Lets go Evaluation

The stop-motion animation was created based on the brief chosen, which was to
create a childrens TV show pilot. Which is educational, aimed at 3-6 year olds,
with a 30 second run time, a show specific soundtrack, caters to both genders,
and must have a narrator. After a discussion with the commissioner, the brief
was negotiated, and the new terms were. A kids show aimed at 7-12 year olds,
this was changed to allow the production more creativity as 7-12 year olds,
understand more than 3-6 year olds. A kids show with a run time of at least 1
minute, this was done in order to allow time for a narrative to unfold. A kids
show specific soundtrack was left alone, because this brings life to the animation
and will give viewers something to associate with the show, so if the remember
the tune the think of the show. A kids show, which caters to both genders, was
also kept, because this allows the show to have wider appeal, making it easier to
watch gaining more viewers. A kids show with a narrator was also kept in,
because it allows for more creative story telling visually, because some kids
might not understand what is happening on-screen. But a narrator can easily
clear
up the

narrative for viewers making in much more understand able. A narrator also
gives the viewer a sense that they are watching the animation with someone
else, which just knows more about it than them.

Once the animation had been finished, some feedback was essential in order to
crowd source some self-esteem, learn what could be improved and what was
done well in the TV pilot. In order to source the feedback survey monkey was
used. A lot of the audience stated that
the show, was very funny, it had really
good sound, had a unique style, and fits
into genre smoothly. The art style which
was chosen to be used, helped to
communicate to the audience that it was
a kids show, and helped the audience
distinguish the characters. The use of
narration really helped the audience, it
was used to engage the audience
because it was delivered in a rhyming
pattern, which differs from normal

narration. It helped the audience understand wha

t the main character was thinking, and was also used as a tool to help push the
narrative. One participant in the survey said I feel like it would be really exciting
for child to watch because its intriguing, and has a really amusing factor about it
because its a different way of expressing a narrative. Another one said Its
easier to understand with the voice over.
The genre of this production was a combination of fantasy and surreal. And in
order to conform to this genre, the characters features were minimal and aspects
of them were over exaggerated, so that the audience where shown things that
werent in reality, the way the props were built into the art style helped increase
the aesthetic quality of the production. The narration in the production was done
rhythmically in a rhyming pattern, which was hypnotic, making the audience feel
as they were in a fantasy. One participant in the survey said it was very
engaging and hypnotic.

Stop frames were used heavily as a

traveling tool; they helped drive the
narrative because the main character
had to travel to different parts of his
room, which unravelled different parts
of the narrative. One participant in the
survey stated Without the voice over it

would be hard to follow. This is because a minimalist, interpretive style, heavily

influenced the visuals for the production. However, in order to fit the brief
narration was added to drive the narrative, one response from the survey stated
that although complex, you can follow the story.
There were 2 characters in this production Esco and Cavi, they both if the art
style but in order to differentiate them. Different aspects of them were
exaggerated, such as Esco having an afro the same size as him, and Cavi being
bald. Cavi being bright yellow pig, and Esco being a human wearing a bright
orange lab coat 5 sizes too big. This was all done to distinguish characters, and
the bright colours were used to make the art style kid friendly, while still holding
the aesthetic integrity of the production. One participant in the survey said the
characters were really well designed and perfect for this type of narrative and
another said the characters are interesting and well designed.

Whilst in production, in order to have fluid movement in the scene of Esco

walking towards the mirror, small dots were placed were Esco last was and he
was moved 1mm in front of the dot, so that there mere minute changes between
every stop frame towards
the mirror to create the
expected fluidity. The lack
of use of a tripod, meant
there were differences in
the framing of a lot of the
shots, which resulted in a
jittery glitch moment as
opposed to a clean fluid
motion. When shooting
the next scenes of motion
the camera was mounted,
accompanied by the
previously mentioned dot
technique motion
appeared more fluid. The
erratic motion at the
beginning and the fluidity at the end could represent Escos state of mind, he
starts in a state of chaos and disarray and finishes I a state of clarity. One
response to the survey was the movement is simplistic but works with the style,
but I feel the movement of the characters could be more detailed.

Collecting feedback the helps refer back to the brief, as the style of the
production is a kids show. From the responses of the audience in the survey,
they understand concretely the intention of this production was to create a kids

show, with loveable characters and a fun narrative. This means that the
production has successfully met the requirements of the brief.
The survey helped in gaining insight on the production, to really see if the
content produced translated well to people
who viewed it. And from there responses its
clear that the production was very unique
and although quite complex it was
understandable and a fresh way of
conveying a kids narrative. One participant
in the survey said I think the content is
creative, the drawings are different and
unique. Meaning the production reached its
creative aspirations.

Inspiration for the production came from the

pilot episode, the American hit comedy
South Park. The character models in the show are made out of paper in the cut
out style of stop motion animation, the characters are simple and colours are
used to distinguish them, also the models are
moved as a whole piece instead of legs
and arms moving in synch, this helps
the audience understand that the show
is not trying to imitate reality. One
participant picked up on this
inspiration, when describing the
movement in the production stating
Its quite basic, but in a lovable South Park kind of way. Similarly to the show,
paper cut outs were used in the production, because it offered great freedom,
because it is possible to draw and cut out anything, giving it more creative
freedom than using live actors. And although you can sculpt almost anything
with plastasine and clay, it is much more time consuming that cutting out paper.
Using this medium also helped because, it was possible to create a completely
new prospective for the viewer to view, without changing the placement of the
camera. This was a technique used in the award winning short The Eagleman
Stag, in which the director Mikey Please described rebuilding an entire set 3 to 4
times bigger, instead of zooming in on the camera in order to keep the images
looking sharp and crisp. This technique was used in the production for close ups
of Escos face and Cavis face bigger versions were created. Several versions of
Escos bed were made to give the illusion of distance between him and the bed.
Although this could be done through other mediums, paper cut outs are far less
time consuming to reproduce.

Referring back to the feedback, one

response from the survey about the
lighting in the production was very
basic. This is because no strobes or
studio lighting was used in the
production, a built in flash was used
in the, scenes of motion, which
resulted in a poor flickering affect
which could have disengaged the
audience. The lighting could have
been correct in Photoshop in postproduction, or simply using a strobe
or studio light could have been used
to improve the consistency of the
lighting. This flickering effect could
have also been due to the
inconsistence of height in framing
the images, I would have been caused by the light of the flash bouncing of
different parts of the box used for the set, casting shadows in different places in
each stop frame. After watching it over the flickering is reminiscent of film
distortion, which drove one participant in the survey to state that it reminded
me of Tim Burtons Vincent. In future instead of accidently creating that film
effect, a studio light or strobe could be used for consistent lighting, in
conjunction with a tripod for consistent framing in scenes of motion in order for
movement to appear fluid.

Action plan
Creating a contingency plan, will save time, keep the schedule organised, and
avoid rushing, pressure. During the production process, illnesses meant that
production of the sound track was delayed, meaning it had to been done quickly
effecting the finished quality of it as it was rushed. With a contingency plan in
place next time, production will be more organised and have time allocated for
different aspects of it, allowing a chance for all efforts to be consistent,
heightening the quality of the finished product.
Another aspect of production that could use improvement is the technical quality.
Using a makeshift stand and readjusting the camera, to have consistent framing
is straining and time consuming. The simple addition of a tripod could have
made this all simpler, and allowed the movement in the production to be much
more fluid. Another aspect would be the lighting, which could have been fixed by
having a studio light, which washed out the shadows, which could have been
cast by the day light. In the future to improve a studio light or strobe will be hired
out.
Finally, the management of time could be improved by having a well-organised
schedule for shooting and location set for producing sound with the talent. This
would only be possible ensuring the talent knows where and when to record
audio rather than, reorganising to two different locations in a rush. And having a

plan of action so that everyone is on task, and no time is wasted whilst in the
middle of production.
Assessing the brief given, the production reached the expectation and standard
of the brief given. There are areas, which could be improved to make the
production, more cleanly executed. The production is suited to the animation
industry as the production lucid portrayal of a kids show in stop motion. In
conjunction with the survey it was a Kids show, It is funny, loveable, very
exciting for kids to watch, well designed, especially the characters, and Ive
seen nothing as creative as this. The positive feedback ensures the production is
for the allocated target audience.
In conclusion, the stop motion production which was produce was crafted for a
particular audience and evidently appeals to that audience, and was submitted
in line with the deadline which was set I the brief. In retrospect, creating the work
was very enjoyable, although in the early stages the idea generation was very
taxing, once a concept was concrete very thing else flowed naturally. Creating
this piece of work was a great learning experience, one of the lessons I will walk
away with from this production is to have patience.