UAL Level 3 Diploma

Unit 8: Developing a creative media production project.

The Final Major Project (Year One)

STATEMENT OF AIMS

Unit 8 is the summative unit in the first 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 in Units 1–7, to complete a creative media production project. It will
provide students with a measure of self-directed learning, and an opportunity to
begin to clarify their longer-term goals through their choice of an activity to explore in
greater depth.

Name Jessica Holland

Disciplines
(primary/secondary) Video that transitions into an animation
(e.g. video, animation,
sound, photography

Project (e.g. short

narrative film, Experimental animation
experimental short film, Themes of colour, movement, and love.
experimental animation,
cinemograph, time-
lapse etc.)

Section 1: Rationale (minimum of 100 words)

At the beginning of the Creative Media Course, I had a small amount of knowledge
about Adobe Animate. Since then, during my animation lessons, I have now learnt
numerous useful skills such as how to tween and lip-sync characters. As a result,
my understanding has flourished which has influenced me to use the software
within my final major project. This is because I really enjoy the subject and I
believe that digital drawing is one of my strong points. I also feel the most
confident producing this form of short film because I can draw on Adobe Animate
at home on my own computer. In comparison, I do not own a video camera so I
may struggle to shoot a whole 2-minute video in the short time frame this project
has.

Secondly, I began the course with a lot of knowledge about Advertising Theory as I
took Media as a subject during my GCSEs. However, since September, I have
further expanded my skillset and I am now able to identify which psychographics
category applies to certain media products. As well as this, I have been taught
about how advertisements are made, who they are targeted at and how this
influences the messages, imagery, symbolic and technical codes included in the
advert. Personally, I think this knowledge will be crucial during my production
process as I need to keep in mind who my FMP targets throughout.

In addition to this, I think that I also have begun to excel in the Video Production
subject since the start of the course; thus, I feel influenced to involve this element
into my final major project as well. In these lessons, I have discovered the
relevance of different camera shots and editing skills on Adobe Premiere Pro and
Adobe After Effects which I believe will be extremely beneficial when I combine all
my final clips together and add transitions. Although I will only film a small scene
for the beginning of my video, I am eager to apply my knowledge on camera
angles and lighting that I have learnt throughout the subject to ensure I get a great
shot.

Section 2: Project Concept (minimum of 200 words)

For my final major project, I have decided to incorporate three of the given themes
which are colour, movement, and love. My idea begins with a video of my dog,
Alice, in her bed asleep. After a few seconds pass by of her sleeping, I shall use
the technique rotoscoping to draw an animated thought bubble appearing from her
head to symbolise a dream that she is having. I will then include a sequence of
short, animated clips that showcase Alice’s dreams. These will be my
interpretation of what she is dreaming of/ what she enjoys doing which alludes to
the theme of love. For instance, one of the clips may be of Alice licking her lips as
she looks upon a sizzling barbeque. There also may be an inclusion of scenes that
are comedic and bizarre that highlight the craziness of Alice’s personality. This
could be her desire to be a superhero (dog edition). Throughout the snippets of
dreams, Alice will be partaking in different activities such as chasing a ball or
eating; this will clearly portray the theme of movement in my animation. In addition
to this, in the entirety of my video, I shall consider colour and use a visually striking
and appealing palette. I’m thinking of drawing each dream in a pop art style as I
am fond of how bold and eye-catching the popular technique is.
Regarding sound and audio for my final major project, I have decided it will mainly
be ambient sound that relates to what is occurring in each part of Alice’s dream.
For example, if my dog is running, then a quick dramatic whoosh sound may be
heard when she passes across the screen. I also hope to incorporate sounds of
Alice peacefully snoring at the beginning and end of my video to further show that
she is in a deep dream when the video begins/ loops. In my opinion, I think that the
ambience I record will help elevate my video and make Alice’s dreams appear
realistic.

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

Regarding evaluation, I intend to create a production diary page on my Weebly site

and record an entry in it daily. This will include information about what progress I
have made to my final major project and how I feel it is going. Throughout the
entire project, I will consistently evaluate and reflect on my work, as well as
including useful information about the production and post-production process
such as what equipment and software I utilise. Additionally, I will include what I am
planning for my next steps in my project to ensure I don’t forget any of my key
ideas. In order to make this clear, I shall evidently date each entry and include
sub-headings and regular screenshots that showcase the progress I have made
that day. I will also note down any problems I face in my diary and how I resolved
them to help future me if I encounter these errors again. Personally, I feel very
confident in this area as I have previous experience of recording my work progress
during my animation lessons.

Proposed Research Sources

In terms of primary research, I intend to conduct surveys on Microsoft Forms that

ask questions about my target audience’s preference on colour schemes and
palettes for my animation. As well as this, I may draw my dog several times in
different styles to discover which method is the most popular amongst the survey
responders. From this, I will be able to decide which drawing style and colour
palette to incorporate into my final major project as this will hopefully maximise the
number of viewers that watch it.

For secondary research, I plan to watch and reference different tutorials on

YouTube that focus on animating a dog drawing. A helpful video I have discovered
is about a dog’s walking and running patterns for animators which I will definitely
reference upon drawing my cockapoo, Alice. ( Animal Gaits for Animators ) In
addition to this, I also like the following video as the movement of the dog’s tongue
whilst running is realistic and similar to Alice’s; thus, I will look back on this
animation and try to replicate it when I create my own. ( Dog running (animation
loop) )

Nearer the exhibition of my final edit, I shall research into pre-existing art
installations on Google Chrome to discover what is most used to engage audience
members. I shall explore different methods to ensure my exhibition is unique and
thought-provoking for the consumers.

Equipment Required

I have based my final major project idea on subjects that I already have knowledge
on, so I am familiar with all the equipment that I require. What I shall need is:

- Computer for research, production, and editing.

- A drawing tablet.
- Adobe Animate as my main drawing software.
- Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro to edit my final piece.
- Voice Memos app on my phone to record any audio.
- Video camera/ my phone to record the opening shot of my dog asleep.

Resources Required

As the majority of my FMP is in the form of an animation, I don’t need many props
except for my dog and her bed for the opening scene. I will shoot this scene in my
own home to ensure that Alice is at ease asleep. I will also need access to the
internet throughout so I can research and use references for my animation as I will
need to draw Alice running and performing other activities. If I am unable to record
any ambient noise, I shall source non-copyright sounds from YouTube or any
useful websites like FreeSound.

Skills to develop/learn

I feel like I am challenging myself in my FMP as I will need to draw certain objects
that I may not have before, such as a dog bone. Therefore, one skill I need to
develop is practicing sketching these dog-related objects so my drawings can look
accurate and polished. I would also like to learn how to make my animations look
smoother and more seamless. Moreover, I am learning the technique rotoscoping
hopefully next week which will be crucial as this method is what I shall be using
throughout my video. Finally, I have the idea of using a ripple effect transition to
change the scene of Alice sleeping into her animated dream. Preferably I will make
this transition on Adobe After Effects or Adobe Premiere Pro with the help of a
YouTube tutorial.

Personnel and responsibilities

In my opinion, my project will predominately be completed by myself as I don’t

require any actors for my video. If there is a situation where I require assistance
with any animation related stuff, I shall ask my teachers or my peers in the
Animation suite with me. As well as this, I may refer to YouTube or any other
useful websites that could aid me. Furthermore, I may ask my friend to assist me
with recording Alice asleep as they own a video camera which would be beneficial
as the location I intend to film in is my own home. Another key responsibility I have
is ensuring I have good time management and I have enough time to complete
every element to my standard.

Intended audience and context

Due to the animated form of my FMP, I believe my video will primarily target those
who enjoy watching a simple 2D animation. In addition to this, as I will be utilising
a bold, vivid colour palette, I think my product will also target a younger audience
as the eye-catching colours will grab their attention. Personally, I think the video I
produce for my final major project will be slightly humorous as the viewer ventures
into the mind of my dog, Alice. As a result of this, I think my animation will
definitely appeal to dog/ animal lovers. Overall, I believe that my video is a feel-
good short, animated film that is enjoyable for all ages.

How my project will loop

After the last of Alice’s dream sequence occurs, her dream will be rudely disrupted
by a significantly loud noise such as a doorbell – I am undecided yet – that wakes
her up and brings her back to the present. After this, Alice will snuggle back down
and settle into a deep sleep yet again which is where the loop begins.

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 an area
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 – 9 weeks of practical work is not long. 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 FOUR 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. Remember that
the lowest awarded grade for any Learning Outcome will be the final grade
for the FMP unit.