UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma

Unit 13: Unit 13: Extended project in creative media production

The Final Major Project (Year Two)

STATEMENT OF AIMS

FMP unit is the summative unit in the final year of the two-year qualification. It
will provide students with a measure of self-directed learning through the
completion of a substantial creative media production and technology project.

The unit requires students to apply the skills, knowledge and understanding
developed over the entire course, to complete a creative media production project. It
will provide students with a measure of self-directed learning, and an opportunity to
further clarify their longer-term goals through their choice of an activity to explore in
greater depth.

Name
Samuel Kille

Disciplines
(primary/secondary 2D Animation and Sound
)
(e.g. video,
animation, sound,
photography, 3D,
etc)
Project (e.g. short
film, music video, Animated trailer/Short animation “The Star Child”
animation,
documentary, advert,
branding, etc.)
Section 1: Rationale (minimum of 100 words)

During my time on this course, I have learnt many new skills with both software
and hardware. Before joining this course, I wasn’t familiar with any of the Adobe
software, and I found it quite difficult to get the hang of them at first but now I have
the sufficient knowledge to be independent when working with them. I had also
never used a mac before joining the course, and although it wasn’t too different
from windows it could still be a little confusing at times. However, I now feel
confident enough to use them. I have learnt many new skills throughout all my
subjects. My subjects being animation, video, theory, 3D, photoshop and
photography. In photography I got the chance to use canon 1100D cameras and I
learnt how to use different settings on the camera to enhance your shots, for
example learning about all the different shutter speeds and how they enable you to
capture movement. In photoshop we learnt about the basic tools and what those
tools do. we made a number of edited images that included a rubber duck pond, a
colourised version of an old monochrome photo and a man with a jar for a head. In
3D we learnt how to construct simple forms from primitive shapes, we also learnt
about textures and how you can construct environments using them. We made a
plethora of different things with this like the head of a dragon, a furry box monster,
a plane formation and many others. Learning advertising theory was very
interesting to me as it taught me all the different ways that advertisements pull in
consumers with the use of colour, sound, pacing etc. Which before joining the
course was something I had never really thought about. Learning about this was
beneficial to me and my projects as I was now fully aware of how to make my
creations appealing to their specified audiences.

Learning how to use Adobe Animate in animation was the most important to me as
my main interest in the course was the animation aspect of it, as I have always
been very passionate for drawing. Thankfully I felt like I got the hang of animate
pretty quickly, and by the time we had to complete the sun and cloud project I
already felt confident enough to work on it independently. My animation skills have
improved drastically not only just in the first year but in the second year too. I was
extremely proud with how my Final Major Project from year one turned out, And I
was even more proud when I achieved a distinction for it. It was a massive step up
from the first sun and cloud and I honestly didn’t expect my FMP to look as good
as it did. But now I feel as if my most recent animation projects like my Ambient
Loop and my Title Sequence have surpassed the level of quality that my FMP was
able to achieve. And this comes down to not only improvements to the quality of
the animations but improvements to the quality of the drawings as well. Animation
is what I will be using to create my Year 2 FMP. I’ve chosen to do this not only
because I feel it is what I’m best at, but because I feel it is the best way to put my
ideas into practice. This is because I tend to prefer to work with fiction and I am a
big fan of the Sci-fi and fantasy genres.

The video aspect of this course was also very important to me as I would get to
learn how to use Premier Pro and After effects. And those would be the software’s
I would use to edit my animations in post-production. I would primarily be using
Premier pro for compiling clips and to add audio to said clips. I would be using
After effects to either add glow to certain aspects of my animations or to add
effects like rain or snow. Although I didn’t quite get the hang of Premier and After
effects as quickly as I did with Animate, I still feel like I have a sufficient amount of
knowledge to use these software’s to enhance my animation projects in an
effective way. I was extremely happy with the audio work I did for my FMP and It
was honestly one of my favourites parts of creating the project. Video also taught
me how to use hardware like dslr cameras and boom stick mics which I had never
used before joining the course. Although the video industry isn’t the career path I
particularly want to go down I still found it fascinating to learn how to use the
cameras and learn about all the different shot types and how they make the
audience feel during the first year of college. I also thoroughly enjoyed making the
short films in the first year, like the 30 second short film and the B.O.A.T.S project,
especially the postproduction as I really enjoy cutting and compiling the clips.

Section 2: Project Concept (minimum of 200 words)

MAIN CONCEPT
My project will be a 2D animated short trailer for longer animated Tv show. It will
be 30 seconds to a minute long. It will be in the style of old 80’s-90’s
cartoons/Anime (Evangelion, Voltron, Masters of the universe, Thundercats). I will
be putting a grain filter/layer over the top of my animation in Aftereffects to give it
this look. The project will use Adobe Anime, Premier Pro and After effects. These
shows will be my main sources of research for my project and they will help depict
my colour palettes and overall art style. The protagonist of my trailer will be heavily
based off of characters like the Power Rangers and Kamen Riders.

NARRATIVE
The animation will start off on a black screen with loud stomping fading in. It will
then cut to a shot of an army of monsters marching facing at the camera. They will
be tweening up and down but will also be stop motion animated inside of the
library to add movement to their shoulders. (Mid chest upwards). The next shot will
be a shot of more monsters marching, but this time from the side. These monsters
will again be tweening up and down and will also be animated inside the library to
add life to them like blinking etc. (Neck upwards). The last shot of the monsters will
be from behind. Again they will be tweening up and down. Above the monsters in
the distance you can see the protagonist. In this scene I want the focus to switch
from the monsters onto the hero (this will be done in Aftereffects). The next shot
will be a shot of the hero from around the chest upwards. His scarf will be stop-
motion animated to blow in the wind. The last shot will show the hero stood in a
wasteland like environment. He will point his sword into the air. A beam will then
shoot out of the sword and a bright star will appear behind him. The word Star
Child will then appear behind the hero.

Section 3: Evaluation – How you plan to record your progress (minimum of 100
words)

I will evaluate and record my work during my project by writing daily reflection logs.
These logs will contain the work that I have completed on that day and how I felt
completing the work. I will make sure that I include everything in this reflection log
no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. Doing this will let me reflect on
my progress and will allow to me to know whether I need to change certain
aspects of my project, whether it be to make the project easier or to save time. Any
changes I make to my project will also be documented on this log. I will also make
sure to get feedback from both my lecturers and my peers so that they can give
feedback whether it be something I’ve done that’s good or something that could be
done better. Asking them to review my work is also beneficial to my project as I will
be getting feedback from other sources and it won’t just be coming from me.

I will also be writing an evaluation at the conclusion of the FMP. This evaluation
will require me to conduct primary research in order for me to know specific things
that people either liked or disliked about my project but also to know what people
thought of my animation as a whole. I will also be conducting primary research to
find out whether I have reached the audience I was trying to target. I will then write
my evaluation based on these results. This will help me know what went well with
my project and what I know I need to work on to overall improve my projects in the
future. Writing this evaluation will also help me to know what skills I need to
improve on. This could be my practical skills like improving the qualities of my
drawings or animations or working on skills like my time management.

Section 4: Proposed Research Sources

-Attack On Titan-
I will be using attack on titan mainly to use as reference for the scenes with the
army of monsters. I will mainly be looking into the rumbling sequences for this as
that is mainly what gave me the idea for this project.

-Evangelion-
I will be researching Evangelion as this is the style that I am going to try and
mimic/replicate. I will be using a very distinct colour palette and I will be adding a
grain over the top.

-Power rangers & Kamen Rider-

I will be looking into Power rangers and Kamen rider to help assist me in designing
my hero/protagonist character. I’ve chosen these as I absolutely love the over-the-
top colours and aesthetics that are present on their character designs.
-Voltron-
I’m mainly going to be researching the original Voltron show to help with the style
choice and palette of my animation. Similar to what I’m looking at with Evangelion.

-Hyper light drifter-

In the beginning of the game Hyper light drifter there is a very short sequence in
which the small main character is standing before three giant monsters. I’m going
to be looking into this short sequence as I want to composite/frame my scene in a
similar manner.

-John Kenn Mortensen & Where the wild things are-

These two sources will be used to help aid me in designing the monsters. I’ve
chosen these as the monsters from both sources are very ugly and I like the
animalistic features they incorporate.

-Thundercats, MOTU, Transformers G1-

I will be researching into this as the intros for all three of these shows all have the
same sort of narrative and style as my FMP animation. Bold colours, Bright flashes
and explosions, flashy title, similar art styles.

Section 5: Equipment Required

-Computer.
-Adobe animate, Premier, Aftereffects.
-Drawing tablet.

Section 6: Resources Required

I will be using sound effects for my FMP animation, but they won’t be foley/my
own. I will be gathering all my sound effects from websites like freesound.org and
upbeat.

Section 7: Skills to develop/learn

The main thing that I feel the need to learn before starting my FMP is upgrading
my knowledge on basic human anatomy. To do this I want to familiarise myself
with the shapes that can be used to make up the human form. I want to familiarise
myself with this for when I animate the hero shots for my protagonist near the end
of my short film.

Section 8: Personnel and responsibilities

N/A as I will be working independently on this project.

Section 9: Intended audience and context

My FMP would most likely be shown at a film festival as my animation is being

presented as a short snippet/Trailer for a longer animated film/Tv show. I will be
trying to target people (mainly male) aged around 16-50. Although my age range is
very wide, its wide for good reason. This is because I want to appeal to adults who
would have grown up watching cartoons from the 80s, like Transformers G1,
Masters of the universe, Thundercats and Voltron who would find my animation
nostalgic if they were to watch it. But not only do I want to appeal to the older
generation but I also want it to appeal to younger teen audiences who are fans of
classics cartoons and anime.

Section 10: Creative Mindsets

-Ownership-
I will be showing ownership during my FMP project by working as independently
as possible. Although I will be taking in criticism and feedback from my peers all
decisions I make during the project will be my own and I will take full responsibility
of my work.

-Critical Thinking-
I will be using critical thinking throughout my FMP project by constantly evaluating
my work and by always thinking of new ways I could improve it. I will also be
constantly looking for new ideas from other sources that can improve the quality of
my project.

-Problem Solving-
I will be using problem solving during my FMP by working through the challenges
and problems that I face while working on my animation. This will require me to
find the best solution to my problem and the one that will benefit me the most.

-Creativity-
I will be using creativity throughout my FMP project by always making sure to
experiment, whether it be experimenting with a new idea or a new technique that
will enhance my animation. I will also be using creativity a lot during this project as
my animation is purely fictional so it will require a lot of imagination to bring my
idea to life.

-Risk Taking-
I will be using risk taking during my project by experimenting with new ideas and
techniques and not being afraid if those experiments lead to mistakes. I will also
learn from any mistakes I do make to then improve my animation.

-Collaboration-
I will be using collaboration throughout my project by offering help or by offering
guidance to another person’s project if need be. This could be anything from giving
advice/feedback or physically helping them with their project.

How to successfully complete a final major project

1. Do something you enjoy – look back on projects this year and think about
what skills you’ve learnt and which you have really enjoyed. What job would
you like to do in the future? How can you apply it to your project? Pick a
theme or themes which you can connect with.
LOVE YOUR PROJECT

2. Do lots and lots of research – primary and secondary are both essential.
Use a wide range of methods and resources, such as questionnaires,
surveys, interviews (Primary), and researching the work of professional
practitioners and techniques (Secondary).

3. Manage your time – Just think how fast this year has gone so far. Plan
ahead and don’t fall behind. MAKE USE OF INDEPENDENT STUDY TIME.

4. You must document everything what happens as you go along. Your entire
journey from start to finish should be fully recorded. Describe and analyse as
you go along. Every aspect of your project should be fully considered. Your
Planning and Schedule will be vital to the success of your FMP

5. Research, design, experiment, build, evaluate. Your project should evolve

over the allotted time. Be flexible and adaptable if your FMP decides to go in
a different direction than first intended. Ensure you record all developments as
the project develops.

6. Critically analyse and evaluate – this will refer to the research you
undertake, the pre-production, production and post-production. Don’t just
describe but analyse, interpret, research and evaluate.

7. Listen to advice from your lecturers in formative assessment sessions

throughout the project. You might just find that as we are used to marking
work, we know what the requirements are to make good/exceptional projects.
Remember, your work will be graded at Pass, Merit or Distinction, so aim
for the best grade you can and take advice on board when given.

8. You are being graded against SEVEN Learning Outcomes, so you need to
ensure that you do the very best in each of them to achieve the grade you
may require, so pay close attention to all parts of the FMP