MindMaps

On this mind map i decided to look into different directors and what films they have been involved with. After this i researched the different types of animation that are available.

This mind map is when i put together all my ideas. My ideas were: google maps - images from google maps in different countries and travelling. A documentary on what people love and hate. A documentary on what animation actually is. A humour animation, taking over Karl Pilkinton podcasts. The meaning of life - an animation on how we are made, our life, emotions, jobs, etc. 

After gaining feedback on my idea, i developed it in more detail and wrote where my inspiration from.

Research

2D animation refers to animation that is created by using two dimensional drawings. 3D animation refers to computer generated images (CGI), it creates the illusion of a three dimensional space. Films such as Toy Story and Up are created by this. Computer Special Effects fits under this type of animation too, for example, the spells we see in Harry Potter are shown this way. A few different categories fall into Stop Motion Animation. Everything that is shot frame by frame, in front or under a camera is classed as 'stop frame animation'.  Clay Animation is the most common. Pixilation animates real life humans, instead of drawing the images, an actor is used, then the photos are shot one frame at a time and placed together.

This video shows a good example of pixilation animation. I like the idea of using human animation as it's quite quirky and gives a fun element to the film. I find it more interesting to watch as well.


I also looked into the 'meaning of life'. The concept provides an answer to the philosophical questions concerning the purpose and meaning of life. It can be expressed through answering questions such as 'Why are we here?', 'What is life about?', etc. This then ties well with the 'Tree of life', the concept has been used in science, religion, philosophy, mythology and other areas. Within my initial idea i thought about including the tree of life, with each step of the characters life appearing from a branch.


I then looked into some target audience research. I had a rough understanding of where i was going to place my animation if it was to be on television and who i wanted it to be aimed at. The lowest i thought i would aim my short film at would be 16, anyone too young wouldn't understand neither find it interesting to watch. This age group also fits well with BBC3, i had a look on their website and a few quotes state; 'Centre of gravity will be 16-34 year-olds: people who are young in spirit and mindset.' and 'BBC Three is ‘Never Afraid to Try new Stuff’ and that’s why we will continue to innovate with breakthrough comedy, stand-out entertainment, brave documentary and intelligent factual formats. Our content needs to have potential to innovate across platforms.' As my animation would be something different it fits in well with what BBC3 try to promote. 

Feedback

To gain feedback to help develop my idea i created an ideas board. I included a synopsis over-viewing the idea, the target audience, facts, a range of objects i could use, and where my inspiration came from. The target audience i am aiming my animation at is 16-24 years old. Although it is an animation, that could be connected to younger audiences, i don't think its appealing for anyone younger. I would place my animation on BBC3, their target audience is the same age and their motto is 'never afraid to try new stuff', which fits well into this category as i want my animation to have a quirky feel.

My feedback sheet consisted of two questions, 'what other types of animation/objects can be used?' and 'what do you think of the idea?' 

For the first question, an answer was 'would be better without animation'. If i wasn't to do animation i wouldn't choose this overall idea as i think it would be quite boring. The reason why i decided on animation is because from other videos i watched, none of them told the story in a simple way. This is what i like about animation as you can have fun and use hidden connotations to tell the story.

For the second question answers i received were; covering all emotions could be shown very well through this i like it, sounds like a good idea for a series, could use human bodies the whole way through, sounds interesting but you will need to stick to a really dramatic or quite simple type of life.

I like the idea of using humans to tell the story, this clip here is an example of what i was thinking of. The camera is placed from the ceiling facing the floor, and the actor is laying down. All the objects surrounding him move, giving the illusion that he is moving. I would like to include this type of animation within my story, although maybe not the whole way through.

First Idea

The first idea i came up with was a stop motion animation, it was to focus on 'the meaning of life'. The character would be born, then start a typical life of growing up at school, making friends, having jobs, growing old, whilst also including emotions such as love, hate, happiness, sadness, etc. I didn't want the animation to be told in a straight forward way, i wanted connotations to tell the story.

I gained inspiration from other animation stories. For example, this photo to the left shows how we are created by using a marker pen drawing. It gradually gets closer and closer to the belly button, where the baby is then born. The animation then moves onto paper, where they use paint to create different coloured backgrounds. I particularly like the idea of using a human body to create the animation, it makes it look more interesting and is definitely funner to watch. I also looked into other types of animation. I like the idea of using photos and placing them down one after another to make the images look like they are moving. As well as using lots of different objects such as; lego, buttons, crayons, pens, food, etc.