with Nigel
This week’s theory session focused on developing a stronger research proposal by refining our research questions and understanding how to structure an academic thesis effectively. We explored the key stages of proposal development, including defining a clear research title, planning chapter structures, outlining research methods, drafting an introduction, and developing an example chapter before revising the overall bibliography and literature review.
Alongside the proposal framework, we also discussed the importance of critical thinking in academic writing. Rather than approaching research through surface learning and simply collecting information, the session encouraged a deeper engagement with sources by questioning ideas, comparing perspectives, and identifying meaningful gaps within existing research. This reinforced the importance of building an argument rather than summarising information.
Outside of class, building on the ideas identified last week, I continued researching potential dissertation directions by looking at existing theses, journal articles, and practice-based animation research. I focused on projects exploring body language, emotional performance, and the application of animation principles to storytelling, comparing different approaches and identifying common research methods.
Rather than selecting a final topic immediately, I am using this research phase to evaluate which theme offers the strongest balance between academic investigation and practical animation production. To help refine these ideas further, I have booked a tutorial session where I plan to discuss the different research directions and receive feedback before deciding on a final dissertation proposal.
with Ting
This week focused on improving both workflow efficiency and animation quality. We attended a workshop covering AnimBot, Animation Layers, and Studio Library, learning how these tools can be combined to create a faster and more organized animation pipeline. During the session, we also continued developing the AnimBot exercise from the previous week, giving us more hands-on experience with the tools and reinforcing the techniques introduced earlier.
Outside of class, I received detailed feedback on my Advanced Animation Shot. The main observation was that the performance currently reads as a fairly vanilla walk cycle, and that the poses, timing, and spacing could all be pushed further to create a more entertaining and expressive performance. We discussed increasing asymmetry, refining unrealistic motion timings, and adding stronger Tom-style anticipations and facial expressions to better capture the personality of the character. To support these improvements, I spent time studying clips from Tom and Jerry, analyzing how anticipation, exaggeration, and facial acting contribute to the appeal and comedic timing of the animation.
In addition to this shot, I received my final feedback for both the Locomotion and Lip Sync assignments.
For the Lip Sync, the overall performance was considered successful, with only minor adjustments needed. The feedback suggested making certain mouth shapes and consonants more clearly defined to improve dialogue readability while preserving the natural flow of the animation.
For the Locomotion assignment, the spine movement was praised for feeling fluid and believable. The main improvements focused on tightening the animation by allowing the feet to remain planted on the ground for slightly longer, creating stronger weight and contact. I was also advised to switch the head motion to Follow World before making further refinements and to dedicate the final polishing pass to improving the tail animation. After receiving this feedback, I worked through each of these points, refining the shot while paying closer attention to timing, body mechanics, and overlapping motion.
Overall, this week combined technical workflow improvements with performance-focused polish, helping me strengthen both my efficiency as an animator and the quality of my final animations.
with Serra
This week was primarily focused on feedback sessions, tutorials, and refining the overall direction of our project. During our discussion with Sera, we reviewed our development process and talked about ways to make the final film more engaging for the audience. We also considered the importance of defining a clear target audience and ensuring that our visual language effectively communicated the project’s concept.
One of the key suggestions from the feedback session was to use the 270 Room for the final video. We felt that the immersive environment would better support the idea of AI surrounding and analysing the participant, so we adjusted our plans and restructured each stage of the experience to fit this space.
Following the feedback, we continued developing the final stages of the project. For the data analysis sequence, we created a data art visual using the POPS plugin in TouchDesigner. This stage represents the AI processing and analysing the collected human data, making it the most visually overwhelming moment of the experience. Dense particle systems and abstract data formations were used to create a sense of information overload, reinforcing the idea of AI continuously interpreting and categorising human behaviour.
After the analysis stage, we designed a transition into a much simpler and more robotic visual language. This final sequence symbolises the completion of the AI analysis process, presenting the outcome as a clean, simplified, and machine-like interpretation of the participant.
By the end of the week, we had finalised all of the stages and established a clear visual progression from data collection to analysis and final classification. Next week, we will book the 270 Room and begin filming the final video.