Time Machine Essay Structure

Introduction

-         Introduce question and research sources that will be used to briefly order the points that will be raised.

Para 1

-         Introduce Motion capture and techniques  (what it is used for)

-         “What remains vital is the authenticity that traditional animation techniques and motion capture can bring to the distinctive ‘world’ imagined by the animator within the context of the narrative or set of story events.” (Wells, 2002) 

Para 2

-         Look at Gollum as an example of  how due to technology the CG character/s moved on a real live background and compare to achievements in Avatar .

-         Images/stills to help with evidence

-         “As impressed as Cameron had been with Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films, he knew that actor Andy Serkis’s performance had served only as the basis of the CG character.” (Duncan and Fitzpatrick, 2010)

Para 3

-         Explain how in Avatar, Cameron and animators created a vision of a whole CG world that looks realistic in terms of look and how characters interact with it but also alien because of the bioluminescence at night.

-         Images/ stills as reference.

  Para 4

-         Introduce Freud’s theory of Uncanny, focussing on the idea of the familiar becoming the unfamiliar. Then revert back to animation techniques in Avatar.

-         “I can say in advance that both courses lead to the same conclusion – that the uncanny is that species of the frightening that goes back to what was once well known and had long been familiar.” (Freud, 1919: Pg 124)

Para 5

-         Link this to how Cameron and animation team wanted to keep the resemblance of actor and CG character to get familiar movements and emotions. Why these techniques relate to Freud’s idea of uncanny but also beautiful.

-         Images to help with evidence

-         “Traditionally, you capture the face in one pass and the body in another, which is why previous motion capture animation has often looked disembodied. A good actor ties his facial performance to his body kinetics. Everything's tied together." (Wolff, 2004)

Para 6

-         Introduce idea of Frankenstein  as an uncanny symbol

-         “Karloff also evokes the expressionist style when he conveys the monster’s childlike newness. Even sitting down is not something that at first comes naturally to this figure.” (Spandoni, 2007: 114)

Para 7

-         Link Frankenstein to story line of Avatar as both are a mix of species/ bodies but both retain human resemblance.

-         Images to help with evidence, showing comparison of characters.

Conclusion

-         Sum up key points from each paragraph of how Avatar was a huge achievement in terms of its animation techniques but also has how this advancement becomes disturbing in terms of how the CG characters are resembling similarities to the original actors.