Project Proposal

"To be matter of fact about the world is to blunder into fantasy --

And a dull fantasy at that, as the real world is strange and wonderful."

Robert A. Heinlein

For my ‘major project’ I will create an animation based upon the theme of convergence. The natural world is something that surrounds us everyday, but its complex and marvelous structure is so easily taken for granted and overlooked. From previous projects I have realized that I enjoy drawing animals and as nature fascinates me so I feel this area of study will certainly interest me for the duration of this project. I have decided to explore structure and order within the natural world, in particular the life of a honeybee as I feel this insect demonstrates effectively an interesting form of organization. I will be taking a close look at the inner workings of a colony of honeybees and the way they function as a whole working unit. I find this clearly organized insect fascinating; they are unique in the fact that they are the only form of animal that produces an edible substance. The whole cycle of their lives is so interesting as honeybees work together so uniformly for the upkeep of their hives and in the building of the honeycomb. They have a hierarchy structure and follow their queen; the fact that such an ordered institution even exists is amazing.           

The animation I intend to create will be informative but light hearted. I see it being presented in the context of an educational setting or museum; I aim to target a younger audience. Colour always plays an integral part to my work so I will take this into consideration when producing my animation. I think that stop animation would be an effective way to present my work; I am familiar with this way of working enjoy the aesthetic it creates. The visuals of stop animation can be quite jumpy but I intend to incorporate a quite handmade feel to the animation and therefore think that this form of visual communication will only help to enforce a natural feel to the piece. This form of animation also allows for quick changes within scenes, which you would not be able to achieve as effectively with a typical film format of animation.

I have only made very short animations previously so I am keen to use this project as an opportunity to further my creative practice and push my technical abilities. I will need to take into consideration time management as during this project I will have to utilize unfamiliar computer software such as After Effects in order to benefit from its capabilities. Therefore sticking to my action plan will be crucial.

To begin with I will look into a variety of animation techniques to see how other practitioners have tackled similar topics. I will also visit various museums to view what sort of visual information they already utilize in order to educate their audiences. This will help me to be more aware of common motifs within this area of screen-based media. After visiting the Natural History Museum I have a better idea of how to present such work from looking at their animations and interactive media and can now reference these to have a better understanding of how to undertake my own practice.

            Also through watching documentaries and visiting real life hives I will attain first hand reference of the inner workings of a hive and also take photographs to help aid the development of my project.

I will take create care when considering the accompanying soundtrack to this animation. I intend it to be acoustic to aid the naturalistic aesthetic the visual will give.

            I feel this project will give me the opportunity to further develop my skills as a practitioner by adding to my technical skills which will in turn help me to decide upon what route I intend to take with regards to employment opportunities. It will also help to expand my portfolio.

Aims

A1: To provide me with an awareness of how screen based technologies are transforming the way that audiences are consuming information how illustration can enhance a specific concept and affect a target audience

A2: To develop my creative solutions and skills in relation to the technology available to illustrators towards a screen based presentation.

A3: To inform my creative ambitions with career planning within the digital/technological and inter-active industries.

A4: To provide opportunities for me to demonstrate the development of my transferable skills, including self-organization and the problem solving.

Learning outcomes

LO1: Demonstrate my knowledge of new and evolving technologies for the illustrator and the possible effectiveness for clients and other audience contexts.

LO2: Demonstrate my practical application of traditional and technology skills in the creation of a screen-based presentation to peer group.

LO3: Apply visual expression, intellectual enquiry and communication within a digital context

LO4: Critically reflect on my approach to the project and the final design solution.

Assessment requirements

Body of work including a presentation of final outcomes and developmental work. (tutor assessed) 100%