Week 15: Web Authoring Investigation Continued

This week I aimed to complete writing my investigation into web authoring. Last week I had finished the research stage and I started to write the first 3 terms within the investigation. The terms which I wrote about were HTML, XHTML and CSS. I completed writing about these terms and the aim for this week was to continue with writing the investigation by writing about the next five terms from the knowledge and research I had gained. The terms which I will write about include: Metatags, Javascript, DHTML, FTP and Framesets.

Throughout this week I believe I have been carrying out this task well. I have been focused on the five terms which I will be discussing and writing about within my investigation. Therefore by having five set terms to write about I have been focused on these and been able to write the investigation. I have used a similar technique to last week, setting myself time limits, although this is in terms of setting myself the amount of terms to write about.

From this week I wanted to complete writing up five of the web authoring terms listed above. I have completed this aim for this week and I have also gained more knowledge about web authoring. The reason for this is because by researching I have learnt about the terms but from writing my own investigation with the help of the research has increased my knowledge and understanding of the subject.

A strength which I had this week was that similar to last week I have been able to give myself time scales in order to continue to complete the aim for this week. In reflection of this week I believe I have completed the aim to the best of my ability and I will continue to complete and finish the final four web authoring terms in my investigation next week.

Week 14: Web Authoring Investigation Research Completed

Over the Christmas holidays I have been continuing with my investigation for web authoring. This week I have focused on completing my research into the different web authoring terms and also to start writing up my investigation.  From last week’s post I stated that I aimed to complete research into the remaining 7 terms, although I only completed 4 of these terms. Therefore this week I completed the research into these 3 remaining terms. I did not want to rush the research stage as it is important that I understand what I am researching in order to write the investigation. This week I have completed all of the research in self-study time.

I believe that I have completed this research into the web authoring terms in a sense that I understand what I have research and I am confident that I will be able to write an investigation relating to this subject. Through this week I have researched into the different terms and I have learnt a lot about web authoring which will help me within the rest of this project. I have also adapted my skills in terms of researching into a given subject. I believe that this week I have completed the task but also the process of researching into the terms has improved. I feel more confident in terms of researching a given subject easily to help with my written work. From this week I also aimed to start to write up my web authoring investigation. I aimed to write about three of the web terms using my research to help me.
Reflecting on my aims for this week, I have achieved the tasks which I set to complete. I have finished my research into the remaining web authoring terms and I have also started to write up the document. A strength which I had this week was the planning of how I would set to complete these tasks. For example, I planned the time in which I would spend on the rest of my research. By giving my self a time scale I was able to easily plan how much time I had to complete the other aim. Time planning was a strength this week as I did keep to my time deadlines in order to start writing the document.

Overall, this week I have complete my research and started to write the investigation. I believe I am still on track to meeting the deadline. I feel that I would be able to repeat the process of researching again as I have adapted an easy research method in order for me to carry out the research easily. I can now continue to complete my written investigation on web authoring.

Week 13: Web Authoring Investigation

I have been continuing with my web authoring investigation. I started this investigation last week and I had started my research. Through this mornings session I aimed to complete research into six out of the 13 terms which I need to include within my investigation. This will then allow me to start to write my investigation on the information I have found out from the secondary research. Whilst carrying out this research I have gained knowledge and understanding of the different terms related to web authoring. I found a good website which gave me information on the six terms I was researching into. The terms which I was focusing on within this session were:

• HTML
• XHTML
• CSS
• Metatags
• Javascript
• DHTML

I have completed the research into these terms and I have started to write up my investigation with a definition, how it works and how I will use it within my own work. I started this investigation last week and I was slightly unsure about these different terms and how they are used within web authoring. Although, through researching into just 6 of the the 13 terms it has allowed me to research thoroughly and understand how they work. In the next session I can then research into the next 7 and repeat this process.
By the end of the session I have achieved what I intended at the beginning of the session. I have researched into the six intended terms and I have started to write these up into my investigation. A strength which I have from this session is the organisation of what terms I need to research into by breaking them up into two groups. I can then understand what I need to research into and this allows me to research into these thoroughly ensuring I understand their uses. This reflects the fact that I have overcome a weakness which I had last week. This was that I was unsure about the uses of the web authoring terms. I did not understand how they worked as I did not manage what terms I would research into and I was unclear about how the terms linked to each other. Therefore I now understand the terms uses as I have managed what I will be researching into. A strength which I have therefore had within this session is researching correctly and taking notes to help write up my investigation.
I did complete the activity I intended to do within this session and I believe it went well. This is because I have gained knowledge from the research I have gathered in relation to web authoring. This will therefore help me in writing the investigation as I have a clear understanding of what am writing within my investigation. The research skill which I have used within this session is a transferable skill. I will use this within other work as it is a good method of researching into a given subject/ term to help with related work.

Within the second session today I intended to complete research into the other 7 terms in relation to my web authoring investigation. Last session I completed research into 6 of the terms for me to understand what I am writing within my investigation. Throughout this session I continued with my research, again I have gained more knowledge and understanding of the different web authoring terms. I have found reliable sources for my research such as books (ebrary) and websites. The terms which I aimed to research into in this session include:

• FTP
• Divisional Layers
• Framesets
• Behaviours
• Attributes
• Event Handlers
• Sub- Divisional Layers

By the end of this session I had researched into 4 out of the 7 remaining terms. I did aim to research and understand all of these 7 terms, but a reason why I may not have been able to do this was because I was writing up my investigation after researching into two of the terms. I would have liked to have completed all of my research for the above terms today. Although I believe I will be able to complete this in self study time. I have a clear understanding of the research I have undertaken today and this has helped me in understanding web authoring in general.

A strength which I believe I have had throughout this session is that I was focuses on researching into the given terms. I have taken notes about for my research as this allows me to understand the information clearer. A weakness which I have had is that in researching some of the terms I did not understand the Attributes very well. Therefore I will research this in more depth so I have a clearer understanding of what the attributes are.

Overall, today I have gained knowledge for my investigation. Although, I did not complete the task in full as I aimed to complete my research and notes into all of the 13 web authoring terms. I believe that I will be able to complete this research in my own time and start to write up my investigation from my research. I feel that I this activity went well today as I researched into 10 of the 13 terms and I most importantly I have a clear understanding and knowledge of these terms.

Week 12: 2D Animation Assignment Complete- Evaluation & Sample Viewing

I have now completed my 2D Animation assignment. I have submitted all of my pre-production, production and post-production documents to turnitin. Over the weekend and today I completed both my Evaluation and Sample Viewing. Through my evaluation I have reflected on the entire project. I believe I have been critical within my evaluation as to how I feel the project went and how I could improve my animation. Within my evaluation I also discussed my sample viewing and feedback I gained from the target audience of 14-16 year olds. The response which I got from the sample viewing was positive. I initially handed out 10 questionnaires but I only got 9 of these back. I stated this in my evaluation and said how I would ensure this didn't happen if I repeated the project. I asked 5 14-16 year olds and this was the majority of response and feedback. I asked the participants to express their opinions on my final animation and whether they believe it will appeal to the target audience and themselves. The response was positive in relation to the layout and how the information was presented in my animation. They also gave me improvements for the animation to appeal to the audience more. The main improvement was to add colour to the animation to make it eye catching. This is an element which I would include if I could improve my animation. I have stated the feedback from the sample viewing in my evaluation. I have also stated how I would respond to this feedback if I could repeat the project.
Overall, throughout this assignment I have learnt many new skills in terms of using Adobe Flash and I have gained knowledge in terms of Animation History. I believe I have created an animation which appeals to the target audience and I have been reflective within my evaluation as to how I think I performed within the creating my 2D animation. I have also shown how I can respond to feedback on my written and practical work. In terms of responding to feedback initially in terms of pre-production work, one of my improvements was to be more reflective in my blog. I believe I have taken this improvement on board and I have been more reflective and critical. I will continue to do this on my blogs for future projects.

Week 11: 2D Animation Completed

I have now completed my 2D animation. I am happy with the final outcome of my animation and I believe this fitted the brief which I was responding to. This was to create a 2D animation for the target audience of 14-16 year olds. I believe I have created an animation which will appeal to this target audience. From the pre-production stage of creating the idea and storyboarding my final animation idea the target audience have been considered. This is because I have been asked to create an educational 2D animation for this target audience. When I was creating the animation in Flash I had also made changes for the animation to appeal to the target audience. I have documented these changes on my blog and also in my evaluation which I have started. I also made other changes in general as I developed other ideas within the production stage of this project. These have also been stated on my blog and evaluation.
I have also started to write my evaluation, this document will allow me to reflect on the process of creating the animation. I will discuss: skills developed, knowledge gained, problems encountered, technical considerations and what I would do differently if I were to repeat this project. This evaluation allows me to reflect on the production of my 2D Animation and be critical of the production process.
I have started to carry out my sample viewing for my 2D animation. I will be asking 10 people to participate and complete a questionnaire to give me feedback on my animation. I can then explain in my evaluation what I would do differently if I were to repeat this project from the feedback I gain. I have created the questionnaire and I will ask people to view my animation and share their opinion.
I have also completed the improvements which I was given in relation to my pre-production documents. I have completed the improvements in relation to the investigation into animation history and my blog. I have listed these improvements in a previous post last month. I will be submitting my improved documents on Monday (5th December) along with my other production documentation.
My final 2D animation is shown below

I will continue to complete my evaluation and sample viewing for the deadline which is Monday (5th December).

Week 10: Continuing Creating 2D Animation

I have been continuing with the completion of my 2D animation. Through this lesson I have added the audio of a music soundtrack and narration. I did initially record the narration, although it did not fit in with what was being shown visually within the animation. Therefore I re-recorded the animation for it to play with the visuals of the animation. Another problem which I encountered was the speed of my introduction title; this needed to be faster than the frame rate which it initially was. To overcome this problem I originally planned on creating a new scene using action script. Although, this was not working correctly, therefore I decided to create the introduction title again using less keyframes. This therefore made the speed of the animation faster because I had created this title by adding keyframes.
I created this animation by creating the text, adding an initial keyframe, breaking the text apart. I then worked backwards and used the eraser tool to erase each letter and add various numbers of keyframes to create the animation. I then reversed the keyframes to make the title animation appear in order of ‘The History of 2D Animation’.

I have now synced by voice over into my animation. I did initially have problems with my voice over being not being synced with my visual animation. I have stated this in my previous post as it was an issue which I approached and I have dealt with. I also stated in my previous post of the changes which I have made to my animation. I have made some significant changes to my animation since I created my detailed storyboard. I will justify reasons for these changes within my evaluation as I have made various changes to make the animation the best it could be. I can start to plan my final evaluation for this project, starting with the skills and knowledge which I have gained throughout this assignment. I will also be updating my skills audit for the skills I have developed in the past month whilst creating my animation.  

Week 10: Progress of 2D Animation

I have been continuing with my 2D Animation in Flash. I am aiming to finish the animation by the end of this week, this then allows me to have 2 weeks to gain feedback and write my evaluation for this assignment. Through this week I have made some changes to my animation which will make it more appealing to the target audience. Some of these changes include:

• Animating Continuous Film Strips: I have decided to animate and create a continuous movement of the film strips at the side of the screen moving upwards. This gives the effect of a film playing throughout the animation. As I have now included this animation I have had to change the original timeline effect which I was using. I was using the timeline effect of Wipe transition to show the animation continuously moving from one part of information to another. I have taken out this transition as the continuous movement of the film strips gives the sense of the animation progressing.
• Animation of the Title: I have animated the initial title which appears within the first few seconds of my animation. I have animated this to give the effect that it is being hand written. I understand that I need to change the frame rate on this as it is quite slow, I am aware of this and will change it within my final animation. I animated the title by writing the text and breaking it apart and erasing part of each letter and adding a key frame whilst repeating this process. I understand that there is an easier and less time consuming way of creating this effect, which is by creating a shape tween.
• I have added the animated devices to my animation, this has been stated in my storyboard. I decided to include these to keep the audience interested within the animation. I have created the Thaumatrope and the Zoetrope which shows the audience how the devices work, whilst the narration is playing.

I have stated the changes I have made to my animation and justified the reasons for this. I can include these within my evaluation to show how my idea had developed within the production stage of this assignment. I therefore believe that the changes I have made will appeal to the audience and they will be interested in watching the animation because of the changes I have made.
I will continue to complete my animation and I will reflect in my blog the techniques which I have learnt through this project in terms of Adobe Flash. I can then gain feedback from the target audience and start my evaluation.

Week 9: Progress of Animation in Adobe Flash

I have continued creating my animation within Adobe Flash. Within this animation I am showing the history of animation, by showing three devices which helped develop 2D animation. These devices are, the Thaumatrope, The Zoetrope and The Kinetoscope. I have been away for the last two weeks, but I have still been able to continue creating my animation. I have made some changes to my animation which I will be discussing within the post. Below shows the process which I am currently at creating my animation.

• Adding the soundtrack to the animation: I have added the soundtrack to my animation, I decided to create a narrative soundtrack. The reason for this is because the theme of my animation is 'music chart show' inspired countdown for animation history. Therefore I am using a narrator who will narrate the countdown as it would be heard on a radio show countdown.
• Starting to create the animation as a final animation: I have continued creating my animation by using my detailed storyboard as a tight guideline. As this has all of the narration, effects, duration and timeline effects which I will be using within my animation. Therefore this storyboard has helped me in understanding clearly what I have planned to create and I can bring the idea from the storyboard to life in Adobe Flash.

Changes made to my animation
I have made some changes to my animation from my initial idea. I have come over some issues, one being that the effect which I wanted to create, being a number countdown cannot be created in Adobe Flash. Therefore I changed this within my animation and I have now made the animation strip move along continuously as though it is playing a film.
Another change which I have made to my animation to make it clearly appeal to the target audience. This change is to add more colour to my animation to appeal to the target audience. This colour will be added towards the end of the animation, as this shows the time passing within the history of animation and colour becoming noticeable throughout time.
I have also decided to animate some sketches which I will create within Adobe Flash. These drawings will be of the animation devices which I am discussing within the animation. I decided to add these animated images into my animation because I did not believe my initial animation with still images would appeal and catch the audiences attention. The video below shows my animation of the Thaumatrope animation which I have added to my 2D Animation.This shows how the Thaumatrope works as the two images merge when the device strings are twisted, created one continuous movement.

I will continue to create the rest of my animation in Adobe Flash by completing the last 2 device history within my animation.

Wek 9: Detailed Pre-Production Work Completed

I have completed all of my detailed pre-production work, this included the planning for my final 2D Animation. This included documents such as the detailed storyboard and additional elements added to my justification of my final idea. In my previous post I mentioned the changes which I have added to my storyboard for my planning documents to meet the criteria. This information has been added to my storyboard. I have also added some other components to my planning which need to be included to meet the criteria, these include:

• Appeal to the audience- audience needs (14-16 year olds): throughout my detailed storyboard and additional information to my justification I have related all of my decisions for my final idea to my target audience. I have justified why all the decisions which I have made will appeal to the target audience. This is shown within my planning documents, by stating this within my documents I am showing that I have considered my target audience clearly.
• Format of animation: I have also discussed the format which my animation is taking. I have decided to incorporate the film strip format as the format for my animation. This format has been shown within my planning, in my sketches and storyboard. The film strip relates to the subject which I am discussing, the history of animation. Within the animation the film strip will be moving with the appropriate information on the history of animation within the each section of strip as the film strip is moved along within the animation.
• Generation of ideas: I have also documented my generation of ideas. This included the process in which my I have made the decisions. This included aspects such as layout and audio. Through documenting my decisions made through my planning documentation such as my justification and detailed storyboard I have clearly shown my process of creating the idea for my animation.

Through completing my planning documentation I can continue with creating my animation in Adobe Flash. I have started to create my animation in Flash as I had an initial deatiled storyboard, therefore I could start to create my animation. I believe that now I have completed the detailed storyboard I have a completely clear idea of how my animation will be created and how it will look.

Week 7: Animation Progress in Adobe Flash

I have started to create my 2D animation within Adobe Flash. From creating my detailed storyboard I have been able to start to create my final animation based on this. I firstly recorded my narration which will be played over my animation. By recording this first I will be able to create the visual animation in time with the narration which I have recorded.
I have started creating my first few frames within Flash. As I create some of the main frames in Photoshop to create the effects I wanted on the main frame border. I have started to create the introduction image with the typography and movement explained within my previous post. Another change I have made to my animation is that I am using motion tweening to animate images of the various devices. I created an animation of the Thaumatrope, which I will add into the information screen. I will add animated images of the other devices to the animation with the relevant history.
I am away for two weeks from 7th November, but I scheduled this into my production schedule. I will continue to create my animation in Adobe Flash as I will have access to this programme. Therefore I believe I will be able to complete the production stage of the animation and be on schedule according to my production schedule.

Week 7: Responding to Feedback: Detailed Storyboard for Animation

I have gained feedback in relation to my skills audit and detailed storyboard. I will respond to this feedback and add these elements to my storyboard. I will also write a a justification of how and why I am using these elements within my animation. The different elements which I will be adding to my detailed storyboard include:

• Typography: the typography used within my animation will reflect the time period of the history of animation (1800's). I have researched into existing and similar typography to the one I will use within my animation. The typeface which I am using will be easy to read, the reason for this is because some old fashioned typefaces can be hard to read.
• The Soundtrack/ Narration: this determines the pace of the animation. As I will create the narration before I create the animation, as I can create the animation to the pace of the narration. The narration effects the pace and the contents within the animation. The narration which I am including within my animation is the radio broadcast style. I will create the narration from a script and then add the animation to the narration pace in Adobe Flash.
• Engaging the target audience: the audience of 14-16 year olds needs to be engaged by the content within the animation. This relates to the content such as colours, characters, pace and soundtrack/ narration. I will consider these elements for my animation and add them into my storyboard.
• Colours: the target audience are interested in bright and bold colours. These are colours which will catch their attention and engage them within the animation. These are colours such as blue, yellow and orange. My original animation idea did not include bright colours as such, as I was keeping to the vintage, old fashioned colour scheme. These colours were black, white and brown. I now understand that the brighter colours appeal to the target audience, therefore I will add coloured elements into my final animation. I can bring a modern animation feel to my animation with the bright colours, but still keep to the vintage animation style.
• Pace: the pace of my animation is very important. It determines how the audience will respond to my animation. The average frames per second for an animation to appeal to the target audience of 14-16 year olds is 8-10 fps. My current fps in my animation is 12fps, therefore I will alter this to 10-12 fps. The faster the pace of the animation, the more interested the target audience will be within my animation. It needs to be to a pace which the audience will be focused in watching to understand the history of animation. This is another aspect which I will change to make it appeal to the target audience. I will also use real time within my animation. This will be used within my opening sequence as this allows the audience to understand what the animation they are viewing is about. The pace will then increase from this point, into a pace which will keep the target audience interested.
• The concept of my animation is the main aspect which I believe appeals to the target audience of 14-16 year olds. The concept I have created is taking the music chart shown countdown as music is one of the main interests of the target audience. The audience will therefore be familiar with the concept and format of my animation.
• Effects: I will be using frame by frame motion to create the 'jumpy' screen effect used throughout the animation. This will create the vintage, old cinema screen effect. I will also be using motion tweening to animate the drawings of the devices which I have created in Flash. I have included these within my previous storyboard and will add them to my detailed storyboard.
• Transitions: I have added the slide transition effect to the animation. This transition will be from the countdown screen (shown below) to the screen containing the animation history. This effect is continued throughout the animation

I will add these different elements into my detailed storyboard, as these are the elements which I have decided on for my animation.
I have created the pages in different content within Photoshop. By creating these in Photoshop I have been able to take an existing image and edit it and add the vintage effect. This added the colour effect and 'scratch' effect which is continued throughout the animation.
Below shows an image from my animation, which I have started to create in Adobe Flash. This shows the layout of the main information, this shows the Thaumatrope. I have added frame by frame animation to create the jumpy, old cinema film effect. I have also re-drawn the Thaumatrope image in Flash and animated this image.

Thaumatrope Information in Animation

The image below shows my countdown image within the animation. The jumpy screen effect is continued and the slide transition is used.

Countdown Screen in my Animation

I will make adjustments to these images from my animation. This relates to the aspects which I explained above, such as the pace and colour. This will then appeal to the target audience clearly. I will add these to my storyboard and write the justification document explaining my decisions

Week 6: Creating Images in Photoshop for Animation

I have started to create my images in Photoshop for my 2D animation. I have started to create and visualise my animation in Photoshop and add the effects. These effects include creating the vintage, distressed look to the images. Photoshop has allowed me to be more creative in creating the animation. I have recreated the 'countdown' screen which is included within my animation. By creating these images in Photoshop I can then import them into Adobe Flash and create my animation. I imported one of these files in Flash to test and the Photoshop file imported the layers into the library. This therefore allows me to edit the layers within the Photoshop file in Flash. Throughout half term I have also tested some of the effects I will be using within my animation in Flash. This allowed me to understand the effects I want to include so I can begin to create my final animation in Adobe Flash.

Reflection of work completed throughout half term
Throughout half term I believe I have completed what I planned. I planned to create my animation images with effects in Photoshop and I have done this. By completing this I will now be able to start to create my animation in Flash. This is because I have learnt the techniques I will be applying within my animation. These skills are shown through my skills audit which I have also been continuing with. I have also completed my research and analysing existing animations. This is along with my detailed storyboard, I have now completed the written work and I will be able start creating my animation.

Week 6: Sketches for Final Animation and Research into Final Product

I have changed my final idea slightly, I have looked into the techniques which I was going to use, one of these was the film countdown effect. Although, from the skills I have learnt I found that this cannot be achieved easily within Adobe Flash. Therefore I created a new idea of a film strip moving along as though it is playing the film. I have kept with the old fashioned ‘jumpy’ screen effect but incorporated the film strip. My final idea reflects the theme of the music chart countdown which is an interest of the audience. With the old fashioned radio broadcast narration it will create the effect of the music countdown, but showing the history of animation.

Research into Final Product

I have completed my research into the existing 2D animations. I have analysed three existing animations which use different techniques to appeal to the target audience. The aspects which I analysed include: characters, colours, typography, narrative, techniques (e.g. cel animation) and pace of the animation. One of the animations I analysed was the 'Child Road Safety- King of the Road'. This animation is aimed at children aged 5-11 years, because of the message within the animation and the characters included. This included the characters of hedgehogs talking about the importance of road safety. Some techniques used within this animation include: catchy song, characters, bold text and a clear narrative.

Child Road Safety Advert

By analysing these animations I understand what elements are used within 2D animations which make it appeal to the audience. Within this document I have also explained what techniques I will be using within my animation. I have explained how the existing animations relate to my animation in terms of techniques, colours and effects used. I did find a problem that I could not find an animation which was similar to my final idea, but I have highlighted all of the techniques from these different animations which I will be applying within my own animation.

In terms of the final product I have also researched the different aspects surrounding the production. These include: Target audience profile, resources and budget, legal and ethical (content included) and techniques used within 2D animation. These are the aspects I would need to consider if I was making this animation professionally. Therefore I needed to carry out this research to show I have consider these points.  

Sketches and Storyboard completed

I have completed nearly completed my detailed storyboard presenting my final idea. I have included the movement, technique applied and sound. The one aspect which I need to add to my storyboard is the duration (frames per second) for each shot on the storyboard. I have researched into frame rates and fps, but I need to apply this knowledge to my storyboard in order to start creating my animation. I have also created some sketches of the layout of the different screens within my animation. The reason why I created these sketches is to show visually how I want to animation to look. This included the layout of the countdown screen and the layout of the screens with the animation device history. These sketches support my detailed storyboard and help me to visualise my final animation.

Countdown Image

Throughout today's lessons I have completed the tasks which I intended to complete. These are the research and storyboard. Although, I did document that I would begin to create my animation in Adobe Flash, but I did not start this today. Therefore I will begin this in my own time throughout the half term for me to be on schedule. I also need to create the background image and other images within the animation within Photoshop, as I need to add different effects to these images.

Week 5: Feedback and Detailed Pre-production Started

I have started my detailed pre-production documentation. I have created a Production Schedule with the tasks which I am undertaking in this assignment with completion dates. I have noted the different tasks which I need to complete including: detailed storyboard, analysing 3 existing 2D Animations, creating 2D animation and responding to audience feedback. Within the production schedule I have also stated that I am on holiday from the 7^th November- 18^th November. I have put this into the production schedule so I am aware of the time which I have to complete the production stage. This did concern be a bit as I am away when I am in the production process (creating the animation). I have scheduled the production stage to begin next week (20^th October); therefore I will complete the detailed pre-production and research into the final product by this time. I believe I will be able to meet the deadline of 5^th December by following production schedule closely. Although, as slight concern of mine is that I am away for 2 weeks and this could affect the production process.  



Production Schedule




 I have also had feedback on my 2D Animation History report. Some of the improvements included: referencing within text, formatting of the report & be more critical of myself and resources. I will respond to this feedback by the deadline of 5^th December. This will improve my grade for the report; the improvements which I had to make were elements which I was unsure about. The referencing within the text was one of these elements. I was unsure of how to reference within the text; therefore I have now been reassured of how to do this correctly.

I have also started my research into final product and 2D animation. I am analysing 3 different 2D animations which have been created to inform 14-16 year olds. I will look at the techniques used to appeal to the audience; this will help me to understand techniques I could use. These techniques include: pace, colour, images, characters, sound, narration and typography. I have found it quite difficult to find an animation which is similar to my final idea. This is because I am intending to create a vintage, old fashioned style animation documenting the history of animation. Therefore I have found existing animations which would appeal to my target audience of 14-16 year olds. I have also found the different elements which would be included within my animation, including the vintage inspired animation element within other videos on YouTube. I will continue with this research to analyse the techniques used within these animations for the target audience.

Week 4: Adobe Flash Tutorial

Techniques and Skills Gained- Adobe Flash

Throughout today’s Adobe Flash workshop I have gained a lot of new skills some of these include:

Motion Guide- pen tool to create paths for ball to follow. Last week I was introduced to the motion guide tool, today I put this into action. I used inserted the motion guide tool which created a layer, I then used the pen tool to create the paths. This is a tool which I found slightly difficult to use, I did manage to create the paths, but this is a tool which I need to concentrate on improving my skills to use this tool in the future. I did create the path and added the circle to this; I had a bit of trouble in attaching the centre point of the ball. With some help I managed to attach the ball to the path and create the animation.

I added the easing effect to this motion; I selected this within the bottom properties. Selecting -100 and adding a keyframe to this point in the timeline, when the animation played the easing was clearly shown at the selected point. I found this an easy technique to use and I was able to apply this to my animation.

Organising Folders: organising folders is key within Adobe Flash when creating animations. I will be creating different animations which cannot be added on the same layer. So by organising the different layers of animation into folders will help me in creating the different parts of the animation. This is an aspect which I will definitely be using when creating my own animation as it will make the creating of the animation easier.

I also imported some images into Adobe Flash; I imported images from my saved pictures on my desktop. I imported these images into the library panel within my Flash setup. I added timeline effects to this image and selected Transform. This allowed me to add different effects, these included: number of frames, blur, final colour and rotate. When the effects were added it created a folder within the library panel, which I then dropped onto the scene where the animation is created. This was shown as a layer in the timeline; I then also added another image (on a separate layer) and merged these together within the timeline. I believe I used this tool well and I will be able to use this creatively when creating my own animation.

Adding Text and Masking
Throughout the second half of this workshop I learnt how to add text and mask within Flash. The text tool is similar to Photoshop to create the text. I selected the text tool and selected the size, style and colour of my font. I was then introduced to masking; this would create text appearing across the screen. To create the masking effect I added the oval tool by inserting a new symbol and dropped this onto the stage along with the text (two separate layers on timeline) I then selected keyframe 35 and positioned both the text and oval in first and last position by using the keyframes. The text and shape will be opposite each other in their first and last positions. The shape symbol would not be seen as it is an ‘invisible’ layer, therefore the text would only be seen when I motion tweened the sequence. I right clicked on the mask layer and selected mask, this would hide the shape and the text would be seen in motion across the screen. Through creating the masking I have learnt a new skill which will help me in my own animation, although I believe this is a tool which will take me a bit of time to get used to. I did create the masking; I believe that after repeating this process a couple more times I will feel more confident in the process of creating the masking.

Importing Video and Sound
I also imported video and sound into Flash; I created a new document and created 2 layers: Audio and Video. From the archives on the college system I added in the video (.mov) file by ‘Import- Import Video’. I then selected the video and I went through a process of settings for the video, once this was completed the video was added to the library panel. This was then added to the scene (stage) and I then selected the end keyframe, the number of keyframe determines the speed of the video. I imported sound into the document; I selected ‘Import- Import to library’. I selected the file (wav file) and this was imported into the library panel.  I selected keyframe 40 on the audio layer timeline and dragged the sound clip onto the scene. As the sound is not visible the sound line would be shown within the layer timeline to represent the sound file. I could also change the properties of the sound, by fading in and out. By being taught how to import sound and video I feel confident with this. I believe I will be able to use this tool, especially sound as this is an aspect I need to include within my animation.

Overall, through the workshop today I have learnt a lot of new skills which will help me within creating my animation. I have learnt how to: created motion guide, easing, importing images, organising folders, masking, text and importing video & audio. I feel confident in terms of many of these different tools, but I believe one of the main tools which I need to concentrate on is the pen tool. I found this tool a little difficult to use, but I will concentrate of creating a smooth path using the pen tool to ensure I can use this tool correctly. I will be updating my Skills Audi document with the new skills I have learnt throughout the workshop.

Week 3: Adobe Flash Tutorial

I have continued with the flash tutorials within lesson. I have created a rolling ball within today's lesson. I have kept screenshots from the tutorial which I will add to my skills audit which is also on this blog. I learnt how to create a simple ball animation. This is the process which I went through to create the ball animation.
- I firstly started by creating the ball (Insert- New Symbol) with the shape tool. I then dragged this into the 'scene' where the animation is created.
-I positioned the ball within the first position within the animation, once the ball is positioned I selected keyframe 25 along the timeline.
- I then positioned the ball at the end position, which is where the animation will end.
-For the ball to be animated both selected keyframes 1 and 25 need to be selected and highlighted. A black strip appeared to show they are highlighted in the timeline.
- The properties panel at the bottom of the screen has options for the ball to be animated. I selected- Tween: Motion, Rotate: Clock wise 3 times.
-Once I had set these settings I pressed the Enter button and the animation would play.
I am currently updating my Skills Audit document which will display my skills learnt within Adobe Flash from this tutorial.
Through this first Flash tutorial I have gained the skill of motion tweening. I feel confident within using this skill in Adobe Flash. But I believe I will need to experiment with this technique a couple more times before I apply it to my own animation. As this is a skill which I will be using within my animation as it seems simple but effective. Therefore I can use this technique in many different ways within the animation.

Week 3: Initial Ideas for Animation & Animation Worksheet Completed

I have completed the 2D Animation worksheet. I have a written report into the history of animation, a PowerPoint presentation presenting a creative timeline and I have also planned my initial and final idea for my own 2D Animation. I had 3 initial ideas for my animation and I have created 3 mind maps representing these ideas.
Initial Idea 1: The idea for this animation is developing my PowerPoint timeline presentation. I would develop this by animating the different aspects within the slides. The way in which this would appeal to the target audience of 14-16 year olds is by the bold and bright colours used. This will therefore be eye catching to view. Shown below is my intial idea 1 mind map.

Initial Idea 2- Final Idea: The theme within this idea is a old fashioned 'music chart inspired countdown', using this format to present the history of animation. The reason why this will appeal to the target audience is because of theme used, as music is a main interest for the audience. Therefore by incorporating the time period of the animation history as an effect with the music theme will show the history in an interesting way. The voice over used will use a similar script to those used on radio and TV chart shows. This will be a familiar concept to the audience and will interest them. Shown below is my initial idea 2 mind map.

Initial Idea 3: My last initial idea consists of a flip book inspired timeline. The content will be shown within a flip book template and the pages will be seen turning alternately. The colours within this idea are similar to those in my 1st idea, with bright bold colours which appeal to the audience. The reason why this concept will appeal to the target audience is because it is a fun and creative way of presenting and reading information. The image below shows my mind map for this idea.

I have also created 3 storyboards, one for each idea. Within these I have included the layout of the animation (slide by slide), along with an explanation of the movement and sound used. Through creating these storyboards I have visually presented my ideas and how I would layout the history of animation. I have also written a justification of my final idea for my 60 second animation. I have justified the different aspects of why my final idea (initial idea 2), will appeal to the target audience with the different aspects included.
Overall, through completing this worksheet I have gained knowledge in the area of animation history. Through using different resources such as books and the Internet to help me write a report on the history. I have learnt a lot about the devices and development in terms of animation through completing this worksheet.

2D Animation: Tasks 1 & 2 Completed

I have now completed task 1 and 2 on the 2D Animation worksheet. I have created an investigation report into the history of 2D Animation. This has documented the development of history in terms of animation, including the different devices used from the start of the animation history. From researching into the history of animation I have gained a lot of knowledge. In terms of how animation began, the different devices and how the history of film is linked to the different devices used for animation.
I have visually represented my investigation report within a PowerPoint presentation. I have creatively designed the presentation, by adding a film strip along the side with the date in history, this then moves down as the PowerPoint goes along.

Page from my PowerPoint Timeline

Page from my PowerPoint Timeline

The images above show 2 pages from my timeline in PowerPoint. I have decided place the titles and images within the film strip down the side. The writing to the right of the film strip matches to the image and title. 

I have started to brainstorm my initial ideas for my 60 second animation. This will represent the history of animation. I have created an initial idea mind map and a mind map for my 1st Idea. This includes: The Layout, Colours, Characters and Content. I will continue to create the mind maps and storyboard these. I will then choose a final idea and write a justification about why I have chosen this idea. I have researched and brainstormed the interests of the target audience of 14-16 year olds. This is important as the animation I am creating needs to appeal to the target audience, therefore the different aspects within the animation need to relate to the audience.

Week 2: 2D Animation Investigation and Flash Skills Audit Introduction

I have now completed all of my research into the history of animation. Including the key developments and inventors within animation.  From researching I have used different resources such as the Internet and books. I find that the research gained from the film and animation books is more reliable than the information from the Internet. Therefore this is the most reliable resource which I could use for my future work. The reason why I found books a more reliable resource is because the books and internet presented different information. This was in the form of dates in relation to devices in animation history. The internet stated one date and the book stated a different date. Therefore I decided to use the date and information from the book. I will reference correctly the resources I have used within this investigation exercise.
From this research I have written up my investigation report documenting the history of animation. This documents the main developments within the history of animation from the beginning. I have highlighted the main devices used within the history, the inventors, developers and techniques used. From researching into the animation history I have learnt a lot about how animation begun and the theory behind 'The Persistence of Vision', which started the creation and development of Animation.
I have nearly completed the written investigation showing the history of animation. I need to research into two more techniques used which include: Rotoscoping and Games animation. Once I have completed this document I can start my visual timeline which I have decided to create in PowerPoint. I will create a PowerPoint document showing my information on the History of Animation as a timeline.
I have also started to think about my initial ideas for my own 60 second animation created in Flash. This needs to show the history of animation and appeal to the target audience of 14-16 year olds. I will start mind mapping initial ideas for this and create 3 initial ideas for this animation.
Introduction to Flash and Skills Audit
I was also introduced to Adobe Flash Professional. This was introduction for me to see where tools and panels are located within Flash. This has helped me as I am now aware of the different tools which I will be using to create my 2D Animation. I was also shown how to create a basic animation, this allowed me to see how the frames work with the timeline. In order for me to document my knowledge and skills I have learnt I have been asked to create a Skills Audit. This is a table which shows the knowledge/skills gained, the date and how this will help me within future Flash work. I have started to create this skills audit with the skills learnt from the initial introduction to Adobe Flash.

Week 1: 2D Animation Worksheet

I started the 2D Animation Investigation worksheet yesterday. I have been continuing with this today and I have completed the research stage of taking notes and finding secondary research about the history of Animation for task 1. I have used different resources such as the Internet, books from the library and online books to take notes from. As I was unable to take books out of the library, I found an online version of Encyclopaedia Britannica via a link from Chichester Library website. This helped me a lot, as I was able to type in ‘Animation History’ and the chapter from the book itself was found easily. This helped me in understanding the earlier history of animation. The type of facts that I found about animation include:

·         Original and Developed Devices, such as: Edison's Kinetoscope: This was a wooden booth with a key hole, which was looked through to see light reflecting images onto a screen rotated by a motor inside. I have found dates, the inventor and purpose of these devices in relation to the creation of 2D Animation.

Edison's Kinetoscope

·         Techniques Used: Traditional Animation: Flick Book and Rotoscoping.  Which were original techniques used at the start of creation of animation.

           Original Drawings for a Flick Book

·         Inventors: History about the inventors of these devices which helped with the creation of animation. These include, Walt Disney and Lumiere Brothers. 

I gained a lot of knowledge from researching into the history of animation. I have learnt about the original devices, who invented them and how these developed over time.
I have completed the notes and research for these points, although I would like to gain more information from resources such as more books. This is because I believe the secondary information in books is more reliable than information from the Internet.

Therefore I will start to write up my Investigative Report on the history of animation with the information I have gathered so far. Although, I have also written the names of useful books from the library and I can take more notes from these books and more importantly check that the information found from the Internet is correct and relevant. When I have completed the investigative report I can then start to create my visual timeline of the history of 2D Animation.

Week 1: 2D Animation Investigation

I have started my 2D Animation Investigation exercise. This worksheet includes the Research Stage with secondary information, presenting my research and the planning stage. This worksheet will lead to creating a 60 second animation aimed at 14-16 year olds. This animation will show my knowledge in terms of Animation history.
Research carried out: I have carried out research into the history of Animation. I have been asked to create a visual timeline showing the history from my initial research. In terms of creating a visual timeline, I will create this in either, PowerPoint or Photoshop.
I am also carrying out research into the Audience of 14-16 year olds. Researching into their profile, including: hobbies, interests, TV and Films they also like. This will help me in understanding my target audience and the audience I am creating my animation for. For the final task I am starting to plan my ideas for my 60 second animation. This will include 3 initial ideas and my planning documents including: mindmaps, storyboards and justification of final idea.