Donatella's 3D Computer Animation Blog
My 3D Computer Animation Progress

Category: FMP & Thesis

Categories
7.1 Week 1 FMP FMP & Thesis

Week 1: FMP Proposal

Introduction

What follows next is a brief description of my final major project, the synopsis and the concept I want to communicate.

Final Major Project

Final Major Project

In order to define what type of FMP project I want to develop, I asked myself where I would like to work in the future.

Since I picture myself working in an animation studio, I wanted to create an animated short that focuses on character animation.

Furthermore, it will showcase the skillset I learned during the course.

Animation Synopsis

Stylized Animation

I want the animation to be stylized, as it is targeted at a younger audience.

This will enable me to create unique character moments and exaggerate the movements of the characters.

Animation Concept

Visual Language: The Grotesque and The Uncanny

For my FMP animation, I would like to explore the use of the grotesque and the uncanny, which is given by the distortion and unfamiliarity of elements.

To do so, I will apply the findings of my thesis in the design of the visual aesthetic of the animation.

Combining Thesis with FMP Animation

My thesis question is:

How does Tim Burton make use of the grotesque and the uncanny in the characters of his movies to evoke empathy and create an emotional connection with the audience?

Even though my thesis research is focused on the emotional impact the characters have on the audience, I will apply my findings regarding the use of the grotesque and the uncanny in the visual aesthetic of my animation. In this sense, the FMP is a great opportunity to apply the theory and analysis I developed in my research.

Creating a Collaboration Project

Furthermore, I decided to collaborate with a sound artist student from Argentina, as I wanted my FMP to have an unique background music and special sound effects. To do so, I shared them my previs animation so that they had a guideline regarding the timing of the sequences. The idea was that they create a piece that would enhance the storytelling of my animation.

Categories
6.1 Week 1 FMP & Thesis Thesis

Week 1: Defining the Research Question and Aims

Introduction

Last term we worked on our thesis proposal and got some feedback sessions with Nigel to enhance our research. In the following weeks, I will post the process behind the study I am conducting, emphasizing on my literature review, my research methodology and findings.

Research Question

Research Question

Research Aims

– Analyze the physical aspect, personality traits and backstory of Tim Burton’s main characters to understand how they communicate meaning.
– Compare and contrast the physical and emotional patterns the main characters of his animated and life action movies have to portray the idea of a grotesque and the uncanny.
– Explore what key elements Tim Burton uses in the design of his characters to achieve an emotional connection and sense of identification with the audience.

Research Contribution

Given the fact that for my research question I will design my own data collection tool (by adapting and editing preexisting studies from different authors and fields), I am contributing to the animation community in that I am providing a new method to systematically gather information to analyze characters.    

Conclusion

In order to start working on improving my research methodology, it is crucial to clearly understand what my research aims are. In addition, it is also vital to analyze how the study I will conduct can be beneficial to the animation community and how my data recollection tool can be used and adapted by future researchers.

Categories
5.20 Week 20 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 20: Thesis Proposal Review

Unit Review (Term 3)

Defining my Research Question

When it comes to my thesis proposal, this term I focused on narrowing down my research question and adapting the key authors for my literature review. Even though I knew which topic I wanted to explore (Tim Burton’s characters and filmography), the question I submitted last term was too broad.

Old Question (Term 2): To what extent do film semiotics play an essential role in world building and characterization within the horror genre?

New Question (Term 3): How does Tim Burton balance horror and empathy in the characters of his movies to create an emotional impact on the audience?

Editing my Literature Review

After I established my new research question, I had to expand my bibliography with authors that focus on the concept of emotional engagement and identification. Since they all had different points of view, I can approach my research question from different perspectives.

Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that my authors come from different fields such as semiotics, animation and psychology. In this sense, I was able to combine different areas of interest and apply them into the field of animation.

Exploring Different Fields of Interest

Working on an animation-oriented thesis has enabled me to explore several fields of interest. Not only do I have the opportunity to analyze the artwork of my favorite director Tim Burton, but also conduct my study from different approaches.

Attending Feedback Sessions

Receiving feedback from Nigel was crucial, as he helped me to polish my research question and establish the golden thread of my paper. This enabled me to organize my ideas and have a clear understanding of my workflow.

Preparing for my FMP

Since for my FMP I would like to create an animation which is influenced by the grotesque style, my thesis will help me to create the theoretical background for my short film. In this sense, I would like to focus first on developing my research and then apply all my findings into my FMP animation.

Categories
5.19 Week 19 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 19: Key Words & Introduction

Introduction

This week, I focused on establishing the keywords of my research proposal and I also worked on writing the introduction.  

Keywords: Tim Burton – Gothic Fiction – Character Engagement – Empathy and Identification

Introduction

The following paper will explore and analyze how Tim Burton balances horror and empathy in the characters of his movies to create an emotional impact on the audience. This study will be conducted from a structuralist perspective, by understanding each element of a character as a meaningful sign. It will focus on the analysis of the physical aspects of the characters, as well as their traits, personality and backstory and how these elements communicate meaning.

Categories
5.18 Week 18 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 18: Research Methods

Introduction

This week, I focused on defining which research approaches I was going to apply in my research.

Research Design

  • Qualitative Research: I will focus on a descriptive analysis of Tim Burton’s movies and the emotional impact the characters trigger on the audience.
  • Case Studies: I will examine the main characters of some of Tim Burton’s most influential animated and live action movies in form of case studies. The movies are: Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1994), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Frankenweenie (2012).
  • Diagnostic Research: I will make a diagnosis and attempt to find a pattern between the protagonists of the before mentioned movies by examining the  physical appearance, traits and gothic elements. In addition, I will compare and contrast them in order attempting to find a common reason on how the audience may experience an empathic response.
Categories
5.17 Week 17 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 17: Key Papers and Filmography

Introduction

This week, I focuses on revising my bibliography and filmography I wanted to examine for my thesis.

Key Papers

In order to establish what my key papers are, I divided my research into four main topics: Character Engagement, Identification, Horror Genre and Tim Burton. What follows next is a list of the bibliography that I have revised until now according to the four areas of research.

Character Engagement:

  • Smith, M. (1995) Engaging Characters. Fiction, Emotion, and the Cinema. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Identification:

  • Cohen, J. (2001). Defining identification: A theoretical look at the identification of audiences with media characters. Mass Communication & Society. 245–264. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0403_01 (Accessed: 10 May 2023).

Horror Genre:

  • Wells, P. (2000) The Horror Genre. From Beelzebub to Blair Witch. London: Wallflower Press.

Tim Burton:

  • Hockenhull, S. and Pheasant-Kelly, F. (eds) (2021) Tim Burton’s Bodies. Gothic, Animated, Corporeal and Creaturely. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
  • Salisbury, M. (ed.) (2000) Burton on Burton. Revised Edition. England: Faber and Faber.

Filmography

As regards the movies, I wanted to combine Tim Burton’s most emblematic animated, stop motion and live action movies. For this reason, I selected the following list of works:

  • Beetlejuice (1988) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: Warner Bros.
  • Edward Scissorhands (1990) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: 20th Century Fox.
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas (1994) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
  • Corpse Bride (2005) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.
  • Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.
  • Frankenweenie (2012) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Categories
5.16 Week 16 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 16: Tentative Table of Contents

Introduction

Since we last week learned about the ‘golden thread’, I decided to start planning out the structure of my thesis. What follows next is a tentative table of contents divided into headings and subheadings.

Thesis Proposal – Tentative Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2.       Literature Review

2.1     Tim Burton and the ‘Burtonesque’ Style

2.2     How to Bring Characters to Life

2.3     Engaging with Characters through Empathy

2.4     Engaging with Characters through Sympathy

2.5     Identification with a Fictional Character

3.       Research Design

3.1     Data Recollection Tool

4.       Tim Burton’s Characters

4.1     The Contradiction of the Characters in The Nightmare Before Christmas

4.2     The Representation of Edward Scissorhands as the Social Outsider

4.3     The Dead but Living Characters In Corpse Bride

4.4     The Portrayal of the Monster in Frankenweenie

4.5     The Ambiguity of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Sweeney Todd

5.       Results

6.       Findings

7.       Conclusion

8.       Bibliography

9. Filmography

Categories
5.15 Week 15 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 15: Golden Thread

Introduction

This week, Nigel introduced us to the term ‘golden thread’ which will help us organize and structure our ideas.

What is the Golden Thread?

The golden thread in academic writing gives us a clear overview on the contents and ideas we want to communicate throughout our paper. For our thesis we have to make sure that we establish first our research question, then our research objectives and define a suitable methodology in order to start developing our arguments.

Categories
5.14 Week 14 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 14: Research Question

Introduction

This week, we had one-to-one tutorials and showed Nigel our progress regarding our research topic and bibliography.

Research Question

Old Question: To what extent do film semiotics play an essential role in world building and characterization within the horror genre?

As regards my research question, even though I have defined that I want to explore Tim Burton’s movies and his use of the horror genre, I felt that the term ‘film semiotics’ was too broad. For this reason, I wanted to narrow down the topic and formulated the following title.

New Question: How does Tim Burton balance horror and empathy in the characters of his movies to create an emotional impact on the audience?

In this sense, I will specifically focus on the characters of his movies, and I will still conduct my study from a semiotic approach as I will analyze the characters as signs that convey meaning.

Categories
5.13 Week 13 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 13: Organizing our Bibliography

Introduction

This week, we watched some useful videos in class on how to read the appropriate bibliography in an efficient way.

Things to Consider when Reading a Journal

  • We need to learn how to identify what our key papers are going to be.
  • We also need to establish which papers are going to be our supporting bibliography.
  • Looking up the keywords will save us a lot of time and help us organize the bibliography according to different topics.