Week 26: Reflection on Practice - Conference Day

And then there was light.

Today we had our presentations. It was a long day, but it was great to see how everyone's research journeys had turned out. I had kind of hoped to have been earlier in the day, but I ended up being in the last group. It didn't turn out to be much of an issue though, after all the practice I did, I felt a lot more prepared.

The practice run with Kirti and Sheng helped me dramatically and gave me the little boost I needed.


Some of the slides from my presentation:

Near the end of the project I explained how my research progressed like a journey. To begin, I was thinking solely from my own personal development. This moved to how this information could also help those in the field of VFX or studying to be and how this could help better visual effects and compositing in film and TV. However, the research has lead me to a new path and currently I think I would like to take my research down the route of pychological, social and intellectual development of autistic individuals through digital media, animation and VFX. I looked into this topic and found grounds that this sort of research could definitely be successful and I am very interested in taking my research down this path.

Over-all, I feel that my presentation went rather well. I feel extremely pleased with the difference between this presentation and the one I did in the practice session. I hope this will prepare me for future presentations I will have to do.

Week 25: Reflection on Practice - Presentation Preparation

Putting my presentation together this time round is much easier and I have a significantly clearer idea of what I want to say and how I am going to structure the presentation.

This week I have also tried practicing my presentation to some family members who took great joy in booing whenever the um's and ah's made their way to my lips. Nevertheless, their advice and patience has certainly encouraged me.

Kirti and I have also agreed to get together at some point and practice too, and I think this will be a great confidence booster also.

The biggest benefit so far, is that with having written my thoughts out in the paper, I no longer need my notes to know what I am going to say. I feel that I know the content and structure of my research well enough to do without. This may allow me to keep my hands from fidgeting and my gaze on the audience throughout.

Week 25: Reflection on Practice - Paper Hand-in

Today my paper was handed in and although I wish I could have spent more time on it, I think I made my points clear enough.

The paper will act as a skeleton for my presentation and I am certain, after having written this paper, that I will be more comfortable explaining my research now.

Here are some excerpts from the paper:

Theory has construed realism solely as a matter of reference rather than as a matter of perception as well. It has neglected …"perceptual realism." This neglect has prevented theory from understanding some of the fundamental ways in which cinema works and is judged credible by viewers (Prince, 1996 p.28).

Just as an animator should recognise how the character’s performance can affect the audience’s relation to that character; a visual effects artist should understand how the audience interpret what they see and how their work can assist in guiding them to feel and think as we, the filmmakers, intend them to. My practice throughout this project involves the production a short film within a small team and my main role is revolved around the integration of a CG character into a live-action environment. My research investigates this process through an understanding of an audience’s perceptual realism of fictional elements in film and how visual effects can influence this. Although this research is personal to my own understanding and practice it seems apparent that this knowledge is somewhat “neglected” (Prince, 1996 p.28) in the industry. It is hoped that this information will aid me throughout the production process in my practice and furthermore to prepare myself, and anyone studying within the area of visual effects and compositing for working in the industry.

My main focus, throughout the integration of the CG character and the live-action environment, is gaining an insight into how fictional elements can be accepted by the audience as believable.

             

    
  
 Image 01:  Character Design Tom Paxton (2014).

In my practice, the main character is fictional in design and concept and although it may share some animalistic and even human qualities in performance, as a character in a real-world environment it is clearly an element of fiction.  This investigation orbits around perceptual realism and what visual factors can make a fictional character believable in film.



So What Is Perceptual Realism?

Perceptual realism “designates a relationship between the image or film and the spectator, and it can encompass both unreal images and those which are referentially realistic. Because of this, unreal images may be referentially fictional but perceptually realistic” (Prince, 1996 p.32). The term “Perceptual realism” (Prince, 1996) is used to discuss the process in which the audience finds fictional elements in film believable, despite these things not being true to the real world.

My practice is immensely reliant on the audience’s perceptual realism to allow them to accept the fictional character into the live-action environment. My main concern is integrating these elements together in a believable manner. To understand how to do this successfully, I have to recognise what perceptual realism is and which elements are most important to consider throughout production to ensure that the viewers are not lost from the story. In order to keep the audience engaged in the film, everything they witnesses on the screen must be visually and contextually believable (Hooks, 2011). As Prince highlights, for perceptual realism to exist there must be a connection between the audience and the visuals. It would seem that to understand perceptual realism, we must first realise the “relationship” between the viewer and the images.


The paper then goes on to discuss the following topics:

*The Willing Suspension of Disbelief
*The Experientially Familiar
*Believability in Visual Effects
*The Uncanny Valley
*The Psychology Behind Perceptual Realism

References

Hooks, E. 2011. Empathy Matters, Acting for Animators. [Online] Available at: http://www.awn.com/blogs/ed-hooks-acting-animators/empathy-matters.

Hooks, E. 2011. The Willing Suspension of Disbelief, Acting for Animators. [Online] Available at: http://www.awn.com/blogs/ed-hooks-acting-animators/willing-suspension-disbelief
Jones, B. (2008) Digital Storytelling – The narrative Power of Visual Effects [Catalogue of seminar from the Norwegian Film Institute, 7-8th April 2008] Norway: Digital Storytelling.

Paxton, T. 2014, Character design [image] viewed on 14 February 2014. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201221135201711&set=gm.217768565079649&type=1&theater.
Sylwan, S. 2010. New Lenses to View Reality: Art, Science and Visual Effects, TEDx Talks [online] available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjWFk5_VuVg&list=PLpwgPz64TLvsxf8U4SDGWA811f2cadJu9

Prince, S. 1996. True Lies: Perceptual Realism, Digital Images and Film Theory. Film Quarterly, pp. 31-33.

The Uncanny Valley, 2011. [Image] The Uncanny Valley and Corporate Social Media. Viewed on 16 March 2014. Available at: http://www.davidherrold.com/2011/08/26/the-uncanny-valley-and-corporate-social-media/.

The paper concludes with the future of the project and how this research has/will help me in my practice. It will hopefully be utilised on a wider level; improving the way that visual effects are considered and practiced in the industry. 

Week 24: Reflection on Practice - Paper Preperation

With my paper due next week, I've been spending a lot of time gathering together the elements of my research project. I'm finding that, although the writing style of the paper differs a bit from an essay, as it must be written from a first person perspective and must be reflective in style, it is still a familiar way for me to collect my thoughts.

The written report is really helping me to help/shape my presentation also, and is making clear my arguments where perhaps I had failed to do before-hand in my mock conference presentation.

Additionally the psychological inputs from my interview are really filling in the gaps that were present in my practice presentation; however, as expected, the transcript took a great deal of time to complete. Over-all transcribing the interview took around 9 hours, but it has certainly been worthwhile for my research.




Enough blogging, I have a paper to write.

Week 23: Reflection on Practice - Interview.

AND FINALLY - an interview was completed.

It was certainly a task trying to organise an interview. Originally, I was planning an interview with a former lecturer at The University of Dundee who currently resides in France. Trying to organise this was extremely difficult as he did not wish to partake in a skype interview. Thankfully, a helpful lecturer still working at the university agreed to partake in a face-to-face interview.

The interviewee is a senior lecturer of psychology and neuroscience at The University of Dundee and also had an interest in film and television.

The comments made by the participant were hugely insightful and enlightening.
I cannot stress enough how helpful the interview has turned out to be in regards to my research. The participant was not only generous with thoughts and information, but also with their time. The interview, with the participant's permission, lasted an hour and half, this will certainly be a lengthy job to transcribe, nevertheless, it was an extremely rewarding experience.

I found that the psychological input certainly connected a few elements of my research as I had intended, but it mostly surprised me.

I began to find other possible routes that my research could take, and if I go on to do a PhD, I would most certainly further this investigation.

Week 23: Reflection on Practice - Mock Conference

Today we had our Mock Conference. Throughout the day we presented what we had of our presentations as a little practice session before the final conference in the coming weeks.

Unsurprisingly, with my unfailing ability to fall fully to a 'deer in the headlights' -like stupor when public speaking, my practice session was a little wobbly. That being said, I've had a lot worse.

Most of the comments made noted my nerves:

Fidgeting,
speaking too quickly,
avoiding eye contact with the audience etc.





All of which I knew I had let myself down on before I'd even finished, though it has just made me more determined to over-come this next time.

Sharon did explain that in my presentation, I presumed that the audience knew what I'd meant by 'Perceptual Realism' and had not really explained what it was myself. This I hadn't really thought about, being so immersed in the research, I had taken for granted that the audience may not be as clued up as myself on the terms I will be covering in the research. This was an extremely helpful comment.

Jeanette explained that throughout my presentation I relied too heavily on my notes and avoided the audience. This was a lot to do with my nerves, but admittedly I did not feel confident in what I was trying to say. I may have spent too much time organising my slides and not enough time actually practicing my speech.

                         

It was also mentioned that, although they could piece it together, my presentation would benefit from a clearer explanation of how my research and practice are connected.
This for me could also be down to the fact that my interviewee could not meet until tomorrow, and my presentation was missing the psychological factor that should link my research together.

It was also suggested that using the model instead of the spheres in my presentation would help make the concept of image based lighting more understandable and although I completely agree with this, it is not likely that the model will be completed in this time.

Although I was completely dreading today I definitely gained some helpful comments to consider and more than anything, I  have a genuine want to do better next time and I certainly feel I have the time and know-how to do so.

Week 22: Reflection on Practice - Questions

One step at a time, I seem to be getting my forms approved for my interview next week. First to be approved: My questions.

The questions are rather specific to my research and so a little explanation may be necessary during the interview but it was very important to me that my questions reflected on the information I have gathered. As I am focusing on perceptual realism and how visual effects can influence this, I decided that a psychological understanding of how visuals are interpreted from the eye to the brain would be fundamental. Due to this I sought to question a professional from a psychological background.

Interview Questions

Warm-up Questions
The Suspension of Disbelief

1. “The willing suspension of disbelief” is a concept in film-making/storytelling explaining that an audience can accept any fictional ideas within the story to allow them to empathise. What do you think about this statement?

2. Does the audience, in your opinion, disregard reality in order to engage in the story?

Believability Through Visuals

3. To what degree do you feel that the expectation of what is observed from reality  
    affects the audience’s ability to accept the fictional elements being portrayed?

4. Do you believe that there are any specific visual elements that we as human beings rely
    on to enhance the perceptive realism within film and visual story-telling?

5.       What exactly, do you think, allows fictional concepts to be contextually believable?

6.       How does this differ from what is visually believable?

The Uncanny and The Relation Between Sight and Mind

7. “The uncanny valley” theory highlights that humans can feel repulsed by CG characters of   
                     a substantial level of human likeness if they move in an unnatural manner.  What do
                     you believe is the cause of this phenomenon?

8.    It has been said that human beings are “hard-wired” to identify realism in particular   
       human physical characteristics, such as the eyes, face and skin etc. How do you feel  
       about this statement?

9.    Which psychological factors, if any, account for this behaviour?


10. It has also been claimed that the first thing the audience observe about a person or
      character is their eyes. What is your view on this?

Concluding Questions

11.   What makes certain characteristics or features more noticeable than others?

12. Which physical elements of a character do you think are most important in enhancing  
       their believability to the audience?

As I mentioned above, some of the questions are very content specific and may require further explanation. Nevertheless, I feel that this is necessary in furthering my research; I need to see if these points make sense from a psychological standpoint and if any psychological factors play a part in perceptual realism.

Week 22: Reflection on Practice - Abstract

So today was the deadline for the final abstract and biography submission. Working on this really helped me to hone in on my question and I feel a lot more confident about the direction of my research.

My abstract is as follows:

Module DJ52028:  Reflection on Practice                                                         
Assignment 3:  Abstracts                                                                            
Animation & Visualisation:  Reflection on Practice Mock Conference:      

Call for Papers                                                                                                  

 

Visual Effects and Perceptual Realism: Making fiction believable

Visual effects and compositing can certainly be considered as imperative storytelling tools in TV and film (Jones, 2008). This hugely relies on the ability to draw the audience into the story in a similar way that acting, animation and performance do. The audience can allow themselves to accept the components of the story, no matter how implausible, through perceptual realism that is created by specific visual elements (Prince, 2012).

In order to gain a clear perspective on how this is best achieved an understanding of how visuals are interpreted through the eye to the mind is fundamental (Sylwan, 2010). Although such information is beginning to be shared throughout the industry of visual effects, this information appears to be limited and lacking in depth.

This paper is concerned with how an audience’s perception of realism toward story and character can be affected by the use of visual effects in film. It will look into any psychological factors that affect perceptual realism. This knowledge can then be transferred through visual effects in film to enhance the believability of the character and story. It will be tested throughout a practice-lead project studying the believable integration of a CG character in a live-action environment.

These findings will display the connection between what is observed and understood by the audience and how visual effects and compositing can influence this. It is vital that the artists recognise how their work can affect how the visuals are interpreted by the audience in order to push the progress of these irreplaceable storytelling techniques.

REFERENCES

Jones, B. (2008) Digital Storytelling – The narrative Power of Visual Effects [Catalogue of seminar from the Norwegian Film Institute, 7-8th April 2008] Norway: Digital Storytelling.

Prince, S. (2012) Digital Visual Effects in Cinema: The Seduction of Reality. USA: Rutgers University Press, pp 32-33.

Sylwan, S. (2010). New Lenses to View Reality: Art, Science and Visual Effects [Online Video]. Available from: http://youtu.be/bjWFk5_VuVg [Accessed 06.02.13].

BIOGRAPHY

Stephanie Flynn is currently a student at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. In the year 2013 she graduated with an honours degree in animation and is now studying an MSc in animation and visualisation, specifically focussing on visual effects and compositing. Originally Stephanie comes from a predominantly 2D background working within the areas of compositing, 2D animation and effects. This year she is going to transfer her skills into 3D. Specialising in compositing, her main aim is to further her knowledge in this field and also to broaden this interest into visual-effects. Stephanie’s passions lie within story-telling and how subtle details involved in compositing and visual-effects can enhance story. She is currently focussing on the processes involved in the integration of a stylised CG character and a live-action environment and is exploring this through the study of visual effects and perceptual realism in film.



I finally changed my title to something a little more snappy and easier to understand. The abstract forced me to realise the issue that my research is aiming to improve and how I aim to do this. This has definitely prepared me for the next steps of my investigation, and given me the direction that I lacked at the beginning of the semester.

Week 18: Reflection on Practice - Focus Group Plan

Had our focus group plan hand-in today.
This is my plan.

    Focus Group Plan

I aim to organise a focus group of roughly 5-10 people to gain any valuable information on my research project. The project itself is very much revolved around visual effects and compositing in film and will be focussing on perceptive realism and how the believability of story and character can be enhanced using visual effects and compositing. My research will most likely benefit from a range of people; generally people who are interested in film and story. The discussion will be around 45 minutes long with an additional 15 minutes for introductions and final comments.

The Participants

As my research will depend on people with varying views on film and visual effects I will seek participants from a variety of places. I will make use of the Hermes system within the university and also reach out to clubs and organisations focussed on film. Additionally I can get in touch with film/media/animation students within the university to participate. I can also look for any local organisations within the city that show interest in film and story (even book clubs for example). However, as my research really applies to the general public as a whole, questioning people with varying interest in film and story will more than likely prove valuable. I will probably make contact with people via e-mail and phone wherever possible to organise meetings and perhaps make use of posters/leaflets in areas that may attract people interested in this research.

Possible problems

Potential drawbacks or issues to consider when using this research method are that:

Ø  The questioner must ensure that the questions asked are not leading or biased in wording. This could unintentionally steer the conversation in a certain and unnatural way.

Ø  The promise of anonymity can only be kept within the research team. There is no assurance that the other participants will keep such information private and this could likely affect the honesty reflected in the answers given by the participants.

Ø  Also, being a group-based research method, it could certainly be possible for the conversation to be dominated by a small number of the participants. This too affects the data gathered as the views collected could be rather one-sided. It would be the job of the moderator to ensure that all participants are allowed their chance to speak.

Ø  Additionally, although any findings can be used to hypothetically re-create the opinion of an audience in general, the findings cannot be seen as a representation of the wider public and this undoubtedly needs to be taken into consideration within the research.

The Research Team

The Research team will most likely consist of 3-4 members including myself.  The tasks and roles will be as follows:

The moderator

·         Will focus primarily on the participants

·         Will ensure the participants are comfortable and understand the situation.

·         Will ask the questions, encourage discussion and take notes of any valuable points made.

·         Will also play the clips for the participants.

Tech/Recording person

·         Is responsible for any electrical equipment/visuals used.

·         They will set up and prepare the visuals (DVD player and television/projector and screen etc.)

·         Will record the discussion.

·         Take notes.

Scheduler/Time keeper

·         Is responsible for scheduling/organising the focus group.

·         Creating/sending out any prior consent forms etc.

·         During the focus group, their primary focus will be to keep the discussion to the scheduled time.

·         They will also be in charge of the handing out and collecting the consent/expenses/mileage forms and questionnaires on the day of the focus group (prior to the discussion) – with the help of the observer or moderator if necessary.

·         They will also take notes of the discussion.

The Observer

·         Predominantly focussed on taking notes.

·         Manage refreshments

·         Will also help out with general tasks where necessary

The Venue

·         After visiting the venue in advance to check it is suitable, it will then need to be set up before the meeting.

·         The venue will need to be relatively close and easy for the participants to get to.

·         The room should be quiet and have decent space for the equipment and meeting.

·         A large table with comfortable seating will be required and should hopefully be in the centre of the room.

·         Within good view of the table will be a screen or television set which will be used to display visuals and examples.

·         A small desk for refreshments will also be required.

Equipment and resources:

·         Recording equipment such as a camera or a voice/sound recorder.

·         Notebook and pen.

·         Necessary footage and visuals .

·         Television/ screen and projector.

·         DVD player/laptop.

·         Consent forms and expenses forms if necessary.

Protocol:

Preparations:

·         Setting up projector and screen/ television and other visuals.

·         Providing and laying out of refreshments (Tea/coffee and biscuits etc.)

·         Setting up recording equipment (sound recorder/mobile phone etc.)

·         Ensuring any necessary forms are at hand.

Beginning:

·         I will begin by introducing the research team and myself.

·         Then have the participants introduce themselves to the group and ensure that everyone is comfortable before proceeding.

·         The purpose and background of the research project will be introduced to the group.

·         The focus group will assist the research primarily for achieving a greater understanding of an audience’s interpretation of believability using visual effects. This too will be explained to the group beforehand.

·         Ask participants to complete any necessary forms, such as consent and mileage/expenses forms if required.

·         Also hand out questionnaires and clarify that these are necessary for gaining more insight into the research. Having an understanding of who the audience may be and what factors, if any, can affect their views on their perceptive realism are fundamental in this process.

·         I will explain that this is to be an informal and natural discussion.

·         The participants will be notified that the information gained will remain anonymous. Emphasising that their identity will be kept in complete confidence if the participants so desire this.

·         I will also explain that the participants can withdraw at any time.

·         The duration of the discussion will be roughly 60 minutes altogether and this will be stated beforehand.

·         It will then be explained to the group that the discussion will be recorded purely for information gathering purposes and that the recording itself will not be used in any outcomes or by anyone out-with the research team.

·         Then I will ask the participants each to state their name, to confirm that they understand the purpose of the recording and that they consent to the recording of the focus group.

The Discussion Process:

·         After the introductory process, I will show the group a small number (no more than 2-3) of short clips from films using visual effects to enhance perceptual realism and I will ask the group questions based on these.

·         Once the discussions are completed and the time is up, the main points risen will be summed up and agreed with the participants.

·          The team and I will then thank the participants for their contribution to the research.

·         After the group has left, the team and I will discuss our conclusions and make further notes.

 

The Questions

Firstly, the participants will be shown examples of visual effects used in film. I will then base the questions around the examples to see how the participants, as an audience, felt about the believability of the characters and story through the visuals.

Clip specific questions:

1.       Has anyone seen this clip before?

2.       What did you think of the story as a whole?

3.       Considering the context of the story, how believable did you feel the character/idea was?

General/Concluding Questions:

1.       Can you see or think of anything specific in any of these clips which may have affected your personal belief in the story or the character?

2.       How do you feel that the use of visual effects affected the realism of the character/idea?

Concluding the Focus Group

·         After the questions are asked and the discussions are completed within the given time, the main points will be summed up and agreed with the participants.

·         The participants will then be thanked for their time and efforts.

·         Once the participants have left I will debrief the team and we will make further notes/read over the notes made and discuss these.

 

Aim of Focus Group

It is hoped that by holding a focus group, I can attain an understanding of how an audience’s perception of realism can be affected by the use of visual effects in film. I will be gaining information from a number of people at one time.  A focus group will also be more relevant to my research in that observing group mentality almost mirrors the idea of understanding an audience as a whole. It would also be quite common for audience members to discuss a film after watching it, and this focus group in a sense would be mirroring and studying that process. Additionally, a focus group will hopefully be more interesting for the participants too, and the more comfortable the participants feel, the more open and honest they may be with their answers. The comparison of opinions will be much easier and any opposing views will likely be discussed and furthered in detail due to the open and informal nature of this conversational-styled research method. It will also provide greater focus on certain issues, as the conversation will naturally lean towards certain points and views. This may highlight specific factors that could affect the audience’s perception of realism. Primarily, this research method will help me to reflect on the purpose/aim of the research and will hopefully provide me with the information necessary to continue these findings into my practice.  The input from the participants will really help me to understand which elements will best illustrate the story and character to the audience, despite any factually impossible ideas, and which visual factors can be manipulated to enhance the audience’s perception of what is contextually believable.

 Unfortunately, instead of a focus group,  I am beginning to think an interview would be a better method of primary research. I feel that my investigation would benefit more from a one-to-one discussion with a psychologist on the topic of perceptual realism.

Week 15: Reflection on Practice

So the Reflection on Practice module begins.
We were asked to think about the research topic/question we concocted from last semester and to illustrate, in the best way we could, how confident we are about that question.

The title of my Poster -
The Role of Visual Effects in Story-telling:
Investigating how Visual Effects and Compositing Can Impact The Perceptive Believability Of Character And Story
certainly seems a bit long and clumsy:

We were asked to illustrate how we felt our question has progressed over the first semester:

Basically, although there was definitely some progress in finding my question,
I was feeling a little unsure of how I was going to take it further. This will definitely require further consideration.