COP Final Evaluation

This context of practice module has been a great way to look at animation as not only a form of entertainment but also a medium to send a message, and has also given me the opportunity to analyse animation as a genre instead of just take it as is.

I approached this module with little knowledge about the context behind animation and I have learnt from lectures and seminars that there are many different layers and ideas behind it as a subject. As I didn't know much before starting this module, it allowed for me to be very open minded about the topics we looked at, however I decided that the topic 'how does animation construct our ideas of gender' was the most interesting out of the ones we were given. I really enjoyed researching different sources and looking at different animations in seminars that I may not have come across myself and I think that this has really opened up my ideas about animation and that it can come in so many different forms.

The practical side was really interesting as I was able to apply what I had been researching to this side of the module and even though the essay and research was my favourite part I still found this was really useful to allow myself to have a hands on experience with the topic. I  felt that in this part of the module I could have created a better animation as in the principles as my character could have moved more smoothly and it's all a little robotic. As I had researched a lot into Disney, it was easy for me to create a certain style with my animation and this wouldn't have worked as well without doing so. I can take from this that I definitely need to work on my practical skills in animation to make a more effective one, however I feel that this is something that will come with time. On the other hand, one of my strengths within this module was that I was able to managed my time very well with lots of time to tweak and go over my essay.

If I were to approach this module again I wouldn't pick another topic as I enjoyed looking at this one so much, however I think I would have spent a little bit more time working out my frames and inbetweens to get a smoother animation. I also may have liked to try a different medium such as stop motion or oil to create my animation as I might have played it safe by choosing to work digitally. Furthermore, what I can take from this module is that I need to experiment a little more with my mediums that I choose to use and this way I will get a better outcome and also everything I have learnt about the genders in animation and how they are portrayed. This has opened my eyes to the power that you have as an animator and should always consider the way that the audience can take it and how this may effect them.