Proposal

A little late, I know, but here's my official proposal for the project:

For my first specialist study I want to produce a short character animation based around my idea of a girl struggling against her overly long hair: a living entity in itself which is fighting back against getting cut. Rather than being sinister or twisted, I want to take a more light hearted and comedic approach, portraying the life-or-death battle in a very cartoony manner using a cute character design. The target audience will be young adults around my own age, especially girls since I’m fairly certain every woman in existence can relate to having a bad hair day. I will show my work to my classmates as it progresses to get feedback and ensure I’m on track. The animation will be 2D and drawn digitally on Flash.

Through this project I intend to learn the principles of acting in detail by researching body language and studying the works of practitioners who are known for their acting and character animation skills, such as Ed Hooks and Charlie Chaplin. I will use the knowledge gained to convey my story purely through acting and without the aid of dialogue, hopefully compelling the audience to connect and empathise with my character through her actions alone. In addition I will look at previous animations that have centred on inanimate objects gaining lives of their own and either fighting back or causing trouble for the person who’s supposed to be controlling them, such as the works of Patrick Smith and possibly Don Hertzfeldt. I want to implement humour through exaggerated poses and facial expressions in an attempt to make my work feel more fluid, since my previous animations have felt rather stiff and controlled. For the character herself I’m going to look at characters from games and animation that I know to have hair that moves independently from the body and study how each variation differs in design, purpose, and movement.