Wendy's Animation Blog

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FMP Thesis

Week 5: Continuous Research on my Topic

In this week I have added a few point to my research and reviewed more online journeys to pursue the knowledge, Beside I have finished reading the Animal Farm written by George Orwell, which is a good piece of example to link my topic ‘Anthropomorphism’ and political issue from the last century.

About the historic background when anthropomorphic characters started appearing in the animations and films, in the journey ‘Towards a Definition of American Modernism’, page 7-8 have pointed out:

( https://www.jstor.org/stable/2712627?seq=1 )

It is a culture to critique the contrast between the modernisation of technologies and dehumanisation as a representation of ambivalence.

From the same journey, page 10-11 point out:

Modernism raised early from symbolism and impressionism, which were built up through different art forms such as symbolist and paintings they emphasise on what they have been effected emotionally through the object instead focusing on the real thing. They explore beyond world structure under the positivism while sharing more unpredictable experience from human perception.

After reading journals around Animal Farm, here is what I gathered in my notes:

<Animal Farm>

Inspiring history located:

https://academicjournals.org/article/article1379412793_Fadaee.pdf/1000

The characters in Animal Farm were created by the author as metaphors for the Soviet Union leaders in beginning of the 20 century. Based on the analysis of characters in the story, the writer of the journey Symbols, metaphors and similes in literature: A case study of “Animal Farm”, page 5, found the resemblances of characters of the government’s leaders at the time to the following animals found in the story.

In Revolution on Animal Farm:

Orwell’s Neglected Commen

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3831551?seq=1

P127-p128 points out the political meaning hidden behind the text by its author, and revealing the revolution of democratic socialist represented by the Animal farm:

In Character Metaphors in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, Chapter four points out the real character which been metaphorically exposed by anthropomorphic animals: 

https://web.archive.org/web/20180412075731id_/http://www.jurnal.unsyiah.ac.id/SiELE/article/viewFile/3391/3177

Real characters anthropomorphism: (p6)

Revolution on Animal Farm: Orwell’s Neglected Commentary

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3831551?seq=9

page 135: the concept of ‘socialism’ and its danger through the whole book, its benefits overlay on top of the Russian regime:

Page 137: Concepts in the book/animation

Difficulty of the socialist revolution: ‘if people outside still thought that that particular form of revolution could succeed without betraying its goals, nothing new could be accomplished.’

Page 136:

Unless everyone makes the revolution for him or herself without surrendering power to an elite, there will be little hope for freedom or equality. A revolution in which violence and conspiracy become the tools most resorted to, one which is led by a consciously or unconsciously power-hungry group, will inevitably betray its own principles.

Refer to the book: Failing to protest when the pigs kept the milk and apples for themselves, the other animals surrendered what power they might have had to pig leadership. Had they been “alert and [known] how to chuck out their leaders”31 once the latter had fulfilled their task, the original spirit of Animal Farm might have been salvaged. 

Page 137:

Conclusion:

Acceptance of the notion of class struggle could not lead to an instant transformation of society unless those who would transform it accepted also the difficult burden of political power, both at the time of and after the revolution. While the most corrupting force on Animal Farm was the deception practiced upon the other animals by the pigs, the greatest danger came from the reluctance of the oppressed creatures to believe in an alternative between porcine and human rule.

Which, the anthropomorphic pigs are a dangerous sign throughout the whole book.

Under my 4th question ‘ The benefits and drawbacks of anthropomorphism’ under this chosen topic, here is my notes based upon reading Claire Molloy’s journals:

ournal: Discourses of Anthropomorphism

http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/5858/1/439070.pdf

Page 3 points out the emotions which are been added to the anthropomorphic animals are mainly working for humans’ interests of state, scientific, and commercial discourses:

Documentaries or films with subjective way of shooting are being controlled by popular culture.

In the other journal written by Malloy Claire, Popular Media and Animals, https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TCR-DAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false  page 8:

She has also pointed out the representative animals in any media written by humans may not be seen their ‘reality’, their ‘reality’ is being formed through representation. It is working for culture

P12 points out the concept of anthropomorphism has destabilised the boundary between human and non-human.   

P20 points out the anthropomorphism could distant the issue happened within animal rights, instead, they treat them as an over sentimental thing. 

In the following week, I will be concentrating on producing the work to hand-in before the easter:

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D computer Animation project 1

Week 5: 3D Previs Update

In this week, I have changed a bit structure of the story narrative after received the feedback from the lecturer. Therefore, I have added a reason for the woman character knows what is hidden in the male character more fluently:

As I decided to let the male character fall over in the beginning of the story to create the chance, here is the main reference video I checked online:

And I found instead of using Banana to slide down the male character, I could use the more common prop– Icecream, left on the ground of the park where they date:

Also, I have added more reaction shot or shot reverse shot into my 3S previs after receiving feedback, which helps audiences to concentrate more on the performance and props of characters.

I have also been told by holding ‘\’ with left mouse bottom, I will be able to zoom out the scene and see things beyond the camera:

I have also been told I can move master control to adjust the position of characters in the animation blocking easily:

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D computer Animation project 1

Week 4: 3D Previs Update

In this week I have condensed my 3D Previs from last week, improved the timing and spacing, completing the character bio and fixing some shot compositions through the feedback given by the lecturer.

Here is my more comprehensive character bio:

Here is the shot list I have made before and after the feedback session based on my editing of shots:

The biggest difference between them is the current one gets rid of some confusing shots in the mental imagery:

The changed scale of park benches through scaling down their component at the same time:

As I also develop the composition of the shot, I import the PNG picture of rules of third into my camera:

And indication of how to let the underwear to follow it in the feedback, with my developed shots:

The tip of keep two characters have similar distances to the side of the frame, to create the balance of the shot:

Categories
Final Major Projects and Theis Thesis

Week 4: Notes gathering from books

In this week I have mainly checked two books written by Paul Well:

  1. Understanding Animation
  2. Animation and America

Through the help of the index, I could look straight on the paragraph talking about my chosen topic ‘Anthropomorphism’ in them. And below are the notes I have made + the relating questions I could think about to research and answer in my essay in different topics:

Key words: Anthropomorphism 

Potential question 1:

How anthropomorphism was structured under the historic background?

Relating to the historic background, Animation and America, p24 points out the influence caused by Second World War and modernity altered the way how humans view their physical and material world. Which encouraging art practice during the period to challenge traditional orthodoxies with constant change, to achieve the revolution and renovation of modernism.

(Quote from any book of the depiction of modernism is needed. )

Correspondingly, anthropomorphic characters support audiences to explore different scenarios through changing identities, metamorphosis, dehumanising and restructuring themselves in the story; without bounding into any industrial orthodoxies, they are living in an uncertain reality and working for the need of gags to structure more possibilities and values. 

Talk about how the abstractions inspire the appearance of anthropomorphic characters. Animation and American, p20, the animator pioneers under the time experiment the limits of graphic space, ‘playing out narration of perception and memory in rapid metamorphosis.’ They play ‘lines, shapes, forms in the enunciation of time, space, weight and flow’ at the same period.

Potential question 2:

How the anthropomorphic characters signify meaning behind political issue?

Animation and American: p22, the abstraction of anthropomorphism in early American animation achieved through developing technologies in the industry, which explores the relationship between humanity and animality and the expression of humans after being challenged. It reflect the possible lack of humanity in society, philosophy and mechanisation.

Films: Bambi (1942), Animal farm (1954), Watership Down (1978), The Lorax (1972) (Understanding Animation p63) The tale of the Fox (1937).

The revolt of the toys (1945) anti-nazi film, reflecting the oppression of the wartime Nazi

The king and the mockingbird (1980).

The turning point (2020), showing the destruction of habitat through animal perspective. 

Relating back to the benefits of adding anthropomorphic gags to the film to talk about why they can easily be understood. Such as building up connections through performances, no political references under the sensitive topics, animal behaviour is an internal sources to be read with foibles and flaws in the film. 

Potential question 3:

How anthropomorphic characters help to create gags in the film??

However, their representation as ‘animal forms’ work well for gags in films.

Understanding Animation: p129: In the early ‘trick’ films, audiences were mostly unallied with characters which create random humours as gags in a story with a lack of continuity and empathy. However, the added human personalities of anthropomorphic characters allows audiences to be emotionally attached by the way how stories are being told and how their characteristics are being expressed with freedom. 

Examples (Case study textual Analysis by using key elements) in early films: 

Key elements of building up personalised characters in films include:

  1. Eye contact between characters and audiences to break up the 4th wall. 
  2. Facial expressions to deliver emotions and expressions.
  3. Recognised physical poses in the set.
  4. Clear motivation set and acted by the anthropomorphic character itself within narrations.
  5. Physical rhythms show indicate the attitude of the character.
  6. The character is taking responsibility of the film as an actor.

Windsor McCay

Mosquito in ‘How a mosquito operates (1912)’

Dinosaur in’ Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)’

Meanwhile, in Disney films, Walt’s seek for anti-stereotype of traditional gags functioned through the use of ‘caricature’ and ‘exaggeration’ in anthropomorphic characters to address human flaws and human foibles. The anthropomorphism helps to build up the natural shortcomings which brings up comedy from internal sources in the film, in which this feature had extended from McCay’s animation. 

Hence, Disney tried to adopt the working process which used by Windsor McCay in Ub Iwerks characters, instead of drawing from one image to the next one, he tended to add ‘in-between’ in the middle of two ‘extreme’ poses. (Animation and American, P21).

Potential question 4:

How do Anthropomorphic characters been designed??

P23, early animation uses Anthropomorphic characters include:

  1. Gertie the Dinosaur 
  2. Felix the Cat
  3. Mickey Mouse

Disney company has developed the concept into achieving the hyper-realism in their future work. However, scholars Patrick D. Murphy and Richard Schickel argues these characters hide their natural terrors or wildness through cuteness, joke and musical cues in the performance. 

Understanding animation p203: character designs within Anthropomophrism in Disney films 

Potential question 5:

The benefits and drawbacks of anthropomorphism??

In next week I will try to develop potential questions listed above into a draft of the essay structure and let the lecturer to look at it to gain feedback. Meanwhile, I will be looking at specific case study with doing textual analysis to answer each question I have set. Beside, I will be looking at the other books I borrowed from the school library.

Categories
Final Major Projects and Theis Thesis

Week 3: Structure of the thesis

In this week’s session we have been introduced the main points of structuring the thesis of the course, and here is my notes:

Due to I was interesting in the topic of anthropomorphic creatures, I have been recommended to read essays written by the author Claire Molloy online:

Meanwhile I start borrowing library books which connect this concept to the animation.

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D computer Animation project 1

Week 3: Chosen Idea Updated + 3D Previs

In this week I have double checked the development of my chosen story ‘Pocket Fantasy’, and here is my upgraded version for finishing the whole 3D previs in Maya. I have been given feedback of focusing on the interaction between the two main character, and how they have been balanced through the performance:

Meanwhile, due to the opening scene is a park, I have been given advice of looking at the videos below to find inspiration and reference:

In the second video of understanding basic types of shots, the male is also waiting for someone in the park. Hence, I have added similar types of shots into my creation as shown in the below:

The extreme long shot allows me to expose the whole set to my audiences, and the medium close up is good of showing my character’s action in the screen, the long shot dennotate the costume of what my character is wearing.

Due to we have been asked to do a sheet of introducing our characters in the story, here is my creation of the couple and how the love story has been triggered by their underwear:

Due to I have to finish the previs this week, I have built up a mind board for the set design:

It contains a few primary pictures I have taken in the Elephant park and the Walworth park, which give me a clear direction of what can be added to the park scene:

I used the basic tools such as simple geometries and deformers to structure the shape of green and the tree branches, giving them basic colours through assigning different Ai standard surface material:

Also, I have done a shot list to see which shot will be transferred into the female character’s brain:

In the mind scene, I have mainly inspired by the inner structure of the male’s pocket wand what could be put inside:

And eventually here is my complete previs from this week:

I used Premiere Pro to edit several play blasts together and to see the result:

Categories
Final Major Projects and Theis Thesis

Week 2: Introduction of the Topic

In this week’s session, our lecturer roughly talked about the structure of writing the research proposal in this term and the topic we could potentially think about academically.

Here is the note I wrote in the online class:

During the class the lecturer mentioned the technical domain within 3D is not considered a topic for academic writing, hence I am considering choosing concept as my theme. For now, I am thinking of how ‘Anthropomorphism’ has been delivered through different animation films and how anthropomorphic characters relate to their mise-en-scene, connotations and story background.

Here are some case studies I was also thinking:

1: The boy and the beast (anthropomorphic animals).

2: Wall-E (anthropomorphic robots)

3: Toy Story (anthropomorphic toys)

4: Inside Out (anthropomorphic emotions)


Here are some potential topics I think can be discussed in my future thesis:

  • The source of anthropomorphism, early work.
  • The psychology behind using anthropomorphic characters.
  • The creation of anthropomorphiccharacterss in animation films.

Also, in the conclusion of the future thesis, I think I can use the topic to link back my own concept work.

I also found that in the book Understanding Animation, Paul Well writes that the anthropomorphism used in McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur informs the traditional animation produced by Walt Disney on page 15. Page 28 talks about how the early animation film Bambi applied the anthropomorphic character to move beyond the realistic traditions. Page 63 mentions how Starewicz used anthropomorphic characters in his film to exaggerate the characteristics of the rat and deliver a strong natural feeling to audiences’ emotional memory.

In google scholar, this concept has been referred to animation films in lots of writings which I am expect to read and research and see how the others to discuss them:

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D computer Animation project 1

Week2: Idea Mood boards + Storyboard Development + 3D Previs

In this week’s session I have been given feedback on the storyboards ideas produced in the first week, and improved them by following the advice. I have also produced the matching mood board for each story idea and used the Pure reference to arrange them.

Idea 1: City Worm Girl

I have added the argument details between the worm girl and the chicken lecturer in the former’s imagination, these anthropomorphic creatures exaggerate their characteristics and pushing the narrative.

Idea 2: Pocket Fantasy

This story is surrounding the world building of people’s pocket, and not only daily items but also the relationship between characters are being exposed through the use of costumes such as the underwear which is featured in my idea.

Eventually my lecturer thinks there should be another underwear dragged out from the woman/man sitting on the foreground to balance the entire story.

Idea 3: I developed mainly this ‘food scam’ idea from a plain meal between a couple to the food is the scam which traps the rabbit in a dungeon and rescued by her fellow cat on time.

After the development of all 3 storyboards, we have been asked to select one out of three story ideas and turn into a 3D previs. And here is mine progression of the second idea ‘Pocket Fantasy’.

At the begging I used the measure tool in MAYA to make sure the scale of things in the first park scene:

I build the prop in another file and assign them different colours of the default material, I refer to any props I need to use in the scene, which benefit me from making any adjustment of their design later in the future:

I used the referring rig also and by linking the pocket to the character controller which allows me to control the animation of the pocket in my story:

Next week I will be focusing on the world building of the ‘pocket world’ and use the simple geometries or colours to represent the narrative between the girl and them, and planning out some basic animations for me to develop in the future weeks.

Categories
Collaborative

Week2: Set design + Prop Making + Material Pipelines

Started from the set design above, we were thinking of some basic concept for 5 players join a game to protect or destroy food relating back to the climate change disarsters.

We moved to focus on our main food potatoes and how could it be destroyed under extreme weather:

I built the 3D model of the Locust in MAYA and UV wrapped it:

I made specific materials for showing the effect on potatoes in substance designer, they include mould, eaten by buds (such as locust) and ruined by flood/drought, turning into fossil:

The exported materials will be applied in Substance painter and handed to the person responded for it:

I also made the model of the potato bud and thinking it could be ruined through extreme weather shown through 3D animation in MAYA:

Next week we will focus on the lookdev development of the whole game, and I will be focusing on rig the potato bud, its animation and the model of the virus.

Categories
Final Major Projects and Theis Thesis

Week 1: Session Cancelled