We learned how to choose a suitable research topic and develop it into a strong argument. The topic should be interesting, relevant to the subject area, and specific enough to research in depth. We also discussed the importance of starting with a clear research question that encourages analysis rather than simple description.
Additionally, we focused on using our own voice and supporting our arguments with trustworthy sources. A well-structured argument introduces the topic, engages with existing ideas, presents findings, and ends with a clear conclusion. This lesson helped me understand that strong research depends on clear questions, reliable sources, and confidence in my own ideas.
This session focused on mise-en-scène, a French term meaning what is placed within the frame. It refers to all the visual elements in front of the camera and how they work together to communicate meaning to the audience. These elements include setting and props, costume and make-up, performance, lighting and colour, and the positioning of characters within the frame.
Research Activity 1: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Setting & Props: The scene takes place at the cottage window, a normally safe domestic space. This safety is disrupted by the appearance of the witch and the poisoned apple, which becomes the key prop symbolising temptation and death.
Costume, Hair & Make-Up: The witch’s dark hooded cloak, pale skin, exaggerated facial features, and long nose visually mark her as threatening and untrustworthy. Her appearance contrasts sharply with Snow White’s usual bright, soft colours, reinforcing the good-versus-evil binary.
Facial Expressions & Body Language: The witch’s wide eyes, crooked smile, and hunched posture convey deceit and malicious intent. Her slow, deliberate handling of the apple draws attention to it and heightens suspense.
Lighting & Colour: The lighting is darker and more muted around the witch, with strong shadows on her face. The bright red apple stands out vividly against the dark costume and background, immediately signalling its narrative importance and danger.
Positioning within the Frame: The witch is framed centrally and often dominates the shot, making her appear powerful and controlling. The apple is placed close to her face or the centre of the frame, guiding the viewer’s eye and reinforcing its symbolic role.
Cinematography (Shot Choice): Close-ups are used to emphasise the witch’s expression and the apple, creating intimacy and tension. The framing encourages the audience to focus on the act of temptation, aligning us with the impending threat rather than safety.
Overall, the mise-en-scène works together to make the threat instantly readable, especially for a younger audience. Without dialogue alone, the visuals clearly communicate that the apple is dangerous and the witch is not to be trusted.
Research Activity 2: Anomalisa
The mise-en-scène in this image is minimal and controlled, reflecting emotional isolation. The bland hotel room, muted colours, and soft lighting create an impersonal atmosphere. Although the characters are positioned side by side on the bed, their rigid body language and lack of physical contact suggest emotional distance.
The overhead, high-angle shot flattens the scene and removes intimacy, making the characters appear small and detached within the frame. Overall, the composition shows how physical closeness does not equal emotional connection.
Research Activity 3: Rebecca
In this short extract, the relationship appears unbalanced. One character stands while the other sits, immediately suggesting authority versus vulnerability. Dark clothing and shadow give the standing figure a controlled, imposing presence, while the seated character’s lighter clothing and upward gaze suggest uncertainty.
The formal setting, restrained movement, and low-key lighting create tension. Even without context, the mise-en-scène implies discomfort and power imbalance between the characters.
Research Activity 4:
Type of shot: Medium shot: the character is visible from the waist up, allowing us to read emotion while still seeing the environment.
Camera angle: Eye-level, creating a neutral, observational perspective.
Character placement: The character is positioned centrally in the frame, making her the clear focus while crowds move around her.
Costume: She wears a red headscarf and muted clothing, which signals cultural context and helps her stand out visually.
Depth of field: Moderate depth of field: the background is detailed but slightly softened, keeping attention on the character.
Colour palette: Earthy browns, beiges, and greys dominate the background, contrasted by the strong red of the headscarf.
Lighting: Soft, natural daylight with no harsh shadows, creating a realistic and grounded atmosphere.
Overall the mise-en-scène isolates the character emotionally despite the busy setting, suggesting vulnerability and unease within a public space.
This week’s class explored animated documentary and how animation can function as a legitimate mode of non-fiction filmmaking. We discussed how animated documentaries are created frame by frame, focus on the real world, and are presented or received as documentaries by audiences.
Using examples such as Tower and Waltz with Bashir, we considered why filmmakers use animation, particularly to represent memory, trauma, or events without existing footage. Animation can clarify ideas and visualise subjective experience in ways live-action cannot.
A key debate centred on authenticity. Traditional documentary theory links realism to photographic evidence, but thinkers like John Grierson’s idea of documentary as the “creative treatment of actuality” suggest animation can still convey truth, even without indexical images.
We also examined criticisms of animated documentary, including concerns that animation may distance audiences from reality or undermine seriousness. Ultimately, the session argued that when animation and documentary are fully integrated, animation can expand, not diminish, our understanding of real-world issues.
This week focused on experimental animation, exploring how abstraction, form, and movement can communicate ideas without relying on traditional narrative structures. We looked at how early avant-garde filmmakers challenged mainstream cinema by prioritising colour, rhythm, light, sound, and motion to create sensory and emotional responses.
We studied pioneering experimental works and techniques such as cameraless filmmaking, sound-image relationships, and non-dialogued films. These approaches highlighted how process and medium can become part of the message, encouraging personal vision and experimentation beyond commercial constraints.
This session helped me understand how experimental animation expands film language and how abstraction can still convey meaning through visual and emotional impact rather than story alone.
This week focused on how stories are built through narrative structure, character development, and editing. We explored the Five-Act Structure and how balance, conflict, and resolution keep audiences engaged, as well as the importance of planning scenes so stories flow naturally.
We also looked at how characters drive the plot through their choices and emotions, and how editing controls rhythm, time, and emotional impact. This session helped me understand how storytelling techniques work together and has changed how I watch and analyse films.
This week marked the introduction to the unit, outlining the course structure, assessment components, and overall expectations. We discussed how film language and narration are used to communicate meaning and guide an audience’s understanding of a story.
The session introduced potential research topics and approaches, including environmental, social, educational, and industrial themes. We also looked at how research supports creative practice and helps give context to animation work.
The readings provided a historical and theoretical foundation for understanding animation as both a visual and narrative medium.
Once the cat model was fully finished, including the joint setup and animations, it was time to bring everything into Unreal Engine. Importing the character into the engine was only the first step. After that, I spent time adjusting and refining the setup to make sure the animations worked smoothly and the character behaved as expected within the scene.
Project Summary
For this project, I created a short cinematic scene in Unreal Engine, set in a dark urban alley with a moody, nighttime atmosphere. The main goal was to explore cinematic storytelling through lighting, camera work, and character animation.
The environment consists of a narrow alley with brick walls, street lights, dumpsters, and supporting props to create a believable urban setting. Assets were sourced from Fab and arranged inside Unreal Engine. The lighting was intentionally kept low-key to enhance contrast and atmosphere, drawing inspiration from film-noir and cinematic night scenes.
The scene is built using multiple shots inside the Level Sequencer. Each shot uses a CineCameraActor with customized lens settings such as focal length, aperture, and focus distance to achieve a cinematic look. The shots are connected using Camera Cuts, allowing them to play back as a continuous sequence.
A cat character was imported with pre-made animations created in Maya. These animations, including tail movement and a walk cycle, were triggered and timed within the Sequencer.
The final sequence was rendered using Movie Render Queue as a PNG image sequence to preserve high image quality. The image sequence was then assembled into a video in Adobe Premiere Pro, where editing, cuts, and sound were added.
The final result is a short cinematic piece that conveys mood and narrative through visual composition, lighting, and animation rather than dialogue. The project demonstrates the use of Unreal Engine as a real-time cinematic tool and highlights skills in environment setup, camera sequencing, and animation integration.
I started researching how to model a cat in Maya with the goal of bringing it into Unreal Engine later on. I looked into different workflows and tutorials to understand what would work best for game engines. This step felt important, since the cat will play a central role in my project, and I wanted to make sure the model would be usable and efficient inside Unreal.
Problems Encountered in Maya
Joint issues: Problems with joint placement and orientation, especially in the tail, causing incorrect movement.
Skinning problems: The mesh deformed incorrectly after binding the skeleton.
Weight painting issues: Painting the skin weights was difficult and caused stretching and deformation of the mesh.
Mesh influence problems: Some parts of the mesh were influenced by the wrong joints.
Iteration problems: Fixing joints often required redoing skinning and repainting weights multiple times.
