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 entirely focused on feedback, evaluation, and refining the direction of our AI data extraction project in TouchDesigner. After completing our latest round of technical testing, we successfully finalized the tracking system and established a stable foundation for the next development stage.
Our current setup now combines MediaPipe image and object detection with human confidence level analysis, allowing the system to identify subjects while generating confidence percentages in real time. Alongside these predictions, we also have continuously updating positional parameters and live data graphs that provide detailed information about the tracked movement and detected objects.
Rather than immediately moving into implementation, this week’s feedback session encouraged us to step back and reconsider the project’s final output. We discussed the importance of defining a clear target audience and creating a film that communicates our concept in an engaging and accessible way. Through these discussions, we realized that displaying raw AI predictions, numerical values, and complex graphs throughout the final piece would likely overwhelm viewers and reduce the impact of the experience.
As a result, we decided to shift towards a more visual and intuitive presentation. Instead of exposing technical data directly, the final film will rely on elements such as heatmaps, dynamic labels, and simplified visual feedback, allowing the audience to understand the AI’s interpretation of movement without being distracted by excessive numerical information.
This feedback process also helped us identify the next major milestone of the project. Before implementing the AI prediction feedback loop, we will determine which pose-tracking parameters are the most meaningful and expressive for our visual narrative. Selecting the right movement features will ensure that the AI-generated responses support the intended message while maintaining a clear and engaging user experience.
Overall, this was a highly productive week focused on reflection and creative direction rather than technical implementation. By refining the project’s goals, visual language, and audience experience, we established a much stronger foundation for the next stage of development and ensured that future technical decisions will directly support the final artistic outcome.