Computer Animation Arts

Following on from my earlier post regarding writing your film reviews (and ultimately your essays), here is the link again for a guide to developing an academic writing style - See  HERE!

I just thought I would drop by with a few hints and tips for you, as you prepare to write your first film review... Some of you might be confused by what a CAA film review actually is; it's possibly easier to say what it ISN'T!  It is NOT you writing a 2000 word essay, recounting the plot of the film.  What we are looking for, is evidence that you have thought about how the film maker has used techniques to convey a message, or the relationship between the narrative and the environment; in 'Caligari', the use of the warped sets to depict the insanity of the protagonist, for example.  As you get deeper into the film programme, you might start to consider how the films use sound to build tension, or how editing techniques can enhance the viewing experience. You are asked to support your own ideas with quotes from at least 3  different published sources.  This means you will need to do some background reading; try and find sources that allow you to deve...

Study Guides Just a quick reminder that there is a very useful bank of resources available on myUCA, that you should all take some time to familiarise yourselves with... the guides cover aspects such as planning, time management, writing skills, presentation skills etc.  Go and have a look! Find the full list  HERE

I'm just browsing the shelves of the library (as you do!) and I have come across a really useful and accessible study skills book, that would be particularly useful for students that struggle with critical thinking, drafting essays and methods of analysis. It is called 'Study Skills for Art, Design & Media Students' and is written by Stewart Mann (707.1 Mann)  If you have struggled this year with the writing aspect of the course, I would encourage you to have a look at this book...There are currently 6 copies available, on the bottom shelf by the window! 

In preparation for the kick-off your Space Oddities film programme, I'm featuring here the 'Do's & Don'ts' of academic writing for your reference.  Ideally, you will have already taken the opportunity to take a look at the advice on offer here.  If not, be sure to familiarise yourself with this style guide before attempting your first film review of the year. Your brief asks you to use the Harvard Method in terms of referencing your published sources. Please note - this is a mandatory aspect of the presentation of your film reviews, so I suggest you take some time to investigate the 'How To' resources available on myUCA .   We don't want to waste valuable time (yours/ours) correcting these more technical elements of your writing.  Using the Harvard Method and proper bibliographies and illustration lists are something you just need to adopt from the outset as part of the new terrain of your undergraduate life.   To begin with, you...

Kath Abiker asked me to share this with you in support of your ongoing discussions about developing your skills as film reviewers and critics!  Also - a reminder that all of Kath's slides for all lectures are already available on myUCA/Contextual Studies - including audio recordings of the last three lectures. 10 Approaches To Studying Film

In preparation for the kick-off your Space Oddities film programme, I'm featuring here the 'Do's & Don'ts' of academic writing for your reference.  Ideally, you will have already taken the opportunity to take a look at the advice on offer here.  If not, be sure to familiarise yourself with this style guide before attempting your first film review of the year. Your brief asks you to use the Harvard Method in terms of referencing your published sources. Please note - this is a mandatory aspect of the presentation of your film reviews, so I suggest you take some time to investigate the 'How To' resources available on myUCA .   We don't want to waste valuable time (yours/ours) correcting these more technical elements of your writing.  Using the Harvard Method and proper bibliographies and illustration lists are something you just need to adopt from the outset as part of the new terrain of your undergraduate life.   To begin with, you...

In preparation for the kick-off your Space Oddities film programme, I'm featuring here the 'Do's & Don'ts' of academic writing for your reference.  Ideally, you will have already taken the opportunity to take a look at the advice on offer here.  If not, be sure to familiarise yourself with this style guide before attempting your first film review of the year. Your brief asks you to use the Harvard Method in terms of referencing your published sources. Please note - this is a mandatory aspect of the presentation of your film reviews, so I suggest you take some time to investigate the 'How To' resources available on myUCA .   We don't want to waste valuable time (yours/ours) correcting these more technical elements of your writing.  Using the Harvard Method and proper bibliographies and illustration lists are something you just need to adopt from the outset as part of the new terrain of your undergraduate life.   To begin with, you...

So, as the film reviews continue to trickle through, here are some more general tips for successful writing... Tip number 3 - The reader is not your friend. By this I mean, keep your writing impersonal and academic.   No gushing! No exclamation marks!! The reader doesn’t need to know that you loved the film…’it was brilliant!’   What does this actually tell the reader? Be specific, for example ‘the use of light and shadow added greatly to the overall menacing atmosphere’ is better than ‘ I loved the way he used light and shadow to give a spooky feeling!’   It is also recommended that you write in the 3 rd person, which can seem a bit odd to start with, but it is well worth getting into the habit of doing this early on, as it will make your actual essay and dissertation writing so much easier. There is a document available in the Space and Environment Unit, Teaching Materials, Essays and Articles, which gives you a whole list of alternatives to using ‘ I think’ e...

The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdoms and Beyond   by Christopher Finch The very definition of 'heavy reading' if only because the book is a 500 page juggernaut - it's absolutely huge and weighs a ton. Otherwise, it's a very digestible and easy to read history of Disney and the artists working behind the scenes, developing the ideas which ultimately make Disney cartoons as beautiful as they are. As expected for an art book about Disney , expect some absolutely glorious images. Finch's seminal book, originally published in 1973,  has seen numerous reprints and revisions and was most recently revised in 2011 to include an extensive section on Pixar . I prefer the older editions which go into more depth about slightly obscurer Disney cartoons and these copies also feature some lovely pull-out double page spreads of Disney art. Even its modern, slightly truncated form, this book is still the de facto study into Disney's st...

Hi Everyone, Whether it's your very first film review or those first speculative moments of your final dissertation, it's the start of a new academic year and pretty much everyone studying at university, of all years, is about to embark on an uncharted journey of self discovery and research which often involves climbing a few sets of stairs to the library so that you can discover new and exciting things about both the world and of yourselves. You're all like academic George Mallory's and Andrew Irvine's, but hopefully without the grisly, frozen demise! To avoid being stranded on the metaphoric Mount Everest of academic writing, the best trick to survive is to prepare yourself for the climb so you don't get caught in a tricky to navigate blizzard without the correct equipment. And that means books, and lots of them. While studying my MA, for the entirety of the year I carried around a canvas bag full of books which made up a quite sizable reading list ...

The Avery Index , Arts Bibliographic Modern , British Humanities Index , and the Design and Applied Arts Index are key resources for finding art-centric information in journal and newspaper articles.  See below for a reminder/refresher re. accessing the resource.

Art Full Text is a database where you can search for journal articles - see below for a reminder/refresher on how to access and use the database etc.   

All written assignments submitted for assessment by CGAA students need to go through Turnitin - the plagiarism-detection software accessed by students & lecturers through myUCA .   When you submit a written assignment to Turnitin , you are issued with a Turnitin reference number , which must be included as part of your plagiarism disclaimer form at time of submission.  You'll find your brief-specific Turnitin  facility on myUCA under the  Unit Assessment tab of your unit.   Turnitin generates an 'originality report' that cross-references your submission with other published material.   The originality report is made available to tutors only .   Your tutors may choose to view the originality report should they suspect an instance of plagiarism.  You may only submit your written assignment to Turnitin once , so you should only submit your assignment  to Turnitin when the assignment is finished, properly r...

Compiling them here for anyone who is interested. If you're still struggling to find something to write about for your essay then the 'Related films' and 'Analysis' sections could come in handy. Not all the films listed in the 'Related films' section are suitable but if you cast a critical eye and don't rush in blind, you will be able to find plenty of solid essay material. The Fly (1958) The Fly (1986) La Belle et la Bete The Company of Wolves The Elephant Man Splice Black Swan

The Guardian seems to be on a real Postmodernism kick right now. Which is great news for Second Years! Here's the latest article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2011/sep/20/postmodernism-10-key-moments

Tuesday, October 4th is your Anatomy Online Greenlight Review .   The OGR is an important deadline.  Use it to plan your time and manage your workload.  More importantly, the  OGR is your opportunity to 'pitch' your ideas to me and introduce your creative approach to the unit.  Use the OGR to seek reassurance, resolution, and alternate points-of-view. Use the OGR to ensure the remaining weeks of Unit 1 can be used productively and your workload undertaken with confidence.  Use the OGR wisely - prepare for it, invest in it, and it will save you time and ensure against silly mistakes, misunderstandings and misreadings of the brief.  Ideally, you want your OGR to excite and convince me.  You want a 'green light'. Your OGR is presented as a single Scribd presentation on your blog, with your name, date, and unit title.   If you are unfamiliar with using Scribd to present and embed documents/presentations,  go here for s...

Just featuring this extremely useful resourse for the benefit of Second years about to tackle Postmodernism. Would be a good idea to check out before the lecture series begins. It features: Easy to digest definitions for key Postmodern vocabulary. Lists of films, books, art, television broken down into the various strata and ideas of Postmodernism. Tons of links various archived journals, news articles and studies. Links to purchase various Postmodern texts. So yes, use this site to take you to more detailed and in-depth sources and analysis. Enjoy. Click here to be taken to OnPostmodernism.com

Some early advice regarding your film reviews for CGAA Unit 1 Anatomy 2011 "Film reviews for the ‘Shapeshifters’ film programme. Please note – in addition to and support of your own critique, your reviews must include a minimum of 3 quotations from 3 different published reviews1 + poster art + supporting stills.  Please note - Harvard Method2 must be used for all quotations and all illustrations to be referenced correctly. Reviews are to include bibliography and illustration list ." 1: Some good online sources for film criticism and reviews include: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film http://www.bfi.org.uk http://www.metacritic.com http://www.rottentomatoes.com http://www.empireonline.com http://www.filmreference.com http://www.kamera.co.uk http://twitchfilm.net 2: Follow this link   for  'how to reference' conventions for all kinds of sources using the Harvard Method. Okay - what a film review isn't is a blow...

You're going to enjoy this... a short history of CG characters in movies from lnrdshelby on Vimeo .