practitioner to absorb and render emotional expression. Would this finding have value beyond the practitioner researcher to other animators at an exploratory stage in their practice?
This conclusion lead to an animation production study being conducted, discussed below.
6.4 Part 2: Animation Production Study
In journeying through each contributory research question via an animated iteration, followed by the results from the perception study, a new conclusion based on the findings in progress was made.
That of the three forms explored, the rotoscope approach had the greatest impact on both the practitioner and (to a lesser extent) viewers to absorb and render emotional expression. Would this finding have value beyond the practitioner researcher to other animators at an
exploratory stage in their practice?
Sloan describes how he wished to “engage a cohort of student animators with the concept of emotional expression choreography, task them with producing their own animations, and determine whether the subjective interpretations of the practitioner-researcher…could be reconciled with the interpretations of fellow animators” (2011, p.283). To achieve this, he devised a series of lectures to introduce the students to his work, and from these participating students, 7 produced animations. Data was collected via diaries and interviews.
I resolved to run a similar system with 1st year students in order to explore my findings.
However, as discussed in chapter 1, I had raised questions as to the trajectory of the 3D
animation course upon which I was teaching, since the course’s inception in 2009, as various 3D softwares have become more and more accessible, a gradual evolution has occurred on the course of removing 2D training and projects, with the result that in 2017 almost all 2D projects had been removed and first year students were now working exclusively in 3D. This had been driven in part by the demands of the industry into which our students desired to go, but in the light of my own journey within my research, it seemed an opportunity to see how
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predominantly 3D-aligned students would react and potentially benefit from a short but intensive injection of 2D practical work, based upon my own experience of specifically
rotoscoping one’s own facial expressions as a 3D aligned animator. Like myself, these students had never done any rotoscoping before, nor were they likely to be asked to do any again during their studies. What, if anything, would be the benefit of weaving such a project into an otherwise 3D focused course?
6.4.1 Structure and rational of the project
First year students were chosen to participate, as being students who had not previously been required to animate in 2D before. The project was designed to be intensive but otherwise short. Rather than spending many weeks on rotoscoping, the project was designed instead to span across one week only, with the emphasis on exploration, reflection and experience, rather than a fully functioning discreet animation.
The project was not intended as a means to turn 3D student animators into 2D student animators, but to encourage observation and understanding of OEB, understanding of which could be fed into the students’ next project – the 3D animation of a speaking character. Likewise the emphasis was not to act out a scene, but to try to capture real emotion, (or lack of it). The students were encouraged to record themselves talking as naturally as possible about a subject that would inspire strong emotion. That subject could be as deep as a bereavement or as trivial as a favorite computer game or anything in between. They were told to ask a friend to record them simply with a mobile phone, to try and capture the sort of dynamic one might have when chatting to a friend, rather than acting to an audience.
The project began on a Wednesday, with a short presentation showing examples of natural (non-acted) rotoscoped pieces, this included the researcher’s own work and a screening of Sabiston’s Roadhead (1998). The students were asked to prepare a recording of themselves in preparation of an intensive “Games Studio Day” on the Friday. Students were asked to record their own faces, in the hope that the intensive act of rotoscoping might prove more intimate and illuminating, with the possibility of the students being surprised at their own idiosyncrasies of movement, or discovering new qualities about themselves.
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The “Games Studio Day” was presented and designed to mimic the sort of working
environment the student might expect from an average games company close to deadline, based on the researcher’s own experience of working in games companies. (A copy of the brief given to the students can be found in appendix G.1.)
On the day itself, despite the difficulties of working on a new skill of rotoscopy, and the high levels of concentration and commitment required, the students seemed to enjoy their day, and expressed enthusiasm for the project, even though as 3D animation students it was out of their expected comfort zone. The weekend was given as optional extra time for students to polish or put any final touches on their work. By Monday, all the rotoscoped pieces had to be finished and uploaded onto the students’ individual blogs. The students were also asked to write a short self- reflective piece or feedback to be added to their blog where they could express their reactions to the project, and insights (if any) they might have gained.
The project ended on Monday afternoon with a roundtable discussion of the project where the students could discuss their experience, reflect on what they had observed about
themselves through their work, and share reflections with each other as well as with the researcher. The students were informed that this would be recorded on audio only, and transcribed, and that their work (images taken from their animations) and feedback might end up within the researcher’s thesis. It was made clear that students could withdraw their work and feedback from this at any time.
Around 20 students participated in the Games Studio Day, of which 13 posted their work onto their blogs. A further 2 participated on the day, and created work, as well as contributing to the roundtable discussion, but while these 2 students were content to be quoted from the discussion, they did not submit their rotoscoped pieces to their blogs for further evaluation.
Sloan describes how with his own student-run tests, the exploratory nature of the research could not generate “exact predictions” rather that it was hoped that a level of reflective practice would be engaged in the students, both during and after the project, to reveal “artistic
interpretations” and “detailed insights”, with the findings going some way towards building and substantiating the reflections of the practitioner-researcher (2011, p.284). Sloan’s approach and requirements meshed well with my own aims, to reveal insights and interpretations and to build connections between my own experience and that of novice animation practitioners, with
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the added aspect that I wished to test the validity of this project as a potential training and self- reflection aid to be used on further students as a part of their 3D animation training. To clarify, it was as important for the students themselves to self-reflect upon what they had done, and what they had observed about themselves, as well as the act of rotoscoping itself. By asking the students to participate in a roundtable discussion, as well as write down their thoughts, emphasis was placed on the self-reflection being more important than a completed, finished piece. This exercise was not meant to be a piece of portfolio work, or of any presumed professional standard, but an opportunity for the students to observe and reflect upon their own OEB.
Full blog feedback can be found in appendix G.2 and a transcript of the recorded verbal student feedback can be found in the appendix G.3. An edited version is submitted here with examples taken from the students’ reflective blogs and the roundtable feedback session.
Written Blog reflection Student B
“It was fascinating to discover how easily exposed my emotions were, and how as I was saying something, my facial expressions were saying something else. I’m not sure how obvious this can be from the animation I made. I could clearly notice it in the video, but I was not able reproduce it as it was in real life.”
Written Blog reflection Student C
“I do feel like I’ve learnt a lot from working on the project, slight facial movements can express a lot of emotions. I found that even if the image wasn’t a significant change within the frame there was a slight change either in the eyes or area around the lips and this helped me study the changes of emotion within the video. I do believe I have gained a lot of insight into emotions now relating to facial expressions and I think it will help me animate
expressions and subtle emotion for the future to come. I also found most of the subtle expression came from the lips and eyes as well as some exaggerated body movements. For me personally I did spot that I tend to use one side of my face to speak more so then the other.”