Assignment

Purpose, Requirements and Audience

Scanned storyboard

Ready made assets to be sourced or created

Graphics
Audio
Typewriter
Descending
Background music
Explosion

Assets I prepared
For my animation, I prepared numerous assets which I thought could be used in a way which would enhance the animation and further the
purpose of it. The assets I chose ranged from fruit (apple, watermelon), to sports (a ballerina and bowling alley). I needed to choose assets that
I thought would be of interest to my target audience, graphics which are age-appropriate, and assets which would carry the animations purpose
most effectively to my audience.

Where I sourced them

To carry out my reasearch of assets suitable for my animation, I had to take into consideration my target audience, which meant searching for
graphics with a certain complexity and style. Consequently, I had to choose the images wisely for them to be appealing, and have the greatest
effect on my audience. I searched for bitmap images so they would appear more realistic, and so I could edit them with ease.

Why I chose them

I chose these assets because I think they are suitable for my animation and my target audience, and will be appealing to them. They are the
types of graphics that would be of interest to my target audience, and I think they are appropriate for their ages. They fit my animations theme
of Healthy Living, as the majority are graphics of fruit, or sports, both of which contribute to a healthy lifestyle. I chose the specific graphics I
used I thought they would be the least complicated to work with, and were easily recognisable to my audience.

How I prepared them

Once I had imported the images into Fireworks, I vectorised them in order to remove the background and unwanted blocks of colour. I then
resized the graphic, to make it more suitable for my animation and target audience. Some of the graphics were only line drawings (the ballerina
for example), which meant I needed to add colour in order for it to fulfil its purpose and requirements of being attention grabbing. I chose the
colour pink for the tutu as this is the stereotypical colour for a ballerinas outfit, so my audience will not become confused with the colours, and
their focus will not detract from the purpose of the animation.

Audio Evidence
After I had chosen my audio
pieces, I used Audacity to edit
them, so they were the correct
length, fit my animation, and
so any special effects could be
added if I felt they were
suitable.

When I saved this piece of audio, it was much too

long for my animation. This meant that it required
editing in order to be the correct length. I measured
the length of my animation then edited the asset
accordingly. I deleted the highlighted section which
left me with a piece of audio which was the correct
length to fit my animation.

I decided to edit one piece of audio to increase the

effectiveness of my animation. As this assset ended
abruptly, I felt that editing it to fade out at the end of
the scene would made the animation run more
smoothly. Before choosing to use this effect, i
experimetned with, and discarded others as i felt
they were not suitable and did not work with my
animation.

Frames Per Second (FPS)

This is the speed of the animation- how many frames are played every second. If this numer is increased, the animation will speed up, and play faster. The opposite
appplies to a small number; the animation will play at a slower speed. My animation is 12.00 FPS, which is about the average speed. I chose to use this speed because I felt
if I increased the speed, the animation would play too fast and the main points would not get across to the audience. However, I felt that if I decreased the speed of the
animation, it would play too slowly, meaning it would take longer and consequently, my target audience may get bored or lose interest, and my animation would not have
fulfilled its prupose. If you know how many frames you have and how many FPS you want it to be, you can calculate the lenght of the animation.

Library
The library is where all
primary and secondary
assets are stored, and
can be edited and used
at any time. The assets I

Layers
This is a technique
used in order to
have more than one
thing happening at
once. Things on
layers can overlap,
such as music or
sound effects, and
they are useful so
everything does not
have to fit perfectly
in each frame

Shape Tween
A shape tween is
used to morph
one object into
another in a
smooth
movement. The
purpose of this
shape tween is to
hold the attention
of the audience
using visually
stimulating
techniques.

used were stored in the

library, so they were
easily accessible when I
needed them.
Motion Tween
This is a technique used to
transfer an object in the
animation to another place
on the stage, on a fluid,
smooth movement. I used
this in my animation so the
objects moved, or changed
in a continuous motion.

Keyframes
I used keyframes in my animation so the
image on the screen can be changed.
Keyframes also define the beginning and
end of a smooth transition such as a
Motion Path or a Tween.

Time
This shows the length of my
animation in seconds. If I want
to find out how far a certain
frame is into the animation, I
can click on that frame, and the
time will be displayed.

Sound Waves
I have decided to use sound,
because it adds another layer
to my animation, and makes it
more interesting and appealing
than if it was silent. These lines
show the change in pitch the
sound has, and the length of
line determines the length of
the sound in comparison to my
animation.

Alternative ideas
Before I settled on one, I had many ideas for my animation. However, I rejected them each for
their own reasons. For instance, one of my original drafts would not have been able to reach the
30 second minimum length as the idea was extremely limited and would be difficult to expand.
One of my other ideas was too complicated to carry out successfully and be appealing to my
target audience. I discarded another of my thoughts on the basis that it would not have been of
interest to my audience and the animation would have to have very intricate movements at
specific points which would mean my focus would be on only one part of my animation and not
spread evenly, resulting in the piece being of various quality.
In the end I decided to combine a few singular ideas to create a combined animation. This way it
would include different aspects of healthy living and still be appealing. It also made it easier to
reach the time guideline as I had more material to work with, so I could remove or add scenes if I
didnt have the right amount.
I had imported the sound effects for my animation before I had chosen my music. I was unsure
whether to leave my animation with no music and only sound effects, however, I felt that it
sounded bland and boring, and would not be appealing to my traget audience. So, I added sound
which I felt suited my animation, and made it more lively and interesting in order to fit my target
audience better.

 When adding a number of sound effects and audio to my animation, I found the assets I
had imported previously were too loud and overpowering, meaning they did not work well
with the music I had chosen. To overcome this, I edited them by lowering the volume of the
specific effect, in order to balance the sound. This meant the sound effect did not clash with
the rhythm and instruments used in the music, which resulted in the piece sounding better,
and less chaotic.
Some of the graphics I used were in a format where I could not remove the background
easily. This meant that in order to overcome the problem, I needed to change the format of
the graphic, and them I could remove the background in Adobe Fireworks. Alternatively, I
could choose a different graphic to use, or make sure the background of the scene
matches the background of the graphic, so it is not visible when viewed in my animation.

Test
Criteria

How Tested

Expected Outcome

Actual Outcome

Action

Duration of
30 seconds
or longer

I timed my animation to see how long it

was

I thought my animation
would be around 30
seconds long

The core points of my

animation were not long
enough on their own.

I extended the length of

some graphics and added
some more animation and
detail to fulfil the brief.

Suitable for
audience of
pre-teen
females

Some members of my target audience

previewed my animation

My audience should feel

the animation is suitable
for their age group

My audience felt the

animation was a suitable
style and length for their age.

No action was required.

Purpose to
inform and
entertain

Does it give the audience facts and

information, and do they enjoy it? I asked
if they enjoyed this animation and learnt
anything from it

My target audience
should learn different
ways to become healthier
but find it entertaining
and not boring at the
same time

My audience enjoyed my
animation and did not realise
there were so many
alternative, fun ways to
become healthier.

I reasearched and thought

about more interesating and
different wasy to lead a
healthier lifestyle, and
included these in my
animation.

Techniques
used

I ran the animation to peers and teachers

They feel that the quality

of movement, sound and
transitions were of near
professional standard.

They felt that some aspects of the

animation could be improved to
achieve a higher standard, but
overall were not dissappointed.

I changed the use of keyframe

animation to tweens to make
the movement smooth.

Graphics /
assets

I have produced an assets slide which displays used

assets which I then converted to vector graphics

I have created a range of

assets, and I have a variety of
suggestions for each scene,
and I will choose the best out
of these to use.

I did not use all of the assets I originally

anitcipated, as I had too many, which
would make my animation too
complicated, and lengthy, which would be
boring for my target audience.

I chose what I felt were the best assets

for each scene of my animation that I
decided were the most necessary.

Audio

I made sure the timing was correct for the

sound effects and music in my animation
and I had suitable audio

Some of the audio assets I

need will be available,
however, I will need to
adjust my plans for some
of the audio, as some
more specific sounds may
not be available to use.

Some of the audio desired

and most suitable for my
animation was not available

I had to find different sound

effects and music that was
still suitable for my traget
audience

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

Disadvantages

I used various animation techniques including

key frames, motion tweens, shape tweens, and text. This
prevents my animation from being to samey all the way
through, and increases the quality and complexity of it

The background is very plain a lot of the time, which can be

boring, resulting in the loss of interest for my target audience. I could

It is 38 seconds, which is more than the required length,

but also short enought to hold the attention of my target
audience.

The transitions from some scenes are not very fluid, which degrades the
animation slightly, as it appears less proffessional.

I think there was a good variation in the colour sceme, so it

was not bland or boring

The pauses between some of the animation are too long, which
means my target audience may get bored and lose interest

The ideas in the animation were inventive and different,

which made the animation more interesting as the ideas
were not old and clichd.

I could use more advanced animation techniques to improve the

quality and professionalism

change this to an image or background that is relevant to my animation,

which will give it more depth and make it more interesting and busy.

Feedback Questionnaire
Duration

Use of animation

Qualities

Audience and
purpose

Quality of graphics

Clarity of message

Person 1

It was more than the 30

second minimum, and
wasnt too long, so
wouldnt drag and my
audience wouldnt lose
interest.

I liked the variety of

techniques used which
made made the
animation interesting
and different, than if
only one technique was
used.

I like how the words

appear typed onto the
screen and how the
colours are used on it.
However, some parts
have pauses that could
be removed.

Yes, it is not too

childish, but not
something that would
be of use to adults.

I really liked the

exploding watermelon
and the idea of the
falling fruit to go to
the fruit basket!

The message is clear

because it includes a
scene where a fruit is
destroying pins
symbolising fat and
food.

Person 2

I think the length was

good because it was the
same length as many
adverts today.

There were two features

of animation which were
the most obvious to me,
and they were;
stopmotion and tweens.

It was very imaginative,

and therer was attention
to detail, especially in
the ballet scene, as the
ballerina had to be handcoloured

The animation fits

your audience
because the hobbies
mentioned are usually
of interest to people
of this age.

The graphics were of

good quality,
however, the quality
decreased when the
graphics were
enlarged, as the
images were bitmap.

The message was

obvious, and at the
end, in case the
audience were not
clear, it had the theme
unmistakeably
written.

Person 3

More information could

have been fitted into the
animation in the time slot,
which would have made it
more effective.

I enjoyed the various

I thought it was very

inventive and a good
way to put across a
thought or ideas to
an audience without
blatantly telling
them.

Some parts of the

animation were
suitable for the
audience and fulfilled
its purpose, but other
parts could have been
improved to increase
suitability.

I think the quality

of the graphics was
adequate,
however, they
appeared 2D,
which was not
favourable.

Although this promotes

healthy living and eating,
there only a subtle hint
of how to apply this, and
my target audience may
not see the ways
promoted in the
animation to be
applicable in their lives.

animation techniques
that were used in your
piece.

I created this questionnaire to get my audiences opinion on my animation, and for

them to comment on the various aspects of it. I feel this is a good way to obtain
information about my animation from another persons perspective, so I can improve
my animation by making any necessary changes.