Category: Design for Animation

This is my Report for Term 1.

In Week 11, I worked on finishing my research report. One of the main challenges I faced was making sure everything in the report connected well. I had to go back to the introduction and conclusion and make sure the whole report flowed smoothly. I wanted to make sure each section connected to the next one, and that there were no gaps in my argument.

To fix this, I broke the report into smaller parts and read through each section carefully. I made sure each idea was clear and backed up with examples. I also took time to improve the wording, making sure it was easy to understand. It took some time, but it helped me make the report more focused.

By the end of Week 11, I had finished everything and felt good about how the report turned out. I had worked through all the sections and made sure everything was clear and complete.

By Week 10, I had gathered a lot of research, and the next step was to refine my ideas and present a cohesive argument. I focused more on the psychological aspect of the Uncanny Valley, diving into how the brain reacts when a character looks almost human but not quite right. This led me to study more into cognitive science and how people perceive facial expressions and body language.

A major challenge this week was connecting all of the different elements I had researched, such as facial expressions, motion capture technology, and stylisation, into a clear narrative. I had to revisit my notes and ensure that my points flowed logically, one leading into the next.

To solve this, I created an outline that mapped out how I would approach each section of the report. For example, I first discussed how character design can influence the Uncanny Valley, then moved on to how motion capture and AI play a role in creating more realistic characters. I concluded with a section on stylisation and how it helps to avoid the discomfort of hyper-realism. This outline helped me stay organized and make sure I didn’t get lost in all the details.

In Week 9, I started drafting my research report on the Uncanny Valley and how it impacts animators when creating characters. I focused on the key aspects I wanted to explore: character design, stylisation, technological tools, and balancing creative vision with audience expectations. The first challenge I encountered was narrowing down the vast amount of information available on the topic. There are many examples in film and animation, but it was difficult to decide which ones best illustrated the Uncanny Valley effect.

I tackled this by organizing my findings into sections that addressed specific areas: first, the technical aspects of character design, then the role of stylisation, and finally, how animators balance creativity with realism. This helped me break down the overwhelming amount of information into manageable parts.

Another difficulty I faced was ensuring that I presented my ideas clearly while explaining complex concepts like motion capture and AI in animation. To overcome this, I used simpler language and visual examples to help illustrate my points. I also began to collect case studies from animated films, such as “The Polar Express” and “Avatar,” which clearly demonstrated both successful and unsuccessful uses of hyper-realism in character design.

This week we had a tutorial where I presented my research topic: the Uncanny Valley and how it affects animators when creating characters. The Uncanny Valley is when a character looks almost real but not quite right, making viewers feel uncomfortable. I wanted to explore how animators can design characters that look realistic without triggering this feeling.

How I Came Across This Topic:
While studying animation, I noticed that some characters seem to fall into the “Uncanny Valley,” a term used to describe the eerie feeling we get when something is almost human but not quite right. This phenomenon is increasingly relevant in the context of hyper-realistic 3D animation and the use of advanced technologies like motion capture and AI.

Why I Chose This Topic:
The Uncanny Valley is an important topic because it shows the limits of how realistic we can make animated characters.
As 3D animation becomes more advanced, understanding this effect is crucial for creating characters that people can connect with, rather than feel disturbed by.
I’m interested in how animators can be creative while avoiding this effect. How can they make characters that feel real but don’t make us feel weird or uneasy? This will help animators balance realism and artistic license in character design, ensuring emotional resonance in their storytelling.
How I Will Approach Writing About This Topic

• Character Design and the Uncanny Valley:
  I’ll look at how small details like facial expressions, body proportions, and textures can either help a character feel real or trigger the Uncanny Valley. I want to explore how animators can adjust these features to make characters that are both believable and likable.
• The Role of Stylisation in Character Design:
  I will investigate how stylised features, such as exaggerated facial expressions or simplified details, can help avoid the Uncanny Valley.
  Stylisation helps to create characters that are relatable without trying to be too realistic, which can cause discomfort. I’ll look at how animators use these techniques to make characters feel approachable and friendly.
• Technological Tools and Animation Advancements:
  I’ll explore how new technologies, like motion capture and high-resolution textures, help animators create realistic characters.
  These tools allow animators to make characters look more lifelike, but they also need to be careful not to make them too realistic, causing the Uncanny Valley effect.
• Balancing Creative Vision with Audience Expectations:
  I’ll talk about how animators need to balance their creative ideas with what the audience wants.
  They need to make characters that fit the story and look realistic, but not too real—enough to connect with people without causing discomfort.
  My next step will be to begin drafting my research report, where I will break down my findings and provide examples to support my points. This will help me refine my ideas and explore this topic in even greater detail.

I learned that narrative structure is essential for storytelling because it organises events in a way that connects with the audience and guides the story. A good narrative keeps the audience engaged and ensures a satisfying conclusion. In character-driven stories, the characters must be both appealing and believable, with directors playing a key role in bringing out the best performances from actors to create emotional connections with the audience. This emphasizes the importance of both the plot and character portrayal in making a story work.

Literary Structures
Traditional storytelling forms, like novels, plays, and poems, influence how animated stories are structured. These forms introduce conventions, like the “hero’s journey” or good vs. evil, which shape animation narratives. By connecting animation to these literary structures, we can see how classic storytelling techniques continue to influence animated films.

The Three-Part & Five-Act Structures
The Three-Part Structure (beginning, middle, and end) is a fundamental narrative format, still used in animation today. The Five-Act Structure (Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution) breaks the story into smaller sections, deepening the understanding of how the narrative builds and unfolds. This structure helps ensure a well-paced, emotionally engaging plot that keeps the audience invested from start to finish.

Equilibrium and Re-Equilibrium
The equilibrium-re-equilibrium model shows how stories begin in a balanced state, face disruption, and then resolve. In animation, this idea is powerful because animation can bend time and space, making it easy to explore disruptions and resolutions in creative ways. The protagonist’s journey often leads to a new, altered state by the end.

Metamorphosis in Animation
Metamorphosis is the ability of animation to transform objects, characters, or environments in unexpected ways. This allows animation to express fluid, non-linear transformations that live-action films can’t achieve naturally. It gives animation a unique flexibility and creativity that lets the story explore dream-like or imaginative elements.

The Language of Animation: Editing
In animation, editing is crucial for creating a smooth and engaging narrative. It helps control the pace of the story and maintain audience interest. The goal is for editing to be “invisible,” so the audience stays focused on the story, not the mechanics of the cuts. Good editing is about knowing when and how to transition scenes or emphasize details to maintain emotional tension.

Disney’s Hyperrealism and Influences
Disney’s hyperrealistic animation style, which emphasizes lifelike movements and textures, has influenced many other studios like Pixar and DreamWorks. Some studios, however, resist this realism, opting for more stylized animation, like Studio Ghibli or The Triplets of Belleville. These studios focus on artistic expression rather than realism, which creates a different emotional experience for the audience.

Research Areas
Animation has the ability to break the boundaries of physical reality, offering a more fluid way to explore the impossible. Shows like Duck Amuck or scenes like Pink Elephants on Parade show how animation can distort reality in ways that live-action films can’t. This freedom allows animation to express abstract concepts and whimsical ideas, making it a powerful tool for both entertainment and artistic expression.

Mise-en-Scène refers to everything within a frame that contributes to storytelling. It includes all visual elements that guide the audience’s understanding without words. Key elements of mise-en-scène include:

1. Settings & Props
   The setting shapes the story’s mood and guides audience expectations. It can be built or selected to enhance the narrative. For example, in An American Tail, the location of Manhattan adds emotional depth to the character’s journey. Props provide additional context about characters and plot, like in Toy Story and The Godfather.
   Takeaway: Settings and props are crucial in conveying meaning and setting the tone.
2. Costume, Hair & Make-Up
   These elements instantly communicate a character’s personality, status, and occupation. In 101 Dalmatians, Cruella de Vil’s extravagant look reveals her villainous nature.
   Takeaway: Costumes and makeup serve as visual cues to quickly establish character traits.
3. Facial Expressions & Body Language
   Facial expressions show emotions, while body language conveys relationships and power dynamics. In The Breadwinner, the protagonist’s expressions reflect her resilience.
   Takeaway: Non-verbal cues are powerful in conveying emotion and character dynamics.
4. Positioning of Characters & Objects
   The placement of characters and objects guides the audience’s focus and suggests emotional connections. For example, in Isle of Dogs, character positions reflect their relationships.
   Takeaway: Positioning is a key tool for visual storytelling, emphasizing character importance and dynamics.
5. Lighting & Colour
   Lighting and colour shape the mood of a scene. Low-key lighting, like in Citizen Kane, adds drama, while high-key lighting, like in The Barber of Seville, feels realistic. Colour, as seen in Amelie and The Revenant, enhances emotional tone.
   Takeaway: Lighting and colour are essential for setting mood and enhancing themes.
6. Depth-of-Field
   Depth-of-field refers to how much of the scene is in focus. Deep focus keeps both near and far objects sharp, highlighting isolation or scale, while shallow focus directs attention to specific details.
   Takeaway: Focus techniques guide the viewer’s attention and add depth to the story.
7. Types of Shots
   Shot types influence emotional impact. Close-ups, like in The Incredibles, build tension, while long shots, like in Wall-E, establish context.
   Takeaway: Shot types influence the story’s scope and emotional intensity.
8. Special Shot Types
   Special shots, like one-shots or two-shots, focus on relationships. Anomalisa uses a one-shot, and My Life as a Courgette uses a two-shot to highlight character connections.
   Takeaway: Special shot types help define character relationships and guide the viewer’s perception.
9. Angle Shots
   The angle of a shot affects how characters are perceived. A high-angle shot, like in The Lion King, makes characters appear vulnerable, while a low-angle shot, like in There Will Be Blood, can make them appear powerful.
   Takeaway: Camera angles convey emotional states and power dynamics.
10. Point of View (POV) Shots
    POV shots show the world through a character’s eyes, deepening the emotional connection between the character and the audience.
    Takeaway: POV shots create a personal, immersive experience for the viewer.
11. Moving Shots
    Moving shots like pans, tilts, and dolly shots add energy and urgency. In The Breadwinner, moving shots help convey emotional intensity.
    Takeaway: Moving shots add dynamism and emotional depth to the narrative.

Analyzing Mise-en-Scène in The Breadwinner & Isle of Dogs
In The Breadwinner, the setting, lighting, and character positioning emphasize the protagonist’s isolation. In Isle of Dogs, these elements convey loyalty and survival themes.
Takeaway: Mise-en-scène shapes emotional and thematic depth in animated films.

Screen Direction and Continuity
Screen Direction ensures visual continuity and helps the audience follow the story. Consistent movement within the frame is crucial for maintaining clarity. Filmmakers use terms like “camera left” and “camera right” to establish direction.
Takeaway: Consistent screen direction ensures the audience understands character movements and relationships.

1. The 180-Degree Rule
   This rule keeps screen direction consistent by maintaining a fixed axis. Crossing the axis can confuse the viewer, but techniques like a neutral shot can reset direction for smooth transitions.
   Takeaway: Maintaining screen direction with the 180-degree rule prevents confusion.
2. Animation Layout & Screen Direction
   Animation layout involves designing environments while considering screen direction. This ensures characters and objects move logically within the frame.
   Takeaway: Careful planning of screen direction in animation is essential for clear storytelling.

Animation Staging
Staging in animation involves arranging elements to clarify ideas, actions, and emotions. This includes character placement, camera angles, lighting, and movement dynamics.
Takeaway: Effective staging helps focus the audience’s attention and ensures clarity in the narrative.

Conclusion
These cinematic principles highlight how visual elements like shot types, lighting, and character placement work together to tell a story. In animation and film, every decision—from props to camera movement—contributes to creating an engaging, coherent, and emotionally resonant narrative.
Takeaway: Mastering mise-en-scène, screen direction, and staging is key to creating impactful stories.

In Week 5, we explored how media, including film and animation, can shape and influence audiences. We discussed the power of different media platforms—such as social media, news, film, and television—to persuade and affect people’s beliefs and views. These platforms can influence both consciously and subconsciously, often conveying political or social messages.

Influence of Media:

Media can influence public opinion in various ways. Mainstream media like broadcast news can sway audiences with authority, while independent films and animation offer a space for personal stories and social commentary. These different media formats have the power to challenge, reinforce, or direct specific narratives, reaching diverse audiences and triggering emotional responses.

We also examined how these media can present persuasive messages. Some messages are hidden or subliminal, while others are overtly propagandist. Media content can aim to sell products, promote ideologies, or encourage reflection through documentary or investigative approaches. These messages might focus on themes like race, gender, equality, disability, ethics, and ecology.

Political and Social Commentary:

We discussed how films, television shows, games, and even advertising can address important political issues. The portrayal of race, gender, and social issues varies widely in these media, either challenging or reinforcing societal norms. It’s important to consider how these formats present and influence political ideas.

Animated Documentaries:

A unique aspect of our discussion was the role of animation in documentaries. Animated documentaries, which are created frame by frame, represent real-life events and offer a unique way to present information. While some critics question whether animation can truly represent reality, others, like Annabelle Honess Roe, believe animation can expand our ability to show reality in non-traditional ways, providing different perspectives.

Authenticity and Objectivity:

The use of animation in documentaries raises questions about authenticity. Traditional documentaries aim for objectivity and realism, but animation doesn’t always fit this mold. Bill Nichols argues that documentary images usually reflect the reality they represent, and animation’s departure from this can challenge the idea of authenticity. However, animation can still convey complex, subjective experiences, adding depth to storytelling. For example, animated films like Waltz with Bashir and the Animated Minds series use animation to explore mental health and trauma in ways live-action documentaries cannot.

Challenges and Debates:

Animated documentaries challenge the traditional idea of what a documentary should be. Some worry that animation may distance viewers from real experiences, while others fear it could be used lazily, just to illustrate an existing narrative. Despite these concerns, animated documentaries are seen as an evolving form of storytelling that expands what we can represent in non-fiction media.

Conclusion:

Through this exploration, I’ve come to view animated documentaries as a unique and evolving form of storytelling. They push the boundaries of non-fiction, offering new ways to represent reality and challenge traditional views of authenticity and objectivity. The role of animation in documentary filmmaking reflects broader changes in how we understand truth and reality in visual media.

In week 4, we learned about the concept of “Auteur Theory” or Politique Des Auteurs, which was introduced by critics from Cahiers du Cinéma. This theory suggested that American cinema, previously overlooked, deserved serious study. It argued that the director, rather than just the studio or actors, could be considered the true creator of a film.

Andrew Sarris and the Auteur Theory
We explored Andrew Sarris’s influential notes on Auteur Theory from 1962. His work helped clarify the idea that a director’s personal touch and style make their films unique. He proposed three criteria for identifying an auteur:

Technique: The technical skill of the director.
Personal Style: The recurring features that define a director’s work.
Interior Meaning: The deeper meaning or personal vision expressed in the film.
Sarris used the metaphor of three concentric circles—technique, personal style, and interior meaning—to describe the role of the director as a technician, a stylist, and an auteur.

However, Sarris also pointed out that not every director follows a consistent style, and film quality isn’t just about the director. Elements like cinematography, editing, and acting also play important roles.

Pauline Kael’s Response
We also studied Pauline Kael’s critique of Auteur Theory in her essay “Circles and Squares”. Kael disagreed with Sarris’s ideas, arguing that Auteur Theory sometimes praises directors who use boring or obvious techniques. She believed critics should focus more on finding what’s fresh and new in films, rather than judging directors based on their technical growth.

Kael also pointed out that many great directors break conventional rules, and doing so doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not great filmmakers. Her perspective added depth to our understanding by showing that evaluating films is more complex than just looking at technical skills.

Modes of Auteurism
The discussion on modes of auteurism explored how the practical aspects of filmmaking—like how films are made and who is involved—can challenge traditional views of authorship. This idea opens up the possibility of “multiple auteurs,” meaning that various people, including creative personnel and even corporations, can shape a film’s identity.

Paul Wells and Animation’s Auteurism
Paul Wells highlighted how animation complicates the auteur debate. While animation often involves large-scale collaboration, it also allows for individual filmmakers to create almost entirely on their own. Wells describes the auteur as someone who brings together the film’s core themes, techniques, and expressive goals, creating a unified vision. In animation, the creator’s personal touch is often very visible, even in collaborative projects.

Wells also discussed Walt Disney as an example of an auteur in animation. Disney is seen as a major figure in the industry, but defining his specific mode of authorship is complex. Wells argued that Disney should be remembered for shaping the creative process of animation, rather than simply controlling it. This highlights the delicate balance between art and commerce in the animation world.

My Thoughts on Authorship in Animation
From my perspective, this week’s lesson emphasized that understanding authorship, especially in animation, requires looking beyond traditional ideas of who counts as the creator. It’s not just the director or the studio; many influences, including those from larger organizations like Disney, help shape the final work.

Conclusion
In conclusion, our exploration of Auteur Theory and its critiques has shown how complex the idea of authorship is in film and animation. Sarris’s framework emphasizes the director’s personal vision, while Kael’s critique points out the importance of innovation and collaboration. The modes of auteurism broaden our view, showing how many different factors—especially in animation—contribute to the creation of a film.

This week, we explored experimental animation and how it challenges traditional storytelling. The focus was on how artists have used animation to express new ideas, especially through abstraction and non-dialogue films.

Non-Dialogue Films
We started by learning about non-dialogue films, which tell stories without using spoken words. These films rely on:

Acting and gestures to communicate emotions.
Visual storytelling and special effects to move the plot forward.
Sound to enhance the mood or message.
In Paul Wells’ book Understanding Animation (1998), he talks about several techniques used in these films:

Metamorphosis: Changing characters or settings.
Condensation: Simplifying complex ideas.
Symbolism and Metaphor: Using symbols for deeper meanings.
Choreography and Acting: Telling stories through movement and expression.
Fabrication: Creating things that don’t exist in real life.
These techniques help convey stories and emotions without dialogue, making animation a powerful way to communicate.

What is Abstraction?
We also learned about abstraction in animation, where the focus is on ideas and emotions rather than concrete objects. There are two types of abstraction:

Formative Abstraction: This focuses on visual elements like shapes, colors, and movement. It’s about the look and feel of the animation.
Conceptual Abstraction: This focuses on the themes and ideas behind the artwork. It encourages thinking about the meaning behind the visuals.
Abstraction allows artists to explore new ideas freely, without needing to represent real-world objects.

Experimental Animation
The heart of our study was experimental animation, which is all about pushing the boundaries of traditional animation. It combines new technologies, creativity, and personal expression to create unique works. Some important ideas we explored:

Recognizing Qualities: Understanding the themes, aesthetics, and abstract concepts in experimental animation.
Analyzing Influences: Looking at how technology, society, and culture shape animation.
Artist Motivations: Considering why artists create experimental works.
Significance: Reflecting on the historical and contemporary importance of these works.
We also focused on elements like space, light, movement, and sound, which are key to creating experimental films.

My Thoughts
This week showed me how experimental animation breaks away from traditional storytelling methods. It’s a reminder that animation is not just for fun—it’s a way to explore deeper ideas and emotions. The creative freedom in experimental work inspires me to think outside the box in my own projects.