#project diva2

[devichiyoko]

Ribbon Miku~ ♥

[dh2323terra]

Project specification

We are aiming to mainly pass the project, so an E is satisfactory for us. This project’s main goal is implementing real time modification of terrain in Unity. This will be based on the scenario from lab 3 in the Unity lab track. In this project we will build a mesh manipulator that will be acted on by the tank. This will be in the form of shooting or driving on it, which leads to the terrain around the impact to change.

The tools we will use to fulfill the project is Unity 3D since we all know the software and have done projects in DD1354 in it as well. The main source of help will be taken from the Unity documentation for Meshes.[2]

Background

In lab 3 of the Unity path of the course we worked on a tank simulation. One feature which wasn’t implemented in that assignment was destruction of the surrounding terrain while shooting from the tank or when enemy tanks exploded. As it stands right now the objects in the terrain are solid, indestructible and one-piece game objects.

Problem

The main problem is mesh manipulation and making the terrain terraforming look realistic.

Implementation

● Destructible and terraforming terrain

● Destruction levels depending on terrain, shooting object type, tank movement

● Particle effects depending on shooting object type and tank movement.

The implementation is going to be done by modifying the game objects’ meshes when a collision occurs. It is possible to change the position of the mesh’s vertices in order to also modify the appearance in the game scene. We intend to call the mesh modification code when a rock, a tank or the ground has been collided with the shell firing from the tank.

Evaluation

We have some ideas on how to implement this but it might be difficult to make the destruction look realistic. There might be performance issues if we end up creating the 

destructible terrain (mesh) with too many vertices, as well as the radius of impact being too big.[1]

References

● [1] Volumetric Terrain Generation on the GPU, Ludwig Pethrus Engström,http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:846354/FULLTEXT01.pdf

● [2] Mesh, Unity documentation: https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/Mesh.html

[acethicgroup7blogpart2]

Types of CSR Affected by Initiatives

1.  Environmental Responsibility

Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/shell-foundation-sustainability-truly-independent

In Royal Dutch Shell, their Corporate Social Responsibility includes activities relating to the creation of a more sustainable environment by considering its environmental management, climate change and energy transitions, air quality, biodiversity, fresh water, and plastic waste. Shell recognizes their capabilities on making a change in society at a corporate level, since they act as the engines of the economy bringing progression through usage of the world's resources and human labor. They also have the potential to make a huge impact in terms of sustainability, because of their global reach (Guo & Munteanu, 2011). In line with this, they create performance standards matching or even exceeding the global best practices while operating under the rules of law and international standards. Again, they work in partnership in several areas as these are vital to aid enhance safety and practices in the oil and gas industry. Shell is also part of numerous energy-related collaborations all over the world, such as the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative. To be responsible is understanding the impact that Shell can do on the environment and communities they cohabit. Some of the issues they may be faced with if plans are often overlooked are spills of hazardous substances on land and sea. To prevent this, Shell employees ensure that facilities are well constructed and properly maintained (Shell, 2020c). They invest in equipment, expertise of professionals, double hulled tankers to prevent spills in the bodies of water.

Retrieved from https://seekingalpha.com/article/4007685-royal-dutch-shell-strong-dividends-and-growth-potential

The initiatives of Royal Dutch Shell affect the environment in such a way that the company works towards preserving areas that are affected by their projects. By partnering with the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Nature Conservancy, the company is exposed to environmental issues, as they understand more about them through research. This partnership allowed the company to create action plans in the countries of Ghana and Nigeria, to address issues on preserving the wetlands and ensuring its safety. The company also contributes in mitigating environmental issues by supporting the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, as this allowed Shell to start projects that focused on infrastructure, innovation, education, and clean up as a solution to the problems caused by unmanaged plastic waste. Royal Dutch Shell also supports the World Bank’s “Zero Routine Flaring by 2030” initiative, as they aim to put an end on gas flaring by 2030 through the implementation of flaring policies and energy management plans.

2. Philanthropic Responsibility

Retrieved from https://indiacsr.in/corporate-social-responsibility-philanthropy-a-boon-or-a-bane/

The initiatives of Royal Dutch Shell is not limited to affecting the environment, as the company also contributes philanthropically by supporting the United Nations Global Compact. In this initiative, the UNGC calls for its members to reach broader societal goals, execute responsible business practice and solutions to address poverty, and to support health and education for all. Moreover, the company works together with local communities to establish a relationship with its people. Knowing about their priorities, grievances, and concerns, the company is able to adjust and create “resettlement actions plans” and “livelihood restoration plans” that are in line with preserving the culture of indigenous people. Moreover, the company also ensures that the next generation of people are provided with quality education, primarily in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects (Shell, 2020b). This allows students to be equipped with skills that can be used to solve the problems of tomorrow. In addition to this, the philanthropic initiatives of the company includes ensuring that community health is in check. Due to the effects of the pandemic, the company sees that it can contribute in providing access to adequate health care in communities, in partnership with local non-governmental organizations or development bodies (Shell, 2020a). Overall, Royal Dutch Shell ensures that communities are involved in the company’s purpose. Aside from the environmental concerns the company is addressing, it is worth noting that the company is not limited to that. More importantly, the company takes into consideration the welfare of its people, providing education, health care, and access to resources.

References

Guo, X., & Munteanu, A. M. (2011). The Corporate Sustainability of Royal Dutch Shell: A Green Model Investigation into One of the Most Pollutant Corporations in the world. Retrieved from: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:422922/ FULLTEXT01.pdf

Shell. (2020a). Community health. Retrieved from: https://www.shell.com/sustainability/communities/community-health.html

Shell. (2020b). Education. Retrieved from: https://www.shell.com/sustainability/communities/education.html

Shell. (2020c). Environmental management. Retrieved from: https://www.shell.com/sustainability/environment/environmental-management.html

[engelenaudio]

Reflection 10: Reflecting on my research

Over the last few months, I feel like I have significantly evolved as a practitioner and researcher in my field. In this final post, I want to reflect on my journey and evaluate what went well and what didn’t.

To analyse my research, I want to reference two aspects: my methods and my methodology. My methods concern the practical ways I have conducted research, whereas my methodology talks about the choices I made regarding how I conducted my research. My first analysis is that whilst conducting my research, I considered my methods much more than I did my methodologies. Right from my first blog post, I knew what methods I would use. For example, I focused heavily on collecting evidence from papers and journals that would reinforce the ideas I explored in my posts. This method can be referred to as Secondary Research, which “may provide a researcher with a basis of knowledge on what relevant information had already been compiled by other researchers in the past.” (McCrocklin, S., 2018). My other methods involved experimentation (Blog Post #2) and market research (Blog Post #3). 

The experiment was the rare occasions where I utilised Primary Research, which is where the researcher collects data by themselves. I found Primary Research to be a more difficult area of research because I myself needed to collect data and evaluate it to produce a reliable conclusion that would stand up to criticism. Although my experiment was quite simple, I wanted to ensure it was reliable. First, I ensured that the only thing affecting the dependant variable (sound quality) was the singular independent variable I had selected for the experiment (bit depth). This meant using the same high quality audio chain for each instance, for example the sound card and headphones. However, the experiment was intrinsically flawed. In my conclusion, I presented what I believed to be the results, however due to the nature of the results I could not objectively analyse them, as critical listening is always subjective. Instead, I offered the results as downloadable files so that the reader can analyse the results themselves.

In hindsight, I believe I could have improved my experiment. After reading a chapter on Qualitative Data Analysis (Walliman, N., 2018) I realised my results fit into this category. Qualitative data "is based on data expressed mostly in the form of words – descriptions, accounts, opinions, feelings, etc. – rather than in numbers.”. The chapter, amongst other things, encourages the reader to “search for evidence that might support or contradict” the results. So, to improve my experiment I could find similar experiments and reference them in tandem with my own results. Furthermore, I could have taken a more reflexive role in the research by acknowledging that the results are based on my own expertise and identity. For example, my years of critical listening experience would make me more suited to analyse sound quality than someone without this experience. This would have been a valid argument to reference when analysing my results and arguing their validity.

Fundamentally, the biggest self criticism of my research is my lack of thought towards my methodologies. Had I thought of this earlier, my research would have included more relevant and varied methods. Anne Håkansson writes in a paper that “Typically, students consider the research methods and methodologies at the end of the research process" followed by “Then, the research methods and methodologies, in general, are applied by ”bending the methods” or, even worse, inventing new methods to suit their existing working process.” (Håkansson, A., 2013). To avoid this, I researched established methodologies and concluded that mine was Exploratory Research, which “intends merely to explore the research questions and does not intend to offer final and conclusive solutions to existing problems.” (Dudovskiy, J., n.d) I believe my research fits under this category because the majority of it was to further my personal knowledge and expertise in my field. This included market research, historical context and exploring current innovations within Audio Programming. 

From this I can analyse that my role as a researcher is subjective, as all the knowledge I gained was written about through the lens of how it furthered my personal knowledge. Essentially, my blog documents my individual progression into Audio Programming and is very personal. Because of this, I chose my methods to always back up my own questions and theories, resulting in a bibliography consisting of objective research as opposed to disputed theories that could not reinforce my personal ideas. Having said this, I retained an open mind and considered all points of view from various sources, as long as they contained enough objective data to back themselves up.

Finally, I wanted to re read my entire blog and pick up on any progress I have made throughout. One noticeable difference was my attention to source validity and reliability. In more recent posts, I begin to use more up to date sources, which is important in an ever evolving industry. At the start of my blog, I was more focused on obtaining academic sources and didn’t pay attention to how out of date they were. For example, the Audio Programming Book (Boulanger, R., 2010) was a source I referenced often until I realised that there were more relevant sources available online, such as JUCE tutorial pages.

In summary, I think that this blog has elevated my research skills and provided me with valuable experience for future research projects. I have learnt that I, as a researcher, am ingrained into the research process and that my own subjective opinions influence my decisions in my methodology.

References:

McCrocklin, S., (2018) Primary Vs. Secondary Research [Online] October 4th 2018. Available from: https://www.geopoll.com/blog/primary-vs-secondary-research/#:~:text=Primary%20research%20is%20information%20gathered,usually%20where%20most%20research%20begins. [Accessed: 11th January 2021]

Walliman, N., (2018) Research Methods the basics. Chapter 10. 2nd Edition. Routledge - Abingdon, Oxon. [Accessed: 11th January 2021]

Håkansson, A., (2013) Portal of Research Methods and Methodologies for Research Projects and Degree Projects. The 2013 World Congress in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Applied Computing. 22nd-25th July 2013. Las Vegas USA: CSREA Press U.S.A. Available from: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A677684&dswid=9988 [Accessed: 11th January 2021]

Dudovskiy, J., (n.d.) Deductive Approach (Deductive Reasoning) [Online] n.d. Available from: https://research-methodology.net/research-methodology/research-design/exploratory-research/ [Accessed: 11th January 2021]

[jamesspringfield-blog1]

2001 Space Odyssey – Filmic Silence

Intro

Filmmakers must learn to use sound and music to enhance scenes. Part of this toolkit is filmic silence (the absence of sound). Filmic silence is contrasting tool. Strong in moments where we expect music to swell, where its absence draws our attention deeper.

“Silence can be the loudest of noises, just as black, in a brilliant design, can be the brightest of colors.” Quote from Alberto Cavacanit (Bihl, 2017, page 13)

The focus of this paper will be filmic silence. I will analyze how 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) by director Stanley Kubrick uses filmic silence in the Hal server room scene.

Silent Films, Photoplay and Cue Sheets

Silent films were accompanied first by improvisational music, photoplay music, cue sheets and finally the Vitaphone system. Books like Motion Picture Moods (1924) and Encyclopedia of Music for Picture (1925) by Erno Rapee proves combining image with sound to invoke the intended emotional via narrative cueing has always been important to filmmakers. With this context, the absence of sound becomes a tool, just like music.  

Importance of Emotion

Walter Murch presents a concept in his book In the Blink of an Eye called the Rule of six. It’s a priority table to be used to inform the decisions of a film-editor. Do not sacrifice item one for item two and so on down the list, in hopes that this will improve the overall film.

Since emotion, music and sound is so intertwined, and if we trust the theory, being able to master the aspect of sound has huge implication for the rest of a film as a product.  

Composition and Structure

In music, a verse naturally leads into a chorus, so must calm moments be followed by intense sequences, creating a roller coaster of emotional experience. In the classic Omaha Beach scene from Saving Private Ryan the intensity is broken up with sudden dips into the water, where most of the sound disappears, allowing audiences small breaks in between the intense action. The editing must fit the overall composition of the film in question.

2001 Space Odyssey executes on the same idea, but on the broader scale. The moments before the reveal of Black monoliths are revealed are always calm, but slowly the music ramps up. It continuously builds up to an uncomfortable climax which ends in abrupt silence. The intensity needs its opposite to fit the composition. A low followed by a high followed by a low again; almost like the three-act structure, but on a smaller scale.

Hal and David Bowman

Another toolkit available to a filmmaker is color-palette. Its equivalent in sound design is called sound-palette. 2001: A Space Odyssey is dynamic in its overall soundscape, however, the scenes with Hal are sparce and muted. There’s mostly ambient sound and dialogue, making the scenes with Hal feel heavily diegetic. The audience and the characters hear the same thing, only the ambience changes according to the room the shot is in. Drawing our attention to the details of the dialogue and the subtlety of the character acting.

The filmic silence reaches its apex as the character David Bowman begins dismantling Hal. Usually, this would be the moment where the score swells as the dual between Hal and David commences. Yet, all we hear is David’s breath, the gas travelling in his suit and Hal’s pleading. Drawing us ever closer to David who is limited on oxygen in a claustrophobic environment, and sadness upon seeing and hearing an entity lose its sense of self, one memory module after another. Hal’s voice becoming deeper as the waveform of his voice gets stretched to indicate his slipping mind, because a longer waveform means lower frequency. The volume of the gas in David’s suit rises as the scene climbs towards its climax, slowly dissipating, but never completely towards the end of the scene.

Astronauts are trained to be calm in disastrous situations. The filmic silence is the perfect touch from Kubrick to demonstrate and characterize David’s silent determination. It also serves to enhance the audience’s relationship to David. So, when David is in that server room, the audience is right there with him. As Hal begins to sing, there’s no triumphant words to the villain, just a somber sadness as Hal slowly dies.

Part of removing film score is add realism to the scene in question. This is important to remember compositionally because Kubrick contrast an hour of emotional realism with Hal with 20 minutes if surrealism that could be a paper all its own.

Conclusion Using sound to enhance the intended emotion has been a goal since silent films and mastering Murch’s Rule of Six is key in creating connection between audience member and filmmaker.

“I found out that silence really isn’t that noticeable for a person that isn’t embedded in sound” – (Bihl, 2017, page 26)

Filmic silence is then negative space, meaning whatever else is on screen becomes ever more important. Kubrick demonstrates this by using filmic silence to characterize, show realism, add humanity to a machine and enhancing the focus on the tiniest details of dialogue and subtlety of the character’s actions. The lack of narrative cueing strengthens the moments independence. So, “Less is more”.

Literature list: V Renée. (2016, Nov 30) 6 'Rules' for Good Cutting According to Oscar-Winning Editor Walter Murch, https://nofilmschool.com/2016/11/6-rules-good-cutting-according-oscar-winning-editor-walter-murch https://nofilmschool.com/sites/default/files/styles/article_superwide/public/walter_murch.png?itok=_nV0M7BM

Erik Bihl. (2017) The captivating use of silence in film: How silence affects the emotional aspect of cinema, https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1114407/FULLTEXT02

Jourdan Aldredge. (2017, Aug 24) Understanding the Importance of Silence in Filmmaking, https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/importance-silence-filmmaking-projects/

Sideways. (2019, May 31) How Silent Films Invented the Soundtrack, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUTlUFrJai8

Erno Rapee. (1924) Motion Pictures Moods (warning; large PDF), https://www.sfsma.org/ARK/22915/motion-picture-moods/

Erno Rapee. (1924) Encyclopedia of Music for Pictures, http://www.sfsma.org/ARK/22915/rapees-encyclpoedia-of-music-for-pictures/

[florasportfolio]

Additional links connected to “The Handmaid’s Tale”

The Handmaid’s Tale:

http://www.diva-portal.se/smash/get/diva2:1331919/FULLTEXT01.pdf -> intertextuality in The Handmaid’s Tale 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_resistance -> explanation of non-violent resistance

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pornography-censorship/ -> a text about pornography and censorship, including a feminst approach 

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/17/margaret-atwood-the-prophet-of-dystopia -> a text about Atwood from someone who knew her (more about Atwood than “The Handmaid’s Tale”), noticable fragment:  With the novel, she intended not just to pose the essential question of dystopian fiction—“Could it happen here?”—but also to suggest ways that it had already happened, here or elsewhere. While living in West Berlin, Atwood visited Poland, where martial law had only recently been lifted; many dissidents were still in jail. She already knew members of the Polish resistance from the Second World War, who had gone into exile in Canada. “I remember one person saying a very telling thing: ‘Pray you will never have occasion to be a hero,’ ” she said.

https://www.futurelibrary.no/#/ -> interesting art project in Norway that Atwood engaged in (possibly shows her connection to nature)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/horrors-handmaids-tale-arent-just-fiction-many-have-already/ -> connections between “The Handmaid’s Tale” and today’s world

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/color-fashion-history-political-solidarity -> very interesting article about how colour has been used in politics (connection to red/blue/green dresses)

https://www.vogue.com/article/fall-2019-color-trends-color-therapist ->  psychological effect of colours (interesting in the case of blue and green, red not that accurate in the persecitive of “The Handmaid’s Tale”)

Connection to Persepolis:

https://www.vogue.com/article/emma-watson-interviews-marjane-satrapi -> intervier with Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis about women’s rights, Iran and migration

[cameron-ashurst22]

Character Design Research- Shape Theory

Shape they within character design help to define what a character is like such as their personality and tendencies. There are geometric shapes and organic shapes. Geometric shapes are regular and mathematical. Organic shapes a free flowing and are found in nature. The primary shapes used in character design are a square, triangle and circle.

Square - stability, trust , honesty , conformity , order, security, equality

The squad shape is often found in nature in solid shapes like rocks and mountains. Squares are found in masculine and warrior characters . There are cases too, where the character is not a macho/hero, but the designer are using square shapes in his body too, to project his solid, stable and may be stubborn personality

Triangle- Action, aggression, energy, sneakiness, conflict, Masculinity and tension 

Triangles and angular shape projects danger. They are found around us in pieces of glass, rocks eroded from severe climate conditions. Designers use triangles and pointy shapes in their villain character’s personality. Triangles also give direction. In contrast to squares, were there are only 2 directions-vertical and horizontal, now there are  3. Besides using them for portraying horrifying character’s personality, designers also use them to show a hero��s determination, drive and opportunism. 

Circle/Oval - completeness, gracefulness, playfulness, comforting, unity , protection and childlike

Most of the well-known protagonists are designed around oval shapes, as this shape is perceived as friendly, safe and harmless. The oval shapes are often present in baby’s characters – children and animals, in chubby adults and so on.

By keeping these key definitions in mind it will greatly help the design process of a character. These definitions can be ignored but by using these shapes it is advantageous to the design itself. It is better to combine multiple shape together when designing a character as it makes the design more dynamic, creating contrast and balance within the figure therefore making the character visually appealing. Having too many identical shapes and sizes will make the character look symmetrical and inorganic.

Source:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErI7gIWzxlY

https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:651309/FULLTEXT01.pdf

https://graphicmama.com/blog/conveying-characters-personality/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eJl0OhXTeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gDzO9fZS0o

https://www.animatorisland.com/character-design-practice-shapes/?v=79cba1185463

[kalijeanart]

Wk 11: Bourriaud

My artistic interest of the past few years has been based on human connection. Hence, my final Fine Art major project was based on Nicolas Bourriaud’s concept of relational aesthetics art described in this week’s reading from his 2002 printed text ‘Art of the 1990s: Participation and Transitivity’.

Bourriaud, Nicolas. Art of the 1990s: Participation and Transitivity. 2002. Print.

While conducting my research into Bourriaud’s various notions, I found a useful article, ‘All in the Postproduction - A conversation with Nicolas Bourriaud by Helene Frichot.

http://kth.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:486577/FULLTEXT01.pdf

In the clever article Frichot writes as if she recorded a conversation she’d had with Bourriaud, however in the footnotes she tells of how Bourriaud was a no-show to the interview she had organised between them. Hence, the ‘conversation’ is instead based on his writings, ‘Relational Aesthetics’ (1998), ‘Postproduction’(2002), ‘The Radicant’ (2009) and ‘Altermodern’ (2009) and is therefore an excelled short summary of his various notions.

[devichiyoko]

Hatsune Miku 15th anniversary Kei edition ♥

[vishal-verma-blog1]

Week 1 Assignment (Getting Your Research Project Started)

The dataset which I have selected for my research work is ‘Gapminder Data’. I have decided to find the association between the income rate, alcohol consumption rate, and suicide rate. Research shows that the alcohol consumption is negatively associated with the income rate [1]. Research shows that the suicide rates were positively associated with alcohol consumption rate [2]. Research shows that the alcohol consumption rates increase the suicide rate [3].

 So, my questions of interests for this research are as follows:

1-   How is alcohol consumption associated with the income rate?

2-   How is alcohol consumption is associated with the suicide rate?

3-   How is the income rate is associated with the suicide rate?

 References:

 1-   http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:686081/FULLTEXT01.pdf

2-   http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.849.9923&rep=rep1&type=pdf

3-   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3177167/

[margaret-fmp]

Research - Theory, Contextual

This is an interesting essay and I particularly like that it breaks down the different ways that music can help (or maybe hinder) the narrative. It also gives examples, which I find particularly helpful. The one I find most useful to me in this project is the Emotive function as well as the Informative.

• The Emotive function refers to music’s ability to communicate emotive qualities, either experienced by the audience (induced) or just cognitively identified (represented; Juslin, 2001). The expressed emotions may be attributed to individual characters of the story or represent relationships or events – they can also describe overall emotive aspects of situations or forebode future implications of the plot.  • The Informative function comprises situations where music expresses or ‘explains’ phenomena or events by communicating information on a cognitive rather than on an emotional level. Music can for example evoke certain cultural settings or time periods, clarify ambiguous situations, indicate social status or simply represent a character or phenomenon, for instance by the use of a leitmotif (this will be further discussed later).  • The Descriptive function is related to the informative function in certain aspects, but differs in that the music is actively (or programmatically) describing something rather than more passively representing certain values. It is usually a matter of describing the physical world, such as physical setting, appearance or movement.  • The Guiding function includes musical functions that, so to speak, turn directly to the audience aiming to ‘direct’ the eye, thought and mind. This could include indicative or imperative functions. The latter function is prominent in computer games or advertising, where the purpose is to bring the audience to perform specific actions.  • The Temporal function foregrounds the time dimension of music. Especially important is music’s ability to provide continuity (immediate, longer or overall) as well as how music can contribute and define structure and form. • The Rhetorical function refers to how music sometimes ‘steps forward’ to comment the narrative events or situation. This is often achieved by having the musical expression contrast the visuals or by referring to well-known musical material. 

[ba2bresearchproposal]

Larsson, P (2014) "Discerning Emotion Through Movement “A study of body language in portraying emotion in animation" Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development University of Gävle

A dissertation by a Swedish student at the University of Gävle

Abstract:

“ Animators are so often taught more about how to perfect their animations than to consider what it is that makes the animation come alive. They work away with principles and physics, sometimes completely overlooking a characters communication tools. The following thesis is a study of emotive expressive body language and its purpose in animation. The project studies various angles of body language, in an attempt at summarizing key features that could work as guidelines for animators in the future. “

This dissertation relates expressing emotion through animation to body language and non verbal communication, citing studies and statistics that back up the points as evidence. 

“According to researchers up to 93% of human communication is made up of body language[1]. Subconsciously, while the more active part of our brain will process words and tone of voice, we also look at the way people move.”

Useful quotes and statements:

“Animations are only as lifelike as an animator can make them. If an animator does not have an understanding of what they are attempting to create, then it will not often turn out as intended. Therefore it is a requirement that animators understand feelings, and expressions of feelings. So that they can easily simulate what a character is feeling.”

“When attempting to learn more about body language, a great deal of what comes up is about facial expressions. Studies show that common people believe the face to be our main source of expression. That most of it is read from the face and with little consideration of the body. Which had Hilliel Aviezer et al.[5] pose the question. What happens in cases of extremely intense emotions? Their study is in support of body language having a greater part in reading emotions. In their study they proposed that in cases of intense emotions the face might become overloaded. That there is a kind of biological static in these cases and that it would make it difficult to tell what the person is expressing. Contradicting the common belief that the face is the greatest expressive device.” 

“Can an audience relate the desired emotion to a blank figure? 

This question is partly sectioned between the theoretical and the practical. As part of the answer lies in the previous studies and part of the answer is in the experiment. The simple answer is that yes, and audience can relate to a characters emotion, even when the character is visually blank. The question was posed to encompass a naked and faceless character with indefinite features and the relation between emotion and bodily expression. Sliding over into the experimental phase of the project and how well the audience related to the emotion, the majority would label the emotion correctly. With only one or two marginal of reading it completely differently. The use of the defined key features resulted in an over-all recognizable expression. Judging by the results there were little to no difficulties reading the emotion. Despite the fact that the character had neither specific traits, a personality, nor a face.”

^ This information is invaluable and highly relevant to my study, demonstrating the extent of non verbal communication and its ability to portray animation. Disney wanted his animators to study their facial expressions and acting for animation, and this proves why: the body can illustrate so much more than facial expression, and is fundamental in relaying the empathetic feelings

[superficial-jana]

Finding PROJECT DIVA 2nd for PSP. Sooooo Hard. >,<

[tiggytag-blog]

[devichiyoko]

KAITO~

[devichiyoko]

Vocaloid Project Diva2

Miku Little Red Riding Hood!~