#Statement of Intent

[patchwork-crow-writes]

Kris as Narcissus except it's their reflection (Ralsei) that's fallen in love with the real one.

This is becoming a drabble soon. You've been warned.

[porrettaposting]

[j-august]

John, Lord Hervey, Memoirs of the Reign of George the Second from His Accession to the Death of Queen Caroline

[sas-casebook]

Specialist Animation Studies (SAS): Statement of Intent - Powerpoint Presentation

[victoria8223]

Onto a Beach of their Own

Project: A Structure within a Structure

Statement of Intent:

Create a sculpture to address, relate to, intervene, or activate a specific architectural situation or entity. Utilizing steel, preferably scrap and other material/s, create a work that addresses ideas relating to line, structure, architecture and space.

Structure:

Incorporate scrap metal, metal bars and home debris, into a sculpture. The scrap metal came from the studio work area and the shutters were from a 3 bedroom 2 bath  1950’s house being torn down to make way for a 6 bedroom 5 bath home.

Three shutters are one foot off the ground on thin, square metal re-bars, as if floating, and only one shutter is touching the back wall to further give the sculpture an ephemeral effect.  The shutters were arranged to create a shadow configuration on the wall.  The shadows then played on the 8x11 photos of my children.   

Re-bars extending from the base on three of the five legs to the light source, incorporate the light source into the sculpture.  The light source is framed with scrap metal. 

The sound of waves lapping on a shore accompanies the piece.

Inspiration of the Sculpture:

I wanted to address the reality that parents are just observers of their children’s lives.  Imagine a parent looking out through a shuttered window at their children playing on the beach.  A floating shutter, not a rigid structure is all that separates them because the separation is never defined.  We can only watch from a distance and only witness a slice of their lives.   

The photos are of my children on the beach.  They grew on up on the beach, collecting shells in the wrack line, chasing seagulls and listening to the rhythmic pulse of the waves.

They are adults now that have walked away onto a beach of their own.

Vickie Siegel

November 8, 2023

[performanceandcharactercasebook]

Performance and Character: Statement of Intent

[wandersongbkwks]

hmm. i should probably start posting some of this stuff, huh

[intrepidradish]

I'm disappointed this isn't obvious but if you follow me and I discover you're anti-semitic, I'm blocking you.

I talk about fascism and genocide in the context of media. I do not support it encroaching like putrid shit into my life. Get the fuck off my lawn!

[briannas-casebook]

ANIMATION CONTEXT: Statement of Intent

For my latest Animation Context brief, I was tasked with choosing a subject to research and ultimately write an essay about. I came up with three topics to write about: the history of horror and dark themes in animation, the history of adult oriented anime and the history of stop motion animation in Europe (1900 - 1960). Ultimately, I choose to pursue The History of Stop Motion in Europe as my subject.

I considered covering the history of horror animation and dark themes in the medium of animation. Still, this subject might not only be too broad for this short essay, but also could become subjective with my modern sensibilities creating a bias for what I think may be dark and disturbing and what might’ve been seen as standard in the time the earlier animations were made etc.

The topic of adult oriented anime, like the horror/dark themes idea, was also too broad of a category to condense into a short 1500 word essay. Even though I am familiar with anime through films such as the work of studio ghibili and classic anime films like Akira (1988) and Ghost in the Shell (1995), as well as through research for an earlier essay done during my A levels on animation, I felt the world of adult anime would be too complex and deep a topic to study and write a short essay on concisely.

The subject of the history of stop motion in Europe from roughly early 1900s to the 1960s would be a good fit for an achedemic essay. Not only would the subject of objective facts regarding the medium's history not easily lend itself to unintentional bias, but the more limited time frame and location would make research much more manageable and fit the short format.

Once I'd figured out my subject, I was then tasked with writing a Statement of Intent, a written document that would detail my chosen topic, why I decided to cover it for an essay, the research I'd need to do for the piece, the sources/resources I would use, possible limitations and what questions I hope to answer with the conclusion of my essay, etc.

Below is the third and final draft of my Statement of Intent:

Module: Animation Context

Date: 8th February 2023

Proposed Essay Title:

Paper, Metal, Cloth and Clay; The history and early development of stop motion in Europe (1900s – 1960s)

Topic/Area of research: The history and early development of stop motion in Europe (1900 – 1960s)

Rationale

I want to investigate the early development of stop motion animation in the early/mid 20th century, as I have a passion for stop motion animation and have done extensive research into the topic in my own time and in previous projects. I also want to narrow down my subject to animation films created in Europe by European artists, as it would not only narrow down my research, but also allow me to cover some of the most pioneering and influential names in the field, such as Georges Milies and Lotte Reiniger to name a few. I will explain why the techniques used by these practitioners were important and how they influence makers today.

Background material

 These are some of my starting points in terms of research references – I will add more as my research progresses.

BFI dvd Lotte Reiniger The Fairy Films 2008

Stop-Motion Animation: Frame by Frame Film-making with puppets and models second edition by Barry J. C. Purves 2014

The World History of Animation by Stephen Cavalier published by Aurum Entertainment 2015

Stop Motion Filmmaking – The Complete Guide to Fabrication and Animation by Christopher Walsh published by Bloomsbury Academic 2019

Film - The Adventures of Prince Achmed by Lotte Reiniger viewable on https://archive.org/details/the.-adventures.-of.-prince.-achmed.-1926.720p.-blu-ray.x-264-public-hd

Film: Le Roman De Renard (The Tale of the Fox) by Ladislas Starevich 1930 viewable on https://archive.org/details/LeRomanDeRenard_1930

Academic article published in the International Journal of Literature and Arts (January 2018) by Vincenzo Maselli, Sapienza University of Rome https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330318221_The_Evolution_of_Stop-motion_Animation_Technique_Through_120_Years_of_Technological_Innovations - which explores the link between the invention and innovation of  new materials and how they were used by practitioners and pioneers of Stop Motion.

Stop Motion Magazine article – The History of Stop Motion – In A Nutshell 2016 https://stopmotionmagazine.com/history-stop-motion-nutshell/

The Wrap – A Timeline of Stop-Motion Animation History, From ‘A Trip To The Moon’ to ‘Missing Link’. https://www.thewrap.com/a-timeline-of-stop-motion-animation-history-from-a-trip-to-the-moon-to-isle-of-dogs-photos/

A History of British Stop-Motion Animation by Dan Richards Aug 2020. https://www.aplusc.tv/blog/a-history-of-british-stop-motion-animation

  Limitations section

·      Due to the age of some of the films, I might not be able to find the stop motion films I want to research to watch freely or easily. Some very early examples of stop motion footage have been lost, and there are only stills available to view, and, in some cases, even these are not available. It can also be challenging to find much, if any, information on how they were produced or the people who made them.

Due to limiting my scope to Europe in the 1900s through to the 1960s, I will have to be mindful and weary of mentioning or extensively researching artists and works outside of this region and time period. It may however be necessary to mention work being done in other areas that played a significant role in the development of work by practitioners’ in Europe.

Time restraints due to other modules and hand in dated etc.

Resources

In addition to the resources listed in the ‘Background Materials’ Section above I will be using the following resources and equipment:

University of Salford Library (both online and physical).

Sale Library

Laptop go access to the internet

Microsoft word doc

I would also like to visit The Science and Media Museum in Bradford. https://www.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/whats-on/animation-gallery

Hands on experimentation of software such as DragonFrame, use of Canon cameras for filming and practice using armatures.

Schedule

Week 1 (30th Jan)

Pick one of the three essay ideas I generated and refine concept and title

Week 2 (6th Feb)

Fill in and finalise the Statement of Intent – consider, research and list some of the initial research materials I will use and make a schedule of work to be done.

Week 3 (13th Feb)

Reading and note taking. Read the materials I have chosen to use and research the subject on the internet. Make notes and list sources referencing.

Week 4 (20th Feb)

Begin to write draft essay. Begin with subject area headings to help with formatting.

Week 5 (27th Feb)

Flesh out the full body of essay in rough form.

Week 6 (6th March)

Do draft 2.

Week 7 (13th March)

Draft 3.

Week 8 (20th March)

Proof-read essay and make any last adjustments/corrections

Hand in 24th at 4pm

I will use Tumbrl to blog my progress throughout in order to to covert into a pdf at the end of the process. 

Academic References.

State links to the work of other specialists using the Harvard system. Who has written about this kind of work in academia? Which artists, authors and/or inspired or helped you to develop the concept

Academic article published in the International Journal of Literature and Arts (January 2018) by Vincenzo Maselli, Sapienza University of Rome https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330318221_The_Evolution_of_Stop-motion_Animation_Technique_Through_120_Years_of_Technological_Innovations - which explores the link between the invention and innovation of  new materials and how they were used by practitioners and pioneers of Stop Motion. 

Komposition in Blau 1938 by Oskar Fischinger (1900-1967) German – Abstract stop motion artist who mostly worked in clay, paint and wax. https://youtu.be/Bpb8nDnnXJs

The works of Hermina Tyrlova (1900-1993) born Czechoslovakia. Produced over 60 stop motion animations during her lifetime which include: Vzpoura hraček 1947 https://youtu.be/AcF8ULzZdYY. Fernando the Ant 1944 https://youtu.be/AkORm4ySeIs  Revolt of the Toys (or Revolution in Toyland) 1945 (anti Nazi film) https://youtu.be/HLYM4jTvULg

George Pal born in hungary. Documentary of his work – The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal 1985 Produced, written and directed by Arnoldd Leibovit https://youtu.be/k5W9XwV5EYI

[melmedardaapologist]

so i was thinking about this when i first tried my hand at drawing mel, but i always loved how distinctive the purple-with-a-dash-of-gold makeup is, the way it offsets the green of her eyes and matched her lip shade, and how it manages avoiding looking like dark bags under her eyes—

but what if it was that? we know mel from her flashback didn’t have this sort of makeup, and it’s implied that her nightmare of the princess is common (if the painting is anything to go by), so what if mel in her early years in piltover can’t sleep for the pain of stress and betrayal and learning to navigate piltover politics, and can’t put enough foundation on to cover it up, and in a fit of genius, decides to turn this mark of “weakness” into part of her armor? make it look beautiful and “exotic” instead of a symptom of the inescapable human condition?

[septemberlikestea]

one of the many malenias resting peacefully on my puter.

[thankstothe]

im...................

[yayaoflanguage]

As for the PhD application, I think many programs (I’ve written around 7-9 applications) ask for a statement of purpose. Each graduate program is going to ask for an SOP w/ slightly different criteria (word/page count, spacing, etc) but generally the contents will be the same:

1) “im applying for [program] to receive my [degree] in blah blah blah”

2) discuss how you became interested in your topic, in other words, describe the evolution of your research interests

Example: I was always interested in Russian > studied Russian in undergrad > courses/papers/projects (basic experiences that in formed your thinking) > research interests in a sentence or two

3) talk a bit more about how you’ve prepared to meet the demands of the program thru courses, internship experiences, personal projects, literally anything has helped you/anything you enjoyed working on

4) in some case, it might be useful to go thru the faculty member directory and identify a potential advisor/mentor within the department. What courses have they taught? What are their current projects? Do they have experienced advising, serving on committees? Reference them and their work when discussing how stand to benefit from being in the program

5) conclusion: identify how you’d like to use your degree. I was pretty vague in mine, I think I said something like I’m interested in blahblahblahblah through blahblahblah because I was really sure

I think that covers the more general info, but please feel free to reach out if you have anymore questions. Good luck !

Does anyone have tips for writing a PhD proposal?

[sas-casebook]

Specialist Animation Studies: Statement of intent

 I am currently attending The University of Salford, studying Animation and working on the animation module Specialist Animation Studies.

Purpose of the statement of intent.

This module's brief requires me to choose and explore a specific area of study within the field of animation. I aim to develop a visual identity, use and improve my current skills, and develop a fuller understanding of my chosen specialism. In this statement, I will outline the specific area I have chosen, some of the main areas of research I will use, how I intend to progress through the process and how I will portray (through the work) a strong sense of self-identity, opinion and beliefs.

Background and context of the topic/area of research.

For this module I am required to produce an essay developed from a substantial body of research, a final product such as an artefact, 2d animation or stop-motion animation and to chart the production process.

I have decided to explore the stop-motion filmmakers Tim Burton and Henry Selick. Analysing and researching their works and how they compare/contrast each other in terms of style, storytelling, themes etc. I will also explore the Auteur Theory as it pertains to each of them. From this research, I will design two characters - One in the style of Tim Burton films and one in the style of Henry Selick films. I will then write a storyboard and produce a stop-motion animation using the created characters.

Research questions.

The main questions I will pose and seek to answer are:

Who are these two artists?

What work have each produced?

What are their working styles and processes?

What makes them distinctive?

How do these similar artists compare to or contrast with each other?

Significance and relevance of the topic/Rationale

I feel this subject is relevant to the field I wish to pursue, which is stop-motion, as both Henry Selick and Tim Burton are two of the most successful stop-motion animation directors of all time. Their respective films like Coraline and Corpse Bride are sighted as major influences by many animation and filmmaking creatives to this day. I have been a huge fan of the work of Henry Selick, such as Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas. So, I would be excited to investigate these two animation artists who influenced my own style and sensibilities at a young age and explore why they resonated with me.

Research methodologies and sources.

My research will include gathering and reading books on stop-motion that may include chapters/sections on Selick and/or Burton, sourcing books and articles on their processes and character design, online articles and watching YouTube video documentaries on Selick and Burton.

Learning objectives and expected outcomes.

My learning objectives include:

Learning how to create and produce my own brief.

Learning how to design characters based on and using a pre-existing art style

Honing my stop-motion skills and creating a set/background (if time allows).

To create a substantial body of research from multiple sources.

Improve my project management skills, including step-by-step process and time management.

Improve and further develop my analytical, critical thinking, and communication skills within my essay writing. 

Essay writing.

As part of this project, I will use my research to inform and aid me in ultimately writing my essay about Tim Burton and Henry Selick. Its main purpose will be to analyse the work of Selick and Burton side by side and compare/contrast them as artists. Analysing how they differ in terms of their style, influences and approach to storytelling. I will do this by answering the five main questions listed above and applying and challenging the auteur theory with both artists. The essay will be approximately 3000 words in duration.

Resources needed for the research and project.

In terms of resources, I will need both physical reading materials such as books and digital reading material, i.e. online articles, to get reliable research for my essay. I can get the books from the university library and online bookstores. For the online articles I will look to the website Flipboard. Along with this, I will also look at online video essays and documentaries on YouTube regarding the work of Selick and Burton. I will also rewatch these artists work.

For character design, I will work with my usual pipeline of drawing design sketches and thumbnails in my sketchbook and then colour/edit those designs digitally on iPad Procreate or Photoshop.

For the animation, as I will be working with stop-motion, I will use the University stop-motion studio booths. I will also need armatures. I have one of my own that I will use. For the animation test/scene itself, I will use the stop motion software Dragon Frame and Adobe Premiere Pro for post-production editing.

Timeframe for completion of the project and milestones

Deadline 3rd May

14 weeks duration

[project-sekai-facts]

I want to preface this by saying that I’m not trying to be antagonistic! I don’t participate in discussions like this often but this event has sparked many discussions and a lot of intense feelings on this blog and I wanted to give a different perspective maybe?

While I fully agree that clpl took a cowardly route and didn’t have Mizuki state their secret on screen and that people have a right to feel upset by that (as I do as well; it genuinely pisses me off that they tell everyone off screen, locked behind a card story) I feel that saying that we were baited and that Mizukis story has no meaning and is pointless now is a bit much? Mizuki is still a queer character, their queerness wasn’t disproven or erased or anything like that. Yeah they didn’t have them literally say what they are, but that doesn’t diminish their story and what they mean.

Their trans identity is something that can’t and shouldn’t be disconnected from their character. It sucks that this aspect of them is hidden behind a (quite frankly) absurd amount of subtext. I will say though that the sentiment of ‘Mizuki is Mizuki’ isn’t necessarily a bad one? I can see a little how that could be seen as dismissing their identity, but they ARE mizuki. There’s far more to that character than just their Trans identity. While obviously it’s an important part of their character and part of the main conflict for this arc, I don’t believe that clpls emphasis on Mizuki being Mizuki was meant to dismiss her identity.

Mizuki has always been a kind and selfless character, Ena and the rest of niigo are very endeared to her and want them in their lives because of this! Ena states that she may not understand all of the grief that Mizuki has endured and continues to deal with because of being othered by people at school and in society, but that she is willing to learn and stay by their side. Their identity isn’t something that warrants the end of their friendship, it’s not something that Ena cares about in the sense that it doesn’t change who Mizuki is as a person.

I’m not sure how the Japanese fanbase is reacting to this but I feel that the Western fanbases focus on having them literally say what they are seems in line with how queerness is expressed in Western countries like the US. (I myself am an American, and a queer person.) I can only go off of what I’ve seen in Japanese media, but they seem to be a bit more reserved when talking about being queer. It’s usually alluded to, and not explicitly stated all of the time. There’s clearly a cultural aspect as to why this story was told the way that it was. (There was also most likely corporate meddling as well though, lmao)

I do believe that clpl had good intentions with this particular story. It is very unfortunate that some things happened the way that they did, but I think that it’s important to look at what we were given and try to see what was trying to be conveyed. Perhaps that is a bit naive, and I’m not saying that everyone needs to accept the story that we were given and not look at it critically. Leaps and bounds still need to be made in terms of how stories like these are told. I’m saying that we should be a bit more open minded to the various aspects that gave us the story that we got.

I hope that that was coherent, this is something that I’m a bit passionate about as well! Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts, I hope that you have a lovely day/night!

.

[victoria8223]

Babies Now Birds

Project: Building Dwelling Thinking

Statement of Intent:

Create a work in response to the Building Dwelling Thinking reading by Martin Heidegger.  ‘Building as dwelling unfolds into the building that cultivates growing things.’   Construct a project resulting in a subjective and individual work, one which is consistent with your interests and concerns. Project is to be centered around wood and other have material process.

Structure:

An antique mahogany baby cradle, which is no longer used and yet was the embodiment of a peaceful dwelling in the past, was to be revitalized into a structure that cultivates growing things.  In this instance, birds have reclaimed it for their hatchlings.      

Placing the cradle slightly upright and at an angle was to allude to the cradle no longer being used for infants.  It is to appear as if it was thrown away.  Additional legs were cut from scrap wood to achieve the tilted appearance.  Recently dropped palm fronds from a bottle palm and a Christmas palm were arranged in the cradle to give the sculpture an outdoor look.  Both were rusty red and still full of life and complimented the mahogany stain of the cradle.  Burnt red coconut fibers filled the inside of the cradle and draped over the edges.  Actual bird nests were nestled in the fibers.  The presentation included the sound of birds singing.

Inspiration of the Sculpture:

Consumerism has promoted a 'throw-away' society – one in which people do not keep things for very long, preferring single-use and disposable items. This societal approach leads to overconsumption of short-term items instead of durable goods that can be repaired.

Dwelling structures can be revitalized to cultivate growing things.  We have only to look to nature to get inspiration as to how to reuse items.

Vickie Siegel

October 11, 2023