Unit 1 - Part A

Able to do

In GCSE i took Art 2D so gained skills in drawing using charcoal, pastels, pencils and pens and also gained painting skills using acrylic paints, water colour paints and inks. My strength in art was mainly focused on the detail of my pieces. 

I also took textiles so used a variety of materials to complete my projects and used a range of techniques to create patterns or effects on the materials i used . For AS I've taken graphics so I'm familiar with Photoshop and other helpful programmes such as Indesign.

Haven't done

At the moment I'm unable to do much with media or animation as i haven't had the opportunities or facilitates to try out new ideas.

What I want to do

I would like to set a challenge for myself to experiment with pixilation animation and also a form of stop animation. I would be using camera, stands and lighting to capture images to be later used to make a pixilation animation. Then to try and make a form of stop animation i will use sheets of paper and draw with a pencil preferably, to make a moving image when each individual drawing is photographed and placed together in a sequence.

By gaining these skills of drawing and camera work, i would hope to create a final piece, where i have captured my own videos and then by free hand, create a hand drawn rotoscope animation. This will be my final aim.

Unit 1 - Part B

Skills achieved 
Ive created a hand drawn stop motion piece showing a growing plant. I think this challenge set was easier for me to complete as i think drawing is one of my strengths, so i found it easier to work individually and learnt how to create a smooth animation using my drawing skills.

Here is some evidence of me drawing out my project.

Here is the final hand drawn stop motion animation i created:





I've also completed a pixelation animation in a group of 4 representing the 4 seasons, so have learnt the skill and completed the challenge i set. This meant that i learnt how to set up a camera and use lights to make the pictures look clear. I also learned how to connect the camera to a computer so we could see the previous image on the scene, whilst layering the present image on top to compare. This helped me to understand how one is made and what makes one look better or how to improve it. I also discovered what makes one look worse.

Final aim

To complete my final aim of creating a hand drawn rotoscope i will have to have access to a video camera, computer (movie maker), drawing paper and willing subjects to base my work on.

I plan to complete this in of a month, making a 15 second piece by working with a partner.

I have targets to make sure the animation has a base story for it including a soundtrack to be played in the background, and that the hand drawn animation is smooth but individual. I also target to get different camera angles and zooms on the original footage to give it more of an edge.

We will need to have access to the computers in the town hall so that we can copy the dancers in out footage exactly.

We will have to make sure that we have permission from the dancers guardians if they are under age, as we plan to take the children from the ballet school taught in the town hall.

Once we have finished our animation, we plan for it to be showed to an audience consisting of other BFI students, parents and our leaders of BFI in Wem.

Here is some evidence of our progress

Once we had developed our ideas we had come up with a scenario of 2 dancers, one older than the other. It starts with the older one lying down, but as the younger child spins in, we tried to portray the older one's soul leaving her body, like the young girl was collecting her and they are dancing souls.

This is when we were collecting our footage of the dancers

Then here we see me drawing over the original footage, creating a hand drawn rotoscope animation

 Then we placed a music which we thought fitted the tempo we wanted to give off from the piece, which was a happy but thoughtful song.

My final version of the hand drawn rotoscope animation is at 8:20 in this clip.

Unit 1 - Part C

Art Exhibit

Ive always had an interest in many different forms of Art but have never had the chance to go and see many Art Exhibit's. In our local town hall there was a unique exhibit being held where the artist, Jane Wilson, had created pieces crafted from parts of piano's. 

The  very unique style of this this artist stood out to me as i think she was heavily influenced from other idea's or structures and throughout her work changes the approach she takes.

Some of her pieces use a more structured approach, creating very intricate looking buildings. She may have been influenced by other countries such as China where the housing is more petite and forms very distinctive layers or divided platforms. The way she uses piano materials also gives it a distinctive, individual look.

Then she changes her approach around by creating more level or even pieces. She does this by basing her art on canvases and using longer less bulky pieces of the piano. By using the more intricate pieces of the piano she can create a very detailed piece of work and, through the variety of materials coming from the piano, create a very diverse range of levelled pieces. 

Although the layout of the two types of Art are slightly different she maintains her symmetrical approach. She creates very balanced pieces throughout the exhibit, linking all of her works together, even though the approach taken to each one may be different. There of course is also the obvious link between the source of materials from the piano. She manipulates the piano materials into many distinctive and separate pieces, which i found very impressive and interesting to observe. I enjoy the idea of someone taking something so controlled and pristine, then changing it into something unexpected and individual in its own right. 

I discussed this idea with the group and we all recognised the regimented approach she takes and that many of her pieces resembled temple like structures. We also talked of how the pieces must have been very planned out as there is so much detail and synchronisity to the pieces, but some added that she may have created this from just a random selection of materials, giving the varied array of work she has created.

Unit 1 - Part D

Town Hall

I have chosen to learn more about the local town hall. It helps organise events and accommodates many different types of events to.

As you scan see by the first pictures, its a great place to promote the arts. It holds a variety of different art including dancing rooms, cinema rooms and it also supplies computers to help to with media students from the local school. This also makes it easier to do graphics at the weekends as you can access them easily.

The Town hall has spent a lot of money making sure it has all the correct, professional equipment to make the place work and this funding comes from the government. This also means that many of the staff on the job are volunteers working for free, but this is a prime opportunity to gain some experience in working business, involving so much variety.

One of the main bosses of the Town hall explains that it would not be able to run without there help and there is such a variety of work to be done as it provides for lots of events. This also means they have a quick turn over time, so one day a room may be used for a wedding, then it may be needed for a dance lesson the next day.

An example of the events taking place in the town hall would be on December Friday 13th a 'Cinderella' Film would be played on the big screen, and then the next day the film 'Arthur Christmas' would be played instead. The quick change around shows the way the town hall works to keep its events fresh and work fluently between each showing. Other events like concerts and dance take place as well, making the range if events diverse throughout all the week, except sundays which is the only day they close.

All this information is helpfully put in a booklet so that people know what events will be taking place on what days, months in advance.

Here are some photos i took of the town hall:

I also had an Interview with Samantha Moore.

Here are some questions i asked her and evidence of the interview:

What is your job specification?

Im a free lance animator, i try and do documentary but also I'm also a collaborator. Right now actually, I'm doing commercials and I'm the free lance director, so its basically my own project. But what I'm really interested in is doing documentaries, it takes ages but if your interested in what your making its worth your time. Its like your instant pretend experts because your immersed in your project, like one i did on Uganda.

Do you do another type of work?

Well I'm also a lecturer for higher education, so university, where i teach undergraduates and post graduates to develop there own animation skills. Ive tried live action animation but found it too intimidating and found directing actors an issue, but its all about what you want to do as an animator, what your drawn to. So documentaries is where i really enjoy my work.

Did you go to University? If so, what course did you take and why?

I did, and i took English literature and Art at Executor University in London. I took these as they were what i was interested in, i didn't think about doing animation until my art teacher suggested me to create a moving piece of artwork, so i effectively created an animation.

How did this help you with your future?

Well its extremely difficult to get into animation as a career so you have to be flexible. Even though animation is everywhere like in television, cinema and internet, there are a lot of other people the employer can choose for the job, so I started with small things like online car adverts for free to get my work out there and then eventually started getting money for it. You've got to really want it to become successful, and fortunately i did and have created a comfortable job for myself.

What would you suggest to help someone pursue a career in animation, going through higher education?

I think i would suggest going to higher education, only because then you can gain a vast amount of contacts and get your self known, and its just more to know. Film and television school is a really good route to go down but its also so important for you to really want it. Its challenging to put so much work and time into something you don't want to do. But another thing is to try and get involved in events such as your own Sweat Pea Festival, by sending in your own work you can get funded by the Shropshire Council. Also try to get in bigger events like the New York Festival. Short films are shown and you can get awards, which helps get you known and gain experience. 

Unit 2 - Part A + B

I am going to have a 1 day animation workshop teaching a local young persons Animation club how to create a effective hand drawn rotoscope, which is the form of the animation i have created. They will be filming a clip 2-3 seconds long of them moving in front of the camera and then putting funny things in the background when they draw over the top.

I will hold this workshop at the local town hall on the 1st February from 10:30am to 3:30pm. It would last about 45 minutes, 5 minutes for the recording at the beginning and then the rest placing the footage on the computer and drawing over the top. I will be arriving at 10 am to prepare a camera stand and area for the club members to record their footage in, and also to make sure all programs are running on the computer so it works fluently.

My role will be aiding them in exploring this technique of animation and creating a funny clip for them, keeping it entertaining but informative if help is needed. I will also be providing them with a camera, paper, pencils, rubbers and computers so they can achieve the aim of the workshop.

Plan-

• When they arrive i will explain what type of animation i will be teaching them, and show my own version of rotoscoping. 
• I will then take them to the filming area and show them how to use the camera. 
• Then they will pick a theme from a bowl at random to base there work on. 
• After taking a few seconds footage i will lead them to the computers, upload there video's and then show them how to make it 12 frames a second. 
• Then we all will brainstorm what they want in the background and then allow them to start drawing onto the paper. 
• The last 10 minutes will be used to place their frames onto 1 movie, and play it through showing them what they have created.
• Then i will give them a questionnaire on how much they enjoyed the workshop and wether its interested them.
• i will rotate this plan until i have helped the pupils i have been assigned or who are interested in the form of niacin I'm going to be doing.

Backup plan-

If i have problem's, i will revert to doing hand drawn stop animation. I will show them my own version i had already created and then they will pick a theme from the bowl and create a 3-5 second piece on that idea. We will have a group brainstorm on what they could do their project on and then pick their favourite idea and continue to draw on paper.


To get feedback from the students i have created a questionnaire for them to fill in at the end of the workshop

Before they arrive i will collect all the materials like paper, pencils and rubbers. I will also set up the camera and computers so they are ready to go when the children arrive.

Risk assessment

If a medical emergency arrises with one of my students, i would alert the teacher in the classroom and keep the area clear, by moving the equipment and other children away. 

If the fire alarm goes off, i will direct my students to follow the leading teacher in an audibly fashion to the fire exit, which i will have previously looked for incase the teacher is not present. We then wait out in the car park outside the town hall for further instruction and to register all the pupils i took for my class.

Here is evidence of my activity being carried out with a student:
When we had recorded her doing the activity she had chosen from the hat, i then placed it on a 16 frame a second speed on the computer, showing her exactly how to do it on a separate movie so she could have a go on her own.

She then started to animate over the top of her footage and placed odd things in the background, so this would be a mixture of rotoscoping and free hand drawing to keep the pupil interested.

We then took photos of the frames she had drawn and placed them back onto the computer, so she could watch her 3 second animation she had created.

Unit 2 - Part C

Effective Arts leadership

As i had knowledge of what cpu i was etching i knew that most if not all the students came here every week to attend there club, so already had knowledge of the area in the town hall. This allowed me to move swiftly onto considering the health hazards.

When i was conducting my activity i had to make sure that the students i had were able to conduct my activity in a safe, secure environment. I checked there were no free cables they could trip over, or which they could tug potentially breaking the equipment, that all of there bags were safely tucked away to avoid tripping over and also that chairs were tucked in when not in use to reduce tripping hazards. This allowed me to conduct the activity in a safe environment for the equipment i used and also the students i was teaching.

I also had to consider my time management to ensure that the students could smoothly move onto the next activity with not rush, and have the scheduled lunch on time.

Unit 2 - Part D

Work effectively with others

During the activity i was producing i had to be effective in working with many different people, ranging from students being taught, to tutors and supervisors helping me if needed.
For example, when i was setting up my workshop i cooperated wells with my supervisors so they had knowledge of what i was requiring, previous to the activity taking place. This allowed me to have access to materials and equipment easily and made my setting up of the activity run smoothly.

I also had to work effectively with the students, to show i was confident in what i was teaching, and also allowing me to teach them the technique easily and effectively. By cooperating with the students, it ensured i was getting effective feedback from them, keeping them involved and allowing easy communication between us, so they felt no hesitation to ask a question or for help with the activity.

To also ensure the workshop was successful organisation was key. By ensuring i had a plan in place, and a back up plan if needed, made it a lot easier to allow effective communication to all of the students. The plans allowed me to keep on schedule and always keep the student interested, involving them in every aspect of the progress of their animation. The organisation also allowed me to be prepared. This resulted in less input from my supervises as i was using my time and equipment correctly so needed no assistance in maintaining my activity, as i had already communicated to them what i needed for that session.

Here is some feedback i received from the students on the questionnaire i produced:

Unit 2 - Part E

Review Of Project

For my workshop, i previously planned what i was going to achieve on the time provided and what skills i hoped to teach them. This was to create a hand drawn rotoscope animation to about 2-3 seconds long. I believe i effectively achieved these aims as all of my students produced a hand drawn animation approximately 3 seconds long, whilst still paying close attention and cooperating well with me throughout the day.

I think that my leadership skills helped this success as i was able to effectively communicate with the students to encourage them to complete the project in the best way they could without any confusion about the task. This allowed them to keep interested in the activity and also further encourage the development of their own animation skills.

I also thought that my organisation was a huge factor for the success of the work shop as it meant everything went according to plan. All the equipment was set up before the student arrived and whilst they filled out the questionnaire at the end of the activity, i used the time to prepare for the next pupil so no time was wasted and everything went smoothly. The organisation also allowed me to work individually with my students, as i had all the equipment prepared so needed no extra assistance from my tutors or peers.

My previous knowledge of the equipment we were using also allowed for the workshop to continue without a hitch as i was able to guide the student on how to use them confidently. This also allowed the student to feel confident in my own knowledge, so communication between me and the student wasn't a problem.

I believe that the students who did my activity gained more confidence in this form of animation and more skill in the way one is produced. It also inspired them to create new ideas, to try outside of the club for their own individual development in animation. By keeping the level of interest high i have succeeded in allowing my students to pick up this new skill in animation. By completing their own hand drawn rotoscope, the sense of achievement may help them continue down this path or maybe just solidify what type of animation they enjoy, and can later develop on their own.

By doing this worship it helped me realise that i excel in leadership. I was able to effectively teach all my students this new form of animation they hadn't done before, confidently. I knew what i was talking about and this confidence helped me guide my students on what would improve their own animation and also what was good about their animation. I also discovered that my communication between both supervisors and students was easy to achieve, and allowed for my workshop to work effectively and also allow my organisation to be shown, by the active running smoothly and my time management being on time.

I received great feedback from all my students and i look back on my day with a sense of achievement. I was able to achieve my key objective which was to create a hand drawn rotoscope lasting around 2-3 seconds, and as all my students achieved this and learnt more skills from the workshop i be lice it was a success. I think the only thing i would change was to maybe have less students but more animation time so that the students i do have, will have longer to animate and develop it. Apart from that though my whole day worked well, and the feedback I've received seems to back this up.