movements and angles. For the morning, Alex gave us a folder on creating a previs for ourselves with the chase scene happening between the two on maya which was fun.
Sarah took over the afternoon class recapping the 2D animatics, storyboards and layouts with the use of cinematography/composition/perspective used effectively. The rule of thirds were recapped which serves as a guideline with it’s intersections to balance objects and characters using diagonal key points. The golden ratio with golden number, proportion and ratio by two numbers represented as a Greek letter which is found in nature and pleasing to the eye. There is also geometry and summary to craft interesting compositions, add visual interest, correct perspective, distortions and create balance.
There are also types of camera shots found which are
There’s also crossing the line [180 Degree Rule] – the onscreen spatial relationship between character and another character or object within a scene. The camera should be kept on one side of an side of an imaginary oasis between the characters while moving the camera over the axis which is jumping the line or crossing it. The rule enables the audiences to usually connect with unseen movement happening around the immediate subjects.
Continuity – The movement and direction is key to avoid unintended jumps cuts to lose the audience. Screen direction is critical. Natural reason for the character to suddenly look in another direction is a mistake to avoid. Attention to continuity also extends to reactive character sizes, positions, characters, camera movements anything that would create confusion shots.
Layout – After storyboarding, it leads to the creation of final backgrounds and shot compositions. Role of layout artists to design and create the stage upon which the characters and special effects do their magic. They are developed for storyboard panels and layout artists are required to have graphs of concepts such as perspective, compositions and level of detail. Layout artists should furthermore be able to think their environment in 3D space.
Perspective – Important aspect related to layout. It is what creates the illusion of space and enhances the principle of solid drawing. Perspective is also tricky to use and fully understand and takes a lot of practise to perfect.
Scale in layout – Mastering scale in layout is difficult and takes a compositional eye as well as an understanding of perspective. In digital animation levels can be replaced in layers. Different layouts will require different styles and number of levels.
Rules of layout scale – Different layouts will require different styles and number of levels.
Different layouts will require different styles and number of levels. Different layouts will require different styles and number of levels.
Layout Composition – Composition in terms of layout is structing the scene and its components to highlight the story in a deliberate and conscious manner. It deals with the overall structure of a scene and manipulates viewers into looking where ands at what you want them to focus on. It not only deals with placement of character but with props and settings as well.
Be careful of tangents – Especially circled above to be avoided, completely destroy the perspective and the illusion of space. Avoid it, especially masters when it comes to the horizon line.
Be careful with placements – Try not to have large blocks of wide open space, everything placed on the background, mid ground or foreground.
Compositional Tips – Have something in each place (background, mid – ground and foreground). Consider the composition of every single item you draw in your layout, even down to small details such as fallen leaves or brickwork.
Alternative Angles – Snake like serpentine elements can be used to draw the eye across environments and frame objects. Similarly very direct converging points focus the eye immediately where you want the audience to look.
Be careful with dominant horizontal or vertical lines as they can lead audiences eyes off screen. In this shot the eye travels around the image but in a controlled manner which aids a sense of wonderment or of being lost. In this example the position and masses of objects causes the eye to jump from object to object.
Positive and negative space – Be careful with dominant horizontal or vertical lines as they can lead audiences eyes off screen. In this shot the eye travels around the image but in a controlled manner which aids a sense of wonderment or of being lost. In this example the position and masses of objects causes the eye to jump from object to object. Often no character will appear in the scene. In these instances particular attention should be paid to the negative space. In this example every layer of the cave is a negative shape and care should be taken in designing each one to ensure a composition which is pleasing to the eye and does not dominate.
Framing – In this example the brush hose and boots lead the eye away from the focus on the main characters. This can be improved by pointing the hose and boots inwards towards the characters and by adding the brickwork which narrows the scene and helps focus. This is what can be called a framing device.
Techniques for generating compositions
General Rules –
It’s great to learn this all again like in first year knowing what we have to look out for our major project.
One to one tutorial before submission of our proposals
I had my tutorial talk with Aodhan for week 3 before submitting my 1000 word proposal form for my dissertation. I told him what my main topic is, what I will explore within my chosen topic and what questions will I be answering for it. Aodhan gave me an insight of my topic and what over stuff can be included which will be significant to add to win over my argument for the topic question e.g. benefits and limitations from articles on people who agree or disagree with the topic. Which should not all be personal or briefly my opinion all the time. It was a good talk which opened my mind to add or to remove for the essay.
Our pitch presentations had been presented for this week in class with our current ideas including what we had worked on for the last 3 weeks with our team members or others who had done the work individuality. Our pitch presentations included the art styles we were leaning towards the project, references/inspirations for the characters, environment and assets within the project and timeline on both semesters this year.
My team which includes Sarah Elliot, Dylan Short and myself presenting our horror short to the class and what each of us had done for. For myself I had done the main character in different versions and my team went for one design with the references and inspirations from other characters appearances and personalities for being a timid, scared little boy around 8 to 10 years old.
I also helped Sarah with the concept art of the monster creature with references/inspirations from other evil, mythical and dangerous characters. I worked on a bit of the middle part of the storyboard to show an example for one scene with shows the characters first interaction with the creature. I also collected references and other inspirations from short films which helps explore the horror/supernatural were going for. Here is my work which I included in our slides;
Our lecturers give us some feedback on our project, certainly with the hybrid art-style, the plot which should have the ending, the beast character design and finally the appearance of the creature showing up only midway.
With our upcoming assignment (dissertation report proposal) we went back to our essay’s breakdown of the wordcount for each part of the report and most importantly our reading lists (in Harvard style).
In the ulster university electronic resources as an animation student in final year to find articles and journals to support my point within my chosen topic which includes;
We understood more on what are journals, types of journals like trade magazines and academic journals as well as databases which indexes our content with a wide range of research chosen for this specific topic. Usearch, Proquest complete, Scobus and Webscience.
Step 1: – Keywords e.g. animation, anime, keyframes or phases, digital media and stop motion.
Step 2: – Identify word/phases with similar meaning animation
Step 3: – Truncate – shorten words with similar meaning animation
Step 4: – Quotation marks – balance or grout, animated film, visual effects or peoples names like Walt Disney, DreamWorks and Nickelodeon.
Step 5: – Impact, Effect, Issues, Identify and check spelling and make sure the info is correct.
Through this week I narrowed down my topics to two and wrote 5 questions for each to (X) out the ones I didn’t think were suitable for the essay. In the end I picked the one topic and the one point I would be reviewing for the report proposal and dissertation essay before next week for our tutorials.