In my latest research project, I explored a question that’s becoming increasingly relevant in 3D animation: does “more realistic” also make a story more emotional or not? In Between Realism and Stylisation: Visual Style and Emotional Storytelling in 3D Animation, I compare hyperrealism with stylisation and examine what that does to storytelling and emotional engagement.
My main takeaway: don’t automatically choose “more realistic.” Instead, make sure your design, materials, lighting, and movement all serve one emotional intention. That way, your story doesn’t just look better, it feels more powerful too.
This week’s session focused on the audio-visual presentation that forms part of our final assignment. We discussed how the presentation should clearly communicate our research topic within a short three-minute format, using visuals rather than large amounts of text. The emphasis was on presenting the main objective of the research, key sources, important findings, and conclusions in a clear and engaging way. We were encouraged to think creatively about structure, storytelling, and visual style, while keeping the content concise and well-organised. The presentation should act as a visual summary of the critical report and demonstrate both our research process and understanding of the topic.
we focused on academic writing skills and correct referencing. We learned how to support our own arguments by integrating sources through summarising, paraphrasing, synthesising, and quoting, rather than simply describing other people’s ideas. The session highlighted the importance of linking research back to our own argument and avoiding common pitfalls such as over-quoting or unclear paraphrasing.
We also discussed formal academic writing conventions, including clarity, conciseness, tone, and the use of active and passive voice. In addition, we learned how to express our opinions carefully using hedging, boosters, and appropriate reporting verbs. Overall, the session helped improve our understanding of how to write clearly, critically, and academically while properly referencing sources.
This class covered the fundamentals of writing a structured and effective literature review. We learned how to research academic sources, identify key themes and gaps, and organise ideas so the review flows logically. Rather than simply summarising sources, the emphasis was on comparing and connecting research to build a clear academic argument. Following Nigel’s advice, I will be using tools such as Google Scholar to find reliable academic sources and support my writing more effectively.
This week, we had one-on-one tutorials with Nigel to discuss our Research Proposals. We talked about my research focus on realism versus stylisation in 3D animation and how visual style affects storytelling and emotional connection. The session helped me clarify my research question and improve the direction of my project moving forward.
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.
