Proposal submission

	Module Title:	Negotiated Production (45 Credit)	Module Code:	ANIM3010
	Student Name:	Cameron Hurd (16007258)
	Area of Study	Major Animation with Illustration

Title of Project:	The Analog Kid Animation
Synopsis:	A story that explores a child and her idealistic dreams of becoming an inspiration to others, while in order to prevail, must confront her fears.

Treatment:

The goal of this module is to continue with the work done in the pre-production module. The aim is to create a 2D animation, extracted from the pre-produced Animatic that can be used as part of a portfolio and showreel to show to potential employers post-University. The film will investigate character development, visual and emotional storytelling, film production as well as preparing and developing my existing Animation skill set. Aesthetic: The style of the film will be 2D hand-drawn animation, with a crisp and bold colour palette. The reason for this aesthetic is so that the film will appeal to its target audience of 13-21-year-olds.  The defined colours should help keep the animation clear and easy to understand while giving it it’s own style and personality. Faces will play an important role in the story, so it is important that the characters are distinct from one another and be designed in a way that they can expressively emote. The Background will be a cityscape, inspired by modern metropolis’ such as Tokyo. As of such, a dark setting, with harsh neon lights will influence the lighting of the film. This aesthetic is seen in many animated shows and games that are targeted at the demographic the film is trying to reach. Genre: This story is a character-driven action fantasy that is accompanied by underlying themes such as grief, fears, anxiety, and idealism. To balance these themes, the tone of most of the piece will be fun and often lighthearted. The character’s motivations will keep the viewer invested and as she develops, the audience will root for her. The action set piece will be fast-paced and fun, using various forms of fighting to keep it fresh at all times. In order to give depth, the antagonistic character has been designed to represent the heroes fears. Target Audience: The age range of the animation is older children between the ages of 12-18, who may find that they are unsure about life, what it entails and may be losing sight of their young and childlike idealism. The piece is designed to attempt to rekindle that fire within them, and hopefully help them realize that the the world isn't as dire as it is made out to be. Treatment: The Film will be created in industry standard equipment such as Toon Boom Harmony, CLIP STUDIO ART, Photoshop, Premiere Pro and After Effects. The film is a showcase of skills that have been learnt over the duration of the course. Many of the key frames of the animatic were produced in pre-production so the focus can be placed on doing the in-betweens of the animation, to create high quality and smooth animation. Cinematography will be important in helping to tell the story in an interesting and unique way. Various angles and techniques have been researched and employed in the animatic to help achieve a cinematic look. Some camera techniques used include, over the shoulder, low angle, dolly zoom and more. I have researched the work of Roger Deakins who has been the director of photography on such films as Bladerunner 2049, the Shawshank redemption and no country for old men, and I hope to use the research I have compiled to help inform the style of my cinematography.  The angle of the camera will help convey the protagonist's emotions and the general vibe of the scene, for example, a low angle will use to give characters height, and so that they appear more intimidating and so on. The action will use many moving camera shots and will try to avoid using a quick cut or shaking camera, to give the animation time to showcase itself and shine, while also letting the audience get a clear understanding of what is currently happening. Post production: Some timings and frames will need adjusting from the pre-existing animatic to help the pacing of the story, and as well to accommodate for an overarching score. The score is being outsourced, to a band called “Kayleigh”. Sound design will play an important part in the production of the film, sound effects will be created manually,  and added into the film. The levels of sound are loud in certain areas after the music tracks were added at the end and will need to be adjusted as a result. It is recommended to get advice from individuals with experience in the area, to consider different levels and levels within stereo for playback. After effects will be used to composite the foreground animation with the backgrounds, and to add lighting effects, that will enhance the visual aesthetic of the film. The film will offer little to no dialogue. The intention of this is to allow the audience to focus more on the emotion and how the character body language conveys emotion. This approach has been chosen as it showcases the character designs and development and shows that dialogue isn't the only things that drive a character, but rather only enhances it.

Research Proposition Investigate how Character design is influenced by the culture around the author in Illustration and Animation Investigate and research concepts such as idealism and existentialism are portrayed in visual representations such as Illustration, Animation, as well as how it differs in other visual arts, and other Cultures. Primary Research by filming and photographing actors and people to help create character sheets and animatics Research how classical narratives are portrayed in animation and popular culture as reference and inspiration Research and study various 2D and 3D techniques to help prepare for pre-production of the Animation. Research Concept Art for both Animation and Film Further, Develop and research my post-production techniques. AIMS: To develop “The Analog Kid” to a point where it is presentable to clients or showcase in a showreel To Develop drawing and animation skills to an industry standard To develop my understanding of Post-production, including programs such as After Effects.

Week	Date	Activity plan	Tutorials
1		-Introduction to Module
2		-Feedback tutorial with the lecturer to help develop ideas for a proposal -Create a blog
3		Proposal Submission Update blog
4		Work on Character and foreground animation Update blog
5		Continue work on Animation Cycles, Running, Walking etc Update blog
6		Continue creating the in-betweens for the animation Receive feedback on sound design and score Update Blog
7		Continue Work on Animation, Paint background Update Blog
8		Continue on Animation, finish Backgrounds Update Blog
9		Fine tune Animation, complete in-betweens Update Blog
10		Finish Foreground Animation, Begin to composite in After Effects Update Blog
11		Composite Animation together, Work on sound design and lip sync Update blog
12		-Continue on Post-production work, including voice syncing, score, and sound effects
13		-Complete Project, Produce a series of test renders -Render final movie.
14		HAND IN

Student signature		Date
Tutor signature		Date

Negotiate assessment criteria with the tutor

	Generating and selecting ideas	Subject-specific knowledge: understanding, attributes, skills
	Investigation, enquiry & visualization
x	Process &/or concept development
	Research & analysis of information, contextualisation & critical thinking	Generic knowledge and understanding, attributes and skills
x	Collaborative & process management
x	Communication

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