Narrative

Content (Component A):

Effective CG animation relies on a developed understanding of audio-visual language. This unit
aims to enhance students understanding of genre and character. Genres are formed by
conventions and characteristic devices that structure audience expectation. Likewise, the role of a
character designer is to act as a visual casting director and develop characters that fulfil the story
and performance requirements of a script. Effective character design is essential to animation for
conveying personality, role, and story. This unit requires students to demonstrate a sophisticated
understanding of narrative and character conventions.
Component A: Through the production of a short cg animation, this component requires team
working that challenges students to negotiate and manage a multi-disciplined task. They are
encouraged to collaborate, identify and adopt roles, take individual and collective responsibility,
employ leadership skills and pool creative skills.
Component B: Working for an anticipated audience, this component requires students to develop,
design and execute professionally an original set of characters that demonstrates an
understanding of principles of character design and knowledge of narrative archetypes.

AIMS
The aims of this unit are:
A1 to promote creative and critical skills in the use and review of audio-visual language.
A2 to enhance drawing techniques in the design and execution of original characters.
A3 to promote knowledge and understanding of the relationship between narrative, genre,
character and audience.
A4 to promote understanding of the methodology, roles and responsibilities required to produce
complex CG animation.
A5 to promote technical proficiency in the production of character, time based narrative and CG
animation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On satisfactory completion of the unit you will be able to:

LO1

apply a developed critical understanding of narrative conventions.

LO2

apply research and developed drawing techniques to character design.

LO3
research and utilize the relationship between narrative, genre, character and audience to
produce innovative work.
LO4

assume roles and responsibilities as member of a creative team.

LO5

use software proficiently for the production of CG animation.

LO6

communicate appropriately and professionally to audiences.

ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS
Project: Port Folio 50%
Part 1: As a Group
The Animated Short
For this part of the project you are asked to produce a short animation which communicates a
phrase or saying as clearly and imaginatively as possible. As a starting point youll be given two
random what if cards, one a phrase or saying (the narrative) and the other a staging / design
theme (for world building). For example these may be;

Narrative What if?:

Staging / Design What if?:

Children should be seen but not heard This is a statement which has a literal meaning in
todays society referring to the silence of children around adults. However, in narrative terms this
has the potential for anything from comedy, horror, drama, or tragedy depending upon tonality
and treatment of the writer/ film maker. It could be for children or adults too. As the writers/ film
makers you will be required to bring context (genre) and emotion to the phrase.
In the Toy Cupboard Again this can be seen as a literal statement referring to a specific
location and set of objects. However, in this case the statement refers to a potential world of toys
and games. Your world may feature a child playing with toys or the toys as characters
themselves. They may be modern, vintage, realistic, or stylised. As designers its your job to find
the most suitable world to stage your narrative.

Remember, even though these are two separate starting points to successfully complete the
project you will need to explore them together to find suitable creative answers. Try not to bolt
one to the other and instead find a location, object(s), character(s), animation, and a design style
which suits both what ifs. Weekly tutorials will be held to help you develop these ideas.
Your animation should also consider the following limitations;

1) A Cast or hundreds? Your animation should feature no more than two complex
characters. However, negotiations and methods of achieving character goals will be
discussed in tutorials.

2) Animation Length: Your animation should be between thirty seconds and one and
half minutes in length (30s 1m 30s). No Epics please.

3) Inclusion of 3D: Your animation must contain 3D elements. However this does not
exclude live footage or 2D animation being used if necessary.

Note: Submission requirements listed below

Forming a Studio
To be able to successfully develop your animation your group is asked to form a studio and work
as a team towards a pitch meeting (green light), interim crit, and final submission. As a studio
you will also be asked to

Name & brand your studio: Your new studio will need a new name and brand identity.
For example Bad Robot (J. J. Abrams - Cloverfield, Star Trek, Star Wars) which features
a cartoon bad robot as the logo / ident. Think carefully before naming your studio, what
does it say about you and your work? Research good and bad examples.

Start and maintain a studio blog: In addition to your personal blogs you are asked to
create a studio (group) blog allowing each member to quickly communicate with each
other. This will also form a creative diary for the project. Remember to brand the blog too.

Communication & Assigning Roles: The key to a successful group project is good
communication and delineation of tasks. As part of a studio youre asked to maintain
clear communication with each other throughout the project via meetings, emails / online,
blogs, phone, and tutorials. Where possible assign roles when appropriate to ensure that
each person is clear what needs to be done.

Part 2: As an Individual.

Maintain your personal blog: Keep an up-to-date blog throughout the 12 week period.

Maya Tutorials: Complete all technical tutorials and upload them to your personal blog.

Attendance: Attend all meetings, tutorials, film screenings, technical classes, and
critiques.

Submission
Assessment Check List
Final critique submission and presentation:

A group presentation lasting no more than 15 minutes.

The completed animation
A Making of Document (.PDF or printed document)
The Group Blog (.PDF).

Individual Submissions (online and on a submission disk):

An up-to-date individual blog (Online and as .PDF).

All technical tutorials uploaded to your individual blog (Online only).
Evidence of your individual contribution to the group project. Blog posts, Software Files,
Scanned drawings etc. (On disk).

FAQs
Q. Which format shall I use to encode the final film?
A. This should be either h.264, MP4, .Mov, .Wmv, DivX, Xvid, or Avi.
Q. Which aspect ratio shall I use?
A. HD 16:9 720p or 1080p 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080.
Q. Can I change group?
A. Sorry No: The groups are set at the beginning of the project based upon key abilities.
Q. What can we do if a studio member is consistently absent?
A. Firstly, the remaining members should meet and discuss on how to manage the extra
workload to ensure production continues. Secondly inform staff that there is an on-going
problem.
Q. Will I get my say at assessment time & are we assessed as individuals or as a group?
A. Yes. Peer assessment takes place during the festival in which studio members assess the
performance of their colleagues. This is confidential. There are three levels of assessment: The
groups final submission, individual submission (blog & tutorials), and peer assessment (marking
each other). These three elements combine to produce an individual grading.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

CRITERION
Knowledge of:
narrative conventions and devices.
Understanding through application of:
ability to exploit aesthetic and structural
relationships between narrative, genre and
audience creatively.
Understanding through application of:
ability to evolve, manage and employ innovative
creative methodologies within a team.
Understanding through application of:

MAPS TO LEARNING OUTCOME

LO1

LO3

LO4
LO2

research methods in support of conceptual

development of character design.
Technical and applied skills through:
ability to employ and exploit, within a team context,
the creative potential of software.
Technical and applied skills through:
application of drawing to character design.

LO5

LO2

Technical and applied skills through:

project management and professionalism.

LO6

REFERENCE MATERIAL
Essential
Author
Altman, R.,
Bancroft, T
Gibbs, J.

Date

Hedgpeth, K

2006

King, G

2000

Patmore, C
Pogoda, A
Propp,
V.I./Wagner, L.A
Rigby, J English
Schmidt, V

2005
2008
1968

2006
2001

2000
2007

Title & publication details

Film/Genre, (British Film Institute Publishing)
Creating characters with personality, (Watson-Guptill)
Mise-en-Scene: Film Style and Interpretation (Short Cuts),
(Wallflower Press)
Exploring character design, Clifton Park : (Thomson Delmar
Learning)
Science fiction cinema : from outerspace to cyberspace,
(Wallflower)
Character design, (A&C Black)
Force: character design from life drawing, (Elsevier)
Morphology of the Folk Tale, (University of Texas Press)
Gothic : a century of horror cinema, (Reynolds and Hearn)
45 master characters: mythic models for creating original
characters.( David & Charles)

Recommended
Author
Alain, K
Beiman, N

Date
2004
2010

Beiman, M

2007

Buckland, W

2009

Fabry, G
Paglia, C.
Tsai, F
Voytila, S.

Campbell,
J
2005
1998
2008
1999

Davenport-

1998

Title & publication details

Film noir, Taschen
Animated performance: bringing imaginary animal, human and
fantasy characters to life. (AVA Academia)
Prepare to board: creating story and characters for animated
features and shorts.( Focal)
Puzzle films: complex storytelling in contemporary world
cinema, (Wiley-Blackwell)
1988
Anatomy for fantasy artists.(David & Charles)
The Birds, (British Film Institute)
100 ways to create fantasy figures. (David & Charles)
Myth and the Movies: Discovering the Mythic Structure of Over
50 Unforgettable Films, (Michael Wiese Productions)
Gothic: four hundred years of excess horror evil and ruin,

Hines, R.P.T

(Fourth Estate)