Research: DONE AHHHHH

How can I effectively represent the close relationship 

I have with my mother through an animated short film, 

using flashbacks as a plot device?

(Due 27/3/20)

Portrayal of a Mother’s love
Researching the methods I can use to show and create a close mother/daughter relationship, that my audience and I can relate to and make it believable.

Question Outline:

How can I effectively represent the close relationship 

I have with my mother through an animated short film, 

using flashbacks as a plot device?

Definitions:
Flashback:
A flashback is the term used for a scene in a film set earlier than in the main story, and example of this would be a character revisiting an old memory or having a “flashback’

Plot Device:
A Plot Device is a character, object or element in a story put in place to advance the plot

Reason:

I want to share the story of my two characters, Ezaru and Martha, through an animated short film,  I want to create a relationship in my story, that not only can I relate to, but my audience as well, this is something I have trouble finding in animations from new zealand and wish to create myself. I will use my own relationship to help make the characters' relationship more believable.

Methodology:

I use practice based research, blogging and observation as my project methodologies 

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Proposed approach

I will use my methodologies to gather relevant information and document them on my blog, to support my argument.

Statement of arguments & Organization

The Argument I will be beginning my article with is Methodology, to explain what methods I will be using to conduct my research throughout my other arguments. Following I shall bring up my argument of Mother/Daughter relationships as my question is centered around this feature and the other arguments, will mostly be in relation to said argument.Continuing I will be going to Family and Friend dynamics (and how they affect relationships) 

Moving on I will lead into techniques that support my main arguments starting off with Colour and Light and following up, 2D and 3D animation.
After the supporting technique arguments, I will advance onto the arguments centered around driving the story that my characters take part in starting with Flashbacks and finishing off with Narration.
At this I will state the conclusion of my arguments and question.

Body:

Blog: https://storyboard-of-a-nerd.blogspot.com/search/label/BVA703%3A%20Research

Proposal of 6 Arguments/Topics

1. Methodology 
2. Mother/Daughter Relationship
3. Family and Friend Dynamics (and how they affect relationships)
4. Colour and Light 
5. 2D and 3D
6. FlashBacks (Plot Device) 
7. Nariration (Plot Device)
   

How the Argument Supports the Question

Methodology:

Methodology is the method of research that I will be using to find information for this article, I will be using at least 3 methods of gathering information, Practice based research, Blogs, and Observation,

Mother/Daughter Relationship

Animation can provide a medium for the representation of the mother daughter relationship. Through animation and the characters I can show my audience the bond between a mother and daughter that reflects my own relationship with my mother.

Family and Friendship Dynamics (and how they affect relationships)

Other relationships, such as friendships, can have an impact on the type of interactions a mother and daughter can have with each other.

Friendship dynamics can affect relationships within a family.

Colour and Light

Colour and light can be used to emphasize the contrast between the hostile outside world and the sanctuary of the cave, her home and her mother's embrace 

Colour and Light Strategies

2D and 3D
Depicting the mother and daughter in 3D will help them feel more fleshed out to the audience and separate them from the flashbacks of the mother's story.

Having the flashbacks in 2D will allow them to be more abstract while the 3D, non-flashback will be more solid and realistic helping the audience connect with the characters.

FlashBacks (Plot Device)

Flashback’s are quite commonly used within stories to reveal something from the past and push the story forward. 

In some cases flashbacks are used to tell an entire story, as the focus of one, may be a character recounting an adventure to another character.

Nariration (Plot Device)

Narration will be a key method within my story, as the mother is telling a story not only to Ezaru, her daughter, but to the audience, I want nariration because not only is it meant to be understood as Martha describing her past but it is also the way stories were originally passed on.

Before stories were recorded down, they were passed on by word, which is still common today, through sharing experiences with each other.

Examples to support the argument/topic for the Question

And explanation of how the Example is Relevent

Methodology: 

Practice Based Research  

Baker, Camille C, and Kate Sicchio. Intersecting Art and Technology in Practice: Techne/Technique/Technology. Routledge, 2017.n, 2009.

I will be using practice based in the sense of my own experience with my mother in relation to the characters and my own experience in 2D and 3D animation while comparing the two mediums.

Practice based research is the method of learning through research and gathering data from experience.

Blogging

 is a method of recording research done overtime, a way of stockpiling information gathered over time that you can reference back to, to show your studies done in the past,

Observation:

Observation is a method relying on ones own experiences and what goes on around them, through experience data is gathered, it is a way of studying but not looking through articles but looking with your own eyes at what happens.

Mother/Daughter Relationship

My Own Relationship:

Frozen:

In Frozen 2, the Mother tells her daughters a bedtime story, this shows us the close relationship and love they had with their mother 

(in explanation say how it relates to your project)

This relates to my project, as it shows a similar love to the one I am aiming to emulate within my own story, the love between Mother and daughter, shown through a story and through flashbacks. Frozen 2 like my film aims to create family intimacy or connection through the animated medium.

Brave:

Brave shows the relationship between Merida and her Mother, showing conflict and challenges they face all the while it shows how these challenges they face bring them closer, and strengthen their bond.

Family and Friend Dynamics (and how they affect relationships)

How to Train Your Dragon:

Within HTTYD Hiccups friendship has a big impact on his relationship with his father.

Before their friendship he and his father did not have the best relationship, Hiccup to his father, was a disappointment,
During their friendship, it changes Hiccup, which by extension starts changing the relationship between him and his father. After the climax of the film, the friendship changes the parent/child relationship for the better.

2D and 3D

Winx Club Season 5

Winx club uses both 2D and 3D within this season, It is used with differentiate diffrent worlds.
The show is normally a 2D show, following the story of Bloom (main character), however in season 5 in search of a new power, they travel to a new type of world to find it.
The strange underwater world is animated in 3D giving it a different look from the main worlds the characters live in.

Mia and me:
While this show has no 2D animation, 3D is used for the magic Elf world, while Live action is used for real life. This helps emphasize that the two worlds are different and using animation for the magic world, provides more for creative freedom than live action would allow.

Colour and Light

Tangled:

The tower that Rapunzel grew up in is shown to be a warm and welcoming home in the beginning of the movie, This is in contrast to the ending where the tower emits the emotion of a tomb and a cold unwelcoming place.

 Kung Fu Panda 2 (Inner Peace) 

During the scene where Po finds his inner peace the contrast in lighting helps reflect the broken mood he is in. The Dark and blue atmosphere combined with rain in contrast to the ram by the warm fireside showing him the path forward, the path to mending and inner peace.

FlashBacks (Plot Device)

Inside Out:

Within Inside Out, the memories of Riley are constantly shown throughout the film, Glimpses of her past, and snippets of memories drive the story and provide us with information about the character, in particular who she was in the past.

Late Afternoon:

Late Afternoon is a short film that is driven by flashbacks, Flashbacks are used to tell the story of the main character, and guide us through memories of her life.

Kung Fu Panda
Within the inner peace scene, Po’s past is revealed through a 2D paper like animation, This provides a contrast with the films 3D animation, Using 2D makes it appear as a story being told to the audience, one that is being told, through Po’s Memories.

Narration (Plot Device)

How to train your dragon

Narration is used at the beginning and end of this film. At the start it is used to set a scene, so that the audience has a better grasp of what world they are in, however they balance it with the visuals well so that they are not only telling the story, they are showing us.
At the end it mimics the beginning dialing but with a different conclusion, showing us the changes of the world in effect of the story, and wrapping up the Film.

Tangled

Narration is used at the beginning of the film, introducing us to a story, it is portrayed as Eugine (A main character) as telling a story, making the whole film in a sense a story being told, this can also be taken as the film being a flashback on how the characters, met.
It makes the character feel like he is telling us the story he and Rapunzel went through.

Conclusion:

Re-stating Argument 

I have Proven that, 

• With the right techniques, such as lighting I can make my characters connect with Ezaru and her mother's relationship

Outline Key Points
Using my own relationship will help give it a more realistic feel as I will have something to use for reference.

Using lighting and film techniques I can guide the audience to feel drawn towards the mothers warmth 

As a result (implication of findings)

Basing the characters of of my own relationship, it will help keep the relationship more realistic, and help people connect

Other characters can have an impact of family relations through the emotional support or harm the friendship forms and effects family relations

Using a cold to show the outside world, and orange to show the mothers warmth will help show the mother is a kind person and caretaker for her daughter

Setting the characters in 3D and the flashbacks in 2D it will help show that the characters are telling a story from a more fleshed out world compared to the flashback stories.

Using flashbacks will help visualize the mothers story and engage my audience in the story being told to both her daughter and us.

Narration being present in the flashbacks will emphasize the fact that the mother is telling the story, a time that has passed and is being passed on through a tale.