This week we presented Project 1, which was a formative assessment linked to our Final Major Project. The aim of this task was to choose one core element from our possible FMP direction and test it through research, references and a small visual outcome. For my Project 1, I focused on the idea of the gap between political and media language and the reality of war. My aim was to explore the contrast between how war is presented through politics and media, and how it is actually experienced by people living through it.
In my presentation, I explained that I am interested in how official language can make war feel distant, controlled or simplified, while the real experience of war is physical, emotional and destructive. I wanted to start testing this contrast visually, rather than only describing it as a research idea. This helped me think about how my FMP could use 3D animation to show two different realities at the same time: the public version of war and the lived reality behind it.
For inspiration, I looked at a project about the Brussels government crisis, because it showed how political events can be turned into a creative visual project. I also looked at an award-winning animation that inspired me to think about politics, media and war through animation. These references helped me understand that political subjects can become visual and emotional, not just informational.
I also researched visual style references. One important reference was The Spark of Life, because of its dark cinematic atmosphere, ruined environments and emotional war imagery. I used this to support the mood I want my project to have: serious, heavy and cinematic. The ruined environment represents the physical reality of war, while the billboard and media imagery represent official communication and the way events are publicly framed.
For my visual test, I created an image with a ruined urban environment, a large billboard and media text saying “No casualties reported.” I wanted the billboard to feel cold and official, while the damaged environment underneath suggests that the reality is much more severe. This contrast helped me start exploring how 3D space, scale and media screens could visually communicate the distance between what is said and what is experienced.
Presenting the work was useful because it made me organise my FMP idea more clearly. I realised that the strongest part of the concept is the contrast between language and reality, and that the visual style can help communicate this without needing too much explanation. It also showed me that my next steps should be to develop more tests with screens, ruined environments, lighting and possibly a character perspective, so the idea becomes more emotional and less like only a concept image.
Listening to other people’s presentations was also helpful. It showed me how different students approached the brief in different ways. Some focused more on style or visual development, while others tested character, animation or story ideas. Seeing these different approaches made me realise that the FMP can start from many places, and that testing one focused element is a good way to avoid feeling overwhelmed.