Charlotte's blog

Month: April 2026

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques Sessions with Serra (term 3)

Week 13 – NDisplay

During the class, we used NDisplay to recreate a billboard-style screen setup. We first created the setup in Unreal Engine and worked with two screens, a left screen and a right screen, inside the 3D environment. We also made a small animation in Unreal Engine to test how movement would work within the scene. After this, we rendered the result from Unreal Engine.

We then brought the render into Premiere Pro, where we edited and exported the video so that the left and right screens could be shown correctly. This helped us understand how a virtual production workflow can move between Unreal Engine and video editing software.

This session helped me understand how virtual production can combine 3D environments, animation, video rendering, and editing workflows. It also showed me how NDisplay can be used to create multi-screen setups, such as billboards, LED walls, or other large screen-based environments.

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques Theory (term 3)

Week 3 — Developing Research Design Strategies and Methods

The session continued to focus on developing research design strategies and methods. The main aim was to keep building a clear structure for the thesis proposal, so that the research question can be answered in a focused and achievable way.

Categories
Advanced 3D Animation Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques

Week 12 – Breathing Animation and Dialogue Shot Blocking

This week focused on two different animation exercises: a Breathing Animation workshop and the next stage of the Dialogue Shot assignment. Both tasks helped me think more about subtle performance, body movement and how small animation choices can make a character feel more believable.

On Thursday, we had a Breathing Animation workshop in Maya. We were given a rig and had to create a simple breathing animation. I worked with the provided reptilian character rig and focused on creating subtle movement rather than a big action or full performance. The aim was to make the character feel alive through small repeated body movements.

This exercise helped me understand that breathing animation needs careful rhythm and weight. If the movement is too strong, too fast or too even, it can look unnatural. I had to think about how the chest, body and posture could move slightly to suggest breathing without making the animation feel exaggerated. It showed me that small details can still add a lot of life to a character.

On Friday, I worked on the Dialogue Shot – Blocking assignment. At this stage, I focused mostly on the body movement and main poses rather than the full facial animation or lip sync. I wanted to make sure the main acting choices were clear first, because the body language gives the foundation for the performance.

While working on the shot, I had some technical problems with my JoshCamera, which disappeared during the process. I tried to use the original camera again and also tried to re-reference both cameras, but they still did not work properly. Because of this, I was advised that I could use a normal Maya default camera instead, especially because the shot did not need a complicated camera setup.

The feedback I received was that the body animation was working well. However, the facial expression was still missing, and I need to focus on adding emotion before worrying too much about lip sync. The main advice was to make the character’s feeling clear first, such as whether they are happy, sad, doubtful or trying to persuade someone. This helped me understand that facial expression is part of the acting, not just an extra detail added at the end.

I was also advised to adjust the camera angle slightly, around 30 to 45 degrees, because the front-facing camera made the poses look too symmetrical. Changing the camera angle should make the shot feel less flat and more natural. For the last part of the dialogue, I also need to push the acting more by making the character lean forward, so it feels like they are really trying to convince the person they are speaking to.


I also researched several lip sync reference videos to get a better understanding of how the mouth shapes and facial movements should work. This helped me observe how the lips, jaw, cheeks and facial expressions move together when a character is speaking. By looking at real speech references, I could better understand the timing of the dialogue and make the animation feel more natural and believable.

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques Theory (term 3)

Week 2 — Research Design, Methods and the Golden Thread

The session continued with the development of research design strategies and methods. The focus was on how to create a structure that can either develop a hypothesis or answer the research question. This was useful because it showed that the thesis proposal needs to be more than an idea; it needs a clear plan for how the research will be organised, supported and developed.

A key part of the session was understanding research design. Research design is the way a researcher organises a project, including how information will be collected, analysed and used to answer the research problem. The resource explains that research design acts as an outline and guide for the whole research project, helping to organise the different components and make sure the research addresses the main problem.

We also looked again at the structure of the thesis and proposal. The thesis needs a clear research question or hypothesis, introduction, literature review, methodology, themed chapters, conclusion, reference list and bibliography. The proposal also needs to include a research title or question, keywords searched, draft introduction, draft literature review, research methods outline, chapter outline, draft chapter and references. This helped me understand how each section connects to the others.

Another important concept from this session was the “golden thread”. This means that the research question, objectives, literature review, methodology and final argument should all connect clearly. The resources explained that when reading and writing, it is important to keep asking why a source is relevant to the question and what it contributes to the argument. For my own thesis, this means I need to make sure every source I use supports my main question about animation, media narratives and civilian experience.

We also looked at research objectives. Research objectives are the outcomes the research aims to achieve, and they help guide the research process, including data collection, analysis and conclusions. The resource explains that objectives should narrow the focus of the research and break the main aim into smaller achievable steps.

The session also reminded me to be critical when reading sources. Instead of collecting too many articles, I need to focus on sources that directly help answer my research question. I should also make notes in my own words to avoid unintentional plagiarism and evaluate how each source supports or challenges my argument.

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques Sessions with Serra (term 3)

Week 12 – VCAM

In our second week, we tested VCam for virtual production in Unreal Engine. The aim was to explore how a phone can be used as a virtual camera to move through and frame a digital environment in a more physical and intuitive way.

At first, the setup did not work properly because everyone was connected to the same Wi-Fi network, which made the connection very slow and laggy. We also tried using a hotspot, but it still didn’t working.

After around an hour, VCam finally connected on my phone. However, the app was still glitching and not running smoothly. When I left the app and went back in, I was logged out, so I could not continue testing it properly.

Even though the technical side was frustrating, the session was useful because it showed how virtual production depends not only on the software, but also on a stable network and reliable setup. It also helped me understand how VCam could be useful for animation and previsualisation when it works correctly.

During this week, we also had to choose which brief we wanted to develop for the submission at the end of the term. I decided to choose the first brief, Expanded Animation / Context and Practice.

I chose this brief because I want to explore TouchDesigner more deeply. I have not properly learned TouchDesigner before, so this project feels like a good opportunity to experiment with it and understand how it can be used in an animation or interactive context.

Categories
Advanced 3D Animation Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques

Week 11 – Lip Sync and Overlap Workshop

This week focused on two different areas of animation: lip sync for dialogue shots and overlap/follow-through in body animation. Both tasks were useful because they showed how small timing choices can make animation feel more believable and less mechanical.

On Thursday, we looked at Facial Animation III – Lip Sync. The lecture explained that a dialogue shot still follows the same animation process as before: blocking, blocking plus and polishing. In blocking, the focus is on the main key poses for the whole body, including the facial expression. In blocking plus, the body gets breakdown keys, while the face starts to include transitions between expressions, major mouth shapes and timing. In polishing, the body gets more in-betweens and the facial animation focuses on connecting the mouth shapes clearly.

The lip sync workflow was broken down into three steps: jaw opening, phonemes and polish. I found the jaw opening stage helpful because it simplifies the process. Instead of immediately trying to animate every single sound, we first need to find the accents in the sentence and understand when the jaw opens. The lecture also reminded us to animate on twos and to avoid making the mouth movement too linear.

We then looked at phonemes, which are the mouth shapes connected to sounds. A key point was to animate the sounds, not the written words. For example, “Oo” and “U” push the mouth corners in, while “Eh” and “Ee” pull the corners out. Shapes like “M,” “B” and “P” need the lips to close, and the shape should stay for at least two frames so the audience can read it. This made me realise that lip sync is not just about matching words, but about making the mouth shapes clear enough to support the performance.

The self-study also supported the lip sync topic by giving extra video resources to review outside class. This was useful because lip sync is quite technical, and it helps to watch examples again while working through the shot.

On Friday, we had the Overlap Workshop. For this, we used a provided sea monster file and had to animate the sea monster swimming with good follow-through and overlap on its body and fins. We could choose a section from the 500 frames of camera movement, with a minimum of 100 frames, and then upload a playblast by 6pm.

This workshop helped me understand that overlap is important for making movement feel natural. If every part of the sea monster moves at the same time, the animation feels stiff. Instead, the body, fins and tail need to move with slight delays, so the motion feels like it travels through the body. This is especially important for a swimming creature, because the movement should feel fluid and affected by the water.

My Maya file crashed and I had not saved my progress, which was a careless mistake on my part. Because of this, I lost the work I had already done and had to start the scene again from the beginning. This was frustrating, but it also reminded me how important it is to save my work regularly and create backup versions while working in Maya.

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques Theory (term 3)

Week 1 — Thesis Proposal Structure

In the first session of term 3, we were introduced to the structure and schedule for developing the thesis proposal. The session focused on understanding the main components that need to be included in the proposal and how these will later support the development of the final FMP thesis.

A key part of the session was understanding that the thesis proposal is not the final thesis, but a plan for the research we intend to conduct. The proposal needs to show what the research is about, why it is relevant, how it connects to the field, and how the study will be developed. The resource explains that a research proposal should demonstrate how and why the research is relevant, whether it fills a gap, supports existing research, or adds new knowledge to the academic field.

We also looked at the required structure for the thesis. The FMP thesis should include a research question or hypothesis, abstract, contents page, introduction, literature review, methodology, themed chapters, conclusion, reference list, bibliography and any relevant image, film, games, broadcast or internet source lists. This helped me understand the scale of the final written work and how each section has a different purpose.

The session also explained what should be included in the proposal itself. The proposal should contain a research title or question, keywords searched, draft introduction, draft literature review, research methods outline, general chapter outline, draft chapter, reference list and indicative bibliography. This gave me a clearer overview of what I need to prepare during this term.

For my own FMP thesis, I want to continue developing my research around how stylised 3D animation can represent the contrast between media narratives of war and the lived experience of civilians affected by conflict. This session helped me understand that I need to keep refining this into a precise research question and make sure that the proposal clearly explains the purpose, audience, methods and academic context of the study.

The resources also reminded us that when choosing a topic, we need to consider whether it motivates us to research, whether it has theoretical or practical value, and whether it can fulfil the assignment outcomes. We should also identify the audience and purpose of the report, break the thesis into main questions and sub-questions, and begin planning the investigation.

This is important for my project because my topic is quite broad and sensitive. I need to make sure it does not become too general or too emotional. Instead, I should focus on specific areas such as media framing, animated documentary, memory, trauma, visual storytelling and stylised 3D animation. These areas can help me build a stronger academic foundation for my practical FMP work.

Categories
Advanced and Experimental 3D Computer Animation Techniques Sessions with Serra (term 3)

Week 11 – Introduction to the Brief / Unit

In this session, we were introduced to the unit and the structure of the upcoming classes. We discussed the idea of designing for a user, and how a project should think about audience, context, and purpose, rather than only focusing on the final visual outcome.

We were also introduced to the two briefs for this unit. The first brief, Expanded Animation / Context and Practice, looks at animation as a system for constructing, simulating, and questioning worlds. It encourages experimentation, research, and testing different tools or workflows. The outcome could be a linear animation, an interactive environment, an installation, or another hybrid form.

The second brief, Fragments of the Real / The Artificial, focuses on photogrammetry as a creative and critical tool. It explores how scanned fragments, textures, sound, and digital environments can be used to create immersive and experimental story worlds. This brief also looks at how distortion, absence, and fragmentation can become part of the storytelling process, rather than being seen as mistakes or limitations.