Dissertation Research Proposal draft #2

50194030_Dissertation_Research_Proposal_V7

Above is a developed draft of my research proposal where I have found some secondary research such as; Journals/ Articles, Books and Websites to help create some literature reviews which help to back up the points and sub headings I have made in the structure section. Furthermore in this document I have redesigned the layout of this document to help provide a clear structure to how I am proposing my research topic.

I am going to send this document to my tutor to read through and comment on this document, providing me with some feedback on how to apply some improvements on my research proposal.

Dissertation Research Proposal Draft #1

50194030_Dissertation_Research_Proposal_V3

Above is my first draft for the research proposal, where I have used the notes from the previous post to help construct this first draft. Here I have included; Research topic, Research questions, Abstract, Methodology and Structure for the dissertation. This document is a rough draft that is a basic plan for what I am going to include in this document. Therefore I am going to get some feedback from my tutor to help develop my research proposal.

Research Proposal Internet sources list

Below are a list of sources I have found on google to help support my research topic and questions in my research proposal. Therefore these links will be referenced inside my proposal in citations and the bibliography to provide evidence of my research findings. Furthermore some of these research links may be used as literature reviews to support my points I make in my dissertation proposal.

HE Sherlock

• No results for “2D vs 3D animation”
• Results for “2D animation” and “3D Animation”

 

Google links

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/mar/07/disney-hand-drawn-animation

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21947086

http://forums.cgsociety.org/t/why-3d-over-2d/899937

https://www.bloopanimation.com/why-were-seeing-less-2d-animated-movies-and-why-they-wont-make-a-comeback/

http://www.animationmagazine.net/features/2d-animation-dead-dying-or-just-napping/

 

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-in-the-making-of-2D-and-3D-animation

https://www.gamedesigning.org/animation/2d-and-3d-animation/

https://www.bloopanimation.com/what-is-3d-animation/

https://www.animationcoursesahmedabad.com/what-is-the-difference-between-3d-and-2d-animation/

https://io9.gizmodo.com/10-amazing-milestones-of-early-computer-animation-471789172

https://www.animatorisland.com/why-2d-animation-should-be-abandoned-part-1/?v=79cba1185463

http://showmetheanimation.com/features/debate-traditional-vs-cgi-animation/

https://animatedstoryboards.com/2d-vs-3d-animation-what-to-pick-for-your-project/

https://medium.com/@vandhana.appiness/2d-vs-3d-animation-pros-and-cons-51daba16a4ec

https://kreatetechnologies.com/2d-vs-3d-animation%e2%80%8a-%e2%80%8apros-cons/

 

http://www.slurpystudios.com/2d-animation-vs-3d-animation/

http://www.filmsite.org/animatedfilms.html

https://www.thewaltdisneycompany.com/wreck-it-ralph-inspires-technological-innovations-at-walt-disney-animation-studios/

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/28/pixar.up.technology/index.html

https://www.tested.com/art/movies/442545-2d-animation-digital-era-interview-japanese-director-makoto-shinkai/

http://www.softschools.com/timelines/history_of_animation_timeline/251/

https://www.intofilm.org/films/filmlist/88

https://www.awn.com/animationworld/death-2d-rush-judgment

https://www.indiewire.com/2016/04/the-20-best-disney-animated-features-292637/

Research Proposal Schedule draft

Dissertation_Research_Proposal_Schedule_V1

Above is a word document containing a rough draft for the schedule for the “Time of Completion” section inside my research proposal. Using my animation module guide I have constructed a week by week schedule for my dissertation project, where I will intend to write at least a chapter per week, allowing me to get the dissertation done before the deadline, so I have time to make improvements. Furthermore this schedule will probably be edited over the course of the project, but I thought having a rough draft would be good to work from later in the project and then make changes when necessary.

Research Proposal Draft notes

Is 2D animation still viable in the growing Film industry?- better question as more specific

Research Questions:

• What are the unique attractions in 3D and 2D animation?- E.g. Quality, realism, design, style
• What are the major differences in the production of 2D and 3D Animation? Techniques, software, timing consumption, cost
• What are 3D and 2D animation market trends and justification?- early animation was 2D more popular, nowadays is it 3D that is more popular- but WHY!
• What has 2D and 3D animation contributed to the film industry?
• What is the future of animation regarding 2D and 3D content in Film and TV?

 

Topic discussion ideas

• “the uncanny valley”- how some 3D animations may look too realistic (polar express)
• Mixing media- g.- “Paperman”
• Production pipelines
• 2D and 3D processes/ techniques
• History of animation
• Disney and Pixar
• Japanese animation- Anime
• CGI/ VFX
• Money/ cost- Box office figures
• Reboots- 2D into 3D

 

Keywords

• 2D
• 3D
• CGI
• Animation
• Film
• Television

Headings- topics to talk about

• History of animation- Snow white and the seven dwarfs (1937) to Wreck it Ralph 2 (2018)
• Disney and Pixar
• 2D animation- what is it?
• 3D animation- what is it?
• Integrating 2D animation into 3D- Moana and Paperman
• 2D animation more in TV nowadays
• 3D animation- CGI- “Uncanny Valley”
• Differences and justifications- 2D vs 3D
• 2D vs 3D- Market trends, Box office figures, cost effective, Production pipelines
• 2D vs 3D- Unique attractions/ Major differences
• 2D Japanese Animation- Anime

Structure

Chapter 1- Introduction

1. What is animation?
2. 2D animation- What is it?
3. Examples of 2D
4. 3D animation- What is it?
5. Examples of 3D

 

Chapter 2- Understanding Animation

1. A Brief History of Animation (1937- 2018)-
2. Animation timeline
3. Disney and Pixar contribution- Toy Story
4. Japanese Animation industry- Studio Ghibli

Chapter 3- What makes 2D and 3D animation Popular?

1. The Unique Attractions in 2D and 3D animation:
2. Quality of Animation
3. Traditional animation
4. 3D/ CGI Animation
5. Realism – “The Uncanny Valley”
6. What do the general audience prefer and why?
7. What do industry professionals prefer and why?

 

Chapter 4- The Production Pipeline

1. 2D Animation Production pipeline
2. 3D Animation Production pipeline
3. Integrating 2D and 3D animation
4. Comparing Production costs

 

Chapter 5-The 2D and 3D animation market trends in Film

Market tends:

1. Early Animation in the film industry-
2. Discuss Early traditionally animated films- Disney (1937-2009),
3. Modern day animation in the film industry-
4. Discuss 3D animated films- Pixar, DreamWorks, Marvel, DC
5. Box office figures- (Compare 2D and 3D)
6. The 2D and 3D box office flops

 

Chapter 6- 2D animation moving towards TV

1. 2D Animation in TV- Rick and Morty, Simpsons, Family Guy, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls
2. 3D animation in TV- Peter Rabbit,
3. Shows that are being produced as 2D animation in the age of 3D- Ducktales 2017, Scooby Doo)
4. 3D animated feature films with 2D animation TV spin offs- (Tangled, Big hero 6, Peabody and Sherman show)
5. Why are these feature films getting 2D TV shows?

Chapter 7- What are the views on the Future of Animation?

• Does people think 2D animation make a comeback in the film industry?
• What are the views on the future of animation- public opinion and professional opinion

Chapter 8- Conclusion

1. Summarise dissertation
2. Bibliography

 

Research Sources- Websites/ Journals

What is 2D and 3D animation?:

• “The Creative Process of 2d animation”
• 4 “To portray the mentioned “appearance of movement”, we need to create a sequence of images –drawn, painted or produced by other artistic methods that will slightly differ from one another”
• 13 “Modern computer animation usually uses 3D computer graphics but 2D computer graphics are still used from time to time.”

 

Market trends:

• “Thinking animation”- pg5; “The Importance of History and Trends in Animation”
• 5- “With improvements in animation came demands for richer backgrounds, more complex camera moves and an ever-increasing level of believability all around. This increasing need for more impressive visuals also pushed the budgets of these pictures higher and higher.”

 

Major Differences between 2D and 3D:

• https://www.animationcoursesahmedabad.com/what-is-the-difference-between-3d-and-2d-animation/
• May 5 2017
• KSHITIJ VIVAN
• MAAC Ahmedabad
• 1- “3D animation is the process of generating three- dimensional moving images in the digital environment.”
• 1- “2D animation is the process of generating in a two- dimensional artistic space.”

 

The views on the future of animation:

• “The illusions of life”
• 532- “In addition to the excitement of experimenting with untried uses of animation, there is always the challenge of trying to achieve audience identification through other means.”

 

History of animation in the film industry:

• http://www.filmsite.org/animatedfilms3.html
• May 1996-2018
• Tim Dirks
• AMC Networks, Inc
• Filmsite
• Pg 3
• “The Golden Age of Hollywood cartoon comedy was in the late 1930’s and 1940’s.”
• “The first full-length animated film was Disney’s Classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)”

 

• Popularity:
• “Thinking animation” pg13 “Popularity of the CG medium or story?”
• Pg13- “The introduction of computer generated animation to the masses and the push of heavy visual effects movies have fundamentally changed the audience’s perception.

 

Above is a variety of notes that will be used to help develop my draft for the dissertation research proposal. This includes; Research topic, Research questions, sub headings/ ideas discussed, Structure and research sources. Furthermore I have briefly expanded on the structure and research I will conduct for this proposal, where I have added some additional features that I could apply to the proposal. For instance I have added some clear structured bullet points into the content I will apply to each chapter of the dissertation. Therefore I have tried to apply a clear structure that starts with explaining the defining aspects of 2D and 3D animation, as well as the history of animation to help define what animation is to the reader. In addition I plan to go onto the discussions, arguments, justifications and shift on demand for 2D and 3D content in the film industry, to provide evidence (Quantitative and Qualitative data) that relates to the research topic and research questions.

Plus I thought it would be a good idea to look at some online research sources to help me practise with finding information that must be included in a reference/ citation. This will be important information that I need to include when I am referencing one of my books or journals in my literature reviews.

Therefore I am going to use this document as a reference to help construct my research proposal for the research topic/ questions I have made for my dissertation project.

Research Proposal- Developed and Improved

Research Topic:

Is 2D animation still relevant in the growing animation market?

Is 2D animation still viable in the growing film industry?- better question as more specific

 

Research Questions:

• What are the unique attractions in 3D and 2D animation?- E.g. Quality, realism, design, style
• What are the major differences in the production of 2D and 3D Animation? Techniques, software, timing consumption, cost
• What are 3D and 2D animation market trends and justification?- Early animation was 2D more popular, nowadays is it 3D that is more popular- but WHY!

 

• “the uncanny valley”– how some 3D animations may look too realistic (polar express)
• Mixing media- g.- “Paperman”
• Production pipelines
• 2D and 3D processes/ techniques
• History of animation
• Disney and Pixar
• Japanese animation- Anime
• CGI/ VFX
• Money/ cost- Box office figures
• Reboots- 2D into 3D

 

Keywords

• 2D
• 3D
• CGI
• Animation
• Film
• Television

 

Headings- topics to talk about

• History of animation- Snow white and the seven dwarfs (1937) to Wreck it Ralph 2 (2018)
• Disney and Pixar
• 2D animation- what is it?
• 3D animation- what is it?
• Integrating 2D animation into 3D- Moana and Paperman
• 2D animation more in TV nowadays
• 3D animation- CGI- “Uncanny Valley”
• Differences and justifications- 2D vs 3D
• 2D vs 3D- Market trends, Box office figures, cost effective, Production pipelines
• 2D vs 3D- Unique attractions/ Major differences
• 2D Japanese Animation- Anime

 

Structure

Chapter 1- Introduction

1. 2D animation- What is it?
2. Examples of 2D
3. 3D animation- What is it?
4. Examples of 3D

Chapter 2- Understanding Animation

1. The History of Animation (1937- 2018)
2. Disney and Pixar contribution
3. Japanese Animation industry

Chapter 3- The Unique Attractions in 2D and 3D animation

1. Quality of Animation
2. Design/ Style- (Hand drawn or 3D render)
3. Realism – “The Uncanny Valley”

Chapter 4- The Production Pipeline

1. 2D Animation Production pipeline
2. 3D Animation Production pipeline
3. Integrating 2D and 3D animation

Chapter 5- The Animation Market Trends

1. Box office figures- (Compare 2D and 3D)
2. Early Animation market
3. Modern day Animation market

Chapter 6- 2D animation moving towards TV

1. 2D Animation in TV- Rick and Morty, Simpsons, Family Guy
2. 3D animation in TV

Chapter 7- Conclusion

1. Summarise dissertation
2. Bibliography

 

Other ideas

• Animation is 3D in film- marvel, dc, vfx
• 2D animation moved into TV

 

Above is some further developments into writing my research proposal draft. Here I spoken to my tutors and come up with some new ideas for improving the layout and research used in the dissertation proposal for my research topic. Firstly I had a discussion with my tutor to improve the research topic title, which I changed from “Is 2D animation still relevant in the growing animation market?” to “Is 2D animation still viable in the growing film industry?”. This is because the first title seemed too broad and not specific to a specific area in the media industry. Therefore taking on the feedback I made a title which relates to a specific field in the industry, allowing me to investigate if people think that 2D animation is still used or viable in the film industry.

Furthermore I came up with some research headings that I could investigate with primary and secondary research, that helps to support my research questions, e.g. History of animation. These sub headings can help to provide some sources that provides some further ideas that backs up the points I will make in the dissertation research topic. In addition I have made a rough draft of a structure for my dissertation, this includes some rough bullet points that demonstrates the key points I will be making in each chapter of the dissertation. By making this structure draft I can develop a strong structure that provides primary and secondary research, that supports each of the discussions, arguments and justifications in the essay.

Research Proposal- Developing my Topic

Animation 2D vs 3D is there a more popular type of animation within the industry?

Animation 2D vs 3D- is there a more efficient and effective type of animation…..

What distinguishing features between 2D versus 3D animation that justifies a difference in popularity?

Is there a difference between 2D and 3D animation in terms of how they create effective storytelling?

 

Is 2D animation still relevant for the growing animation market?

Above are some more research topic titles that I created in order to expand on the previous title my tutor helped me with;. “A comparison between 3D and 2D animation to distinguish differences and justification in popularity”. However this statement was created by my tutor, so I wanted to expand on it and make my own research topic using this statement as a reference. Furthermore I wrote out some different titles that refer to the decline in 2D animation. However all the topic titles above do not appeal to me because they seem to state a specific topic that may not suit a 8000 word essay.

Furthermore I decided to use the topic title in bold “Is 2D animation still relevant for the growing animation market?”  As this topic title has a clear question that I need to answer using primary and secondary data. Therefore I can use the research questions I started creating previously with this title to help investigate if 2D animation is still relevant. However I need to get some feedback on this new title choice, to see if it is suitable with my chosen topic idea or if I need to phrase it in another way.

Research Proposal notes- Feedback

Research Topic:

Is 3D animation the future while 2D Animation is a thing of the past?- already says you have concluded that 3D is the future and 2D is the past.

A comparison between 3D and 2D animation to distinguish differences and justification in popularity- allows you to make more of a comparison between 3D and 2D animation.

Or

Animation 2D versus 3D and how they are integrated

 

Research Questions:

• What are the unique attractions in 3D and 2D animation?- E.g. Quality, realism, design, style
• What are the major differences in the production of 2D and 3D Animation? Techniques, software, timing consumption, cost
• What are 3D and 2D animation market trends and justification?- early animation was 2D more popular, nowadays is it 3D that is more popular- but WHY!
• “the uncanny valley”
• Mixed media

After discussing with my tutor my research topic and research questions, I realised that my topic/ questions were already concluding the outcome of my dissertation. Instead of saying “3D is the future and 2D is in the past” my tutor suggested that it would be better to make a comparison between 2D and 3D animation, allowing me to create a balanced essay of discussions, arguments and justifications for 2D and 3D animation. This will provide me with a more interesting essay as I can talk about the major differences between the two types of animation, as well as applying facts involving the market trends, bringing in some primary research for a questionnaire. Therefore I could create a questionnaire to determine the justifications for popularity in the animation market between 2D and 3D animation.

Furthermore I will now be using the research topic in  bold and explore some literature that helps to back up this question, along with a combination of primary and secondary research sources to help develop this topic in the proposal.

Research Proposal notes #1

Research Topic:

Is 3D animation the future and is 2D Animation a thing of the past?

Research Questions:

• What has caused the decrease in 2D animation?
• What has caused the rise in 3D animation?
• Is 2D animation still used in the animation industry?
• Will 2D animation make a comeback in the future?
• Which type of animation is preferred?
• Why is 3D animation used more than 2D animation?

Above is my research topic and a few research questions that I have made in a rough draft format to help me come up with some further ideas for my research project. I decided to do 2D vs 3D because I have always been curious as to why 2D animation has declined so much since the early Disney movies, as nowadays most animated movies are in 3D. Furthermore I thought that making a research topic on this subject could be an interesting topic for me to write up in the dissertation. Therefore I need to come up with some more ideas to help develop this topic so that I can start applying the literature review and abstract to the proposal.

Dissertation Research Topic Developed further

Topic Question:

Is 3D animation the future and is 2D Animation a thing of the past?

Questions:

• Is 3D Animation the future?
• Is 2D animation a thing of the past?
• What caused the decrease in 2D animation?
• Why has 2D decreased?
• What caused the rise in 3D animation?
• Is 3D animation preferred over 2D?
• Or is 2D animation preferred over 3D?
• Is 2D animation still used in the industry? (Is 2D animation integrated into 3D)
• Will 2D animation make a comeback in the future?
• Why may 3D animation be used more than 2D animation?
• 2D vs 3D debate

Research methods:

Primary

• Questionnaire- asking the public if they prefer 2D over 3D animation
• Asking members in the animation industry their opinions e.g. Aaron Blaise

Secondary

• Journals
• EBooks
• Online newspapers
• Magazines: Computer Art, 3D World, Animation Magazine

Things to research:

• 2D Animation- Animated Film/ Short Film, TV, Early Disney films, Hand Drawn and pupated, Anime, Early Cartoons
• 3D Animation- Animated Film, TV, VFX, Modern day films, Majority of big motion pictures are 3D

Above is some developed notes for the previous post, where I came up with some different ideas for the research topic. However this time I have edited the topic and research questions, as I thought the previous topic was a little broad and not very specific in terms of 2D vs 3D. However this is not a technical review, but a research question that relates to 2D animation vs 3D animation. However I shall get some feedback on my ideas to further improve them if I need to.