Forming a Research Question

FORMING A RESEARCH QUESTION

Aside from the omnipresent narrator, what filmic devices and visual development techniques can be employed in animated films to convey a sense of character and a progression of a linear narrative when there is an absence of a visually represented character or protagonist on the screen?

This question aims to place an emphasis on discovering the importance of setting or environment as an alternative to using character in communicating narrative.  This topic is of particular relevance given the dominant acceptance of character animation as a means of communicating narrative and emotion to the viewer in 2D animated films. There seems to be reluctance amongst modern day animators to move away from the central protagonist/s or the omnipresent narrator as a means of telling a story.  This explorative research will serve to ‘fill a gap’ in the knowledge base and current pedagogical practices found in institutions that teach the art of animation; Current animation education trends focus on character animation often at the expense of a thorough investigation in the use of animation backgrounds, layout and other filmic devices as a means of telling a story.

Key Concepts (see appendix 1:1) within this research will include the visual development technique of environmental story telling; the importance of layout and the use of the first person view point camera shot. Environmental storytelling is cornerstone to this research and it is a device that incorporates the other key concepts of research. Environmental storytelling allows narrative subtleties to be revealed through animation layout and background development which in turn can be coupled with the filmic device of the point of view shot or through the use of peripheral incidental unseen or ‘un-named’ ‘characters’ that can progress narrative.  

Although the use of environmental story telling has been used for decades in modern film insert and establishing shots by practitioners such as Alfred Hitchcock (see Appendix 1:2)  who was described by film scholar Paul Duncan (2003, p. 167) as favouring ‘a series of set pieces linked together by plot’ and Orson Wells who masterfully relied on setting to fill in the ‘negative space’ created by an unseen character in ‘The Third Man;’ it is its most current incarnation within the games industry that offers the most interesting potential cross over to the medium of animation. Games practitioner and researcher Dan Pinchbeck from the University of Portsmouth (UK) is the creator of the indie first person point of view game called ‘Dear Esther,’ which closely resembles the experience that this research and project intends to explore in the medium of 2D animation. Pinchbeck states that,  

We (The Chinese Room- his games company) believe the sense of immersion and engagement you get when you are pitched directly into the world is really amazing and powerful. Our games focus on this experience, this sense of being there. We place very heavy emphasis on this immersive experience, rather than mechanics, so story is central to our design. Audio and music is integral to this, as is striving for the highest quality in art and environment design. <http://www.thechineseroom.co.uk/philosophy.html>

Pinchbeck’s ethos in relation to environmental storytelling in games and its unencumbered immersive quality is echoed by the expectations associated with this research exegesis and project and an aspect of 2D animation films that has not, as yet, been explored to the fullest potential. 

The research question and the accompanying project are an appropriate area of inquiry as they are a direct response to recent undergraduate study wherein there was limited opportunity for students to learn the intricacies of background art, layout or the use of environment driven story telling. Both the research and the studio practice will provide an opportunity to learn new skills and push the boundaries of environment driven story telling in 2D animation. 

The project itself will be a 3-4 minute hand drawn 2D animation without ‘characters.’ The linear narrative will be communicated through point of view camera positioning, incidental ‘characters’ and through an absolute focus on the significance of setting, the importance of the environment and the placement of objects that evoke emotion and in turn reveal the story. In contrast to the use of environmental story telling as employed in live action films as a support to a protagonist/s, this project will intend to remove the protagonist and instead place the audience in a direct visual and auditory connection with the environment or setting. 

Bibliography

Duncan, P 2003, Alfred Hitchcock: Architect of Anxiety 1899-1980, Taschen Publishing, Koln.

Pinchbeck, D The Chinese Room, viewed 23 March 2012      <http://www.thechineseroom.co.uk/philosophy.html>

Images

McMinn, R 2009, Continuity Editing 101: Hitchcock’s Rear Window, viewed 21 March 2012 <http://www.slideshare.net/mcmrbt/continuity-editing-101-hitchcocks-rear-window>

Preliminary Visual Research

Part of the challenge with the project meets exegesis thing is that you have to get your head around the fact that you aren't doing two separate components of a written and a film. Rather you are using the written research to inform the decisions that you make about your project and help to extend the knowledge base through your findings. Once I got my head around that I found it much easier to come close to a question to focus my research that contextualises my animated film.

Another challenge for me has been to see the act of drawing as research. Visual research is going to be a large part of my film given that I am not only focusing on environments and objects in animation, but I am also setting the narrative in a real place (Ashfield/ Croydon in Sydney) and in a real time (1930s-2000). So, in the spirit of visual research I have included some of my preliminary sketches of objects and places. What I will be doing at a later date is compiling a visual comparison of different objects and places cross referenced with an era in history. This process will allow me to see patterns in visual design including common shapes and colours that are present in objects and places from cars to cups (in some form) in a particular decade.

Visual Resources

It was if I had ordered it, today the National Film and Sound Archive uploaded a whole stack of short films about life in Australian suburbia in the 1960s. Sweet action. Check them out here.

Also check out their website for loads more references both visual and auditory- both of which are going to be crucial in my project where there are no central characters to progress the narrative.

Forming A Question: Short Submission

Felt a little like this at times during the week when working on this submission. 

Aside from the omnipresent narrator, what filmic devices and visual development techniques can be employed in animated films to convey a sense of character and a progression of a linear narrative when there is an absence of a visually represented character or protagonist on the screen?

This question aims to place an emphasis on discovering the importance of setting or environment as an alternative to using character in communicating narrative.  This topic is of particular relevance given the dominant acceptance of character animation as a means of communicating narrative and emotion to the viewer in 2D animated films. There seems to be reluctance amongst modern day animators to move away from the central protagonist/s or the omnipresent narrator as a means of telling a story.  This explorative research will serve to ‘fill a gap’ in the knowledge base and current pedagogical practices found in institutions that teach the art of animation; Current animation education trends focus on character animation often at the expense of a thorough investigation in the use of animation backgrounds, layout and other filmic devices as a means of telling a story.

Key Concepts within this research will include the visual development technique of environmental story telling; the importance of layout and the use of the first person view point camera shot. Environmental storytelling is cornerstone to this research and it is a device that incorporates the other key concepts of research. Environmental storytelling allows narrative subtleties to be revealed through animation layout and background development which in turn can be coupled with the filmic device of the point of view shot or through the use of peripheral incidental unseen or ‘un-named’ ‘characters’ that can progress narrative.  

Although the use of environmental story telling has been used for decades in modern film insert and establishing shots by practitioners such as Alfred Hitchcock who was described by film scholar Paul Duncan (2003, p. 167) as favouring ‘a series of set pieces linked together by plot’ and Orson Wells who masterfully relied on setting to fill in the ‘negative space’ created by an unseen character in ‘The Third Man;’ it is its most current incarnation within the games industry that offers the most interesting potential cross over to the medium of animation. Games practitioner and researcher Dan Pinchbeck from the University of Portsmouth (UK) is the creator of the indie first person point of view game called ‘Dear Esther,’ which closely resembles the experience that this research and project intends to explore in the medium of 2D animation. Pinchbeck states that,  

We (The Chinese Room- his games company) believe the sense of immersion and engagement you get when you are pitched directly into the world is really amazing and powerful. Our games focus on this experience, this sense of being there. We place very heavy emphasis on this immersive experience, rather than mechanics, so story is central to our design. Audio and music is integral to this, as is striving for the highest quality in art and environment design. <http://www.thechineseroom.co.uk/philosophy.html>

Pinchbeck’s ethos in relation to environmental storytelling in games and its unencumbered immersive quality is echoed by the expectations associated with this research exegesis and project and an aspect of 2D animation films that has not, as yet, been explored to the fullest potential.

The research question and the accompanying project are an appropriate area of inquiry as they are a direct response to recent undergraduate study wherein there was limited opportunity for students to learn the intricacies of background art, layout or the use of environment driven story telling. Both the research and the studio practice will provide an opportunity to learn new skills and push the boundaries of environment driven story telling in 2D animation. 

The project itself will be a 3-4 minute hand drawn 2D animation without ‘characters.’ The linear narrative will be communicated through point of view camera positioning, incidental ‘characters’ and through an absolute focus on the significance of setting, the importance of the environment and the placement of objects that evoke emotion and in turn reveal the story. In contrast to the use of environmental story telling as employed in live action films as a support to a protagonist/s, this project will intend to remove the protagonist and instead place the audience in a direct visual and auditory connection with the environment or setting. 

Questioning the Question

Having an inspired moment and I think I'm a little more on track with the focus of my exegesis in terms of contextualising my project through research.

Disney Hipster Memes

So here's where it is at the moment, gonna sleep on it then work on it after painting class tomorrow. 

''Other than the omnipresent narrator, what visual development and layout techniques can be employed in 2D animated films to convey a sense of character and a progression of narrative when there is an absence of a visually represented character or protagonist on the screen?''  

Scriptwriting

This week I've been working on rewriting the script to reflect my interest in presenting a film without a central protagonist- more on the topic of research later, I'm still playing with the question and direction of the exegesis.

Whilst reworking the script I focused more on the visual, seeing the story in my mind from the various perspectives and viewpoints rather than through language. Does this mean I'm finally becoming an animator? Hope so.

Below are some concept pieces that provide a birds eye view of 2 Walter Street Croydon. I'm thinking that a shot similar to this could be used as the opening credits, we shall see.

Both done in Photoshop CS3 with Wacom

Week 4: Refining the Question

In what ways do the setting, animation backgrounds and environment driven story telling function within the visual narrative of a Disney animated feature film?

Key Questions:

What is the significance of place in a narrative?
Think outside animation, perhaps lit

What is Environment driven storytelling?
The use of objects and space- where the background tells part of the story
Think games, lit and live action film such as Rear Window opening

How do environments operate to contribute to the audience understanding of character and story?
Visual Narrative
Landscape as character- can be aide to the protagonist or an antagonist (obstacle)
Setting and environment as a reflection of psychological state of character

Why is the visual language of semiotics important in animated films?
Shared understanding
Visual communication to the audience

Significant Objects

This will probably be the final in my series of objects of significance. I'm using objects that I connect with my nan's place so that I can a feel for colours and shapes that may form the basis of connectivity in the environments and objects that exist throughout the changing decades in my Hons project.

This illustration is of a Chinese Foo Cloisonne statuette that always had pride of place in my grandparents 'good room.' Nan was given the already antique dog by her aunt who owned an antique store at the time that they were married, the statue was a wedding gift and one of nan's most prized possessions.

Task for this Week

Quite a successful meeting this week to discuss both the exegesis and the project and I always seem to leave the meetings psyched and ready to get into my project. Task for this week is visual research which includes at least 4-5 full colour drawings of objects that are significant to the narrative and a further 15 sketches that capture the era/s in question. Will post a complete break-down of my exegesis and project once I have one (hopefully very soon). For now, some more concept art:

PShop CS3 and Wacom 

PShop CS3 and Wacom

The Project: Concept Art

Some early concept art based on the objects and locations around my nan's place. This is the master bedroom window and the colours always make me think of nan and are the epitome of the federation style of home found in inner Sydney. Original photography done by Bill Styles.

PShop CS3 and Wacom

For as long as I can remember, Nan always had the full dinner set of Royal Albert's Old Country Roses, the colours are almost a recurring theme in these objects.

Revising the Research Question

My research topic for Hons research has definitely evolved and changed from my initial thoughts and I think this is a good thing. My newest version of a 'question' really ties in well with my plans for my project; both of which will focus on the importance of background art and the significance of place. I am really excited about working on my project as I think it is something that will be a real departure from what I have done in animation prior to this year.

Here are my current musings about my Hons thesis:

In what ways can the background, setting or environment of a Disney animated film function as a protagonist or antagonist in its own right or as a reflection of a character’s psychological state, therefore conveying meaning visually through culturally determined semiotics and thus progressing the narrative? 

Idea for Research- Completely Changed

So after a little bit of confusion and being advised that my study was too theoretical I have finally worked out the difference between a dissertation and an exegesis. This means that I can now see how what I was planning to study was probably a little too far removed from my animation project idea. See the following notes for a bit of a guide on what I intend to study:

Clarify Key Concepts

Theme of Research: Landscape as Character; Real places depicted on screen.

Proposed Research Question: (Note still clarifying question after a suggested change of topic):

Re-presentation of real world places in animation films; the importance of animation backgrounds and the notion of the landscape as character. How an artist researches the real world and the selection and exclusion of elements of the landscape to create a collection of symbols, icons and motifs that re-present the real world location in film. 

Key Concepts for Investigation:

1.      Animation films that depict real world places.

2.      Idea of Landscape as character.

3.      Background Painting techniques and technological advancements.

4.      Use of motifs and the language of semiotics to signify place.

Reference of use:

Bacher, H 2008, Dream Worlds: Production Design for Animation, Focal Press, Oxford. 

This resource is extremely useful as it outlines the experience of the background/layout artist in creating an environment for animation and in particular follows the preproduction phase for animation films that re-create real places on screen- Mulan, Lion King and Aladdin for example. The author also discusses the importance of symbols, motifs, colour and shape in re-creating a real world place that is integral to the story and how the landscape in some films has the power to become a character or narrative device. 

Production Schedule

Ahhh old times, creating a production schedule. I'm hoping to stick to this but have factored in some breathing room here and there, especially daunting when you realise you are the whole production team. Might look into getting someone to handle sound for me this year. We'll see.

Click for larger view

Starting with an Idea...

I am really interested in the concept of community and how community evolves and changes because of and in spite of the individual; thus including themes such as change, evolution, existentialism and solitude. Combined with this interest is a passion for animation and to see how the medium can be used to convey serious life issues in contrast to my third year film which was a vintage inspired cartoon. Both my research dissertation and my deliverable compliment my interest in community and in the individual.

 In my research I plan to study the trend of existentialist ideas that cornerstone many popular mainstream animation feature films from the Walt Disney and Pixar Studios.

The philosophy of existentialism correlates well with my interest in the community versus the individual and this concept of us and them can be seen time and time again across a range of western animations but is perhaps most frequently used in Disney/Pixar feature films. This study would acknowledge the presence of the hero’s journey as a narrative technique but is more interested in how the themes of existentialism are conveyed to the audience through the use of aesthetics and character ideology. A clear definition and identification of the hero’s journey (Simba in the Lion King) versus a tale that uses the hero’s journey to explore existentialist themes (Pinocchio) would have to be the primary focus of this study in the initial phases of research.

This study will include an examination of how a homogenous community is established visually within the animation and how the individual is marginalised either by choice through ideological conviction (Ariel in The Little Mermaid) or by being shunned by the wider society (Quasimodo in Hunchback of Notre Dame). And how this marginalisation is a catalyst for existentialist thought- in this case usually expressed through song and demonstrated by isolation either physical, intellectual or emotional loneliness. 

I am seeking to compliment research with a 3min short animation film that is based upon a script that I wrote for scriptwriting class in 2010. The script was well received by markers and although will need modification for use in this project is already on its 3^rd redrafting to pair it down to a more manageable animation project.

The story includes many of the themes discussed as a part of my research dissertation including community, questions of existence, the individual and the constant change ever present in our lives.

This is a simple metaphorical story that on the surface level tells the story of a woman who lives her whole life in the one community and every week without fail walks to the local shops. The journey begins when the protagonist is a young girl and the era is 1930s suburban Sydney. The protagonist walks through her community, the community around her changes and the character ages as well, with time morphing in total from 1930s to 2000s throughout the progression of the story.

Significant life changing moments such as work, love, marriage and children will become symbolically a part of her journey and the audience will see how community used to be a central part of living in the suburbs and how that has now changed rightly or wrongly and we see the protagonist as an outsider in the community where she has lived all her life.

To be successful there will be concepts and motifs that will carry throughout the story as constants. And I have a strong commitment to recreating this suburban landscape with a degree of historical accuracy- I am already working with the historical society in the area of Sydney in which the story is set.

I am still toying with character design and background design and this will be a part of the preproduction phase (full schedule to be available next week). Sound design will be as authentic as possible and aid in the identification of particular eras, narration will not be used but there will be words spoken between characters, though these will be sparing and only included to drive the narrative.